Sales tax is the compliance job small sellers most often get wrong, because every state sets its own thresholds and filing calendar. We scored 21 providers, from self-serve software to firms that file every return for you, on the same five factors as our bookkeeping ranking.
They are not all the same product. Some calculate tax at checkout, some file and pay the returns, and some do the nexus studies, registrations and voluntary disclosures that come first. Each entry says which it is.
How to check our working
Every customer rating links to the review page it came from, and every price links to the provider’s own pricing page. All of it was read on 5 October 2026. Every provider goes through the same formula. If something has moved, follow the link and tell us so we can update it.
The short version
- Highest score: DAVO by Avalara at $57.99 per month per location, but only for in-state shops and restaurants on a point-of-sale system. It does not handle multi-state ecommerce.
- Done-for-you filing for ecommerce: Hands Off Sales Tax charges $55–$75 per filing with a $125 monthly minimum. The Sales Tax People charges from $600 a month for up to 10 states and publishes a full rate card.
- Self-serve software: TaxJar from $39 a month. Anrok charges $100 per state per month with filing included, aimed at SaaS companies.
- The going rate for filing is about $50–$79 per return or per state per month across the software providers that publish prices.
- Guarantees differ a lot. Zamp covers penalties from both calculation and filing errors, while Numeral and HOST cover on-time filing only. Anrok, TaxCloud and Stripe Tax publish no guarantee.
- Check whether your state pays: remote sellers in Streamlined Sales Tax states can have filing paid for by the state through a certified provider.
What to know before you buy
- Software pricing for done-for-you filing has converged on roughly $50-$79 per return or per state per month: TaxJar AutoFile $50-$55 per return, Numeral and Kintsugi $75 per filing, HOST $55-$75 per filing, Avalara $79 per state per month, Anrok $100 per state per month all-in. Monthly filers in several states should model total annual returns, not the headline subscription. Source: support.taxjar.com
- Registration fees vary widely: $125 (SalesTaxSolutions.US), $150 (Numeral), $299 (TaxJar), $300 (The Sales Tax People), $403 per location (Avalara). States themselves mostly charge little or nothing, so most of the fee is service. Source: www.avalara.com
- Remote sellers with no physical presence in a Streamlined Sales Tax member state can get calculation, filing and remittance paid for by the state through a Certified Service Provider (currently Avalara, TaxCloud, Sovos, AccurateTax, Avior). Check eligibility before paying per-state fees in SST states. Source: www.streamlinedsalestax.org
- 'Guarantees' differ a lot in scope: some cover only late filing (Numeral, HOST, TaxJar AutoFile), some also cover calculation errors but are capped (TaxJar API: 2x annual fees), and some apply only on top tiers (Kintsugi Premium). Read what is excluded, usually bad data and insufficient funds. Source: support.taxjar.com
- Nexus thresholds keep shifting. Illinois dropped its 200-transaction threshold on 1 Jan 2026 (now $100,000 in sales only) and ran a remote-retailer amnesty from 1 Aug to 31 Oct 2026 covering 2021-mid-2026. A nexus study done a few years ago may be out of date. Source: www.avalara.com
- Many 'best sales tax software' articles are published by vendors in this list (TaxCloud, Commenda, Zamp, Kintsugi all run competitor-comparison blogs). Verify prices on each provider's own pricing page. Source: taxcloud.com
How we scored them
The same five factors and weights as our bookkeeping ranking: review evidence 30%, pricing transparency 25%, data portability 20%, stability 15%, scope and honesty 10%.
- Customer rating is each platform’s rating multiplied by its review count, summed, and divided by the total count. Review evidence then scales it by volume (full strength at 150 reviews), subtracts points when platforms with 5+ reviews disagree by more than a star, and adjusts for BBB grade.
- Pricing transparency: 5 for a full public rate card including one-off costs, down to 1 for quote only.
