Best of
Top 9 AI Tools for Accounting and Tax Professionals in 2026: Ranked by What Actually Saves You Hours
Sep 13, 2026 · 18 min read
P
Pilot
AI-assisted bookkeeping, tax and CFO services for startups and small businesses
From $99/mo pilot.com
Own Pilot? Claim it, free to correct the facts and get the verified badge.
pilot.com
Pricing
From $99/mo
Free trial
Yes
Company
Pilot.com, Inc.United States
Platforms
Web
What is Pilot?
Pilot is a back-office service that handles bookkeeping, tax filing and CFO advisory for US startups and small businesses. The company describes its approach as "50/50 people and software": AI categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts and answers questions about cash flow, and US-based bookkeepers and former CFOs review the books and give strategic guidance.
Clients get monthly closed books, financial reports, dashboards and scenario modeling, for example checking whether they can afford new hires. Add-on services cover business tax returns, R&D credits, outsourced operations such as payroll, AP and AR, stock administration, and fractional CFO work like fundraising support and board reporting.
Pilot fits founders and owners who want to hand off their accounting instead of running it in-house. Pricing starts at $99/month for AI-driven bookkeeping. Tax, operations and CFO plans are sold on top of a Pilot Bookkeeping plan. Pilot notes that it is not a public accounting firm.
Key features
- AI transaction categorization and account reconciliation
- Monthly book close with financial reports
- AI answers about past transactions and cash flow
- Cash flow scenario modeling
- US-based dedicated bookkeeping team
- Business tax filing and R&D credit services
- Fractional CFO advisory and fundraising support
- Outsourced payroll, AP, AR and stock administration
Use cases
Who it's for
Startup foundersSmall business ownersProfessional services firms and agenciesGrowing companies without a full-time CFO
Preparing to raise a round
Startups can get investor-ready financials and data rooms prepared on a short timeline.
Planning new hires
Cash flow scenario models show whether the business can afford more headcount before offers go out.
Getting ready for an acquisition
Bookkeepers produce reviewed, accurate financials that can hold up to buyer due diligence.
Handing off tax compliance
Federal, state and Delaware franchise filings are handled alongside year-round bookkeeping.
Pilot pricing
From the vendor's site, checked Oct 26, 2026; we re-check prices monthly. Prices change — confirm on their pricing page.
Bookkeeping Essentials
month
$99/month
- Up to $100,000 in monthly expenses
- AI categorization, reconciliation and monthly close
- Cash-basis bookkeeping
- Year-end package for your tax preparer
- In-app messaging support
Bookkeeping Core
month, billed annually
Contact sales
- US-based bookkeeper
- Cash or accrual basis
- Custom chart of accounts
- Reports on the 10th business day
- Phone, email and in-app support
Bookkeeping Custom
Custom
- Keep existing QuickBooks
- Full AR/AP and payroll administration
- Reports on the 6th business day
- CFO advisory option
Tax - Single Member LLC
year
From $1,000/year
- Federal and state filing
- Quarterly tax payments
- Requires Pilot Bookkeeping
Tax - Partnerships & S-Corps
year
From $2,000/year
- Delaware franchise tax
- Up to 25 1099-NEC filings
Tax - C-Corps
year
From $2,450/year
- Delaware franchise tax
- Up to 10 1099-NEC filings
CFO Basic
month
From $1,750/month billed annually
- Custom financial model
- Budget vs actuals
- Monthly CFO call
CFO Essentials
month
From $3,150/month billed annually
- Cash and runway optimization
- Investor and board reporting
- Bi-weekly CFO call
CFO Custom
month
From $5,250/month billed annually
- 13-week cash flow analysis
- Fundraising and pricing strategy
- Weekly CFO calls
Operations Starter
one-time
From $750 one-time
- Incorporation via Stripe Atlas
- Mercury banking setup
- Payroll setup
Operations Essentials
month
From $850/month
- HR, payroll and benefits
- Invoice collection
- Bill payment
Which plan do you need?
- CPA PilotCPA Pilot 20$29/mo
- Intuit TurboTax / Intuit AssistExpert 365 Business$61/mo
- PilotTax - Single Member LLC$83.33/mo
The cheapest paid plan with a published price that fits. Custom and sales-quoted plans aren't included.
How Pilot compares
- Pilot has no free plan, while 1 of the 4 alternatives below has one.
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Free trial | API | Open source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPilot | $99/mo | — | — | — | ||
I Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist | — | — | — | — | Pilot vs Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist | |
| B | Quote | — | — | — | — | Pilot vs Bloomberg Tax |
T Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge | Quote | — | — | — | Pilot vs Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge | |
C CPA Pilot | $29/mo | — | — | — | Pilot vs CPA Pilot |
Compare 5 capabilities
| Capability | Pilot | Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist | CPA Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill pay | — | — | |
| QuickBooks/Xero sync | — | — | |
| Reconciliation | — | — | |
| Forecasting | — | ||
| Human experts included |
Capabilities as stated on each vendor's own site; — means the site doesn't say. The closest alternatives in our directory by category. “Starts at” is the cheapest paid plan per month, as each vendor lists it.
Pilot data and privacy
Trains AI on your content
Not stated
Data retention
Kept until deletion request; tax data at least seven years
“We generally retain Customer Data until we receive a request to delete it”
Where data is stored
Not stated
Security and compliance
None stated
From Pilot's own privacy and security pages , checked Oct 28, 2026. We only show what the vendor states in writing; “not stated” means the pages don't say.
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Entry bookkeeping plan priced at $99/month
- Pricing for tax, CFO and operations services is published
- Combines AI tooling with US-based bookkeepers and CFOs
- Free tax extension included in tax plans
Limitations
- Tax and operations plans must be bought with Pilot Bookkeeping
- Core and Custom bookkeeping prices require contacting sales
- CFO plans start at $1,750/month
- Not a public accounting firm, so it does not provide licensed CPA services
Pilot FAQ
How much does Pilot cost?
Bookkeeping Essentials is $99/month for up to $100,000 in monthly expenses. Tax plans start at $1,000/year and CFO plans at $1,750/month billed annually.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The site offers a free trial sign-up.
Can I buy only tax services?
No. Tax plans must be purchased together with Pilot Bookkeeping.
Can I keep my QuickBooks account?
Yes, on the Custom bookkeeping plan you can keep your existing QuickBooks account and historical data.
Is there a discount for pre-revenue startups?
Yes. Pre-revenue companies can contact Pilot for discounts on the Core plan and on tax services.
User reviews
No reviews yet. Used Pilot? Be the first.
Sign in to rate this tool and share how you use it.
Pilot in our articles
Best of
Top 10 AI Tools for B2B Sales Teams in 2026: Ranked by What Actually Closes Deals
Aug 2, 2026 · 20 min read
Guide
How Independent Residential Property Managers Are Actually Using AI in 2026
Sep 13, 2026 · 11 min read
Guide
AI Predictive Maintenance for Small Manufacturers: What Actually Works in 2026
Sep 1, 2026 · 14 min read
Guide
How AI Medical Scribes Actually Work in 2026 (And How to Pick the Right One)
Aug 4, 2026 · 14 min read
Pilot
From $99/mo
Tools similar to Pilot
I
Intuit TurboTax / Intuit Assist
Guided tax filing software with AI answers and optional help from tax experts
B
Bloomberg Tax
Tax research platform with AI answers and an assistant for tax professionals
T
Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge
AI tax research with cited answers from Checkpoint content for tax professionals