LodgeDeck vs Avalara MyLodgeTax
Avalara MyLodgeTax runs the rental. LodgeDeck answers whether you can.
Avalara MyLodgeTax is a lodging-tax registration and filing service. LodgeDeck is the cited compliance and lodging-tax layer that sits alongside it. Here is what Avalara MyLodgeTax is genuinely good at, and the one thing LodgeDeck does that it does not set out to.
What Avalara MyLodgeTax is
A managed lodging-tax service that registers a short-term rental with the relevant tax authorities and prepares and files the recurring lodging-tax returns on the host's behalf.
Built for: Hosts who want the ongoing chore of registering for and filing lodging-tax returns handled for them.
Pricing
MyLodgeTax is sold as a per-property service, typically a monthly fee plus setup and per-jurisdiction registration costs. Check Avalara's site for current pricing; LodgeDeck does not restate a figure it cannot verify.
LodgeDeck: free to check any city and save one property, then $29/mo.
The one thing LodgeDeck adds
MyLodgeTax files returns; LodgeDeck reports and cites the rate and the wider short-term rental rules for free, and exposes them via an API. LodgeDeck shows the state rate, the local occupancy tax, the combined rate, whether the cleaning fee is taxable and whether the marketplace collects, each with a source link, plus the licence and eligibility question that a tax-filing service does not cover, and an MCP server an agent can query. It does not file your returns.
Where Avalara MyLodgeTax genuinely wins
- Actually files your lodging-tax returns, which LodgeDeck does not do
- Handles registration with tax authorities on your behalf
- Ongoing managed service for hosts who want tax filing off their plate
How they fit together
Use both, for the jobs each is built for
Avalara MyLodgeTax handles registering for and filing your lodging-tax returns. LodgeDeck runs alongside it and answers the question underneath: is a short-term rental allowed in this city, what licence does it need, and what is the exact lodging tax a guest pays, each field citing the jurisdiction that set it. The same cited dataset is a JSON API and an MCP server, so a travel, proptech or tax agent can look it up mid-task.
FAQ
LodgeDeck vs Avalara MyLodgeTax, common questions
Is LodgeDeck a Avalara MyLodgeTax alternative?
Avalara MyLodgeTax is a lodging-tax registration and filing service. LodgeDeck does something different: it gives you a cited answer to whether a city allows a short-term rental and what the lodging tax is, and exposes that as an API. Many hosts use both.
Who is Avalara MyLodgeTax built for?
Hosts who want the ongoing chore of registering for and filing lodging-tax returns handled for them.
What does Avalara MyLodgeTax cost?
MyLodgeTax is sold as a per-property service, typically a monthly fee plus setup and per-jurisdiction registration costs. Check Avalara's site for current pricing; LodgeDeck does not restate a figure it cannot verify.
Is LodgeDeck an Avalara MyLodgeTax alternative?
Only partly. MyLodgeTax is a filing service: it registers you and files returns. LodgeDeck reports and cites lodging-tax rates and the broader STR rules for free and offers them as an API, but it does not file returns for you. If you want filing handled, MyLodgeTax does that; if you want the cited rate, the licence rules and an API, that is LodgeDeck.
Does LodgeDeck file my lodging tax?
No. Automated tax filing is not built, and we say so plainly. LodgeDeck reports the rates with a citation and a confidence flag so you can file correctly yourself or hand a filing service accurate figures.
Why show tax rates for free?
Because a rate you can check beats a rate behind a service. Every lodging-tax field on LodgeDeck links the source it came from and is free to read, on the site and via the API at the anonymous rate. Saving properties and monitoring rates for changes is on Pro, $29/mo.
Other comparisons
How LodgeDeck compares to the rest of the category
Get the cited answer first
Check whether a city allows a short-term rental and what the lodging tax is, free, before you commit to any platform.