Pilot: adds free trial CTA, AI bookkeeping features, and 10x higher expense cap on Essentials
What happened
Between the Dec 29, 2025 and Mar 30, 2026 captures of Pilot's pricing page, Pulse recorded 3 changes: Pilot added a 'Start free trial' CTA to the pricing page navigation alongside the existing Get Started button, introduced AI capabilities on the Bookkeeping Essentials plan (AI auto-categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts, closes the books monthly, and gives instant answers about past transactions and cash flow with scenario planning), and raised the Essentials monthly expense cap from $15,000 to $100,000 per month. In detail: Free trial CTA added to pricing page: 'START FREE TRIAL for small businesses' button added in the navigation header alongside the existing Get Started button; AI features added to Bookkeeping Essentials: AI auto-categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts, closes books monthly, and provides instant answers about past transactions and cash flow with scenario planning; Bookkeeping Essentials monthly expense cap increased from $15,000 to $100,000 per month, enabling larger small businesses to use the self-serve plan. Pulse files it as a packaging change (trial change, feature added, limit increase) with an upward direction. Pulse's latest capture (Jun 29, 2026) lists Bookkeeping Essentials at $99, Bookkeeping Core at $299, COO Essentials at $500, Tax for Single Member LLCs at $1,000 and CFO Basic at $1,750.
It lands 81 days after Pilot's previous change, "Pilot Announces Major Price Drop: Core Plan Now Starts at $299/Month, 40% Reduction" (Jan 12, 2026). Pilot has been tracked since 2023-11-19.
In the same window Zoho, Xero, Sage, Freshbooks and Quickbooks also changed their Finance & Accounting pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- — · TrialAddedNo Free trial CTAFree trial CTA
- Bookkeeping Essentials · FeatureAddedNo AI featuresAI features
- Bookkeeping Essentials · Limit+567%$15,000$100,000 per month
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Trial | No Free trial CTA | Free trial CTA | Added |
| Bookkeeping Essentials | Feature | No AI features | AI features | Added |
| Bookkeeping Essentials | Limit | $15,000 | $100,000 per month | +567% |
Values as written on Pilot's public pricing page in the two captures Pulse compared; where the page states no number, the cells give the wording before and after.
Evidence
The two captures Pulse comparedFull-page captures of Pilot's pricing page (pilot.com) from Dec 29, 2025 and Mar 30, 2026; the change is marked near the top of the page, where Free trial CTA now appears.
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The two full-page captures with this change marked up are free with an account.
Pilot, the last 90 days
Full history- Jul 4, 2026packagingPilot: Stock Administration add-on gets free Founders Tier for pre-seed startups
- Apr 13, 2026packagingPilot Opens Stock Administration to All Startups, Adds Free Founders Tier
- Apr 3, 2026packagingPilot: adds free trial CTA, AI bookkeeping features, and 10x higher expense cap on Essentials · this change
- Jan 12, 2026decreasePilot Announces Major Price Drop: Core Plan Now Starts at $299/Month, 40% Reduction
Across Finance & Accounting in the same window
All Finance & Accounting changes- ZohoApr 4Zoho Recruit drops Enterprise price 33% to $50 and restructures add-on lineup
- XeroApr 3Xero Cuts Intro Discount to 85% Off, Adds Fees for Online Bill Pay
- SageApr 3Sage Slashes Introductory Discount Duration from 10 Months to 5
- FreshbooksApr 2Freshbooks Hikes Canadian Prices 20% While Boosting Promos to 70% Off
- QuickbooksJan 12Quickbooks Essentials and Advanced Plans See Significant Price Hikes Amid New AI Features and Increased Promotional Discounts
Questions about this change
Did Pilot raise prices in March 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Dec 29, 2025 and Mar 30, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: trial change, feature added, limit increase.
What changed on Pilot's pricing page between Dec 29, 2025 and Mar 30, 2026?
Trial: No Free trial CTA → Free trial CTA, added; Bookkeeping Essentials feature: No AI features → AI features, added; Bookkeeping Essentials limit: $15,000 → $100,000 per month (+567%). Pulse compared the captures it took on Dec 29, 2025 and Mar 30, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does Pilot change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 1 other pricing-page change for Pilot in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "Pilot Announces Major Price Drop: Core Plan Now Starts at $299/Month, 40% Reduction" on Jan 12, 2026; Pilot has been tracked since 2023-11-19.