# Avalara vs UltraTax CS Comparison
---
## AI Generated Summary
- **G2 reviewers report** that Avalara excels in user experience, with many praising its **automation capabilities**. Users appreciate how it automates tax calculations on sales quotes and invoices, effectively removing the guesswork involved in creating invoices.
- **According to verified reviews** , UltraTax CS is favored for its **integration with other Thomson Reuters applications** , which streamlines data entry and enhances workflow. Users highlight that this integration saves significant time by allowing information to rollover from year to year.
- **Users say** that Avalara's setup process is intuitive, making it easy to implement and understand. Once configured, it requires minimal oversight, allowing users to focus on accuracy rather than worrying about tax changes.
- **Reviewers mention** that while UltraTax CS has a solid reputation, it faces challenges in user satisfaction, particularly in areas like ease of administration. Some users have noted that it can be less user-friendly compared to Avalara, which may impact daily usability.
- **G2 reviewers highlight** Avalara's strong support for compliance, with features that automatically complete required taxes through integrations with existing systems. This capability is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to ensure accuracy without extensive manual input.
- **According to recent feedback** , UltraTax CS is appreciated for its e-filing options, which streamline the filing process. However, the overall user satisfaction is lower compared to Avalara, indicating that while it has useful features, it may not meet all user expectations as effectively.



| | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.0 out of 5 | 3.4 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 816 | 61 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Mid-Market (50.0% of reviews) | Small-Business (95.0% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Avalara

Pros:
- Ease of Use (68 reviews)
- Tax Automation (55 reviews)

Cons:
- Poor Customer Support (52 reviews)
- Improvement Needed (44 reviews)

### UltraTax CS

Pros:
- Customer Support (2 reviews)
- Ease of Use (2 reviews)

Cons:
- Difficult Learning (1 reviews)
- Expensive (1 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 8.1 (491 reviews) | 7.7 (50 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 8.0 (637 reviews) | 7.6 (51 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 7.2 (460 reviews) | 7.6 (14 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 7.6 (291 reviews) | 6.0 (7 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 6.8 (489 reviews) | 6.7 (49 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 7.1 (297 reviews) | 5.0 (7 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 7.6 (486 reviews) | 6.2 (49 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Avalara

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

### UltraTax CS

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Tax Practice Management

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Avalara** | N/A | N/A |
| **UltraTax CS** | N/A | N/A |

#### Platform Additional Functionality

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Cloud** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Messaging** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Payment** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Portal** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Platform Content

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Automation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Platform Data

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Dashboard** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Tax Practice Management

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Natural Language Interaction** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Cross Border E-Commerce

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Avalara** | 6.8/10 | 17 |
| **UltraTax CS** | N/A | N/A |

#### Global Shipping

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Integration** | 8.0 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Reporting** | 7.3 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Labels** | 6.7 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Returns** | 7.1 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Payments and Pricing

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Global Tax** | 6.9 (15 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Currency** | 6.6 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Payment Methods** | 7.2 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Cost** | 6.7 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Pricing** | 6.2 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Global ecommerce management

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Compliance** | 7.3 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Delivery Tracking** | 7.0 (15 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Risk** | 7.3 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Documents** | 7.1 (15 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Portals

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Marketplaces** | 7.0 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Branding** | 6.3 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Omnichannel** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 

### Sales Tax and VAT Compliance

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Avalara** | 7.2/10 | 240 |
| **UltraTax CS** | N/A | N/A |

#### Tracking

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Sales Tax** | 8.3 (214 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **VAT** | 6.5 (139 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **GST** | 6.8 (138 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Exemptions** | 7.7 (176 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Adjustments** | 7.3 (159 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Localization** | 7.6 (163 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Integrations

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Integrations** | 7.1 (189 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Remittance

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Returns** | 7.8 (189 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Notifications** | 7.1 (165 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Global/Cross Borders** | 6.2 (140 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Analytics** | 7.1 (156 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Sales Tax and VAT Compliance

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | 7.3 (33 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Natural Language Interaction** | 6.6 (29 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Corporate Tax

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Avalara** | 8.9/10 | 19 |
| **UltraTax CS** | 8.5/10 | 8 |

#### Tax Planning

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Strategies** | 8.7 (15 reviews) | 8.5 (8 reviews) | 
| **Exemptions** | 8.8 (16 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 
| **Credits** | 9.0 (15 reviews) | 8.8 (8 reviews) | 
| **Estimations** | 8.9 (15 reviews) | 8.1 (8 reviews) | 

#### Tax Filing

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Calculations** | 9.2 (16 reviews) | 9.2 (8 reviews) | 
| **Rules & Regulations** | 8.9 (16 reviews) | 8.5 (8 reviews) | 
| **Reporting** | 9.1 (18 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 

#### Workflows

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Integrations** | 8.8 (18 reviews) | 8.8 (8 reviews) | 
| **Importing** | 9.0 (15 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 

### Professional Tax

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Avalara** | N/A | N/A |
| **UltraTax CS** | N/A | N/A |

#### Tax Forms - Professional Tax Software

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Federal Tax ** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **State Tax** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Data management - Professional Tax Software

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Import** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Export** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Tax filing - Professional Tax Software

