Pilot vs QuickBooks Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Pilot | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $99/mo | $38/mo |
| Number of plans | 12 | 4 |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | |
| Pricing model | flat-rate | per-seat |
Essentials
- Cash-basis bookkeeping using data from your bank and credit cards
- Standard chart of accounts
- Year-end package for your tax preparer
- Instant AI answers about past transactions and current cash flow, plus run scenarios to plan ahead
- Support through in-app messaging
Core
- US-based bookkeeper who handles, explains, and reviews your books
- Cash or accrual-basis bookkeeping that pulls from your bank, credit cards, payroll, AP, inventory, and payment platforms
- Bill management for up to 10 vendor bills per month
- Custom chart of accounts
- Reports on the 10th business day
- Support from your dedicated team in-app, email, and over the phone
Custom
- Keep your existing QuickBooks account and historical data
- Support for complex business structures
- Custom workflows and reporting
- Reports on the 6th business day
- Full accounts receivable
- Full accounts payable
- Payroll administration
- CFO advisory, financial planning, and fundraising support. Connect with your dedicated CFO in-app, by email, phone, or Slack
For Single Member LLCs
- Free tax extension
- Federal income tax filing
- State income tax filing
- Quarterly tax payments (safe harbor)
- Schedule C for your LLC's income and loss
- Reporting for one of each income sources: W-2, K-1, rental property, and 1099
- Year-round email support
For Partnerships and S-Corps
- Free extension
- Federal income tax filing
- State income tax filing
- Delaware franchise tax filing
- Up to 25 1099-NEC filings
- Year-round email support
For C-Corps
- Free tax extension
- Federal income tax filing
- State income tax filing
- Delaware Franchise tax filing
- Up to 10 1099-NEC filings
- Year-round email support
Basic
- Custom financial model with strategic insights
- Budget vs actuals variance analysis
- Scenario planning model
- Industry-specific KPI dashboard
- Monthly call with your CFO
Essentials
- Cash and runway optimization
- Investor & board reporting support
- Basic fundraising and M&A support
- Ad-hoc strategy support
- Bi-weekly call with your CFO
Custom
- 13-Week Cash Flow Analysis
- Investor updates & board presentations
- Fundraising insights & equity story
- Compensation planning and benchmarking
- Acquisition and GTM strategy
- Monetization and pricing strategy
- Strategic planning & OKRs
- Weekly calls with your CFO
Starter
- Business incorporation through Stripe Atlas
- Banking setup with Mercury
- Setup for a payroll system that actually works
- Pilot bookkeeping system setup
Essentials
- Everything in Starter (if you need the setup)
- Banking support when things get messy
- HR, payroll, and benefits that work
- Invoice collection
- Bill payment on time
Custom
- Invoice collection (high volume)
- Bill payment on time (high volume)
- State payroll and tax compliance that actually works
- Plus whatever complexity your business demands
- Stock administration without the legal bills
Simple Start
- Expert-guided setup and onboarding
- AI Chat for instant insights
- Categorizes expenses
- Maximizes tax deductions
- Run general business reports
- Automated bookkeeping
- Invoice and get paid
- Automate bill pay with free ACH
Essentials
- Expert-guided setup and onboarding
- AI Chat for instant insights
- Cleans up your books
- Gets you paid faster
- Run enhanced reports
- Add employee time to invoices
- Get customer referrals, feedback, and work requests
- Collect leads from a custom form on your website
- Link your calendar and let customers schedule meetings with you directly
Plus
Popular- Expert-guided setup and onboarding
- AI Chat for instant insights
- Reconciles your books
- Surfaces profit & loss insights
- Finds and fixes anomalies
- Catches discrepancies before filing
- Sources leads and helps with follow-up
- Run comprehensive reports
- Plan budgets
- Track project profitability
- Track and manage inventory
- Track classes and locations (40)
Advanced
- Expert-guided setup and onboarding
- AI Chat for instant insights
- Auto-creates projects and allocates costs
- Gives tailored financial insights
- Customize dashboards with personalized KPIs and metrics to measure what matters most
- Track performance with unlimited classes, locations, and custom KPIs
- Build custom management-ready reports
- Automate workflows
- Sync data with Excel
- Customize user permissions and access
- Forecast cash flow and profit
- Batch invoices and expenses
- Backup and restore your data
- Get priority support and training
- Track classes and locations (unlimited)
Pilot vs QuickBooks FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- QuickBooks is the cheaper option, starting at $38/mo vs $99/mo for Pilot.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Neither has a free plan. But QuickBooks offers a free trial.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Pilot uses flat-rate pricing, while QuickBooks goes with per-seat. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Pilot: Pilot sits firmly in the premium tier of startup-focused accounting services — $299/mo for bookkeeping alone puts them well above DIY tools like QuickBooks and above most local bookkeepers, but they're competing on 'we know startups' against players like Bench or Kruze Consulting. They're going after VC-backed founders who want a credible finance partner, not a cheap back-office fix. QuickBooks: QuickBooks is the incumbent premium play in SMB accounting — they're not trying to be cheap, they're trading on brand trust and accountant familiarity. At $115-275/mo at full price, they're significantly more expensive than alternatives like Wave (free) or Zoho Books, and they know it.
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