Avalara vs Anrok
Avalara offers established tax automation, but comes with hidden fees, slow setup, and you still own the tax liability. Anrokprovides a no-code setup for SaaS businesses, but has opaque pricing, and slower support. Let's deep dive into Avalara vs. Anrok to decide which platform best suits your business needs.
Avalara and Anrok Compared
Avalara is established in the market, but comes with complexity that modern businesses don't need - hidden fees, lengthy setup, and you still own the liability.
Setup Takes Months
Based on customer reviews, setup can take weeks to months with lack of customer support during implementation.
Complex, Hidden Pricing
Costs range from $21,000 to $160,000 annually, plus $14,500 implementation fees. Extra charges for each state filing and VAT registration.
Poor Customer Support
Existing customers report that support tickets go nowhere with minimal follow-up. Sales team is responsive, but post-sale support is described as nearly non-existent.
Vast-Association8113
Horrible employees, horrible service, horrible value for the dollar. Predatory business practices. They lie, mislead, and use any tactic to trap you in the contract. avoid at all costs! There are many significantly less expensive and better options out there.
LIAPHX
Don't do it! Avatax is TERRIBLE. Implementation is bitch. Support is horrible. Managed returns are a joke - they've done our returns incorrectly despite asking them to correct (obvious) categories and now we have to amend multiple states and they are trying to charge us (this is an onboarding issue they need to fix.) They cant do NM and HI sourcing correctly. Had to set up custom rules which they agreed with. Without any knowledge of sales tax laws, you wouldn't know, but they are seriously fucking things up. DONT DO IT.
'Don't use this software'
2.0
Not good. Attempted to cancel, but had to jump through hoops and we are still being charged monthly. We had multiple changes in our dedicated support rep, and he would constantly cancel our scheduled meetings.
Pros
Initially I thought Avalara was nice because it would calculate taxes on our behalf, then I realized the taxes calculated were wrong.
Cons
Customer Support was horrendous and slow. Platform was difficult to navigate at times and it is overpriced.
Vast-Association8113
Horrible employees, horrible service, horrible value for the dollar. Predatory business practices. They lie, mislead, and use any tactic to trap you in the contract. avoid at all costs! There are many significantly less expensive and better options out there.
LIAPHX
Don't do it! Avatax is TERRIBLE. Implementation is bitch. Support is horrible. Managed returns are a joke - they've done our returns incorrectly despite asking them to correct (obvious) categories and now we have to amend multiple states and they are trying to charge us (this is an onboarding issue they need to fix.) They cant do NM and HI sourcing correctly. Had to set up custom rules which they agreed with. Without any knowledge of sales tax laws, you wouldn't know, but they are seriously fucking things up. DONT DO IT.
'Don't use this software'
2.0
Not good. Attempted to cancel, but had to jump through hoops and we are still being charged monthly. We had multiple changes in our dedicated support rep, and he would constantly cancel our scheduled meetings.
Pros
Initially I thought Avalara was nice because it would calculate taxes on our behalf, then I realized the taxes calculated were wrong.
Cons
Customer Support was horrendous and slow. Platform was difficult to navigate at times and it is overpriced.
Anrok excels for SaaS businesses but scaling comes at a cost. Modern businesses need transparent pricing and comprehensive global coverage.
Opaque Pricing Structure
Pricing tied to usage and total revenue means costs increase unpredictably as you scale.
Limited Global Support
Mainly designed for the United States. Features are limited outside the US, despite claims of global coverage.
Slow Customer Support
Users report slow response times and unhelpful responses due to lack of dedicated tax professionals on staff.
Louis M.
Manager
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
What do you dislike about Anrok?
My main dislike with Anrok is the lack of a consistent point of contact. We often deal with different people depending on the issue, which can make it harder to maintain continuity and context.
Leilani R.
VP Finance
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
'Slow Service'
1.5/5
Verified User
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
What do you dislike about Anrok?
Unfortunately, we were under the impression that the Anrok implementation process would be significantly easier than it was. The actual integration with our software was fairly simple, however we ran into several road blocks after that. For example, the Anrok team was not as knowledgable on the accounting specifics such as how to issue credits for a customer who was invoiced for sales tax but shouldn't have been charged for sales tax. We had a lot of confusion around which accounts in our accounting system would sales tax and sales tax credits fall into. To get Anrok up and running smoothly with our other systems, from end to end, probably took almost 6 months.
Louis M.
Manager
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
What do you dislike about Anrok?
My main dislike with Anrok is the lack of a consistent point of contact. We often deal with different people depending on the issue, which can make it harder to maintain continuity and context.
Leilani R.
