Avalara vs Sphere
Avalara
Small, midsize and enterprise businesses, including manufacturers, retailers, software companies, hospitality and accounting firms
2004; Durham, North Carolina, US
Sphere
Companies selling across borders, typically US$10m+ ARR with multiple entities; also billing and commerce platforms and accounting and tax advisory firms
Avalara and Sphere both automate indirect tax compliance, including sales tax, VAT and GST calculation, filing and remittance.
Avalara, founded in 2004 in Durham, North Carolina, serves 41,000+ small, midsize and enterprise businesses; Sphere, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, serves companies selling across borders, such as ElevenLabs, Replit and Deel, in 130+ jurisdictions.
Avalara vs Sphere: side by side
“Not published” means the vendor does not state it.
| Avalara | Sphere | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Tax compliance: sales and use tax calculation, returns filing and remittance, VAT, e-invoicing, exemption certificates, cross-border duties, business licences and property tax, with AI agents | AI-native cross-border indirect tax compliance: sales tax, VAT and GST monitoring, registration, calculation, filing and remittance across 130+ jurisdictions |
| Best for | Small, midsize and enterprise businesses, including manufacturers, retailers, software companies, hospitality and accounting firms | Companies selling across borders, typically US$10m+ ARR with multiple entities; also billing and commerce platforms and accounting and tax advisory firms |
| Founded and HQ | 2004; Durham, North Carolina, US | Not published |
| Ownership and funding | Not published | Private; Series A US$21m led by Andreessen Horowitz with Y Combinator and Felicis (Nov 2025); 20VC also listed as a backer |
| Customers or users | 41,000+ customers; 6.6 million+ returns filed and 54 billion+ AvaTax API calls in 2025 | Named customers include ElevenLabs, Replit, Lovable, Deel, Ramp, Framer, Cognition, Runway and Fyxer |
| Pricing | Avalara Select sales tax plans for businesses under US$50m revenue: US$79 or US$69 per state a month (US$799 or US$699 a year); larger businesses quoted on volume | Starter US$100 per region per month (under 10 regions, up to 50,000 transactions); Growth (10+ regions) custom; per-transaction fee above 50,000 |
| Deployment and markets | Customers in 75+ countries; VAT, GST, e-invoicing and duties across 190+ markets; offices in the US, Europe, India and Brazil | Cloud platform; 130+ jurisdictions worldwide (US states, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, India and more), with direct connections to tax authorities |
Main differences
Avalara also covers exemption certificates, cross-border duties, business licences and property tax; Sphere focuses on sales tax, VAT and GST, with input tax recovery and e-invoicing add-ons.
Avalara serves 41,000+ small, midsize and enterprise businesses across industries; Sphere serves cross-border companies, typically from US$10m ARR with multiple entities.
Avalara Select costs US$69 or US$79 per state a month for businesses under US$50m revenue; Sphere's Starter plan costs US$100 per region a month for under 10 regions.
Avalara covers VAT, GST, e-invoicing and duties across 190+ markets; Sphere covers 130+ jurisdictions through direct connections to tax authorities.
Which to choose
Choose Avalara if
- You need exemption certificates, duties, business licences or property tax as well as sales tax and VAT
Choose Sphere if
- You are a software company selling across borders from several entities and want filing through direct connections to tax authorities
Compare further
Common questions
What is the difference between Avalara and Sphere?+
Avalara covers sales and use tax calculation, returns filing and remittance, VAT, e-invoicing, exemption certificates, cross-border duties, business licences and property tax, with AI agents. Sphere covers cross-border sales tax, VAT and GST monitoring, registration, calculation, filing and remittance across 130+ jurisdictions.
How much do Avalara and Sphere cost?+
Avalara Select sales tax plans, for businesses under US$50m in revenue, cost US$79 or US$69 per state a month (US$799 or US$699 a year); larger businesses are quoted on volume. Sphere's Starter plan costs US$100 per region a month for under 10 regions and up to 50,000 transactions; Growth, for 10+ regions, is custom.
Which countries do Avalara and Sphere cover?+
Avalara has customers in 75+ countries and covers VAT, GST, e-invoicing and duties across 190+ markets. Sphere covers 130+ jurisdictions, including US states, Canada, the EU, the UK, Australia and India.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
