Publisher disclosure: Median publishes this review and competes with Pilot. Pilot's figures below were read from Pilot's pricing page on October 5, 2026. Prices and plan terms change, so confirm them before you buy.
Pilot Essentials costs $99 a month for cash-basis bookkeeping and up to $100,000 in monthly expenses. Core starts at $299 a month billed annually at the pricing page's default expense level, adds a US-based bookkeeper, and supports cash or accrual books. Core pricing rises with monthly expenses. Custom requires a quote. Compare the complete written scope and price rather than the entry plan alone.
The opening answer was checked against Pilot's pricing page on October 12, 2026. The detailed tables below retain their October 5 source date.
The short version
- Essentials is $99 monthly, cash basis, for companies with up to $100,000 in monthly expenses.
- Core starts at $299 monthly on yearly billing, or $399 month to month, and reaches $999 or $1,199 at $150,000 in monthly expenses.
- Custom is contact-sales and adds support for more complex structures and workflows.
- C-corp tax filing starts at $2,450 a year. CFO services start at $1,750 monthly on yearly billing.
- Pilot charges 20% of the total R&D credit received.
- Core reports arrive on the 10th business day. Custom reports arrive on the 6th.
What you get at each bookkeeping tier
| Tier | Published price | Basis | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 monthly | Cash | AI categorization, account reconciliation, monthly close, year-end package and in-app support, up to $100,000 in monthly expenses |
| Core | Starts at $299 monthly on yearly billing, $399 month to month | Cash or accrual | US-based bookkeeper, custom chart of accounts, bill management for up to 10 vendor bills monthly and reports on the 10th business day |
| Custom | Contact sales | Cash or accrual | Keep an existing QuickBooks account and history, support for complex structures, custom reporting, full AP and AR, payroll administration and reports on the 6th business day |
Essentials is a real product at a real price, but it isn't the product most funded startups mean when they talk about hiring Pilot. Cash-basis books can work for a simple business. A startup that needs accrual statements, a custom chart of accounts or a person reviewing the books moves to Core.
Core now has a public starting-price slider. Stepping it across its range on October 5, 2026 showed these starting prices:
| Monthly expenses | Core on yearly billing | Core month to month |
|---|---|---|
| Under $15,000 | $299 monthly | $399 monthly |
| $15,000 | $499 monthly | $599 monthly |
| $30,000 | $559 monthly | $669 monthly |
| $60,000 | $679 monthly | $815 monthly |
| $100,000 | $799 monthly | $959 monthly |
| $150,000 | $999 monthly | $1,199 monthly |
| $200,000 or more | Custom plan | Custom plan |
Each row is the expense level where that price begins. These are starting prices, so treat them as a floor. Send Pilot your actual monthly expenses, accounting basis and bill volume, then ask for the full price in writing.
The add-ons are part of the comparison
| Service | Pilot's published price |
|---|---|
| Tax, single-member LLC | From $1,000 a year, or $750 if just formed |
| Tax, partnership or S corporation | From $2,000 a year, or $750 if just incorporated |
| Tax, C corporation | From $2,450 a year |
| CFO Basic, Essentials and Custom | From $1,750, $3,150 and $5,250 monthly on yearly billing |
| COO Starter | From $750 one time |
| COO Essentials | From $850 monthly |
| Stock administration | $399 an hour, free for pre-seed founders with five or fewer people on the cap table |
| R&D tax credit | 20% of the total credit received |
The R&D fee deserves its own calculation. Pilot's fee moves directly with the credit. Median's R&D credit service is $5,000 flat when the estimated credit is below $50,000, then 10% of the credit at $50,000 and above.
| Credit | Pilot fee | Median fee |
|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 |
| $30,000 | $6,000 | $5,000 |
| $60,000 | $12,000 | $6,000 |
Pilot costs less in the $20,000 example. Median costs less in the $30,000 and $60,000 examples. The fee model matters more as the expected credit grows, so price it alongside the bookkeeping quote.
Where Pilot wins
One vendor for several jobs. Pilot sells bookkeeping, business tax, CFO and outsourced operations, which its pricing page labels COO. A founder who wants one relationship instead of a stack of providers may value that more than the lowest individual line.
A published entry product. Essentials states its $99 price, cash-basis limitation and monthly-expense ceiling. You can decide whether it fits before speaking with sales.
A named reporting date. Core reports on the 10th business day and Custom reports on the 6th. The date lets you compare the service against when your board, lender or management team needs the prior month's numbers.
QuickBooks retention on Custom. Pilot says Custom customers can keep an existing QuickBooks account and historical data. That can make a later provider change easier if your company already uses QuickBooks.
Where Pilot may not fit
The headline price covers cash basis. A company that needs accrual statements is comparing Core, not the $99 tier.
The Core price rises with spending. Hiring, marketing or a large vendor contract can move the monthly-expense slider before revenue catches up. Ask what expense figure Pilot uses and how often the price is reset.
The reporting package arrives after month-end. The 10th-business-day date on Core may be fine for a monthly management rhythm. It is later than a founder who makes weekly spending decisions may want.
Add-ons stack. Tax, CFO and R&D work each have their own price. A fair comparison uses the total package you expect to buy, not the bookkeeping line alone.
What Pilot costs in a worked example
Take a seed-stage software company with $140,000 in monthly expenses, accrual books, a C-corp return and an expected $60,000 R&D credit.
| Line | Pilot's published starting point |
|---|---|
| Core bookkeeping | From $799 monthly on yearly billing, which is $9,588 a year, or $959 month to month. The $100,000 step runs up to $150,000 |
| C-corp tax filing | From $2,450 a year |
| R&D tax credit | 20% of $60,000, or $12,000 |
| Bill management | Included on Core for up to 10 vendor bills monthly |
| CFO support, if wanted | From $1,750 monthly on yearly billing |
| Starting total for the first three lines | $24,038 a year on yearly billing |
The slider gives you a bookkeeping floor instead of an unknown. It still doesn't replace a quote, because the card describes a starting price and the company may need work beyond the standard Core scope.
Switching to or from Pilot
Before switching, get four things from the outgoing provider: the chart of accounts, general ledger, transaction detail and the latest reconciliations. Ask the incoming provider which history it imports and which system becomes the ledger of record.
Pilot's Custom plan explicitly offers the option to keep an existing QuickBooks account and historical data. Ask Pilot what ledger applies to Essentials or Core, because the pricing page doesn't make the same promise for those plans.
If prior records need correction, expect a separate catch-up and cleanup quote. Avoid changing providers immediately before a filing deadline or board meeting. The incoming team needs enough time to inspect opening balances and finish the handoff.
Who should pick Pilot
Pilot fits a company that wants several finance functions from one established vendor and can work with a monthly reporting rhythm. Essentials fits a simple cash-basis business below its expense ceiling. Core fits a startup that needs accrual books and a US-based bookkeeper, and now gives that buyer a public starting price.
Look elsewhere if you need an accrual service below Core's starting price, if the 10th-business-day reporting date is too late for your decisions, or if separate tax and R&D fees make the total package too expensive.
For a direct head-to-head, see Median versus Pilot. For the wider market, compare the best startup bookkeeping services and what startup bookkeeping costs in 2026.
How to decide
- Check whether cash basis is enough and whether monthly expenses stay below $100,000. If both are true, Essentials may fit.
- If either answer is no, put your monthly expenses into the Core slider and request a written quote.
- Add tax, CFO and R&D fees you expect to buy.
- Ask what date the books will be current through each month and which ledger you keep if you leave.
- Compare that full answer against the other providers on your list.
Median's published rate card shows its bookkeeping bands and add-on prices on one page.