Kintsugi vs Vertex & TaxJar The Best Tax Compliance Solution

Kintsugi vs Vertex & TaxJar The Best Tax Compliance Solution

Choosing the right sales tax software provider is a critical decision for business owners. It’s not just about calculating taxes—it’s about finding a solution that offers reliability, scalability, and responsive support when it matters most. 

The ideal platform doesn’t just automate compliance; it provides a seamless, end-to-end experience, from addressing back taxes during onboarding to filing accurately on your behalf. In today’s fast-paced business environment, exceptional customer service isn’t just a bonus—it’s a necessity. 

When evaluating sales tax automation solutions, Vertex and TaxJar may seem like the default choices due to their widespread recognition. However, they aren’t always the best fit for every business. Enter Kintsugi—a growing leader in the tax compliance space. With its user-centric approach and superior customer service, Kintsugi stands out as the platform that not only simplifies sales tax compliance but also ensures a top-tier customer experience. Here’s why it’s the better choice for businesses seeking peace of mind and efficiency.

Customer Support: A Critical Weak Point for Both Vertex and TaxJar

Customer support is often the dealbreaker for businesses relying on tax compliance software. A report by HubSpot revealed that 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies offering excellent customer service.

Unfortunately, both Vertex and TaxJar have fallen short in assisting users in times of need. One major recurring complaint from users is the lack of 24/7 support and long delays in getting any resolution.

For instance, this Vertex user who struggled to use the software. According to her, Vertex delivered "a disappointing product and support."

"Once you save a configuration, you are locked out of Vertex for an indefinite amount of time where you can’t add anything. This causes problems when exempt customers try to place orders," one Vertex customer wrote. "You have to open a support ticket to get anyone to talk to you."

Vertex's support fails when it matters most. Caption: Vertex's support fails when it matters most.

Another Vertex customer said, "Support can only be reached via email"** and **"Responsiveness is slow - can be very frustrating when you're in a hurry and you can't call someone."

Vertex leaves users frustrated and waiting.

TaxJar users share similar frustrations. One user said they had a hard time getting connected with customer support, which was very unresponsive.

"There is no way to contact them by phone when they overpay on your taxes. Emails were sent daily to resolve the issue, but I received no response after weeks of waiting," the TaxJar customer wrote.

poor support and zero phone contact from Vertex led this customer to cancel.

These aren’t isolated incidents. The screenshots clearly show the dissatisfaction users feel when support isn’t there during critical times, leading to costly delays.

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83% of business buyers expect companies to respond instantly when contacted, according to Salesforce Report 2022.

Kintsugi fixes this problem with dedicated Slack support, offering real-time communication so that clients never feel left in the dark. With them, users no onger have to rely on email tickets and wait days for a response.

Kintsugi users can talk to a support expert within minutes, ensuring that time-sensitive issues are resolved before they become expensive problems. Here's what Kintsugi customers say about our customer support.

One said Kintsugi has "fantastic support." "I've been able to reduce my workload significantly and focus on more important tasks," Maryam Fabric wrote.

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Another Kintsugi customer experienced the same white glove treatment. According to TechTrove.shop, "the support team is always available to answer questions."

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A third customer said Kintsugi "streamlined my sales tax management" and "the customer is top-notch." They mentioned our support helped them set up the app, answered all their questions and even assisted them in navigating the "complex world of sales tax compliance."

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Kintsugi is dedicated to making the whole experience easy and convenient for all our customers. We are confident that we deliver based on feedback from our happy and satisfied clients.

Performance and Pricing: The Painful Trade-Offs with Vertex and TaxJar

Pricing and performance are other factors to consider when paying for a service. Does the tool work as expected and is it worth the price?

Unfortunately, among the most frequent complaints customers have about Vertex and TaxJar are the high cost and inconsistent performance. 

Vertex, in particular, has been criticized for being overpriced for small businesses and failing to deliver on critical functionalities.

One Vertex customer shared this frustration about the pricing below.

"The pricing structure is terrible for small businesses. There are other services that charge a lot less—especially for smaller companies that don't need high volume. The fixed cost they charge is too much for low-volume users," the Vertex customer wrote.

Vertex works but at a price, especially for low-volume businesses.
 

A TaxJar user echoed similar sentiments. One customer said they did not have a great experience with Taxjar due to its inconsistent performance and high cost.

"I did not think TaxJar was very user-friendly. It was hard to understand how to make things work for my business. Whenever I tried to set it up, I just became more frustrated," the TaxJar customer wrote.

TaxJar's lack of user-friendliness drove this customer to give up.

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Small businesses often lack the financial resources for such expensive tools, which puts more pressure on their cash flow. A 2021 QuickBooks survey showed that 39% of small businesses have cash flow issues, and expensive tax software only adds to the burden.

One of Kintsugi’s standout features is its ability to offer affordable, scalable pricing, making it accessible to both small businesses and larger enterprises.

Kintsugi doesn't penalize small users with high fees or excessive service charges, and users consistently report smooth, reliable performance without the server issues that often plague Vertex and TaxJar.

Kintsugi is determined to be of service. We even offer several free services, including the following:

  • Free nexus monitoring
  • Free address validation
  • Free advanced CSV importing
  • Dedicated Slack support
  • Free VDAs

And Kintsugi customers are happy and satisfied with our pricing. One even said, we offer "True automation at 1/10 cost."

