Top 9 of 41 alternatives
9 Pilot alternatives (2026): Zoho Books has a free plan
The closest alternatives to Pilot in October 2026 are Puzzle, FreeAgent and Zoho Books.
9 tools compared · entry plans $13.40 to $549 a month · 1 with a free plan · prices checked 26–31 October 2026
Reviewed by the Tick Mark Books editorial team.
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Pilot and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starts at | A month at 100 transactions | Better than Pilot at | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | A US startup or small business that wants its books done for it in QuickBooks Online | Price not established | $137 | 26 October 2026 | |
| Puzzle | A US startup on Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Stripe and Gusto that wants to replace QuickBooks | Price not established | $30 | Ledger included, Setup or onboarding fee | 26 October 2026 |
| FreeAgent | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $13 a month source | About $25 | Ledger included, Setup or onboarding fee | 26 October 2026 |
| Zoho Books | Small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a month source | $20 | Ledger included, Sends invoices | 26 October 2026 |
| Booke AI | A business or bookkeeping firm already on QuickBooks Online or Xero | Price not established | $156 | Your data trains AI, Several businesses | 26 October 2026 |
| Stampli | Finance teams with high invoice volume, many approvers and several entities | On quote source | — | Pays your bills, People check the books | 26 October 2026 |
| SimpleAI | Accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month source | $106 | Past your plan’s limits, Setup or onboarding fee | 27 October 2026 |
| Bookkeeper360 | Startups and growing small businesses wanting books, tax and CFO help from one US team | From $19 a month source | $638 | Catching up past months, Accrual books and reports | 27 October 2026 |
| Zeni | U.S. startups that want AI bookkeeping and a dedicated finance team | From $549 a month source | — | Catching up past months, Pays your bills | 30 October 2026 |
| Digits | A US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooks | From $65 a month source | $65 | Ledger included, Setup or onboarding fee | 27 October 2026 |
“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.
Closest alternatives to Pilot
The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches. How we rank
- Price not established
AI-native accounting software with optional bookkeeper services for startups and small businesses.
Why it's on this listLedger included: YesIt is the ledger; no QuickBooks or Xero needed. Puzzle is a double-entry general ledger of its own, sold as a QuickBooks replacement (Core card: 'Your QuickBooks replacement').
- From £10 a month (about $13)
UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type.
Why it's on this listLedger included: YesFreeAgent is the accounting ledger itself: it keeps the books, builds the accounting reports and files the returns, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it.
- From Free
Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month.
Why it's on this listLedger included: YesZoho Books is the accounting ledger itself, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; the plan fee covers invoicing, banking, journals and the reports.
The rest of the shortlist
- Price not established
Booke AI
An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents.
- On quote
Stampli
Procure-to-pay workspace for invoices, vendors, payments and card spend, with AI coding and routing.
- From $79 a month
SimpleAI
AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.
- From $19 a month
Bookkeeper360
US-based outsourced bookkeeping, tax and CFO team working in your QuickBooks Online or Xero.
- From $549 a month
Zeni
AI bookkeeping with a dedicated finance team, built on QuickBooks Online Plus.
- From $65 a month
Digits
AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles itself, replacing QuickBooks or Xero for US businesses.
Compare Pilot with the shortlist
Compare alternatives to Pilot
The digest
What changed in tools. New tools and articles, by email, at most once a week.
Questions buyers ask
What are the best alternatives to Pilot?
Puzzle, FreeAgent and Zoho Books are the closest. They share the most of Pilot's features.
What is the cheapest alternative to Pilot?
1 of the 9 has a free plan: Zoho Books. The lowest paid plan is FreeAgent, from about $13 a month. Price checked on 26 October 2026.
How much do Pilot alternatives cost?
Entry plans run from $13.40 to $549 a month, and half cost $65 or less.
When were these prices checked?
We read each price between 26 October 2026 and 31 October 2026 on the maker's own pricing page.
Sources and method
Closest first: most of Pilot's features, then the fewest gaps. How we rank
Every price was read on the maker's own pricing page.
- FreeAgent: freeagent.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- Zoho Books: zoho.com/us/books/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- Stampli: stampli.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- SimpleAI: simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- Bookkeeper360: bookkeeper360.com/app, checked 27 October 2026
- Zeni: zeni.ai/pricing, checked 31 October 2026
- Digits: digits.com/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
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