Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pilot VS UltraTax CS

Compare Pilot VS UltraTax CS and see what are their differences

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Pilot logo Pilot

Focus on your business, knowing that our expert bookkeepers, aided by software superpowers, are taking care of your books.

UltraTax CS logo UltraTax CS

UltraTax CS is an all-in-one professional tax preparation software that works in a streamlined fashion with work papers and provides seamless document management.
  • Pilot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-28
  • UltraTax CS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-23

Pilot

Website
pilot.com
Release Date
2016 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Jeff Arnold
Employees
100 - 249

Pilot features and specs

  • Comprehensive Bookkeeping
    Pilot offers comprehensive bookkeeping services managed by a team of experts, making it suitable for businesses that require accurate and up-to-date financial records.
  • Scalability
    The service can scale with your business as it grows, offering a flexible solution for startups and expanding companies alike.
  • Tax Services
    Pilot also provides tax preparation and advisory services, which helps to streamline financial management and tax compliance.
  • Integration with Tools
    Pilot integrates seamlessly with a variety of business tools like QuickBooks, Gusto, Stripe, and more, ensuring a unified financial ecosystem.
  • Dedicated Support
    Each client has a dedicated account manager for personalized support, ensuring specialized attention to each business’s financial needs.

Possible disadvantages of Pilot

  • Cost
    Pilot's services can be pricey, particularly for smaller businesses or startups operating on tight budgets.
  • Complexity of Setup
    Initial setup can be complicated and may require significant time and effort to fully integrate Pilot with existing business systems.
  • Limited Customization
    The services may not offer the level of customization some businesses require, as they follow standardized procedures.
  • Dependence on Third-Party Software
    Pilot relies heavily on connecting with third-party software, which might be limiting or problematic if you use niche or specialized tools.
  • Potential Over-Reliance
    Businesses might become overly reliant on Pilot's services, potentially neglecting internal financial expertise and controls.

UltraTax CS features and specs

  • Comprehensive Tax Compliance
    UltraTax CS offers extensive federal, state, and local tax preparation capabilities, enabling professionals to handle various tax scenarios and obligations efficiently.
  • Seamless Integration
    UltraTax CS integrates smoothly with other Thomson Reuters products such as CS Professional Suite, enabling unified data flow and streamlined workflows across multiple financial and accounting processes.
  • E-filing and Compliance
    The software supports electronic filing for numerous return types, which enhances accuracy, speeds up processing times, and helps users stay compliant with e-filing requirements.
  • Real-time Checking and Diagnostics
    UltraTax CS includes built-in diagnostics and error-checking features that help identify potential issues and discrepancies in real-time, reducing the likelihood of filing incorrect returns.
  • Customizable Reporting
    Users can generate customized reports and financial statements, making it easier to tailor the output to clients’ specific requirements and enhance the presentation of financial data.

Possible disadvantages of UltraTax CS

  • High Cost
    UltraTax CS can be relatively expensive, particularly for smaller firms or solo practitioners, with costs potentially encompassing both licensing fees and additional modules.
  • Complexity for New Users
    The comprehensive nature of UltraTax CS can result in a steep learning curve for new users, necessitating significant time and training to become proficient in using the software.
  • System Requirements
    The software demands significant system resources, which may require users to invest in upgraded hardware or face slower performance on older machines.
  • Customer Support
    Some users have reported that customer support can be slow to respond or not as helpful as desired, which can be frustrating when encountering technical issues or needing prompt assistance.
  • Annual Updates and Maintenance
    Regular updates and maintenance are essential to keep the software functioning optimally and compliant with tax laws. This requires ongoing effort and can lead to temporary disruption during updates.

Analysis of Pilot

Overall verdict

  • Pilot is generally considered a good choice for startups and growing businesses that need reliable financial services without the overhead of building an in-house finance team. Their focus on transparency, use of advanced technology, and startup-friendly approach make them a suitable partner for many young companies.