- Data portability for sales tax filing: 5 if your filing history, returns and nexus data can be fully exported and you hold your own state accounts and logins; 3 if export is partial or undocumented; 1 if the provider holds registrations or data in a way that is hard to move. Most providers do not document this, so most score 3.
- Stability: years trading, ownership changes, layoffs and shutdowns, each with a source.
- Scope and honesty: whether the provider says plainly what is included, who does the work, what any guarantee covers and how the contract ends.
- Where a provider does not disclose something we need to score a factor, it gets 2 for that factor.
Where this ranking is weak
- Ratings for software providers come mainly from G2 and Capterra, whose reviewers skew towards finance and tech staff. Avalara’s Trustpilot profile is labelled Avalara Europe.
- Several ‘best sales tax software’ articles elsewhere are written by vendors on this list. We used none of them as sources.
- Four of the five factors (70% of the weight) are our judgement against published definitions. The factor scores are all in the table, so you can disagree with a specific one.
- Ratings and prices are a snapshot from 5 October 2026. Prices in this market change often; the links take you to the current page.
The full score table
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| # | Provider | Total | Reviews 30% | Price 25% | Port. 20% | Stab. 15% | Scope 10% | Customer rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAVO by Avalara software+service | 3.91 | 4.4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4.8 (116) |
| 2 | The Sales Tax People (formerly Peisner Johnson) service firm | 3.87 | 3.4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5.0 (12) |
| 3 | Hands Off Sales Tax (HOST) service firm | 3.70 | 1.7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4.0 (9) |
| 4 | TaxJar (Stripe) software | 3.68 | 2.6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4.5 (343) |
| 5 | Anrok software | 3.47 | 3.8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4.5 (308) |
| 6 | Quaderno software | 3.40 | 3.8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.6 (93) |
| 7 | TaxValet service firm | 3.31 | 4.5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4.9 (106) |
| 8 | Kintsugi software+service | 3.24 | 3.5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4.6 (53) |
| 9 | Stripe Tax software | 3.13 | 2.1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.5 (4) |
| 10 | Avalara software+service | 3.10 | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.8 (1,796) |
| 11 | Numeral software+service | 3.09 | 1.8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3.9 (31) |
| 12 | SalesTaxSolutions.US service firm | 3.00 | 0.0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — |
| 13 | LedgerGurus service firm | 2.73 | 3.3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.6 (40) |
| 14 | TaxCloud software | 2.66 | 1.7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3.7 (243) |
| 15 | Zamp software+service | 2.55 | 3.7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4.7 (52) |
| 16 | Sovos software+service | 2.54 | 2.6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.1 (120) |
| 17 | TaxConnex software+service | 2.54 | 2.6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.5 (12) |
| 18 | Commenda software+service | 2.47 | 3.7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4.7 (58) |
| 19 | Vertex software | 2.25 | 3.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4.4 (466) |
| 20 | Sales Tax and More service firm | 2.08 | 1.6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4.0 (8) |
| 21 | AccurateTax software+service | 1.80 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — |
The top 10, in detail
DAVO by Avalara
Single-location restaurants and shops on a POS system (not multi-state ecommerce)
- Price
- $57.99 per month per location with no contracts; first monthly filing free. (pricing page)
- Type
- software+service
- Headquarters
- Durham, NC, USA
- Customer rating
- 4.8/5 from 116 reviews: G2 4.8/5 (116).
- Built for in-state POS sellers (Square, Clover, Toast and others), not multi-state nexus.
- Pulls the tax owed from your bank account daily, so cash is never short at filing time.
- Claims on-time filing discounts in the 27 states that offer them.
Portability. Sets aside sales tax daily from the merchant's bank account and files and pays it. The portal stores payment confirmations and documents; export terms not checked.
Stability. Assets acquired by Avalara in April 2021; backed by a large parent (Vista-owned Avalara).
Scope. Flat, clear price. Promises 'guaranteed on-time and in full tax filing and payment'; exact guarantee terms not read.
