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Software · head to head

Pilot vs Rippling

Pilot logo

Pilot

Software

Bookkeeping, CFO, and tax for startups

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rippling logo

Rippling

Software

Manage HR, IT, and Finance in one place

From
$8/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Rippling the Internet Archive's capture of Rippling's homepage on 10 January 2021 named distinct product modules, Employee Platform, Payroll, Benefits, Talent Management, App Management, Device Management, and a PEO offering, all sold via 'Request Demo' with no price figure published.
  • They diverge on capability: Pilot covers Bookkeeping, Rippling covers Payroll.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pilot and Rippling actually diverge.

Attributes where Pilot and Rippling differ
AttributePilotRippling
Starting price$29/month$8/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20172016

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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
  • QuickBooks
  • Stripe
  • Brex

Only in Rippling

  • Payroll
  • Benefits Administration
  • Device Management
  • App Management
  • Time Tracking
  • Learning Management
  • Slack
  • Microsoft 365

Both cover

  • 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 Rippling
  • Federal, state and Delaware franchise tax filing for US companiesnot Rippling
  • Fractional CFO support for financial planning and fundraisingnot Rippling

Rippling

No use cases recorded yet. See the Rippling review.

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

Rippling

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Rippling's homepage on 10 January 2021 named distinct product modules, Employee Platform, Payroll, Benefits, Talent Management, App Management, Device Management, and a PEO offering, all sold via 'Request Demo' with no price figure published.

Pricing, plan by plan

Pilot

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

Rippling

$8/month
  • Core$8/month
    • Employee Management
    • Onboarding
    • Offboarding
  • Pro$12/month
    • All Core features
    • Advanced Analytics
    • Custom Reports

Which should you pick?

Choose Pilot if

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

Choose Rippling if

  • You need payroll.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want benefits administration.
Rippling review

Questions people ask

Is Pilot or Rippling better?
Neither clearly leads. Pilot starts at $29/month and Rippling at $8/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pilot or Rippling?
Pilot starts at $29/month and Rippling at $8/month.
Does Pilot or Rippling run on more platforms?
Pilot runs on Web. Rippling runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 Rippling is typically brought in for.
What can Pilot do that Rippling cannot?
Pilot covers Bookkeeping, CFO services, Tax preparation, R&D tax credits. Rippling covers Payroll, Benefits Administration, Device Management, App Management. Both handle Web support.
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