Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Avalara vs Bill.com

Avalara logo

Avalara

Accounting

Tax compliance done right

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bill.com logo

Bill.com

Accounting

Automate your financial workflows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bill.com has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Avalara pricing varies significantly based on products, integrations, transaction volume, and jurisdictions; Bill.com limited customization of approval workflows and user permissions for complex business needs
  • They diverge on capability: Avalara covers Tax calculation, Bill.com covers AP automation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Avalara and Bill.com actually diverge.

Attributes where Avalara and Bill.com differ
AttributeAvalaraBill.com
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded20042006

Identical on both: 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
  • Real-time rates
  • Shopify
  • Magento
  • SOC 2
  • GDPR

Only in Bill.com

  • AP automation
  • AR automation
  • Payment processing
  • Approval workflows
  • Vendor management
  • Cash flow insights
  • Mobile approvals
  • Xero

Both cover

  • Document management
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • 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 Bill.com
  • Multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determinationnot Bill.com
  • VAT, lodging, communications and excise tax calculationnot Bill.com
  • Feeding tax results into an ERP or ecommerce platform through the APInot Bill.com

Bill.com

  • Invoice processingnot Avalara
  • Bill paymentsnot Avalara
  • Vendor paymentsnot Avalara
  • Cash flow managementnot Avalara
  • Financial automationnot 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

Bill.com

  • Limited customization of approval workflows and user permissions for complex business needs
  • Limited international payment capabilities compared to specialists like Tipalti
  • Customer support response times are slow, with agents often lacking product expertise

Pricing, plan by plan

Avalara

$29/month
  • AvaTax$50/month
    • Tax calculation
    • Exemption certificates
    • Returns filing

Bill.com

Free
  • Essentials$49/month
    • Core AP and AR functionality
    • Manual CSV import/export
  • Team$65/month
    • Automatic 2-way sync with QuickBooks Online, Xero
  • Corporate$89/month
    • Procurement features
    • Custom approval policies
    • Sync with NetSuite, Dynamics

Which should you pick?

Choose Avalara if

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

Choose Bill.com if

  • You need ap automation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want ar automation.
Bill.com review

Questions people ask

Is Avalara or Bill.com better?
Neither clearly leads. Avalara starts at $29/month and Bill.com at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Avalara or Bill.com?
Bill.com has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Avalara and Free for Bill.com.
Does Avalara or Bill.com run on more platforms?
Avalara runs on Web, Api. Bill.com runs on Web.
Can I use Bill.com for free?
Yes. Bill.com has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Avalara starts at $29/month.
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 Bill.com is typically brought in for.
What can Avalara do that Bill.com cannot?
Avalara covers Tax calculation, Returns filing, Exemption management, Real-time rates. Bill.com covers AP automation, AR automation, Payment processing, Approval workflows. Both handle Document management, QuickBooks, NetSuite, 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
Bill.com: What payment methods does Bill.com support?

Bill.com supports ACH transfers, checks, corporate cards, and international transfers. ACH payments cost $0.59 per transaction, checks cost $1.99, and card payments incur a 2.9% fee.

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
Bill.com: Does Bill.com offer a free tier?

Yes. Bill.com offers a free Spend & Expense plan for access to credit lines from $1,000-$5M with corporate cards, budgets, and expense tracking.

Source
Bill.com: Which accounting systems does Bill.com integrate with?

Bill.com integrates with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Enterprise, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, and Xero, with automatic two-way syncing on most plans.

Source
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