The Sales Tax People (formerly Peisner Johnson)
Businesses needing nexus studies, VDAs and audit defense from a long-established specialist
- Price
- Nexus Risk Analysis $3,900 flat; return filing from $600/month for up to 10 states plus $60/month per extra state and $30/month per local return; registrations $300 per state; VDAs $5,400 per jurisdiction; audit defense and overpayment recovery on percentage/contingency. (pricing page)
- Type
- service firm
- Headquarters
- Utah, USA (offices in St. George and Lehi, UT; Cedar Hill/Dallas, TX) · founded 1992
- Customer rating
- 5.0/5 from 12 reviews: Google 5/5 (12).
- One of the few firms publishing a flat VDA price ($5,400 per jurisdiction).
- The $600/month filing minimum makes it costly for a seller in only 1-2 states.
- Peisner Johnson URLs now redirect to sales.tax under the Amplēo brand.
Portability. Ongoing compliance is an 'engagement you can end' and one-time services have no minimum term. As an advisory firm it typically works on client-held registrations, but this is not stated.
Stability. Founded 1992 as Peisner Johnson; acquired by Amplēo (fractional executive services) on 15 Jan 2025 and rebranded The Sales Tax People. A recent acquisition despite its long history.
Scope. Itemized flat fees, contingency basis disclosed, no minimum term, and a promise to flag scope changes before doing the work. No penalty guarantee published.
Hands Off Sales Tax (HOST)
Small ecommerce sellers wanting low-cost done-for-you filing
- Price
- Essentials $55 per filing and Essentials+ $75 per filing with a $125 monthly minimum; registration $200 (Essentials) or $175 (Essentials+); Enterprise is custom on a 12-month contract; add-ons range from $300/month data retrieval to a $3,500 historical nexus study. (pricing page)
- Type
- service firm
- Headquarters
- California, USA · founded 1999
- Customer rating
- 4.0/5 from 9 reviews: Trustpilot 3.9/5 (8) · Clutch 5/5 (1).
- Named by Stripe as one of the US filing partners for Stripe Tax.
- $125 monthly minimum applies even if you file only one or two returns.
- Files through your existing state logins, which makes switching away straightforward.
Portability. HOST logs into the client's own state portals with client-provided credentials and pays from the client's bank account, so registrations stay with the business. Essentials tiers are month-to-month.
Stability. Co-founded in 1999 by Mike Espenshade (about 27 years); operates under parent TaxMatrix. We found no ownership churn or layoff reports.
Scope. Per-filing rates, minimums and contract terms are published. Peace of Mind Guarantee: 'Your returns will be submitted on-time, or we will pay the penalties and interest.' It covers timeliness, not calculation accuracy.
TaxJar (Stripe)
Small ecommerce sellers who want self-serve reports and AutoFile
- Price
- Starter from $39/month and Professional from $99/month at 200 orders/month, scaling by order volume up to $19,999 and $49,999/month at 10M orders; AutoFile is $50 (Starter) or $55 (Professional) per return after 2 or 4 free credits a year, with prepaid bundles from $1,125 for 25 filings; registration is $299 per state. (pricing page)
- Type
- software
- Headquarters
- unverified · founded 2013
- Customer rating
- 4.5/5 from 343 reviews: G2 4.7/5 (254) · Capterra 4.4/5 (76) · Trustpilot 2.1/5 (13).
- The cheapest Starter tier includes only 2 AutoFile returns a year; a seller filing monthly in 3 states needs about 34 more at $50 each (about $1,700/year) on top of the subscription.
- AutoFile credits and bundles are non-refundable.
- Stripe also sells Stripe Tax, and TaxJar powers Stripe Tax's own US filing option, so the two products overlap.
- Capterra and Trustpilot reviewers report weaker support since the Stripe acquisition (email-only on Starter).
