For small business owners comparing Pilot with other bookkeeping service alternatives, this guide explains pricing, scope, and fit—then shows where Orbit Accountants sits in a full-service model.
Table of Contents
What Pilot is
Pilot is a tech-enabled finance service for startups and small businesses. It blends software with a remote accounting team to handle bookkeeping, tax, and optional CFO support. Pilot markets itself as a full stack—one place to keep books current, file corporate taxes, and get higher-level financial planning when needed.
Pilot publishes pricing pages for its services. For example, Tax – Essentials notes a starts at $2,450/year figure (when bundled with Pilot Bookkeeping), and Pilot content describes entry bookkeeping packages historically “from $199/month,” with tiers that scale by company expense volume and complexity. Always check the current pricing page because tiers and inclusions can change.
In short: Pilot aims to be a single vendor for books + tax + CFO—especially attractive to founders who want fewer moving parts and startup-savvy guidance.
Are you currently managing your bookkeeping in-house?
Where Pilot shines—and its natural boundaries
What Pilot gets right
- Startup fluency. Positioning, resources, and examples speak to venture-backed or scaling companies (burn, runway, accruals, KPI visibility, R&D credit).
- Single-vendor stack. Founders can buy bookkeeping, corporate tax filing, and CFO support in one place. (Tax plan shows a public “starts at $2,450/year” tier when paired with bookkeeping.)
- Clear education content. Pilot’s blog discusses costs of bookkeeping and founder-oriented topics (e.g., budgeting 1–3% of revenue for bookkeeping).
Natural boundaries to consider
- Scope vs. price tiers. Pilot’s “price starts” figures don’t always reflect real-world totals once add-ons (e.g., tax, CFO) are included; costs scale with monthly expense volume and complexity.
- Fit for very small/micro businesses. Some third-party comparisons say Pilot appeals to larger or more complex companies (QuickBooks-based, accrual accounting), whereas lighter services fit very small teams on simplified, proprietary systems. Evaluate your size and stack before you choose.
- Feature tradeoffs vs. “AI-heavy” rivals. Competitive blogs argue that other platforms emphasize daily automation and built-in tools; useful context if you want deeper automation baked in. (Consider source bias when reading competitor pages.)
Pilot vs. common alternatives (at a glance)
When founders search accounting alternatives, they usually compare scope (books, tax, CFO), tooling fit (QuickBooks/Xero, e-comm), and advisory cadence (monthly vs. quarterly planning).
Pilot vs. Orbit Accountants: what changes in your day-to-day
1) Delivery model & team structure
- Pilot: Tech-enabled model with bookkeeping, corporate tax, and optional CFO. Startup-centric playbooks and content built for founders.
- Orbit: Regional firm model with a named team that handles bookkeeping, payroll, tax planning, and filings—plus practical advisory woven into your monthly close. Orbit’s US site highlights tailored services for small businesses and catch-up bookkeeping.
2) Month-end close & advisory cadence
- Pilot: Advisory via tax and optional CFO packages; founders can escalate to deeper help as they grow.
- Orbit: A set close cadence (P&L, balance sheet, cash view) plus working KPIs and owner check-ins; tax planning is addressed during the year, not just at filing.
3) Tax posture
- Pilot: Clear corporate tax packages with public “starts at” pricing when bundled with bookkeeping.
- Orbit: Year-round tax planning and tax prep for small businesses with payroll/sales tax support, aiming to keep you compliant and avoid April surprises.
4) Tooling fit
- Pilot: Built around QuickBooks; strong for VC-style metrics and accrual workflows. Third-party roundups position it as “for larger or more complex” than micro-merchant setups.
- Orbit: Works with common cloud stacks (QB/Xero + apps) and adapts to e-commerce, services, and bricks-and-mortar—emphasis on a clean chart, reconciliations, and practical owner dashboards.
