Is Avalara or Bench better?

Neither clearly leads. Avalara starts at $29/month and Bench at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Avalara or Bench?

Avalara starts at $29/month and Bench at $299/month.

Does Avalara or Bench run on more platforms?

Avalara runs on Web, Api. Bench runs on Web, Ios, Android.

What is Avalara best used for?

Avalara is most often used for real-time sales tax calculation at checkout, multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determination, vat, lodging, communications and excise tax calculation, feeding tax results into an erp or ecommerce platform through the api. Of those, real-time sales tax calculation at checkout and multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determination are not what Bench is typically brought in for.

What can Avalara do that Bench cannot?

Avalara covers Tax calculation, Returns filing, Exemption management, Document management. Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Bank reconciliation, Tax preparation. Both handle SOC 2, Web support.

Accounting · head to head

Avalara vs Bench

Avalara

Accounting

Tax compliance done right

From: $29/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Bench

Accounting

America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses

From: $299/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Avalara pricing varies significantly based on products, integrations, transaction volume, and jurisdictions; Bench recent bankruptcy and acquisition by Employer.com creates uncertainty about product roadmap and support continuity
They diverge on capability: Avalara covers Tax calculation, Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Avalara and Bench actually diverge.

Attributes where Avalara and Bench differ
Attribute	Avalara	Bench
Starting price	$29/month	$299/month
Pricing model	subscription	Unknown
Platforms	Web, Api	Web, Ios, Android
Founded	2004	2012

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Avalara

Tax calculation
Returns filing
Exemption management
Document management
Real-time rates
QuickBooks
NetSuite
Shopify

Only in Bench

Dedicated bookkeeper
Monthly financial statements
Bank reconciliation
Tax preparation
Expense categorization
Stripe
PayPal
Square

Both cover

SOC 2
Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Avalara

Real-time sales tax calculation at checkoutnot Bench
Multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determinationnot Bench
VAT, lodging, communications and excise tax calculationnot Bench
Feeding tax results into an ERP or ecommerce platform through the APInot Bench

Bench

Bookkeeping outsourcingnot Avalara
Tax preparationnot Avalara
Financial reportingnot Avalara

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Avalara

Pricing varies significantly based on products, integrations, transaction volume, and jurisdictions
No free tier or trial period published
Enterprise sales model requires contacting sales specialists for customized quotes

Bench

Recent bankruptcy and acquisition by Employer.com creates uncertainty about product roadmap and support continuity
Higher starting cost at $299/month compared to self-service accounting software like Wave or QuickBooks Online
Requires manual connection of financial accounts and ongoing coordination with bookkeeping team, less automated than software-first solutions
Tax services limited to US income tax returns; no support for complex entity structures or multi-state taxation
History of burning through capital rapidly, raising concerns about long-term business sustainability

Pricing, plan by plan

Avalara

$29/month

AvaTax$50/month
- Tax calculation
- Exemption certificates
- Returns filing

Bench

$299/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Bench review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Avalara if

You need tax calculation.
You work on Web, Api.
You also want returns filing.

Avalara review

Choose Bench if

You need dedicated bookkeeper.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want monthly financial statements.

Bench review

Questions people ask

Is Avalara or Bench better?: Neither clearly leads. Avalara starts at $29/month and Bench at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Avalara or Bench?: Avalara starts at $29/month and Bench at $299/month.
Does Avalara or Bench run on more platforms?: Avalara runs on Web, Api. Bench runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Avalara best used for?: Avalara is most often used for real-time sales tax calculation at checkout, multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determination, vat, lodging, communications and excise tax calculation, feeding tax results into an erp or ecommerce platform through the api. Of those, real-time sales tax calculation at checkout and multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determination are not what Bench is typically brought in for.
What can Avalara do that Bench cannot?: Avalara covers Tax calculation, Returns filing, Exemption management, Document management. Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Bank reconciliation, Tax preparation. Both handle SOC 2, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Avalara: What are the starting prices for Avalara services?

Avalara Tax Calculation and Returns Compliance Package starts at $699. License Guidance is available for as low as $119. Sales Tax Registration costs $403 per location.

Source

Bench: What happened to Bench Accounting?

Bench shut down abruptly on December 27, 2024, filing for bankruptcy in Canada with $65 million in debt. The company was acquired by Employer.com on December 30, 2024, and resumed operations in January 2025 under new ownership.

Source

Avalara: How does Avalara's pricing scale?

Avalara uses volume-based pricing that varies based on the number of integrated business applications, volume of monthly sales transactions, number of states or jurisdictions for tax collection, and Streamlined Sales Tax enrollment. Pricing scales with business growth and transaction volume.

Source

Bench: What are Bench's current pricing plans?

Bench offers Bookkeeping at $299/month (billed annually) and Bookkeeping + Tax at $599/month (billed annually). Both include automated bookkeeping, real-time financial statements, and a dedicated team of bookkeepers.

Source

Bench: Does Bench include tax preparation services?

The Bookkeeping plan includes monthly bookkeeping and year-end tax-ready financial statements. The Bookkeeping + Tax plan adds one-on-one income tax consulting and annual income tax return filing.

Source

Bench: How does Bench's bookkeeping work?

Bench combines proprietary software with human bookkeepers. You connect your financial accounts to automate data entry, and Bench's team handles bookkeeping and provides year-end tax-ready statements. Customers can reach their dedicated team within 24 hours.

Source

Bench: Can I access real-time financial data with Bench?

Yes, Bench provides real-time reporting, allowing you to access or download updated income statements and balance sheets at any time.

Source

Avalara vs Bench

Avalara

Bench

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Avalara

Only in Bench

Both cover

What people use each for

Avalara

Bench

Where each one falls short

Avalara

Bench

Pricing, plan by plan

Avalara

Bench

Which should you pick?

Choose Avalara if

Choose Bench if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Avalara

More on Bench

Keep looking

Other head to heads