When we compare QuickBooks Live and Pilot Bookkeeping, we find that they differ mainly in the types of services they offer and the level of customer support available. While QuickBooks Live offers more basic bookkeeping services like categorization of transactions and financial reporting, Pilot also offers the option of tax, CFO advisory, and A/P and A/R services. However, QuickBooks Live offers more customer support options than Pilot, which includes unlimited support via phone, email, live chat, and one-way video calls. You can utilize accrual basis bookkeeping, cash basis bookkeeping, and tailoring the software to your needs. An industry-standard format is provided, accessing Quickbooks Online to ensure your data is fully accessible. Furthermore, varying pricing plans mean that different businesses can acquire the services offered by Pilot.

• A dedicated expert is available to give your support as soon as your purchase is complete.
• Bench allows you to instantly message your bookkeeper through its platform — and you can expect a response within a business day or less.
• Another advantage of online bookkeeping services is that they offer real-time data tracking and reporting.
• With Pilot as your trusted partner, you can rest assured that your financials are in capable hands, allowing you to focus on growing your business and achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.
• Also, reviewers wished that QuickBooks Live offered a free trial so that they could try the service before committing.

How We Evaluated QuickBooks Live vs Pilot Bookkeeping

• We awarded Pilot 2 out of 5 points for pricing because its basic bookkeeping services and add-ons are more expensive than other online bookkeepers we’ve reviewed.
• Our licensed, in-house advisory team will advise on tax planning and efficiency—it’s like having a CPA on staff without the expensive billable hours.
• That price includes monthly bookkeeping, a dedicated bookkeeping team, year-end tax-ready financial statements, and unlimited direct communication with Bench’s team of experts.
• Learn how to build, read, and use financial statements for your business so you can make more informed decisions.
• The business loves that Pilot provides them with a bookkeeping ecosystem for their subsidiaries.

You will receive priority support and monthly phone reviews for increased personal service for your business. Pilot prices its services based on your business’s monthly expenses. To calculate those expenses, Pilot uses the money you spend each month — including payroll, cost of goods pilot bookkeeping reviews sold and distributions.

• Pilot is an excellent bookkeeping service that I would recommend for all startups.
• Their tax essentials, for example, are billed at $2,450 per year.
• Because the basic support is limited to email, there’s no live chat or demo that you can explore on your own.
• These reports are different from what you’d see in your QuickBooks Online account.
• Pilot Bookkeeping also offers a choice of three subscription levels, and fees are billed on an annual basis.
• It offers bookkeeping, tax support, and catch-up services to ensure your business runs smoothly.

Money

Pilot aims to be a comprehensive finance and accounting service for startup founders and small business owners, providing integrated bookkeeping, tax preparation, and fractional CFO services under one roof. Plans for Pilot Bookkeeping start at $599 per month for businesses with less than $30,000 in monthly expenses. If you want to upgrade to the Select plan at this level, your price starts at $849 per month. As your monthly expenses increase, the plan prices grow quickly, maxing out at $899 per month for the Core plan and $1,149 per month for the Select plan.

Pilot Bookkeeping Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives

Users appreciated the responsiveness and knowledge of the customer support team. They also described the fees as affordable and the dashboard itself as easy to navigate. Two complaints are that there aren’t any bill pay Certified Bookkeeper or invoicing and income tax filing or advisory services available.

Businesses

Discover the whole, complete insights of your business’s finances, including new vendors that have been set up on the system. There are occasionally some kinks in the automation that Pilot offers. The backup quality of the information offered by Pilot could be more thorough for an improved service. The main difference is that they use proprietary software instead of QuickBooks. That makes it difficult to leave the platform and hold onto your historical data as you scale.

Taxes

One of Pilot’s biggest drawbacks is that it is very expensive, and pricing is based on your monthly expenses. Other users said that they wished that it was compatible with other bookkeeping software besides QuickBooks Online. In a 30 minute personalized walk through, our experts will get to know your business needs, understand what’s important to you and show you how Bench works. See first-hand income statement how Bench brings all of your accounts, transactions and money info into one secure, central place.