Accounting & Bookkeeping
Stessa
Financial tracking and tax optimization for real estate investors
Best for Small Hosts
Best free accounting tool for solo real estate investors
From $0/mo • No free trial
Comparison
Stessa vs Avalara MyLodgeTax
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
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
✓Editorial verdict
Which should you pick: Stessa or Avalara MyLodgeTax?
Pick Avalara MyLodgeTax if you need automated lodging tax compliance — registration, filing, and remittance — across multiple jurisdictions. Pick Stessa if you need day-to-day income and expense tracking, transaction categorization, and tax-ready financial reports. They serve different functions and pair well together.
Editorial perspective from the Avalara MyLodgeTax side; factual claims about Stessa are drawn from its review.
Pricing side-by-side
Stessa
Full pricing →From $0/mo • No free trial
Essentials
$0/mo
Unlimited
- Unlimited properties
- Basic financial reports
- Bank feeds
- Online rent collection
Manage
$12/mo (annual) or $15/mo (monthly)
Unlimited
- Everything in Essentials
- Advanced reporting
Pro
$28/mo (annual) or $35/mo (monthly)
Unlimited
- Everything in Manage
- High-yield cash balances (3.98% APY)
- FDIC coverage up to $3M
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.
What each tool does well — and where it falls short
What Stessa does well
Comprehensive financial tracking with tax optimization
Stessa automatically categorizes transactions and generates tax-friendly reports, making tax preparation straightforward for real estate investors.
Free plan with unlimited properties
The Essentials plan offers significant value with unlimited property tracking, basic financial reports, and rent collection at no cost.
Integrated banking with competitive yields
Pro plan includes high-yield cash balances (3.98% APY) with FDIC coverage up to $3M, directly connected to property accounting.
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.
Where Stessa falls short
Persistent technical issues with bank connections
Users report recurring problems with bank account verification and transaction syncing that customer support cannot permanently resolve.
Limited functionality for complex operations
The software lacks recurring bill/income features and detailed account tracking needed for sophisticated real estate portfolios.
Poor customer support responsiveness
Users on free plans experience slow email-only support, with reported resolution timeframes extending to months for simple issues.
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.
Which should you pick
Pick Stessa if
Individual real estate investors seeking comprehensive financial tracking and tax preparation with unlimited properties on a budget.
Skip Stessa if
You run multi-entity portfolios requiring complex accounting, need dedicated tenant mobile apps, or require robust third-party integrations.
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.
Where Stessa and Avalara MyLodgeTax actually differ
- Avalara MyLodgeTax is a full-service lodging tax compliance platform that files returns and remits payments; Stessa is financial tracking software for categorizing transactions and generating Schedule E reports.
- Avalara charges $27/mo per listing plus $299 setup per property; Stessa offers a free Essentials plan with unlimited properties and paid tiers at $12–$35/mo.
- Avalara integrates with OwnerRez and Streamline to pull booking data for tax calculation; Stessa connects to bank feeds for transaction import but has no PMS or OTA integrations.
- Avalara covers 11,000+ lodging tax jurisdictions and manages license registration; Stessa works nationwide but does not file, calculate, or remit any taxes on your behalf.
- Stessa's Pro plan includes integrated banking at 3.98% APY with up to $3M FDIC coverage; Avalara has no financial management or banking features.
Common objections
- Can't Stessa's tax reports replace what Avalara MyLodgeTax does?
- No. Stessa organizes your income and expenses for annual tax preparation — it tells you what you earned and spent. Avalara calculates the specific lodging taxes you owe per booking, files the returns with the correct jurisdiction, and remits the payment. Stessa reports; Avalara complies.
- Avalara costs $27/mo per listing while Stessa is free — is the compliance automation really worth the premium?
- They do different jobs, so the comparison isn't direct. But if you operate in multiple tax jurisdictions, the cost of a single missed or late lodging tax filing — penalties, interest, and potential license issues — can easily exceed a year of Avalara fees. Stessa won't protect you from that because it doesn't track or file lodging taxes.
- I use Stessa for accounting already. Do I still need Avalara if my OTA collects taxes?
- It depends on your jurisdictions. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit taxes in many areas, but coverage is not universal. If you list in jurisdictions where the OTA doesn't fully handle collection, or you book direct, Avalara fills that gap. Stessa will show you what the OTA collected but cannot tell you whether your obligations are fully met.
Keep digging
Avalara MyLodgeTax
Set-and-forget tax compliance for operators who can absorb the per-property cost