Softwr

Recruitment · head to head

Pilot vs Spendbase

Pilot logo

Pilot

Recruitment

Bookkeeping, CFO, and tax for startups

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendbase logo

Spendbase

Accounting

SaaS and cloud spend management that charges a share of the savings it finds rather than a licence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spendbase 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; Spendbase charging a share of savings gives the vendor an interest in defining savings generously, and the customer cannot verify a counterfactual price it never saw.
  • They diverge on capability: Pilot covers Bookkeeping, Spendbase covers Subscription visibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pilot and Spendbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Pilot and Spendbase differ
AttributePilotSpendbase
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree card tier, plus a share of savings on the managed plan
Free tierNoYes
CategoryRecruitmentAccounting
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Pilot

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

Only in Spendbase

  • Subscription visibility
  • Discount marketplace
  • Virtual cards
  • Cashback
  • Renewal management
  • Savings-share billing

What people use each for

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

Pilot

  • Small business bookkeeping and accountingnot Spendbase
  • Tax preparation and filingnot Spendbase
  • CFO consulting for startupsnot Spendbase
  • Payroll and HR administrationnot Spendbase

Spendbase

  • A startup with no procurement function that wants renewal dates and subscription owners in one placenot Pilot
  • A company with heavy Azure or cloud spend that can use pre-negotiated credit allocationsnot Pilot
  • Issuing virtual cards per subscription so a forgotten trial cannot renew silentlynot Pilot
  • A finance lead who wants software cost reduction without hiring anyone to do itnot 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

Spendbase

  • Charging a share of savings gives the vendor an interest in defining savings generously, and the customer cannot verify a counterfactual price it never saw.
  • The savings share is reported at around 25 percent but is not published on the pricing page, so the actual commercial terms only appear in a contract.
  • Spendbase is both a banking provider and your software negotiator, so a company using both concentrates operating cash and vendor relationships in one small, young company.
  • Banking is delivered through partners rather than held directly, meaning deposit protection and service continuity depend on those partners rather than on Spendbase.
  • It is scoped for startups and small companies, so organisations needing approval workflows, purchase orders or ERP integration will find it thin against a real procurement platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

Pilot

On request
  • Bookkeeping Essentials$99/month
    • Up to $100,000 in monthly expenses
    • AI-powered transaction categorization
    • Monthly closing
  • Bookkeeping CoreFree
    • Dedicated US-based bookkeeper
    • Cash or accrual-basis bookkeeping
    • Bill management for up to 10 vendor bills monthly
  • Tax Single Member LLC$1000/year
    • Federal and state income tax filing
    • Schedule C reporting
  • Tax Partnerships & S-Corps$2000/year
    • Federal and state filings
    • Up to 25 1099-NEC filings

Spendbase

Free
  • Digital bankingFree
    • No monthly fee per user
    • Up to 100 virtual cards
    • EUR and GBP account details
  • Spend management$undefined/year
    • Everything in the free tier
    • Reported share of roughly 25 percent of savings achieved
    • 200 percent return guarantee against a deposit

Which should you pick?

Choose Pilot if

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

Choose Spendbase if

  • You need subscription visibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want discount marketplace.
Spendbase review

Questions people ask

Is Pilot or Spendbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Pilot starts at On request and Spendbase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pilot or Spendbase?
Spendbase has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Pilot and Free for Spendbase.
Does Pilot or Spendbase run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Spendbase for free?
Yes. Spendbase has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Pilot starts at On request.
What is Pilot best used for?
Pilot is most often used for small business bookkeeping and accounting, tax preparation and filing, cfo consulting for startups, payroll and hr administration. Of those, small business bookkeeping and accounting and tax preparation and filing are not what Spendbase is typically brought in for.
What can Pilot do that Spendbase cannot?
Pilot covers Bookkeeping, CFO services, Tax preparation, R&D tax credits. Spendbase covers Subscription visibility, Discount marketplace, Virtual cards, Cashback.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pilot: What is the starting price for Pilot bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping Essentials starts at $99/month and includes up to $100,000 in monthly expenses with AI-powered categorization. Bookkeeping Core pricing starts at $0/month (billed annually) with a dedicated US-based bookkeeper.

Source
Spendbase: Is Spendbase free?

The card and banking tier is genuinely free with no per-user fee. The spend management service is paid from a share of the savings it finds, reported at around 25 percent.

Pilot: What tax services does Pilot offer?

Pilot offers tax filing starting at $1,000/year for Single Member LLCs, $2,000/year for Partnerships & S-Corps, and $2,450/year for C-Corps, each including federal and state filings.

Source
Spendbase: How is a saving calculated?

The methodology is not published. Agree the baseline, the measurement period and what counts as a saving in writing before signing.

Pilot: How much do Pilot CFO services cost?

CFO Basic starts at $1,750/month (billed annually) with monthly consultation; CFO Essentials at $3,150/month (billed annually) with bi-weekly calls; CFO Custom at $5,250/month (billed annually) with weekly calls and strategic planning.

Source
Spendbase: Does Spendbase hold my money?

Banking is provided through regulated partners including Moorwand in the UK and EEA and Sutton Bank in the US, with Mastercard issuing the cards.

Spendbase: Is it suitable for an enterprise?

No. There are no purchase orders, approval hierarchies or ERP integration; it is built for startups.

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