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Decimal vs Pilot

Side by Side

AttributeDecimalPilot
What It IsAn outsourced accounting and back-office operator for established small and mid-sized businesses, bundling bookkeeping, bill pay, expense and invoicing workflows, financial reporting, payroll support, tax, and advisory under a dedicated team at a fixed monthly fee. It leans into operational industries like home services, dental, and franchising that searchers often buy.A tech-forward outsourced back office: bookkeeping on a dedicated US-based team, business tax filing, and fractional CFO and COO support, built around accrual accounting and a monthly close. Aimed at startups and growing companies, it fits a newly acquired business whose books need to become clean and stay that way without an in-house hire.
CategoryPost-Close & OperationsPost-Close & Operations
Pricing ModelSubscriptionSubscription
What It CostsFixed monthly pricing advertised with no hidden fees, but specific tiers are not published on the site and are scoped by a custom quote. Verified on decimal.com.Bookkeeping from $99/mo (Essentials, up to $100k monthly expenses) up to a Core plan with a dedicated US bookkeeper; business tax filing from $1,000/yr (single-member LLC) to $2,450/yr (C-corp); fractional CFO from $1,750/mo and COO/operations support from $850/mo. Pre-revenue discounts advertised. Verified on pilot.com/pricing.
Best ForAn owner of an operational SMB (home services, dental, franchise) who wants the whole back office runA new owner who wants clean accrual books and fractional CFO help without hiring in-house
Where It FitsOperate & Grow the BusinessOperate & Grow the Business
Our VerdictA fit for an operational SMB that wants the whole back office run; get the quote before you compare.Strong for investor-grade books and CFO help; weigh its startup-first fit against a plain operating SMB.
Pros
  • Bundles bookkeeping, bill pay, payroll support, reporting, and advisory as one done-for-you operation
  • Fixed-monthly-fee positioning, aimed at established operating businesses rather than startups
  • Explicit focus on operational and franchise industries common in SMB acquisitions
  • A dedicated US-based bookkeeper plus accrual accounting and a monthly close, not just software
  • Tax filing and fractional CFO and COO support under one roof, so the back office scales with the business
  • Transparent, published monthly pricing, which is rare among outsourced accounting firms
Cons
  • No pricing published on the site, so cost is a quote rather than a comparison
  • The recent push to franchise its own services model is worth watching for focus
  • Breadth means you buy a bundle, not a single line you can right-size
  • Explicitly built for startups and growing companies, so an established blue-collar SMB may pay for a growth-stage feature set it does not need
  • Priced per month on top of the purchase, and the CFO tiers climb quickly
  • Provides no full-time or part-time officer, so it is support rather than a hire

Our take

Choose Decimal if you want the whole back office run for an established operating business, bill pay and payroll support and reporting bundled under one dedicated team, and you accept that the price is a quote rather than a published number.

Choose Pilot if you want published pricing, accrual books closed monthly by a dedicated US bookkeeper, and fractional finance help you can add later, accepting a feature set built for growth-stage companies rather than blue-collar operations.

Put It to Work

Whichever side wins for you, The First 100 Days sequences the handoff these providers plug into after close.