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Features and Integrations: Kintsugi's Competitive Edge

Sales tax automation software is designed to make sales tax compliance easy and convenient for you. You must consider the features each provider offers.

Do they allow integration with the current accounting or marketplace you use? Is the user interface intuitive? Are the features powerful enough to solve specific problems?

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It is essential that the features available are tailored to your business needs.

When comparing features, Kintsugi clearly offers functionality that Vertex and TaxJar struggle to match, especially for businesses looking to streamline tax processes and save time.

Advanced CSV Importing

Several TaxJar users noted that the platform struggled with importing large or complex data sets, leading to more manual work.

Kintsugi solves this with advanced CSV importing, allowing users to upload complex files seamlessly without running into issues.

TaxJar’s lack of support leaves.
 

Free VDAs (Voluntary Disclosure Agreements)

While Vertex and TaxJar provide standard tax calculation tools, they often require premium add-ons for critical features, which drives up the cost. For example, Vertex’s premium integration and consulting services come at a steep price.

Voluntary Disclosure Agreements can save businesses thousands of dollars in penalties by helping them comply with tax requirements they were unaware of.

In contrast, Kintsugi offers free VDAs, giving users peace of mind without worrying about additional costs.

Integrations

Integration is another essential feature of sales tax automation software. This allows business owners or merchants like you to integrate your existing tools and platform into their software for a cohesive ecosystem -- better data flow and organization.

If you are selling on Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, or eBay and using QuickBooks or NetSuite, it would be beneficial if your sales tax automation provider has integrations for these platforms. 

TaxJar and Vertex customers have reported integration issues using the tool.

One user said one of the things they didn't like about TaxJar was "Integration with other services and systems." It reportedly "works well with some not at all with Shopify."

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Another unsatisfied Taxjar client said they tried to integrate the tool with their system, but it did not work, and they were disappointed with the purchase. 

"We did custom API work to get our order system integrated such that we could get all our data into it, only to find out that it was going to totally fall flat on its face," the customer wrote.

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Some Vertex users encountered the same problem with the platform. One said the setup integration wasn't easy.

"Setup of the integration with the O Series product required more custom code (UBE) development than expected," the customer wrote. "The Address Book cleanse process and outside web service (WIO) connection both presented challenges early on the Project."

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Meanwhile, Kintsugi customers have nothing but positive experiences with our seamless integration process. 

"Kintsugi integrates seamlessly with my Shopify site, Amazon, eBay and Etsy stores. It couldn't be easier and their support team is awesome. Stop looking and get Kintsugi -- you won't regret it," one said.

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Another user said Kintsugi was better than Avalara. "[The] integration process was self-serve and it was easy to navigate and set everything up."

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The Downsides of Vertex and TaxJar: Real Customer Stories

The actual pain points of Vertex and TaxJar lie in user experiences. Take a look at these common complaints, which point to significant product quality issues:

Vertex users frequently complain about how complicated the system is. One reviewer mentioned:

"Reporting is difficult to understand. The system will generate returns for both sales and use tax when we are only set up for one tax in the system."

Vertex leaves users frustrated and waiting.

Meanwhile, TaxJar users share their challenges with incorrect tax rates and poor user experience. "We discovered the software was not calculating tax rates correctly, so we had to stop using it," one customer said.

An integration that didn’t deliver accurate results.

These problems are not just minor annoyances—they are business-critical issues that can lead to costly mistakes and compliance errors.

Kintsugi, on the other hand, offers streamlined, intuitive reporting and reliable tax rate calculations, ensuring that businesses don't have to deal with such errors. Our clients enjoy an easy onboarding process and are confident with our tool because of our accurate tax calculations.

One Kintsugi user was overjoyed with our fast and easy onboarding. "Getting started was a piece of cake," Arjun S. wrote. "Kintsugi was super easy to set up. It's clear they've invested a ton in a good user experience."

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Another Kintsugi customer was pleased with how accurately our tool works. "It accurately calculates and files sales tax across multiple states, saving me hours or manual work each month," Toyseepk wrote about its Kintsugi experience.

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Kintsugi Beats TaxJar, Vertex in True Customer Experience

After looking into the actual customer experiences with Vertex and TaxJar, it’s abundantly clear that both platforms have severe issues with tax calculations, customer support, pricing, performance, and core features. Whether customers are overcharged, deal with inefficient systems, or don’t get the help they need when they need it, these platforms fail to meet the needs of many businesses.

Kintsugi solves these problems with:

  • 24-hour real-time support
  • Affordable, scalable pricing
  • Free address validation and CSV importing
  • Reliable performance with no hidden fees

With Kintsugi, you get a platform that actually delivers on its promises -- real-time support, transparent pricing, and reliable performance. We’ve built Kintsugi to solve the problems that so many Vertex and TaxJar users find frustrating.

We are constantly innovating with new features that our customers ask for so that all our customers benefit from a better product. So, if you're tired of tax compliance headaches and are looking for a better solution, it’s time to switch to Kintsugi.

Your business deserves a platform that works as hard as you do. Kintsugi is the sales tax management software you deserve.

So, book a demo now or sign up for free.

Ready to automate your sales tax?

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Business Address:

2261 Market St, Suite 5931 San Francisco, CA 94114

@2025 KintsugiAI, Inc. All rights reserved.

Business Address:

2261 Market St, Suite 5931 San Francisco, CA 94114

@2025 KintsugiAI, Inc. All rights reserved.
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