Portability. The seller registers in its own name (or pays TaxJar $299 per state to do it) and keeps its state accounts. TaxJar's product is built around downloadable sales-tax reports. We did not check a bulk export of filed-return history.
Stability. Founded 2013 and acquired by Stripe in 2021 (large parent). Stripe cut 45-55 TaxJar staff in July 2022 (reported 22 Aug 2022). We applied the rubric literally (layoffs reported); a reviewer may prefer 3-4 given Stripe's backing. Scored 3 rather than 1: the layoffs were in 2022 and it is backed by Stripe.
Scope. Full rate card and add-on prices are published. The TaxJar Guarantee covers uncollected tax, penalties and interest from API calculation errors, capped at 2x the prior 12 months of fees, and penalties and interest from late AutoFile filings. It excludes bad data, enrollment, banking and insufficient-funds errors, and requires notice within 14 days.
Anrok
SaaS and AI software companies selling across states and countries
- Price
- Starter is $100 per market per month (each registered US state counts as one market), including registration and filing with no per-filing charges; extra fees may apply to high-volume Starter sellers; Custom plan is quoted. (pricing page)
- Type
- software
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA, USA · founded 2020
- Customer rating
- 4.5/5 from 308 reviews: G2 4.5/5 (308).
- All-in per-state pricing: 5 registered states costs $500/month ($6,000/year) list, with filing included.
- Each Canadian provincial sales tax counts as a separate market; EU OSS counts as one.
- Built for software and SaaS rather than physical-goods ecommerce.
Portability. No published information on who holds state accounts or on exporting filing history. Score is a neutral default pending confirmation.
Stability. Founded 2020 (about 6 years). Raised a $55M Series C led by Spark Capital (15 Oct 2025), bringing total funding above $100M.
Scope. Pricing and per-market definition are clear. The pricing page publishes no accuracy or penalty guarantee, and high-volume surcharges are left to the contract.
Quaderno
Digital-product and SaaS sellers needing US sales tax plus VAT/GST
- Price
- Monthly plans: Hobby $24 (25 transactions), Startup $41 (250), Business $83 (1,000), Growth $124 (2,500), Enterprise custom; plans auto-upgrade if you exceed limits; US filing and registration are quoted by consultation. (pricing page)
- Type
- software
- Headquarters
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain · founded 2014
- Customer rating
- 4.6/5 from 93 reviews: Trustpilot 4.6/5 (68) · G2 4.7/5 (25).
- Primarily a calculation, invoicing and reporting tool; US filing is an add-on quoted after a consultation.
- Going over your plan's transaction limit triggers an automatic upgrade, not an overage fee.
- Owned by Visma since September 2023.
Portability. Calculation and reporting tool; the business typically files or uses Quaderno's quoted filing service. Export terms not checked.
Stability. Founded 2014 (about 12 years). Acquired by Visma (Norway) in Sept 2023 and runs independently under existing management; backed by a large parent.
Scope. Subscription tiers are clear. US filing and registration are not priced, and the pricing page has no guarantee.
TaxValet
Brands wanting an outsourced 'fractional sales tax department'
- Price
- Flat monthly fee range of $1,000 to $4,000 per month, with unlimited transactions. (pricing page)
- Type
- service firm
- Headquarters
- unverified (Colorado phone number)
- Customer rating
- 4.9/5 from 106 reviews: Google 4.9/5 (106).
- Published range of $1k-4k per month puts it above software-only options for small sellers.
- No fees for extra transaction volume.
- Certified B Corp (2024).
Portability. Not documented. Neutral default.
Stability. Founded by Alex Oxford; B Corp certified in Aug 2024. Says it has served 500+ companies with a 94 NPS 'over the last 5 years'. Founding year not confirmed; no acquisition or layoff reports found.
Scope. States that its own certified specialists do the work. 60-day risk-free period ('you don't pay'). An Audit Liability Guarantee covers penalties from TaxValet errors (full terms not read). Contract length not published.
