Pilot costs 30× more for the same Schedule C
If you file a Schedule C, Pilot sells you a $499/mo machine built for a company you don't run.
Pilot is a $499+/mo human bookkeeping team for VC-backed startups: accrual books, board packets, 1120/1120-S/1065 filings, R&D credit studies, a fractional CFO. 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.
Same Schedule C output for sole-prop filers. One of these is 30× the price.
What a year costs
| ExpenseGhost (Solo) | Pilot (entry) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $16 | $499 |
| Year 1 | $192 | $5,988 |
| Onboarding | Minutes | 1–4 weeks |
What that $6,000 actually buys
Two things actually justify it: 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. Go pay for it.
Every other business, from a one-person Schedule C to a bootstrapped C-corp, gets tax-ready books here for a fraction of $6,000. The IRS doesn't ask a profitable small business for a board packet.
What ExpenseGhost ships
No kickoff call. No four-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 federal + SE tax estimate that moves as you classify.
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.