VP Finance
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
'Slow Service'
1.5/5
Verified User
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
What do you dislike about Anrok?
Unfortunately, we were under the impression that the Anrok implementation process would be significantly easier than it was. The actual integration with our software was fairly simple, however we ran into several road blocks after that. For example, the Anrok team was not as knowledgable on the accounting specifics such as how to issue credits for a customer who was invoiced for sales tax but shouldn't have been charged for sales tax. We had a lot of confusion around which accounts in our accounting system would sales tax and sales tax credits fall into. To get Anrok up and running smoothly with our other systems, from end to end, probably took almost 6 months.
Avalara vs. Anrok vs. Kintsugi
6 reasons why Kintsugi is better
Kintsugi handles your complete sales tax compliance lifecycle. Monitor nexus exposure, automate registrations, calculate accurately, file returns, and handle tax authority notices. Even when operating globally.
Transparent Pricing
No hidden fees or surprises. Clear pricing with no onboarding or implementation fees. Plan tiers based on filing volume or custom quotes for enterprise needs.
Error Insurance Included
Kintsugi offers error insurance to correct direct errors up to the total amount you paid - giving you peace of mind that Avalara doesn't provide.
AI-Powered Automation
Powered by Vertex, Kintsugi uses AI-driven technology for intelligent tax automation, real-time nexus monitoring, and automatic product classification.
Fast, Easy Setup
No-code setup to sync your sales platform. Get started in hours, not months, with dedicated onboarding assistance and responsive support.
Kintsugi Mail - Virtual Mailbox
A virtual mailbox that handles incoming tax authority notices and government mail on your behalf - unique to Kintsugi.
Real-Time Nexus Monitoring
Sends alerts when exemption certificates need renewal and monitors where you have nexus for free. Automated job risk assessment and historical liabilities auditing.
Switch to Kintsugi with no friction
We understand contracts can be tricky. Contact our team to discuss migration options that work with your current commitment timeline.
Avalara vs. Anrok vs. Kintsugi
See how Kintsugi leads the way when comparing to players like Avalara and Anrok
| |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Onboarding | Setup takes weeks to months (per customer reviews) | Low-effort, no-code setup | No-code setup, get started quickly |
| Tax Calculation | Real-time at point of sale | Real-time calculation | Automated real-time calculations |
| Platform Integrations | 1,200+ (Shopify, NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks) | NetSuite, QuickBooks, Stripe | Shopify, Stripe, Chargebee, QuickBooks, NetSuite |
| Filing & Reporting | Automated filing and reporting dashboards | Automated reports and pre-filed returns | Reports and filing-ready exports |
| Global Coverage | US and EU (extra fees), calculation-only outside these regions | Built for global SaaS, mainly US-focused with limited features outside US | Multi-state and international jurisdictions (US, global VAT, GST) |
| High Transaction Volume | Enterprise-level | Supports high volumes | Real-time computation for millions of transactions per hour |
| Advanced Reporting | Avalara Insights analytics dashboards | Dashboard showing tax exposure and filing readiness | Finance dashboards with real-time tax liability monitoring |
| Support & SLAs | Dedicated account managers (tiered, contact for details) | Premium support for enterprise | Priority implementation and dedicated success management |
| Security & Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, role-based access | SOC 2, SSO, granular permissions | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, role-based access |
| Error Insurance | Not available | Not available | Yes, up to total amount paid |
| Virtual Mailbox | Not available | Not available | Yes (Kintsugi Mail) |
| Tax Liability | You own it | You own it | Error insurance included |
| Pricing Transparency | Complex, requires sales contact ($21K-$160K/year) | Premium plans available, requires contact for details | Transparent, no hidden fees |
| Implementation Fees | $14,500 one-time cost | No explicit implementation fees mentioned | No implementation fees |
| State Filing Fees | $42-$54 per filing + $25-$475 activation fee | Included in AutoFile pricing | Included in plan tiers |
| Nexus Monitoring | Economic nexus tracking available | Multi-state tax compliance and automated jurisdiction filing | Real-time nexus monitoring with alerts |
| Certificate Management | Exemption certificate management available | Exempt non-taxable products via built-in sales tax categories | Alerts when certificates need renewal |
Get Started with Kintsugi
Automate your sales tax compliance with transparent pricing and AI-powered accuracy.
FAQs
Which is better: Avalara, Anrok, or Kintsugi?
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Does Avalara, Anrok, or Kintsugi use my data to train their AI?
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How is Kintsugi different from Avalara and Anrok?
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How can I get access to Kintsugi?
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How can I migrate from Avalara or Anrok to Kintsugi?
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