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Accounting & Finance · head to head

Avalara vs BlackLine

Avalara logo

Avalara

Accounting & Finance

Tax compliance done right

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BlackLine logo

BlackLine

Accounting & Finance

Finance & accounting automation

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Avalara plans start at $699 per state per year, so multi-state sellers multiply that figure rather than paying one subscription; BlackLine listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document
  • They diverge on capability: Avalara covers Tax calculation, BlackLine covers Account reconciliation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Avalara and BlackLine actually diverge.

Attributes where Avalara and BlackLine differ
AttributeAvalaraBlackLine
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded20042001

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting & Finance).

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
  • Shopify
  • Magento

Only in BlackLine

  • Account reconciliation
  • Journal entries
  • Task management
  • Variance analysis
  • Financial close
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • SOC 1/2

Both cover

  • 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 BlackLine
  • Multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determinationnot BlackLine
  • VAT, lodging, communications and excise tax calculationnot BlackLine
  • Feeding tax results into an ERP or ecommerce platform through the APInot BlackLine

BlackLine

  • Financial closenot Avalara
  • Reconciliationnot Avalara
  • Continuous accountingnot Avalara

Where each one falls short

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

Avalara

  • Plans start at $699 per state per year, so multi-state sellers multiply that figure rather than paying one subscription
  • Billed by transaction, where one API call is one transaction, so cost tracks invoice volume
  • The free option is limited to the Streamlined Sales Tax programme, in up to 25 states and only for qualifying businesses

BlackLine

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document

Pricing, plan by plan

Avalara

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

BlackLine

$29/month
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Account reconciliation
    • Task management

Which should you pick?

Choose Avalara if

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

Choose BlackLine if

  • You need account reconciliation.
  • You also want journal entries.
BlackLine review

Questions people ask

Is Avalara or BlackLine better?
Neither clearly leads. Avalara starts at $29/month and BlackLine at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Avalara or BlackLine?
Avalara starts at $29/month and BlackLine at $29/month.
Does Avalara or BlackLine run on more platforms?
Avalara runs on Web, Api. BlackLine runs on Web.
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 BlackLine is typically brought in for.
What can Avalara do that BlackLine cannot?
Avalara covers Tax calculation, Returns filing, Exemption management, Document management. BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Journal entries, Task management, Variance analysis. Both handle NetSuite, Web support.
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