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VATCheck API Alternative — TaxID
VATCheck API used to lead this market on free headroom. It no longer does: the free tier is 150 validations a month, against TaxID's 100, so the gap is now 50 requests rather than the 5× it once was. Its paid range has grown in the other direction — $9.99 for 2,000, $35.99 for 10,000 and $95.99 for 40,000, with a custom tier above that. TaxID covers 1,000 at $19 and 100,000 at $149. The two are closer than they were, and the choice now turns on caching, rate data and error semantics rather than on volume alone.
Disclosure: TaxID is our product. Competitor data is sourced from VATCheck API's public pricing pages and documentation, last checked September 2026. We link to source pages where possible. Pricing may have changed since — always verify on the vendor's site.
Feature comparison
| Feature | TaxID | VATCheck API |
|---|---|---|
| EU countries supported | 27 | 27 |
| VIES-backed validation | ||
| Response caching | Redis 24h | Unknown |
| Free tier requests/mo | 100 | 150 |
| Max paid requests/mo | 1,000,000 | 40,000 |
| Batch validation | — | — |
| Webhook notifications | — | — |
| SLA guarantee | — | — |
| Company name in response | ||
| Cached response time | 10ms | 250ms |
| Starting price | $0/mo (Free) | $9.99/mo ↗ |
Why developers switch from VATCheck API
VATCheck API limitations
- No webhooks
- No batch validation
- No VAT rate data
- Free tier cut to 150 validations/month
- Limited language SDKs
TaxID advantages
- Documented 24h Redis cache with sub-10ms cached responses — VATCheckAPI publishes no caching behaviour
- VAT rate data via /api/v1/rates endpoint — VATCheckAPI has no rates endpoint
- 24h Redis caching with explicit cached field in response
- Stripe-style error codes with machine-readable status field
- Format validation before VIES call — saves quota on invalid inputs
When to choose VATCheck API instead
VATCheckAPI's free tier is still the larger of the two at 150 validations a month against TaxID's 100, and its $9.99 entry plan undercuts TaxID's $19 Starter while carrying twice the volume — at 2,000 validations a month or below on a simple integration, it is the cheaper option and we would not pretend otherwise. It also has historically strong uptime and a clean, modern API. TaxID's case is what sits around the validation call: a documented 24h cache with an explicit cached field, a VAT rates endpoint, and Stripe-style error codes that name VIES downtime instead of returning a generic failure.
Switching from VATCheck API to TaxID
The core change is the endpoint URL and authentication header. Both APIs return company_name, valid, and company address — no downstream code changes needed for the core validation logic.
GET https://vatcheckapi.com/api/v5/check?vat_number=DE123456789 (Header: apikey: YOUR_KEY)
GET https://taxid.dev/api/v1/validate/DE/DE123456789 (Header: Authorization: Bearer)
VATCheckAPI passes vat_number as a query parameter; TaxID uses RESTful path parameters. Auth header changes from 'apikey' to 'Authorization: Bearer'. Both return company_name and address.
Start with TaxID free
100 validations/month free. No credit card. API key in two minutes.
Frequently asked questions
VATCheckAPI has a larger free tier than TaxID — why switch?
That gap has narrowed: VATCheckAPI's free tier is now 150 validations a month, not 500, against TaxID's 100. Fifty requests is unlikely to decide an architecture. The reasons to prefer TaxID are the ones that show up in production — an explicit 24h cache with a cached field in the response, a rates endpoint alongside validation, and a service_unavailable status that tells you VIES is down rather than failing opaquely. If you are prototyping and want the largest free allowance, VATCheckAPI still has it.
Does TaxID have VAT rate data like VATCheckAPI?
TaxID has a dedicated /api/v1/rates/:country endpoint that returns the standard rate, reduced rates, and super-reduced rate for all 27 EU member states. This endpoint requires no authentication and is cacheable. VATCheckAPI does not have a rates endpoint.
How do I migrate from VATCheckAPI to TaxID?
The main change is moving the country code from the vat_number query parameter into the URL path. Change from: vatcheckapi.com/api/v5/check?vat_number=DE123456789&apikey=KEY to: taxid.dev/api/v1/validate/DE/DE123456789 with Authorization: Bearer KEY. Both return the same core fields — valid, company_name, company_address.
What is VATCheckAPI's max validation volume on paid plans?
VATCheckAPI's highest published plan covers 40,000 validations a month at $95.99, with a custom tier above it. TaxID's Business plan covers 100,000 at $149 and custom plans go to 1,000,000. Both scale well past the point most B2B checkouts reach; this is no longer the deciding factor it was when their ceiling was 5,000.