Softwr

HR & Recruiting · head to head

Personio vs Pilot

Personio logo

Personio

HR & Recruiting

All-in-one HR software for SMEs

From
$5/employee-per-month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pilot logo

Pilot

Recruitment & ATS

Bookkeeping, CFO, and tax for startups

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Personio payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment; Pilot the Essentials bookkeeping plan at $99 per month covers up to $100,000 in monthly expenses, and is cash-basis only using bank and credit card data
  • They diverge on capability: Personio covers HR Management, Pilot covers Bookkeeping.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Personio and Pilot actually diverge.

Attributes where Personio and Pilot differ
AttributePersonioPilot
Starting price$5/employee-per-month$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)Web
CategoryHR & RecruitingRecruitment & ATS
Founded20152017

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Personio

  • HR Management
  • Recruiting
  • Payroll
  • Time Tracking
  • Performance Management
  • Onboarding
  • Offboarding
  • Slack

Only in Pilot

  • Bookkeeping
  • CFO services
  • Tax preparation
  • R&D tax credits
  • Financial reporting
  • QuickBooks
  • Stripe
  • Brex

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Personio

No use cases recorded yet. See the Personio review.

Pilot

  • Outsourced monthly bookkeeping for startups and small businessesnot Personio
  • Federal, state and Delaware franchise tax filing for US companiesnot Personio
  • Fractional CFO support for financial planning and fundraisingnot Personio

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Personio

  • Payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment
  • Recruiting module lacks advanced reporting and LinkedIn integration functionality
  • Limited reporting customization requires manual exports and workarounds
  • Mobile app has reduced capabilities compared to desktop experience

Pilot

  • The Essentials bookkeeping plan at $99 per month covers up to $100,000 in monthly expenses, and is cash-basis only using bank and credit card data
  • A dedicated US-based bookkeeper, accrual-basis books and phone support require the Core plan, which is contact sales and billed annually
  • Core caps bill management at 10 vendor bills per month
  • Keeping an existing QuickBooks account with historical data requires the Custom plan
  • Accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll administration and CFO advisory are Custom plan only
  • Monthly reports arrive on the 10th business day on Core and the 6th business day only on Custom
  • Tax filing is sold separately, starting at $1,000 per year for single member LLCs and $2,000 per year for partnerships and S-Corps, billed annually
  • The tax service must be purchased together with Pilot Bookkeeping
  • Partnership and S-Corp tax filing includes up to 25 1099-NEC filings

Pricing, plan by plan

Personio

$5/employee-per-month

No published plan breakdown. See the Personio review.

Pilot

$29/month
  • Core$599/month
    • Bookkeeping
    • Accrual basis
    • Monthly close
  • Plus$849/month
    • CFO support
    • Custom reporting
    • Board deck

Which should you pick?

Choose Personio if

  • You need hr management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
  • You also want recruiting.
Personio review

Choose Pilot if

  • You need bookkeeping.
  • You also want cfo services.
Pilot review

Questions people ask

Is Personio or Pilot better?
Neither clearly leads. Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month and Pilot at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Personio or Pilot?
Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month and Pilot at $29/month.
Does Personio or Pilot run on more platforms?
Personio runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). Pilot runs on Web.
What can Personio do that Pilot cannot?
Personio covers HR Management, Recruiting, Payroll, Time Tracking. Pilot covers Bookkeeping, CFO services, Tax preparation, R&D tax credits. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Personio: Does Personio offer payroll processing in my country?

Personio provides native payroll support in Germany, UK, and Ireland, with limited support in other European markets through integrations. Coverage varies by country.

Source
Personio: What is Personio's pricing model?

Personio uses a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) model starting at $5-15/employee/month depending on the plan and features. There is no public pricing page, and exact pricing requires a sales consultation.

Source
Personio: Can Personio integrate with other tools?

Yes. Personio provides a public API and maintains a marketplace of pre-built integrations. The Core Pro plan is required for API access and custom integrations.

Source
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