Compare · Trifold vs Pilot

Trifold vs Pilot

Pilot and Trifold both take work off whoever keeps your books, in different ways. Pilot is a service, “50/50 people and software”: a bookkeeping team, with tax filing and CFO services on top. Trifold is software: it turns Stripe payments into balanced books and a signed receipt for every payment, which anyone can check.

Pilot, in its own words: “If you're buried in bookkeeping, who's leading the company?”

Where Pilot is strongest

Honest first. If these matter most to you, Pilot is likely the better fit.

People who do the books for you

A bookkeeping team keeps your books; Bookkeeping Essentials is $99 a month for up to $100K in monthly expenses. Trifold is software: someone on your side still runs it.

Tax filing and a CFO

Business tax filing from $1,000 a year (bought with bookkeeping) and CFO services from $1,750 a month. Trifold doesn't file taxes; a year-end package for your CPA is Later.

Operations beyond the books

R&D credits, payroll and bill pay operations, and stock administration.

Where Trifold differs

Shipped means it works today in the engine. Next means it's on the roadmap and not built yet.

Shipped

Anyone can check a receipt, with no account

A family, CPA or auditor pastes a receipt into the free verifier at /verify. It runs in their browser and sends nothing to us; the CLI does the same check offline.

Shipped

Open formats and an engine you can run yourself

Export the books to Parquet, hledger or CSV whenever you like. The receipt and seal formats are open, and the engine is self-hostable, with its source public on GitHub.

Shipped

Books you can rebuild, months that stay sealed

Every Stripe event is kept. Replay them and you get the same balances and journals, and a sealed month shows any later change.

Side by side

The companies and products, fact by fact. Trifold's prices are planned; the hosted service is early access. "Not stated" means Pilot's public pages don't say; it doesn't mean the feature is missing.

Built for: TrifoldSchools, studios, non-profits and other organizations paid through Stripe PilotStartups, small and growing businesses, and professional-services firms
What it is: TrifoldSoftware: a hosted service (early access) or the self-hosted engine PilotA service: “50/50 people and software”
Monthly price: TrifoldFree, then Starter $29, Pro $79, Witnessed $149 a month, planned. Non-profit and co-op: $15 / $39 / $79 PilotBookkeeping Essentials $99 a month (up to $100K monthly expenses); custom plans through sales
Tax: TrifoldDoesn't file taxes; a year-end package for your CPA is Later PilotFrom $1,000+ a year (single-member LLC) to $2,450+ (C-corps), bought with bookkeeping
CFO: TrifoldNone Pilot$1,750, $3,150 or $5,250 a month
Free plan: TrifoldPlanned. The hosted service is early access; design partners are free during the pilot PilotNone
Who can check the records: TrifoldAnyone, in a free browser verifier or the CLI, with no account PilotNot stated
AI: TrifoldRifo, Next (not shipped): drafts and explains, you approve, the engine does the math PilotAI categorisation, reconciliation, close and Q&A; how work splits between AI and people is not stated
Export: TrifoldParquet, hledger and CSV, on every plan PilotNot stated
Self-hosting: TrifoldThe engine is self-hostable PilotNo; a service
Stripe: TrifoldNative: books built from Stripe events, Stripe's webhook signature checked PilotNot stated
SOC 2: TrifoldTarget date to be announced PilotNot stated

Trifold and Pilot, fact by fact
Fact	Trifold	Pilot
Built for	Schools, studios, non-profits and other organizations paid through Stripe	Startups, small and growing businesses, and professional-services firms
What it is	Software: a hosted service (early access) or the self-hosted engine	A service: “50/50 people and software”
Monthly price	Free, then Starter $29, Pro $79, Witnessed $149 a month, planned. Non-profit and co-op: $15 / $39 / $79	Bookkeeping Essentials $99 a month (up to $100K monthly expenses); custom plans through sales
Tax	Doesn't file taxes; a year-end package for your CPA is Later	From $1,000+ a year (single-member LLC) to $2,450+ (C-corps), bought with bookkeeping
CFO	None	$1,750, $3,150 or $5,250 a month
Free plan	Planned. The hosted service is early access; design partners are free during the pilot	None
Who can check the records	Anyone, in a free browser verifier or the CLI, with no account	Not stated
AI	Rifo, Next (not shipped): drafts and explains, you approve, the engine does the math	AI categorisation, reconciliation, close and Q&A; how work splits between AI and people is not stated
Export	Parquet, hledger and CSV, on every plan	Not stated
Self-hosting	The engine is self-hostable	No; a service
Stripe	Native: books built from Stripe events, Stripe's webhook signature checked	Not stated
SOC 2	Target date to be announced	Not stated

Which one fits

Choose Pilot if…

You want people to do your bookkeeping and file your taxes, and $99 a month and up (taxes extra) fits the budget.

Choose Trifold if…

A volunteer treasurer or an admin keeps the books, and you want trustworthy automation from Stripe and receipts anyone can check.

Sources

Pilot homepage: https://pilot.com(opens in a new tab)
Pilot pricing: https://pilot.com/pricing(opens in a new tab)

Facts about Pilot checked against its public pages as of 2026-11-06. Prices and features change; check theirs before you decide. Corrections: hello@gettrifold.com. All comparisons.

Every dollar, three ways. Every month, sealed.

Books ✓Receipt ✓Stripe ✓

Get early access Verify a sample receipt

Design partners: founder onboarding, free during the pilot.