Kintsugi
Startups wanting a free nexus monitor and pay-per-filing automation
- Price
- Free plan for nexus monitoring; Starter is $75 per filing or registration with no onboarding fees, transaction fees or long-term contracts; Premium (VDAs, real-time calculation, multi-country) is custom. (pricing page)
- Type
- software+service
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA, USA · founded 2023
- Customer rating
- 4.6/5 from 53 reviews: G2 4.6/5 (53).
- Registrations and filings cost the same $75 each on Starter.
- The penalty guarantee is Premium-only; the $75-per-filing Starter tier carries none.
- Vertex is a strategic investor (about 10%), which may shape Kintsugi's roadmap.
Portability. No published terms on credential handling or exporting filing history. Score is a neutral default.
Stability. Founded 2023. Raised $18M in 2025 at a $150M post-money valuation, led by Vertex (about a 10% stake plus a revenue-share partnership).
Scope. Plan inclusions are listed. The Kintsugi Guarantee ('if a calculation we made or a filing error of ours leads to penalties or interest, we pay it') applies to Premium only, so Starter customers have no published error coverage. VDAs are Premium-only.
Stripe Tax
Businesses already taking payments on Stripe
- Price
- Tax Basic is 0.5% per transaction (no-code) or 50 cents per transaction via API where you are registered; Tax Complete is $90 to $1,500/month on a 1-year contract, bundling 2 to 10 registrations, 4 to 32 filings a year and transaction caps; extra fees apply above plan limits and outside the US. (pricing page)
- Type
- software
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA, USA / Dublin, Ireland (Stripe) · founded 2021
- Customer rating
- 4.5/5 from 4 reviews: G2 4.5/5 (4).
- At 0.5% per transaction, a $1M/year seller registered everywhere it sells pays about $5,000/year for calculation alone, before filing.
- Tax Complete's entry tier ($90/month) includes only 4 filings a year and requires a 1-year contract.
- US filing partners named on Stripe's page: Stripe (powered by TaxJar), HOST and Taxually.
Portability. Calculation data lives in Stripe, and Stripe says it can be exported to file yourself or with a partner. US filing runs through partners (Stripe/TaxJar, HOST, Taxually), so filing history may sit with the partner. Registration ownership is not stated.
Stability. Product launched June 2021, backed by Stripe (large private parent). We found no Stripe Tax-specific layoffs or shutdown reports.
Scope. Published tiers state what is bundled. Filing is done by partners rather than by Stripe directly, and Stripe's page offers no penalty guarantee ('help avoid penalties' only).
Avalara
Growing multi-state sellers wanting the incumbent with the widest integration catalog
- Price
- Core Compliance (calculation, filing, remittance, notices, nexus monitoring) is $79 per state per month or $799 per state per year ($69/$699 per state with SST Services) for businesses under $50M revenue; registration is $403 per location; license guidance from $119; $50M+ revenue is custom. (pricing page)
- Type
- software+service
- Headquarters
- Seattle, WA, USA · founded 2004
- Customer rating
- 3.8/5 from 1,796 reviews: G2 4.1/5 (926) · Trustpilot 3.1/5 (506) · Capterra 4/5 (364).
- Priced per state: a seller filing in 5 states on Core Compliance pays $79 x 5 = $395/month list, or $799 x 5 = $3,995/year.
- As a Streamlined Sales Tax Certified Service Provider, Avalara's services can be state-paid for eligible remote sellers in SST member states.
- State registration is $403 per location, the highest published registration fee in this set.
- Capterra reviewers repeatedly complain about billing after cancellation and slow support (Customer Service sub-score 3.4/5).
Portability. Registrations are in the seller's name, but Avalara Returns pulls funds into its own remittance account (Avalara Treasury) and files on the seller's behalf; we could not read Avalara's help pages on export and data retention after cancellation (403). Treat as partial until confirmed.
