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Avalara vs Braintree

Avalara logo

Avalara

Software

Tax compliance done right

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
B

Braintree

Software

End-to-end checkout experiences for businesses, from PayPal

From
On request
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; Braintree vendor overview page names no transaction fee percentage or fixed charge, requiring a separate signup flow to see pricing

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Avalara and Braintree actually diverge.

Attributes where Avalara and Braintree differ
AttributeAvalaraBraintree
Starting price$29/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded2004Unknown

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

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 Braintree

Nothing recorded that Avalara does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Avalara

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

Braintree

No use cases recorded yet. See the Braintree review.

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

Braintree

  • Vendor overview page names no transaction fee percentage or fixed charge, requiring a separate signup flow to see pricing
  • Now marketed and hosted directly under the PayPal brand at paypal.com rather than a standalone braintreepayments.com site, which now redirects

Pricing, plan by plan

Avalara

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

Braintree

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Braintree 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 Braintree if

Nothing in the data separates Braintree from Avalara on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Braintree review

Questions people ask

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