Pilot
US-based bookkeeping, tax, and fractional CFO services purpose-built for startups
What is Pilot?
Pilot delivers outsourced bookkeeping, tax, CFO, and back-office (COO) services to startups and growing SMBs, combining a US-based team with internal software and AI categorization. Bookkeeping covers reconciliations, accrual or cash basis, bill management, and reports on a fixed monthly close cadence; CFO services add models, KPIs, investor reporting, and fundraising support. The product is widely used by VC-backed companies for investor-ready books.
Accounting, FP&A, billing, spend management, bookkeeping, and finance automation tools.
See the full Finance & Accounting guide to compare more tools, buyer criteria, and related workflows.
Use cases to evaluate
Seed-stage SaaS startup getting monthly accrual books and a CFO model for the next fundraise
Delaware C-Corp filing federal/state/Delaware franchise tax through one vendor at year-end
Pre-launch founder using COO Starter to incorporate and stand up banking, payroll, and books
Growth-stage company adding fractional CFO for 13-week cash forecasts and investor reporting
Fit to evaluate
Venture-backed US startups (seed through Series B)
Delaware C-Corps needing combined bookkeeping + tax + R&D credit work
Founders who want investor-ready accrual books without hiring a controller
Companies preparing for due diligence, audit readiness, or M&A
Business fit
Right for you if you're a US startup (especially venture-backed) that needs accrual books, clean investor reporting, and access to CFO advisory without hiring a full-time finance team. Skip if you're a micro-business that just needs cash-basis taxes (Bench is cheaper) or if you want to own your accounting workflow in-house with software like Puzzle or QuickBooks plus a fractional bookkeeper. Also skip if you're outside the US.
How to evaluate Pilot
Use this category when finance work depends on spreadsheets, manual reconciliation, or slow reporting.
Confirm the exact workflow
Map Pilot to one concrete workflow first, such as seed-stage saas startup getting monthly accrual books and a cfo model for the next fundraise. Avoid buying before the owner, trigger, output, and success metric are clear.
Check category fit
Compare accounting workflows, approvals, reconciliation, reporting, and audit trails.
Compare practical alternatives
Shortlist Pilot against CostAllocation Pro, FreshBooks, Wave so the decision is based on fit, effort, and workflow ownership rather than brand recognition alone.
Validate cost and rollout effort
Bookkeeping: Essentials $99/mo (up to $100K monthly expenses), Core starting at $0/mo billed annually for early-stage with dedicated US bookkeeper, Custom on quote. Tax: Single-member LLC from $1,000/yr ($750 new business), Partnership/S-Corp from $2,000/yr, C-Corp from $2,450/yr. CFO: Basic $1,750/mo, Essentials $3,150/mo, Custom $5,250/mo. COO: Starter $750 one-time, Essentials $500/mo. Stock admin $399/hr; R&D credit 20% of credit captured. Also confirm implementation time, support needs, and whether the medium setup matches your team.
Compare Pilot with alternatives
Use this quick comparison before booking demos or moving data into a new system.
| Primary workflow | Seed-stage SaaS startup getting monthly accrual books and a CFO model for the next fundraise, Delaware C-Corp filing federal/state/Delaware franchise tax through one vendor at year-end |
|---|---|
| Best-fit team | Venture-backed US startups (seed through Series B), Delaware C-Corps needing combined bookkeeping + tax + R&D credit work |
| Implementation effort | Medium setup and maintenance profile |
| Pricing check | Published pricing |
| Closest alternatives | CostAllocation ProFreshBooksWaveSage |
Pilot pricing
| Model | Published pricing |
|---|---|
| Snapshot | Bookkeeping: Essentials $99/mo (up to $100K monthly expenses), Core starting at $0/mo billed annually for early-stage with dedicated US bookkeeper, Custom on quote. Tax: Single-member LLC from $1,000/yr ($750 new business), Partnership/S-Corp from $2,000/yr, C-Corp from $2,450/yr. CFO: Basic $1,750/mo, Essentials $3,150/mo, Custom $5,250/mo. COO: Starter $750 one-time, Essentials $500/mo. Stock admin $399/hr; R&D credit 20% of credit captured. |
| Checked |
Common questions about Pilot
What is Pilot?
Pilot delivers outsourced bookkeeping, tax, CFO, and back-office (COO) services to startups and growing SMBs, combining a US-based team with internal software and AI categorization. Bookkeeping covers reconciliations, accrual or cash basis, bill management, and reports on a fixed monthly close cadence; CFO services add models, KPIs, investor reporting, and fundraising support. The product is widely used by VC-backed companies for investor-ready books.
What is Pilot used for?
Common use cases: Seed-stage SaaS startup getting monthly accrual books and a CFO model for the next fundraise; Delaware C-Corp filing federal/state/Delaware franchise tax through one vendor at year-end; Pre-launch founder using COO Starter to incorporate and stand up banking, payroll, and books; Growth-stage company adding fractional CFO for 13-week cash forecasts and investor reporting.
How much does Pilot cost?
Bookkeeping: Essentials $99/mo (up to $100K monthly expenses), Core starting at $0/mo billed annually for early-stage with dedicated US bookkeeper, Custom on quote. Tax: Single-member LLC from $1,000/yr ($750 new business), Partnership/S-Corp from $2,000/yr, C-Corp from $2,450/yr. CFO: Basic $1,750/mo, Essentials $3,150/mo, Custom $5,250/mo. COO: Starter $750 one-time, Essentials $500/mo. Stock admin $399/hr; R&D credit 20% of credit captured.
Who is Pilot best for?
Pilot fits Venture-backed US startups (seed through Series B), Delaware C-Corps needing combined bookkeeping + tax + R&D credit work, Founders who want investor-ready accrual books without hiring a controller, Companies preparing for due diligence, audit readiness, or M&A. Right for you if you're a US startup (especially venture-backed) that needs accrual books, clean investor reporting, and access to CFO advisory without hiring a full-time finance team. Skip if you're a micro-business that just needs cash-basis taxes (Bench is cheaper) or if you want to own your accounting workflow in-house with software like Puzzle or QuickBooks plus a fractional bookkeeper. Also skip if you're outside the US.
What are alternatives to Pilot?
Common alternatives to Pilot include CostAllocation Pro, FreshBooks, Wave, Sage, Zoho Books, Bench.