Stability. Founded 2004. Taken private by Vista Equity Partners for $8.4B (completed 19 Oct 2022); confidentially filed for a new US IPO in July 2025. Large and well funded, but owned by private equity. Layoff claims appear only on employee-review sites (unverified, not scored).
Scope. The pricing page lists what Core Compliance includes, but contract length, transaction limits and onboarding fees are not published. The only liability statement is for SST states ('Avalara assumes liability for calculation errors in SST states'). We found no published penalty guarantee for filing errors outside SST.
Ranks 11 to 21
| # | Provider | Score | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Numeral | 3.09 | A seller filing monthly in 3 states pays about 36 x $75 = $2,700/year plus $450 one-time for registrations. Price: Free monitoring tier (nexus study and alerts); Professional is $75 per filing plus $150 one-time per state registration, with no setup fees and month-to-month billing; Enterprise is custom. 3.9/5 from 31 reviews: G2 3.9/5 (31). |
| 12 | SalesTaxSolutions.US | 3.00 | Among the lowest published per-return fees in this set ($49 on multi-state plans). Price: Month-to-month plans: $0/month + $59 per return (1 state), $59/month + $49 per return (2-9 states), $209/month + $49 per return (10-19 states), $359/month + $49 per return (20+ states); registration $125 ($25 off with a subscription); add-ons $179/month data processing, $59/month Canada, $125/hour cleanup. No verified ratings found. |
| 13 | LedgerGurus | 2.73 | Offers two tiers: Managed Returns (filing only) and Full-Service (adds reconciliation and discrepancy fixes). Price: Not published 4.6/5 from 40 reviews: Google 4.6/5 (39) · Trustpilot 3.2/5 (1). Ratings cover the whole firm, not only this service. |
| 14 | TaxCloud | 2.66 | SST Certified Service Provider: eligible remote sellers can get state-paid service in SST member states. Price: Filing and remittance subscriptions start at $39/month (Starter or Premium); audit support from $99/month; surcharges for Colorado and Louisiana filings; free registration, calculation and filing in 24 SST states for eligible sellers; base plan prices depend on order tier and are not shown. 3.7/5 from 243 reviews: Trustpilot 3.5/5 (200) · G2 4.5/5 (43). |
| 15 | Zamp | 2.55 | One of the few providers whose penalty-and-interest commitment covers both calculation and filing. Price: Not published (Free assessment tier; paid U.S. and U.S. + Canada plans are quoted by sales). 4.7/5 from 52 reviews: G2 4.7/5 (52). |
| 16 | Sovos | 2.54 | Sovos is an SST Certified Service Provider offering state-paid services to eligible remote sellers in SST states. Price: Not published (managed returns are 'custom pricing based on your company and needs'). 4.1/5 from 120 reviews: G2 4.2/5 (101) · Capterra 3.5/5 (19). |
| 17 | TaxConnex | 2.54 | Combines managed filing, calculation software, exemption certificate management and advisory (nexus, VDAs, audits). Price: Not published 4.5/5 from 12 reviews: Google 4.5/5 (11) · G2 5/5 (1). |
| 18 | Commenda | 2.47 | Covers VDAs for past exposure as part of its US sales tax service. Price: Not published 4.7/5 from 58 reviews: G2 4.7/5 (58). |
| 19 | Vertex | 2.25 | Vertex has no published pricing; small businesses must go through sales or an implementation partner. Price: Not published 4.4/5 from 466 reviews: G2 4.4/5 (466). |
| 20 | Sales Tax and More | 2.08 | Assigns a dedicated staff accountant to each account and checks data before filing. Price: Not published 4.0/5 from 8 reviews: Google 4/5 (8). |
| 21 | AccurateTax | 1.80 | SST Certified Service Provider offering state-paid service 'where applicable'. Price: Not published (per-order pricing plus optional filing; quote by email). No verified ratings found. |
Scored on 5 October 2026. Found a price or rating that has moved? Tell us and we will check it and show the change.