Softwr

Software · head to head

Pilot vs Teachable

Pilot logo

Pilot

Software

Bookkeeping, CFO, and tax for startups

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Teachable logo

Teachable

Software

Create and sell courses online

From
$29/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; Teachable starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee, significantly higher than other plans
  • They diverge on capability: Pilot covers Bookkeeping, Teachable covers Course builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pilot and Teachable actually diverge.

Attributes where Pilot and Teachable differ
AttributePilotTeachable
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Founded20172014

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Teachable

  • Course builder
  • Quizzes
  • Certificates
  • Coaching products
  • Payment processing
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Analytics

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

Teachable

  • Course creationnot Pilot
  • Coaching servicesnot Pilot
  • Digital productsnot Pilot
  • Membership sitesnot 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

Teachable

  • Starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee, significantly higher than other plans
  • Student limits lift only at $10k+ annual sales for higher plans
  • No free tier, only 7-day trial
  • Custom plan requires sales contact with minimum $30k/year revenue

Pricing, plan by plan

Pilot

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

Teachable

$29/month
  • Starter$39/month
    • 5 products
    • 100 active students
    • 7.5% transaction fee
  • Builder$89/month
    • 10 products
    • 1000 active students
    • 0% transaction fee
  • Growth$189/month
    • 50 products
    • 5000 active students
    • 0% transaction fee
  • Custom$null/month
    • Unlimited products
    • Dedicated success manager
    • Custom pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Pilot if

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

Choose Teachable if

  • You need course builder.
  • You also want quizzes.
Teachable review

Questions people ask

Is Pilot or Teachable better?
Neither clearly leads. Pilot starts at $29/month and Teachable at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pilot or Teachable?
Pilot starts at $29/month and Teachable at $29/month.
Does Pilot or Teachable run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Teachable is typically brought in for.
What can Pilot do that Teachable cannot?
Pilot covers Bookkeeping, CFO services, Tax preparation, R&D tax credits. Teachable covers Course builder, Quizzes, Certificates, Coaching products. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Teachable: Does Teachable have a free plan?

Teachable offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but no permanent free plan. The Starter plan costs $39/month (or $29/month annually).

Source
Teachable: What are the transaction fees?

Starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee. Builder, Growth, and Advanced plans charge 0% transaction fees. Additional payment processing fees of 2.9%-4.99% plus per-transaction charges apply depending on payment method.

Source
Teachable: What integrations are available?

Teachable integrates with Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Google Analytics, Calendly, Zoom, and other tools via the App Hub.

Source
Teachable: How many courses can I create?

Starter plan allows 5 products, Builder allows 10, Growth allows 50, and Advanced allows 100 courses.

Source
Teachable: What is included in certificate features?

Course certificates are available starting on the Growth plan ($139/month annually). Certificates can be customized with branding and are generated automatically when students complete courses.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Pilot

More on Teachable

Keep looking

Other head to heads