Recruitment & ATS · head to head
Pilot vs Deel
The short version
- Only Deel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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; Deel contractor management starts at $49 per contractor per month, so cost scales linearly with every person engaged
- They diverge on capability: Pilot covers Bookkeeping, Deel covers Global Payroll.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Pilot and Deel actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Recruitment & ATS).
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 Pilot
- Bookkeeping
- CFO services
- Tax preparation
- R&D tax credits
- Financial reporting
- Stripe
- Brex
- Gusto
Only in Deel
- Global Payroll
- EOR Services
- Contractor Management
- Compliance
- Benefits Administration
- Immigration Support
- BambooHR
- Greenhouse
Both cover
- QuickBooks
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Pilot
- Outsourced monthly bookkeeping for startups and small businessesnot Deel
- Federal, state and Delaware franchise tax filing for US companiesnot Deel
- Fractional CFO support for financial planning and fundraisingnot Deel
Deel
- Hiring and paying contractors across multiple countriesnot Pilot
- Employing staff abroad without opening a local entitynot Pilot
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Deel
- Contractor management starts at $49 per contractor per month, so cost scales linearly with every person engaged
- Employer of Record starts at $599 per employee per month
- Contractor of Record is $325 per contractor per month, far above plain contractor management
- US PEO starts at $125 per employee per month
- Payroll and HR support are not sold standalone and are bundled inside the EOR and PEO per person prices
Pricing, plan by plan
Pilot
$29/month- Core$599/month
- Bookkeeping
- Accrual basis
- Monthly close
- Plus$849/month
- CFO support
- Custom reporting
- Board deck
Deel
Free- Contractors$49/month
- Contractor Management
- Payments
- Compliance
- EOR$599/month
- Employee Hiring
- Global Payroll
- Benefits
Which should you pick?
Choose Deel if
- You need global payroll.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want eor services.
Questions people ask
- Is Pilot or Deel better?
- Neither clearly leads. Pilot starts at $29/month and Deel at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Pilot or Deel?
- Deel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Pilot and Free for Deel.
- Does Pilot or Deel run on more platforms?
- Pilot runs on Web. Deel runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Deel for free?
- Yes. Deel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Pilot starts at $29/month.
- What is Pilot best used for?
- Pilot is most often used for outsourced monthly bookkeeping for startups and small businesses, federal, state and delaware franchise tax filing for us companies, fractional cfo support for financial planning and fundraising. Of those, outsourced monthly bookkeeping for startups and small businesses and federal, state and delaware franchise tax filing for us companies are not what Deel is typically brought in for.
- What can Pilot do that Deel cannot?
- Pilot covers Bookkeeping, CFO services, Tax preparation, R&D tax credits. Deel covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Contractor Management, Compliance. Both handle QuickBooks, Web support.