Why this product is good

  • Pilot (pilot.com) is a financial services firm that specializes in providing bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services primarily for startups and small businesses. Their services are appreciated for being tech-enabled, efficient, and tailored to the specific needs of fast-growing companies. By leveraging technology to automate routine tasks, Pilot aims to provide more accurate and timely financial data. This approach helps businesses make informed decisions based on up-to-date financial insights.

Recommended for

  • Startups looking to outsource their bookkeeping and financial needs.
  • Small to medium-sized businesses in need of CFO services.
  • Tech-savvy companies that value data-driven insights and automated solutions.
  • Businesses seeking to streamline their financial operations without the complexities of traditional accounting firms.

Pilot videos

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UltraTax CS videos

THOMSON REUTERS ULTRATAX CS REVIEW 2022: Is UltraTax CS Still Suitable for Your Firm? 🔶 TAXES S3•E20

More videos:

  • Review - An Introduction to UltraTax CS Professional Tax Software
  • Review - Using GruntWorx with UltraTax CS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pilot and UltraTax CS)
Accounting
84 84%
16% 16
Tax Preparation
0 0%
100% 100
Bookkeeping
100 100%
0% 0
Finance
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pilot and UltraTax CS

Pilot Reviews

  1. Gulab Singh
    · Founder at Warriors Defence Academy ·
    it is a good accounting software

    Smart Accounting for Growing Business is a user-friendly and efficient accounting solution designed to streamline financial management for expanding businesses. It offers features like automated bookkeeping, expense tracking, invoicing, and real-time financial insights.

UltraTax CS Reviews

We have no reviews of UltraTax CS yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pilot seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 9 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Pilot mentions (9)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2024)
    Pilot.com | San Francisco | Senior Software Engineers, Staff Software Engineers, Engineering Managers | https://pilot.com | Hybrid/SF & Remote Pilot runs your business’s financial back office so you don’t have to: our aim is to provide our customers with the same superpowers as large companies with full finance teams — superpowers that include having a deep understanding of financial health of the business, the... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2024)
    * Senior Software Engineer, Infrastructure ( All of our teams have unique charters to collectively build the software, services and systems that enable Pilot to deliver a high-quality experience, profitably, at scale. From the Banking Universe — teams that ingest, normalize, transform, and categorize customer financial data to the Business Universe — teams that ingest our customer revenue and expense information... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (December 2023)
    Pilot (https://pilot.com/) | Full-time | Onsite (SF) | Sr Software Engineer (Backend or Full-Stack) Pilot is a Series-C funded, 7-year-old successful startup that partners with other companies to run their financial back office. We let small businesses focus on what they do best -- running their business -- and offload to us the financial back office. We build software that makes this possible: software that... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Curious about fractional hiring. Have you done it? Why/why not?
    Curious to get this groups thoughts on fractional hiring. I’ve seen companies like Shiny or Pilot pilot that offer fractional c-suite folks, and I’m curious if anyone here has considered using any of these services - or what stopped you from pursuing a fractional hire? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Do you believe billionaires are inherently bad, why or why not?
    They should use it to create even more net positives for society (Like the founders of Pilot did, see here). Most of them at the moment find that helping other 'potential future billionaires' is a pretty good way of doing this (This is what a VC fund is generally, or Angel investors, very different dynamics to zero-sum investors). But I don't think you'll find any that just sit there with it. Besides - the whole... Source: over 2 years ago
View more

UltraTax CS mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of UltraTax CS yet. Tracking of UltraTax CS recommendations started around Dec 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pilot and UltraTax CS, you can also consider the following products

Bench.co - Bench is the online bookkeeping service.

GoSystem Tax RS - GoSystem Tax RS has unmatched web-based tax processing power, is scalable to needs, and is available in a secure online environment.

Leap the Pond - AcctTwo is focused on delivering the future of finance and accounting to our customers.

eSmart Tax - eSmart Tax is an easy-to-use, eFile tax preparation and filing service. There's no software to download and the process is straight-forward and secure.

Square Payroll - Pay your team from anywhere

TaxSlayer.com - Tax preparation software and proud sponsor of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.