Pricing reality check & “total cost of clarity”
Pilot pricing signals: Public pages show Tax – Essentials from $2,450/year when tied to Pilot Bookkeeping. Historic and blog content cite bookkeeping tiers “from $199/month” (or $169 when billed annually), and comparisons note pricing that scales with expenses. Treat these as baselines and confirm the current scope you need.
Orbit pricing posture: Orbit positions transparent, tailored pricing for small US businesses across bookkeeping, catch-up, payroll, and tax planning—the aim is total cost of accurate books plus meaningful owner support, not only a monthly categorization fee.
Who should stay with Pilot vs. who should consider Orbit
Pilot may be a great fit if:
- You’re a startup or a scaling small business comfortable in QuickBooks.
- You want one vendor for books + corporate tax, with the option to add CFO help.
- You like a software-plus-team model and plan to invest in FP&A as you grow.
Orbit may be a better fit if:
- You’re a small US business that wants full-service bookkeeping with year-round tax planning, payroll, and sales tax support together.
- You value a named team and a predictable close cadence with owner-friendly KPIs and practical advisory baked in (hiring runway, margin checks, cash timing).
- You need clean catch-up bookkeeping and a guided migration from a previous provider.
Onboarding, catch-up, and migration—what to expect
A typical neutral migration checklist (works whether you choose Pilot or Orbit):
- Scope & stack review: bank/credit cards, payment rails, payroll, sales channels.
- Secure access: read-only feeds; document intake.
- Catch-up bookkeeping: reconcile from a defined start date; fix categorization and rules.
- Chart & policy tune-up: revenue recognition, COGS mapping, expense policies.
- Close calendar: agree on a monthly close date and deliverables.
- Planning rhythm: quarterly check-ins for estimates, hiring, margins, and cash.
Orbit’s site highlights catch-up bookkeeping and ongoing bookkeeping services for small businesses; Pilot’s public pages emphasize the all-in-one approach (books, tax, CFO) for startups. Choose the rhythm you’ll actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pilot a good choice for small business owners?
Yes—especially if you’re in QuickBooks and want bookkeeping + corporate tax in a single stack, with optional CFO support as you grow.
How much does Pilot cost?
Pilot’s Tax – Essentials is publicly listed as starting at $2,450/year (when paired with Pilot Bookkeeping). Historic/blog content references bookkeeping packages “from $199/month,” and comparisons note expense-based scaling. Confirm current pricing against your scope.
Is Orbit Accountants an alternative to Pilot?
Yes. Orbit offers full-service bookkeeping, tax planning & prep, payroll, and hands-on advisory for small US businesses, plus catch-up and migration help. It’s a service-firm model with a named team and a predictable close cadence.
Does Pilot provide CFO services?
Yes. Pilot markets CFO services for planning and insights, aimed at efficiency and sustainable growth.
Pilot vs. Orbit?
It depends on what you value. Choose Pilot if you want a startup-oriented, tech-enabled stack with add-on CFO. Choose Orbit if you want a regional full-service team focused on monthly close discipline, tax planning, and practical owner advisory.
Final Takeaway
If you want a startup-fluent, tech-enabled partner with books + corporate tax in one place and the option to add CFO as you scale, Pilot makes sense. If you want a full-service bookkeeping partner with year-round tax planning, a named team, and a predictable close + KPI rhythm for owner decisions, consider Orbit Accountants. Both models work—the right one is the one you’ll actually use every month.
Ready to explore?
- Talk to Orbit Accountants for a no-pressure scoping call (books, tax, payroll, planning).
- If you’re leaning to Pilot, review current tiers and inclusions on Pilot’s pricing page and bundle what you truly need.
Legal & Ethics Disclaimer
This article is provided by Orbit Accountants for general information only and does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice. Features, pricing, and service scope referenced above can change without notice; verify details with each provider. Reading this content does not create a client relationship with Orbit Accountants. For guidance tailored to your situation, please contact our team for a consultation.
