Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Circula vs TaxJar

Circula logo

Circula

Accounting

Expense, travel and employee benefit management for German speaking finance teams

From
€15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TaxJar logo

TaxJar

Accounting

Sales tax, simplified

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only TaxJar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Circula the module pricing stacks: expenses at fifteen euro per licence plus ninety nine euro for cards plus a hundred and forty nine euro for accounts payable means a fifty person company pays well over a thousand euro a month before add ons.; TaxJar both published plans include only 200 orders per month, so higher volume costs more
  • They diverge on capability: Circula covers German per diem engine, TaxJar covers Tax calculation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Circula and TaxJar actually diverge.

Attributes where Circula and TaxJar differ
AttributeCirculaTaxJar
Starting price€15/monthFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2013

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 Circula

  • German per diem engine
  • Receipt capture and OCR
  • Corporate credit cards
  • Employee benefits
  • Accounts payable
  • Mileage and travel
  • DATEV and ERP export
  • Approval workflows

Only in TaxJar

  • Tax calculation
  • AutoFile returns
  • Economic nexus tracking
  • Exemption certificates
  • Multi-channel support
  • Shopify
  • Amazon
  • WooCommerce

What people use each for

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

Circula

  • A German company that must apply statutory per diem rates and meal deductions correctly to avoid payroll tax exposurenot TaxJar
  • A finance team wanting card spend, expense claims and benefits in one DATEV exportnot TaxJar
  • An employer offering the tax free monthly benefit allowance and needing auditable records of itnot TaxJar
  • A mid sized business replacing spreadsheet mileage claims with rule enforced distance calculationsnot TaxJar

TaxJar

  • Calculating US sales tax at checkoutnot Circula
  • Reporting sales tax liability by state and jurisdictionnot Circula
  • Automatically filing state sales tax returnsnot Circula

Where each one falls short

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

Circula

  • The module pricing stacks: expenses at fifteen euro per licence plus ninety nine euro for cards plus a hundred and forty nine euro for accounts payable means a fifty person company pays well over a thousand euro a month before add ons.
  • A minimum of ten licences excludes small teams, and the flexible licensing model for occasional claimants makes monthly cost harder to forecast than a flat per seat price.
  • Strength is in German tax rules, so companies with significant operations outside the DACH region gain little from the feature that justifies the price.
  • The accounts payable module includes only a hundred invoices per month, so invoice heavy businesses face metered overage on top of the platform fee.
  • Card issuing carries a per card transaction ceiling and depends on partner issuing, so high value procurement spend can hit limits that a bank issued corporate card would not.

TaxJar

  • Both published plans include only 200 orders per month, so higher volume costs more
  • The Starter plan at $39 per month allows only 3 data import integrations
  • AutoFile state filings are metered: Starter includes 2 credits a year and each extra filing costs $50, Professional includes 4 and each extra costs $55
  • Real time tax calculation API access requires the Professional plan at $99 per month
  • Phone support, a Customer Success Manager and a dedicated onboarding specialist require the Professional plan
  • The developer sandbox requires the Professional plan
  • The 10% saving requires annual billing

Pricing, plan by plan

Circula

€15/month
  • Employee and Travel Expenses$15/month
    • Per licence, billed annually
    • Minimum 10 licences
    • OCR receipt capture
  • Credit Cards$99/month
    • Platform fee, unlimited cards
    • Per card spend limits
    • Transaction limit of EUR 750,000 per card
  • Accounts Payable$149/month
    • Platform fee
    • Includes 100 invoices per month
    • Supplier invoice capture and approval
  • Benefits$1/month
    • Per licence
    • Tax free benefit allowances
    • Mobility and meal benefits

TaxJar

Free
  • Starter$39/month
    • Up to 200 orders per month
    • 3 data integrations
    • API access included
  • Professional$99/month
    • Up to 200 orders per month
    • 10 total data integrations
    • 10,000 API calls per minute

Which should you pick?

Choose Circula if

  • You need german per diem engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want receipt capture and ocr.
Circula review

Choose TaxJar if

  • You need tax calculation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want autofile returns.
TaxJar review

Questions people ask

Is Circula or TaxJar better?
Neither clearly leads. Circula starts at €15/month and TaxJar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Circula or TaxJar?
TaxJar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at €15/month for Circula and Free for TaxJar.
Does Circula or TaxJar run on more platforms?
Circula runs on Web, iOS, Android. TaxJar runs on Web, Api.
Can I use TaxJar for free?
Yes. TaxJar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Circula starts at €15/month.
What is Circula best used for?
Circula is most often used for a german company that must apply statutory per diem rates and meal deductions correctly to avoid payroll tax exposure, a finance team wanting card spend, expense claims and benefits in one datev export, an employer offering the tax free monthly benefit allowance and needing auditable records of it, a mid sized business replacing spreadsheet mileage claims with rule enforced distance calculations. Of those, a german company that must apply statutory per diem rates and meal deductions correctly to avoid payroll tax exposure and a finance team wanting card spend, expense claims and benefits in one datev export are not what TaxJar is typically brought in for.
What can Circula do that TaxJar cannot?
Circula covers German per diem engine, Receipt capture and OCR, Corporate credit cards, Employee benefits. TaxJar covers Tax calculation, AutoFile returns, Economic nexus tracking, Exemption certificates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Circula: Does Circula calculate German per diems automatically?

Yes, by destination country and trip duration, including meal and accommodation deductions, which is the main reason DACH finance teams buy it.

TaxJar: How much does TaxJar cost?

TaxJar pricing starts at $39/month for Starter and $99/month for Professional. Save 10% or more with annual pricing. A 30-day free trial is available.

Source
Circula: What does it actually cost for fifty employees?

Roughly seven hundred and fifty euro a month for expense licences alone at the fifteen euro rate, before the ninety nine euro card platform fee and any accounts payable module.

TaxJar: What is the difference between TaxJar Starter and Professional?

Both plans handle up to 200 orders/month, but Professional includes phone support, dedicated success manager, 10 users, and more data integrations and API capacity.

Source
Circula: Is there a minimum commitment?

Yes. A minimum of ten licences and annual billing on the published rates.

TaxJar: Does TaxJar offer discounts for annual billing?

Yes, TaxJar saves customers 10% or more when paying annually instead of monthly for both Starter and Professional plans.

Source
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