Pilot vs Bench vs Binery: Full Comparison Guide

Proper bookkeeping is an integral part of running any sized business.

If you’ve tried to handle it yourself, you know how time-consuming and complicated accounting can be.

That’s why you’re here – you’ve decided to take the next step and hire a bookkeeping service to help you along the way.

Pilot and Bench are two common and well-known online bookkeeping and accounting services. They are often placed side by side as they offer comparable services, features, and pricing. 

That said, they aren’t the only online bookkeeping services out there. 

Today we’re bringing you a full comparison guide of Pilot vs Bench vs Binery.

Binery: an alternative to Pilot & Bench

Binery is an online bookkeeping and accounting service.

We work with both certified practicing accountants (CPAs) and AI technology to bring business owners and startup founders the help that they need. 

Once we get familiarized with your business, we’ll help you determine the right accounting solution for your needs.

We’ll take a look at your current accounting setup to get a handle on how we can best assist you. If you don’t have a proper system up and running, no worries. That’s where we come in.

As in any relationship, communication is key. You can contact us whenever you need us. 

Whether you prefer email, phone, or video chat, we’re happy to walk you through any questions or issues that may come up.

We know that for most, accounting is one of the least exciting parts of doing business. That’s not the case for our CPAs. They live for this stuff!

Our software interface is simple and intuitive. You can use Binery’s platform to upload all of your recipes, bills, and invoices. We’ll take care of the rest. No more holding on to boxes of pesky pieces of paper. 

Binery provides up-to-date financial reports every month.

You can access them through our easy-to-use platform and you’ll even receive notifications when your books are ready. We specialize in startups and our services are ideal for small to mid-sized businesses. 

We’ll help you track payments, SaaS metrics, revenue, and we can even help with payroll. 

Binery is a great alternative to Pilot and Bench that just may be perfect for your business’ needs.

Features

• An intuitive and attractive software interface
• Advice from CPA-certified accountants
• Monthly financial reports
• Cloud-based bookkeeping support 24/7
• The ability to scale with your business
• Assistance signing up with Xero accounting software

Pricing

• Starter (monthly revenues under $10k): $89 per month, billed monthly
• Growth (monthly revenues over $10k): $149 per month, billed monthly
• Venture (custom): Let’s talk!

Reviews

Binery boasts an overall rating of 4.3 on TrustPilot:

Bench vs Pilot: Full comparison guide

Before choosing an online bookkeeping service, there are a few things you need to look out for. 

Our comparison criteria

Let’s take a closer look at the features, pricing, and customer support in the Bench vs Pilot comparison.

Make sure you know your preferred bookkeeping method, software, and how complex your business’s finances are. Lastly, you need to determine your budget.

• Bookkeeping method: Cash-basis or accrual-basis
• Software: Proprietary or through a third-party
• Connected accounts restrictions: Something to be aware of if you have several Stripe, PayPal, bank accounts, or the like.
• Financial statements and reports: Things like cash flow charts and profit and loss statements

Features: Bench vs Pilot

The features and services offered by whatever bookkeeping service you go for are the first things to be aware of.

What kind of bookkeeping method are they using? Which software? How many accounts can you connect? What kind of financial statements are available?

Bench:

• Bookkeeping method: Cash-basis
• Software: Proprietary
• Connected accounts: Up to 15 accounts
• Statements and reports: Income statements and balance sheets

Pilot:

• Bookkeeping method: Accrual-basis, but can handle cash-basis if preferred.
• Software: QuickBooks Online
• Connected accounts: As many as you’d like
• Statements and reports: Profit and loss, balance sheets, cash flow, and burn rate statements

Binery offers many, if not all, of the features and services that Bench and Pilot have on the menu, and we do it all at a much lower price.

Pricing: Bench vs Pilot

After features, you need to look at pricing.

In fact, you may want to look at pricing right off the bat. If you can’t afford a certain service then there’s no point in looking into it!

You want a bookkeeping service that will help with budgeting, not one that will break the bank.

Bench offers two pricing models. One is basic bookkeeping and the other is bookkeeping and tax assistance:

Pilot offers pricing models based on the size of your business:

As you can see, Binery offers much more competitive pricing than either Bench or Pilot.

Our pricing starts at just $89 per month and we offer the option to pay monthly instead of annually, unlike Pilot. This added flexibility puts us above the rest.

Support: Bench vs Pilot

Will your online bookkeeping service be there for you when you need them? Here’s what Bench and Pilot have available:

Bench:

• One-on-one support from real humans.
• Can schedule a call to speak with your dedicated bookkeeper.
• Can ask questions all year long, not just during tax season.

Pilot:

• Dedicated account manager.
• One-on-one support from real humans.
• No need to pay extra to ask a question and/or get advice.

Both services offer support within their monthly packages – as it should be!

One of our favorite things about our bookkeeping and accounting services is that we’re there for you when you need us.

Binery offers 24/7 cloud-based customer support. You can reach out via email, phone, or even on Zoom.

Our CPA-certified accounts are also passionate about giving you any sort of advice you may need, whenever you may need it.

Reviews: Bench vs Pilot

Years ago, you wouldn’t think of purchasing a product or service without talking to a friend or acquaintance who already uses it.

Online reviews are today’s word of mouth. According to a recent study, more than 54% of consumers read at least four reviews before they buy. 

Reviews are important and should always be consulted before making a decision.

It’s also sometimes easier to wrap your head around a certain service if you read someone else’s first-hand experience first. Here’s what people say about Bench and Pilot online:

Bench:

• Trustpilot: 4.7
• GetApp: 4.8
• G2: 4.6

Pros:

“I really like the software and service. The sales process and setup was super easy. Everyone has been super helpful and got the job done. Communication is excellent and I’m able to focus on my core business.” – Jesse B. on GetApp.

Cons:

“Only use Bench if your bookkeeping requirements are EXTREMELY simple – like one business credit card and one business checking account. If you’re playing the cashback game and/or have income coming in from many places like an influencer such as myself, I do not recommend Bench.” – Christan T. on G2.

Pilot:

• Trustpilot: 3.8
• GetApp: 4.7
• G2: 4.6

Pros:

“Overall, I am very happy with the service that Pilot provides. I like the software that they offer and I’m excited to see how they continue to iterate and set an even higher bar.” – Lars A. on GetApp.

Cons:

“I am an internal hire and have taken the accounting over from Pilot. They recorded everything on a cash basis and have very little backup for historical information. They cannot answer simple questions about AR and AP. This has made the audit and tax process very troublesome, and I would not recommend this service should a company plan to be around long enough to need internal accountants.” – G2 user in Health Care.

Final thoughts

As you can see, Binery offers all, if not more, of the same features and services as Pilot and Bench.

Now that you know the differences and similarities between the three online bookkeeping services, you can start thinking about which one works best for you, your business, and your budget.

If Binery catches your eye, we’d love to invite you to discover more about our services.