Pilot is built for a company you don't run
Pilot is a finance stack for VC-backed startups: accrual books, monthly close packets, investor reporting, 1120/1120-S/1065 filings, R&D credit studies, and a fractional CFO. Even its entry $99/mo tier is an AI bookkeeper sized for companies pushing real monthly expense volume, and it funnels toward that same startup stack. Human bookkeeping starts around $299/mo, billed annually, and scales with your spend.
ExpenseGhost is $16/mo software for bootstrapped businesses, from a one-person Schedule C to a small-team C-corp. Cash-basis books, a tax-ready packet, no kickoff call.
If you file a Schedule C, both hand your CPA the same lines at year end. One of them costs an order of magnitude more to get there.
What a year costs
| ExpenseGhost (Solo) | Pilot (AI) | Pilot (human) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $16 | $99 | ~$299 (annual) |
| Year 1 | $192 | $1,188 | $3,588+ |
| Onboarding | Minutes | Self-serve | Kickoff and setup |
What that stack actually buys
Two things justify Pilot: a board that wants GAAP-compliant monthly close packets, or investors who require accrual revenue recognition on a fixed schedule. If that's you, that's Pilot's world, and it's a good one.
Every other business, from a one-person Schedule C to a bootstrapped C-corp, gets tax-ready books here for a fraction of the price. The IRS doesn't ask a profitable small business for a board packet.
What ExpenseGhost ships
No kickoff call. No multi-week onboarding. You link a bank account and you're working.
- Plaid bank sync.
- Receipt OCR, auto-matched. Forward receipts by email or upload them on the web.
- Schedule C lines mapped to IRS boxes.
- A live self-employment tax estimate that moves as you classify, stamped DRAFT.
- An accountant handoff packet, ready any day of the year.
Come April, your CPA gets a folder, not a shoebox.
ExpenseGhost provides tax estimates and tax-ready exports. We are not a tax preparer and do not file returns. Estimates are informational. Verify every number with a licensed tax professional before filing.