Kintsugi

Kintsugi is sales tax software for monitoring nexus exposure and automating US tax registration, filing, and remittance. It suits businesses that need to track where their sales create obligations and want filing actions handled in one system. Its free monitoring plan makes it useful before a business is ready to pay for filing, though the paid plans are focused on broader compliance needs.

Overview

Kintsugi combines sales tax calculation and registration with automated return filing. Its clearest strength is the path from identifying exposure to acting on it: the free plan monitors physical and economic nexus, while Starter adds US registrations, filings, and remittance. That makes it a practical fit for businesses expanding across US states.

The scope narrows outside that use case. Sales tax is the supported tax type on the free and Starter plans; businesses needing multi-country compliance, premium connectors, or API, SDK, and SSO access need Premium. Kintsugi is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded in 2022.

Key features

Nexus monitoring and audits

The Free plan tracks global physical and economic nexus, assesses risk, sends threshold alerts, and supports exposure and historical liability audits. AI-powered product categorization, CSV transaction imports, and no-code integrations help teams build a view of their sales activity without paying for filing. This is a useful starting point for assessing obligations, but monitoring alone does not file returns or remit tax.

Registration and filing

Starter automates US sales tax registration, filing, and remittance, with auto-filing, auto-registration, and deregistration where supported. Refunds, amendments, and exemption certificate management extend the workflow beyond routine returns. The qualification “where supported” matters: businesses should not assume every registration or deregistration can be handled automatically.

Broader compliance

Premium covers compliance across the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, and more than 100 countries. It adds real-time calculation through premium connectors, VDA back-filing options, advanced exemption certificate management, API, SDK, and SSO access, and SLA-backed premium support. This is the tier for larger or more internationally active operations; its custom pricing makes cost comparison harder.

Pricing

Free includes nexus monitoring, risk assessment and alerts, product categorization, CSV imports, and no-code integrations. It is a capable monitoring tier, but it does not include the automated filing and registration that distinguish Starter.

Starter costs $75 a month. Each filing or registration is billed as one action after the billing period ends, so the monthly price is not the full cost for a business with frequent filings or registrations. Premium has custom pricing and adds international coverage and advanced access. No trial terms or seat limits are provided for Kintsugi’s plans.

Platforms

Kintsugi is listed on the API platform. API access is included with Premium; Free and Starter instead emphasize CSV imports and no-code integrations.

Who it's for

Kintsugi is best for businesses selling across the US that need to watch nexus thresholds and want to move from exposure tracking to automated registration and filing. Free suits teams still assessing their obligations. Starter is a better fit once filing and registration work is recurring, provided action billing fits the expected volume. Premium is the relevant option for businesses with international obligations or a need for API, SDK, SSO, premium connectors, or SLA-backed support.

It is a weaker fit for buyers seeking a low, predictable all-in filing price: Starter adds per-action charges to its monthly fee. Businesses needing sales tax calculation through premium connectors or compliance beyond the broad Premium scope should compare their specific requirements before choosing a plan.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Useful free monitoring: nexus tracking, risk alerts, and historical liability audits support early compliance planning without a subscription.
• Connected US workflow: Starter combines registration, filing, and remittance, with refunds, amendments, and exemption certificate management.
• International reach at the top tier: Premium spans the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, and more than 100 countries.

Cons

• Starter costs can vary with activity: each filing or registration is billed as an action after the billing period, on top of $75 a month.
• Key capabilities sit in Premium: API, SDK, SSO, premium connectors, and multi-country compliance are not part of the lower tiers.
• Support varies by plan: SLA-backed premium support is a Premium feature.

Alternatives

Choose LOVAT if you want a freemium tax option with Android, iOS, and web apps as well as API access; its free plan includes one data import integration. Choose Zamp if a 30-day sandbox for clarifying tax exposure is the priority, or if you are evaluating a US compliance plan with audit readiness in mind.

Tax1099 is an alternative for individuals and small businesses paying per form, with a free Essential plan and a Teams plan priced at $249 a year. Taxmo is another freemium option, with a free tier that includes 25 entries per quarter and VAT tools such as a dashboard, calculators, and invoice generation.

UFile is an alternative for eligible taxpayers seeking an online tax return option. For enterprise indirect tax deployments, CCH SureTax, ONESOURCE Indirect Compliance, and Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax are paid options with custom pricing.

Compare Kintsugi with other tools in Tax Compliance Software, Sales Tax Software, Tax Engine Software, and VAT Software.

Verdict

Kintsugi is a strong fit for businesses that need to monitor US sales tax exposure and then automate registration, filing, and remittance. The free plan gives teams a practical way to track obligations before committing, while Starter provides the operational step up. Look elsewhere if you need a predictable price that absorbs filing volume or require Premium capabilities without moving to custom pricing.