Collective vs Pilot
Collective
Self-employed solopreneurs, especially full-time owners earning over US$60,000 a year
San Francisco, California (founding year not published)
Pilot
Startups and small businesses, from early-stage companies to those preparing for an exit
2017; San Francisco, US (second office in Nashville)
Collective and Pilot both sell bookkeeping and tax filing as a subscription service in the US.
Collective is an online back office for one-person businesses, covering formation, AI bookkeeping reviewed by accountants, payroll and tax filing; Pilot, founded in San Francisco in 2017, sells bookkeeping, tax and CFO services to startups and small businesses.
Collective vs Pilot: side by side
“Not published” means the vendor does not state it.
| Collective | Pilot | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Online back office for one-person businesses: formation, AI bookkeeping reviewed by accountants, payroll, invoicing and tax filing | Bookkeeping, tax and CFO services run by an AI Accountant and a team of finance experts |
| Best for | Self-employed solopreneurs, especially full-time owners earning over US$60,000 a year | Startups and small businesses, from early-stage companies to those preparing for an exit |
| Founded and HQ | San Francisco, California (founding year not published) | 2017; San Francisco, US (second office in Nashville) |
| Ownership and funding | Private; raised US$50m in July 2023; investors include General Catalyst, QED Investors, Expa and Gradient Ventures | Private; more than US$150m raised; Series C expanded to US$100m at a US$1.2bn valuation (2021) with Bezos Expeditions and Whale Rock |
| Customers or users | 12,000+ solopreneurs | 3,500+ startups and small businesses |
| Pricing | LLC US$199 a month; S Corp US$349 a month; 15% off with yearly billing (from US$169 and US$296 a month) | Bookkeeping US$99/month (Essentials), Core from US$299/month billed annually; tax from US$1,000/year; CFO from US$1,750/month |
| Deployment and markets | Online; US federal and state filings (IRS Form 2553, Form 1120-S, state and federal quarterly estimates) | US; cloud platform with US-based bookkeepers and CFO advisers |
Main differences
Collective serves self-employed solopreneurs, with 12,000+ members; Pilot serves startups and small businesses, with 3,500+ customers.
Collective forms single-member LLCs and files the S corp election; Pilot's tax plans cover single-member LLCs, partnerships, S corps and C corps.
Collective costs US$199 a month for LLCs and US$349 for S corps, with tax filing included; Pilot bookkeeping starts at US$99 a month, with tax from US$1,000 a year on top.
Pilot sells CFO services from US$1,750 a month; Collective does not.
Which to choose
Choose Collective if
- You are a one-person business that wants formation, S corp election, bookkeeping and tax in one plan
Choose Pilot if
- You run a startup with a team, investors or a C corp, and want bookkeeping, tax and CFO support
Compare further
Common questions
What is the difference between Collective and Pilot?+
Collective is an online back office for one-person businesses: formation, AI bookkeeping reviewed by accountants, payroll, invoicing and tax filing. Pilot provides bookkeeping, tax and CFO services for startups and small businesses, run by an AI Accountant and a team of finance experts.
How much do Collective and Pilot cost?+
Collective costs US$199 a month on the LLC plan and US$349 a month on the S Corp plan, with 15% off for yearly billing. Pilot bookkeeping costs US$99 a month (Essentials) or from US$299 a month billed annually (Core), and tax starts at US$1,000 a year.
Do Collective and Pilot file business tax returns?+
Yes. Collective's S Corp plan includes the S corp election (Form 2553) and the annual business return (Form 1120-S). Pilot's tax plans start at US$1,000 a year for single-member LLCs, US$2,000 for partnerships and S corps and US$2,450 for C corps, and are bought with Pilot bookkeeping.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
