# TaxCloud vs Zamp

> TaxCloud scores 57.4 (C) on agent readiness against Zamp's 49.5 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Zamp leads on reliability. Both do tax calculate. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/taxcloud-vs-zamp
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/taxcloud-vs-zamp.md (~2,150 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/taxcloud-vs-zamp.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/taxcloud-vs-zamp.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

TaxCloud scores 57.4 (C) on agent readiness against Zamp's 49.5 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Zamp leads on reliability. Both do tax calculate.

- TaxCloud: grade C, 57.4/100, rank #475 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/taxcloud.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/taxcloud.json
- Zamp: grade D, 49.5/100, rank #609 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zamp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zamp.json

## Which one, for what

### TaxCloud (C)

Good for: An agent working for a US seller that needs tax on a cart at checkout, a record of orders and refunds for filing, and exemption certificates by customer.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 75 against 44
- Security & auth, 45 against 40
- Payments & pricing, 34 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 57 against 42

Watch for: No rate limit numbers are published. The API page says only that the threshold is high and subject to change

### Zamp (D)

Good for: An agent working for a US or Canadian seller that wants Zamp's team to register, file and remit, and needs calculation and transaction sync through a small API.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 72 against 66

Watch for: No OpenAPI file for the API. The one file on the docs host is the documentation platform's plant store sample


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | TaxCloud | Zamp | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 66 | 72 | Zamp +6 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 75 | 44 | TaxCloud +31 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 64 | even |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 40 | TaxCloud +5 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 34 | 20 | TaxCloud +14 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 57 | 42 | TaxCloud +15 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 51 | 50 | TaxCloud +1 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **57.4 · C** | **49.5 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | TaxCloud | Zamp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | The Federal Tax Authority, LLC (TaxCloud) | Zamp Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.v3.taxcloud.com` | `https://api.zamp.com` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under TaxCloud's terms of service. The agent skills repository on GitHub is Apache-2.0 | Proprietary service under Zamp's Standard Terms and Conditions, which form part of a signed Order Form. The sandbox has its own Developer trial terms |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-24 | 2026-08-31 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-03-01 | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2025-02-01 | 2025-02-11 |
| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 0 stars | none |

## Verdicts

**TaxCloud.** A 30-operation REST API with a public OpenAPI 3.1 contract, llms.txt, Markdown docs and a 30-day trial that needs no card. The vendor publishes no rate limit numbers, no SLA, no API changelog and no official v3 client library, and the security page names no audit or certification.

**Zamp.** A free 30-day sandbox key needs no card or sales call, and the docs are served as Markdown with llms.txt and a published limit of 1,000 requests a minute. There is no OpenAPI file, SDK, API changelog or published price, production keys come with a sales-led account, and the site footer says SOC 2 compliance is in progress.

## Before you call either

### TaxCloud

1. Send `X-API-KEY` on every call and put the connection ID in the path, as in `/tax/connections/{connectionId}/carts`. A wrong ID returns 404
2. Mark nexus states active in the account first. With none active the API returns zero tax and no error
3. Use a separate test connection. There is no sandbox, and orders on a live connection go into filing
4. Pass a stable `idempotencyKey` on refunds, and never convert the same cart twice. A second conversion creates a duplicate liability
5. Void a wrong order before 12:00 AM Eastern on the 10th of the month after its `completedDate`. Later requests return 422

### Zamp

1. Call `POST /calculations` for a quote and `POST /transactions` only when the sale is final. Put the returned `taxDue` in `taxCollected` when posting
2. Keep transaction and line item ids to 25 characters. A repeated `POST /transactions` with an existing id returns 409 `CONFLICT`, so a retry doesn't create a second record
3. For a refund, post a new transaction with `parentId` set to the sale's id and a negative `quantity`. Never send a negative `amount` on a line item
4. Send `shipToAddress.state` and `country` set to CA for Canadian orders. `POST /addresses` validates US addresses only
5. Page lists with `limit` (1 to 100, default 10) and `cursor` until `nextCursor` is null. `GET /transactions` returns only transactions written with the same key
6. Don't store sensitive or personal data in the sandbox. Trial data is deleted after 30 days and the trial terms forbid live customer data

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, TaxCloud or Zamp?

TaxCloud scores 57.4 (C) on agent readiness against Zamp's 49.5 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Zamp leads on reliability.

### Do TaxCloud and Zamp need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call TaxCloud and Zamp without installing anything?

Yes. TaxCloud has a hosted endpoint at https://api.v3.taxcloud.com and Zamp at https://api.zamp.com.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/taxcloud-vs-zamp.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/taxcloud-vs-zamp.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "taxcloud", "b": "zamp"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare taxcloud zamp`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/taxcloud.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zamp.json

## Other comparisons with TaxCloud or Zamp

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