Accounting & Bookkeeping
Avalara MyLodgeTax
Full-service lodging tax compliance for short-term rental operators
Best for Scale
Set-and-forget tax compliance for operators who can absorb the per-property cost
From $27/listing • No free trial
Comparison
Avalara MyLodgeTax vs Ximplifi
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Ximplifi
Outsourced accounting and automation built for vacation rental managers
Best for Scale
Full-service outsourced accounting for PMCs ready to hand off the books
Contact sales • No free trial
✓Editorial verdict
Which should you pick: Avalara MyLodgeTax or Ximplifi?
Pick Avalara MyLodgeTax if your primary pain point is lodging tax compliance — registration, calculation, filing, and remittance — and you want a focused, per-property solution. Pick Ximplifi if you need full-service outsourced bookkeeping with STR-specialized accountants handling trust accounting, owner statements, and PMS reconciliation across your entire operation.
Editorial perspective from the Avalara MyLodgeTax side; factual claims about Ximplifi are drawn from its review.
Pricing side-by-side
Avalara MyLodgeTax
Full pricing →From $27/listing • No free trial
Per listing
Operators with 6+ properties qualify for commercial pricing — contact Avalara directly for volume rates.
Ximplifi
Full pricing →Contact sales • No free trial
Contact sales
Custom pricing based on scope of services and company size. Bill pay services cost $10/listing/month on Gold/Silver plans (included in Platinum). VRPlatform subscription based on active units. No published pricing — contact sales for quote.
What each tool does well — and where it falls short
What Avalara MyLodgeTax does well
Manages the entire tax lifecycle from registration through remittance
Avalara handles license registration, tax calculation, return filing, and payment to applicable jurisdictions — eliminating the need to manually navigate multi-state obligations.
PMS integrations enable hands-off compliance workflows
Native connections to OwnerRez and Streamline automatically import booking data, removing manual entry from the compliance process.
Enterprise infrastructure supporting up to 40,000+ properties
Commercial pricing tiers for 6+ property portfolios and architecture built for scale mean the platform grows with your business.
Covers 11,000+ tax jurisdictions across the US
Operators expanding into new markets don't need to research local tax requirements manually — Avalara's jurisdiction database handles the complexity.
What Ximplifi does well
Industry specialization with human expertise
Combines technical automation with US-based accounting expertise specifically for vacation rentals, avoiding problems of working with general accountants unfamiliar with STR complexities.
Significant time savings
Documented case study shows one client saving 30 hours per week and over $100,000 annually while becoming more profitable.
Seamless PMS integration
VRPlatform connects directly with popular PMS platforms and accounting software to eliminate manual data entry.
Where Avalara MyLodgeTax falls short
Per-property costs compound quickly for growing portfolios
At $27/month plus $299 one-time setup per property, a 10-property portfolio runs $270/month and $2,990 upfront before any volume discounts apply.
Customer support receives consistent negative feedback
Users report long wait times, unclear escalation paths, and being directed to paid third-party support to resolve issues.
Scope limited strictly to lodging and occupancy taxes
Won't handle 1099 filing, HOA applications, or zoning compliance — operators still need separate solutions for those obligations.
Where Ximplifi falls short
Higher cost than software-only solutions
Includes human accountants and full-service support rather than just automation tools, making it pricier than typical software licenses.
Additional vendor complexity
Requires adding another vendor relationship and subscription cost to your stack, with a potential adjustment period to work with their team's style.
Opaque pricing model
No published pricing structure available, requiring direct sales engagement for custom quotes, making cost comparison difficult.
Which should you pick
Pick Avalara MyLodgeTax if
Professional property managers with 5+ properties needing comprehensive compliance automation across multiple jurisdictions.
Skip Avalara MyLodgeTax if
You have 1–4 properties — the $299 setup fee and $27/month per listing make the math hard to justify at small scale.
Pick Ximplifi if
PMCs that want to outsource their bookkeeping to vacation rental accounting experts while leveraging software to automate data flow from their PMS.
Skip Ximplifi if
You're an individual self-managing property owner or need a low-cost DIY accounting tool rather than a full-service relationship.
Where Avalara MyLodgeTax and Ximplifi actually differ
- Avalara MyLodgeTax is a single-purpose lodging tax compliance service; Ximplifi is a full-service outsourced accounting firm combining US-based STR accountants with VRPlatform automation.
- Avalara charges $27/mo per listing plus $299 setup with published pricing; Ximplifi uses custom pricing with no published rates, though bill pay alone runs $10/listing/mo on non-Platinum plans.
- Avalara integrates with OwnerRez and Streamline; Ximplifi connects to Guesty, Hostaway, Hostfully, Track, and Hospitable plus accounting platforms like QuickBooks, Xero, and Sage Intacct.
- Avalara handles only lodging and occupancy taxes; Ximplifi covers bookkeeping, bill pay, owner reporting, trust accounting, and financial reconciliation — but does not file lodging tax returns.
- Avalara's compliance workflow is fully automated after setup; Ximplifi pairs automation with human accountants, documented to save one client 30 hours/week.
Common objections
- If I hire Ximplifi to handle all my accounting, do I still need Avalara for tax compliance?
- Likely yes. Ximplifi handles bookkeeping, reconciliation, and financial reporting but does not register for lodging tax licenses, calculate jurisdiction-specific taxes, or file and remit returns on your behalf. Avalara fills that specific compliance gap. Many PMCs use both — Ximplifi for the books, Avalara for the tax filings.
- Ximplifi seems like overkill if I just need taxes handled. Why not start with Avalara alone?
- If lodging tax compliance is your only pain point, Avalara is the right scoped solution at a known cost. Ximplifi makes sense when your broader accounting — owner statements, trust funds, multi-property reconciliation — is consuming significant staff time. Start with Avalara for compliance and add Ximplifi when bookkeeping becomes the bottleneck.
- Avalara's customer support gets poor reviews. Is Ximplifi's support better?
- Ximplifi assigns dedicated US-based accountants to your account, so you're working with named people who know your portfolio — a fundamentally different support model than Avalara's ticket-based system. If responsive, relationship-based support matters to you, Ximplifi has the structural advantage, though at a higher overall cost.
Keep digging
Avalara MyLodgeTax
Set-and-forget tax compliance for operators who can absorb the per-property cost
Ximplifi
Full-service outsourced accounting for PMCs ready to hand off the books