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **E-filing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **eSignatures** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Calculation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Reporting - Professional Tax Software

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Tax Planning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Integration and Support - Professional Tax Software

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Payment ** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Client Portal** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Tax Advisor** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Mobile App** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### SAP Store

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Avalara** | N/A | N/A |
| **UltraTax CS** | N/A | N/A |

#### Agentic AI - SAP Store

| Feature | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Multi-step Planning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 
| **Natural Language Interaction** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (1):** [Corporate Tax Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/corporate-tax)

**Unique to Avalara (3):** [Sales Tax and VAT Compliance Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/sales-tax-and-vat-compliance), [Cross Border E-Commerce  Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/cross-border-e-commerce), [SAP Store Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/sap-store)

**Unique to UltraTax CS (2):** [Professional Tax Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/professional-tax), [Tax Practice Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/tax-practice-management)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Avalara | UltraTax CS | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 37.9% | 95.0% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 50.0% | 3.3% | 
| **Enterprise** | 12.1% | 1.7% | 

### By Industry

#### Avalara

- **Computer Software:** 12.0%
- **Retail:** 11.8%
- **Accounting:** 9.4%
- **Manufacturing:** 8.6%
- **Wholesale:** 6.1%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 4.6%
- **Consumer Goods:** 3.9%
- **Construction:** 3.5%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 2.3%
- **Telecommunications:** 2.0%
- **Other:** 35.9%

#### UltraTax CS

- **Accounting:** 93.2%
- **Computer Software:** 3.4%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 1.7%
- **Chemicals:** 1.7%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Avalara

- [Vertex](https://www.g2.com/products/vertex-inc-vertex/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (466 reviews)
- [TaxJar](https://www.g2.com/products/taxjar/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (252 reviews)
- [Sovos](https://www.g2.com/products/sovos/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (90 reviews)
- [Anrok](https://www.g2.com/products/anrok/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (288 reviews)
- [Webgility](https://www.g2.com/products/webgility/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (377 reviews)
- [TurboTax Business](https://www.g2.com/products/turbotax-business/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (94 reviews)
- [TaxCloud](https://www.g2.com/products/taxcloud/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (42 reviews)
- [ONESOURCE](https://www.g2.com/products/thomson-reuters-onesource/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (30 reviews)
- [Paddle](https://www.g2.com/products/paddle/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (237 reviews)
- [CCH® SureTax® Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/cch-suretax-platform/reviews) — 3.1/5 stars (12 reviews)

### Alternatives to UltraTax CS

- [Drake Tax](https://www.g2.com/products/drake-tax/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (27 reviews)
- [Intuit Lacerte Tax](https://www.g2.com/products/intuit-lacerte-tax/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (187 reviews)
- [CCH ProSystem fx Tax](https://www.g2.com/products/cch-prosystem-fx-tax/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (133 reviews)
- [Intuit ProSeries Tax](https://www.g2.com/products/intuit-proseries-tax/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (86 reviews)
- [Intuit ProConnect Tax](https://www.g2.com/products/intuit-proconnect-tax/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (277 reviews)
- [ProSystem fx Suite](https://www.g2.com/products/prosystem-fx-suite/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (63 reviews)
- [Vertex](https://www.g2.com/products/vertex-inc-vertex/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (466 reviews)
- [TaxDome](https://www.g2.com/products/taxdome/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (701 reviews)
- [Karbon](https://www.g2.com/products/karbon-2025-03-03/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (825 reviews)
- [Canopy](https://www.g2.com/products/canopy-2026-05-12/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (698 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Avalara

- Title: [Has anyone using Avalara experience issues with this service recently 2021?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/40448-has-anyone-using-avalara-experience-issues-with-this-service-recently-2021) — 3 comments, 2 upvotes *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Hi Jeanette, if you're experiencing issues, we'd like to know and work to assist. You may contact Avalara Support (https://help.avalara.com/Contact_Avalara)..."
- Title: [How much does avalara cost?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-much-does-avalara-cost) — 2 comments *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Pricing varies depending on what’s right for your business. Many Avalara products use volume-based pricing models designed to scale with your business."
- Title: [Can I refile a return that was filed in an SST state without Avalara's assistance?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/31739-can-i-refile-a-return-that-was-filed-in-an-sst-state-without-avalara-s-assistance) — 2 comments, 1 upvote *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Avalara must assist with any SST-Simplified Electronic Returns. If the form name includes "SER", it's a simplified electronic return, and Avalara must file..."
- Title: [Do wholesale sales count toward NEXUS?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/31738-do-wholesale-sales-count-toward-nexus) — 2 comments, 1 upvote *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Since many states include exempt transactions in their economic nexus thresholds, businesses that only make exempt sales into other states can establish..."
- Title: [I didn’t know I was supposed to register — do I need to worry about past sales?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/i-didn-t-know-i-was-supposed-to-register-do-i-need-to-worry-about-past-sales) — 2 comments, 1 upvote *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "It depends on the amount of sales you had and in which states. Do you owe more than $10,000 in taxes? A state probably isn’t going to just let that go, and..."

### UltraTax CS

- Title: [Experience with multiple outages?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/experience-with-multiple-outages) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Yes. They go down daily"

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/avalara-vs-ultratax-cs)