Pilla vs Coast (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or a CMMS with work orders and chat
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
15 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces Coast. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
Coast is all-in-one maintenance software. You run work orders, preventive maintenance, assets and parts from iOS, Android or the web app, and you talk in DMs and group chats on the same workspace. Work is a card with custom fields, a checklist or sub form, photos, files and comments. A Workflow Library turns workspaces on or off, including scheduling and a time clock if you want those.
I built Pilla so you can turn a process you already know into a workflow on a canvas. Your team runs it on a phone, tablet or the web app. Pilla can fetch, decide and act while the work is happening. You keep the judgement calls.
If you want to try it on a process you already run, open the canvas.
I would pick Pilla when I want AI to act inside the work. I would pick Coast when I want work orders, assets, PMs and chat in a CMMS.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For Coast I went back to their help and pricing on 15 September 2026. Where they stay quiet, I stay quiet.
I am Liam Jones. I founded Pilla after more than ten years running hospitality operations, food safety and frontline teams. On 15 September 2026 I sat with Coast's current help: work orders, field types, sub forms, chat, assets, PMs, Zapier and the live pricing page. I have not lived in a paid Coast account for this write-up. I am telling you what their docs say.
What should you take away?
- I would pick Pilla if I wanted a process I already know drawn on a canvas, with branching, not fields on a work-order card
- I would pick Pilla if I wanted AI to fetch, decide and act inside the run, not status, signatures and rule automations on the card
- I would keep Coast if I needed work orders, assets and PMs in a CMMS
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over work orders, assets or the parts room
How do Pilla and Coast compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | Coast |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | All-in-one maintenance software for work orders, assets, PMs and chat |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | Reusable workspace templates and a field builder |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Notes, manuals, photos and videos on the card; Info Text in sub forms |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | iOS and Android apps plus web app |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos, files, signatures, numbers, checklists, dates, location; video on cards |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | Status, photos, signatures and rule automations |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Reminders, alerts and manual escalation |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | DMs and group chats on every workspace |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | Zapier and a sales-gated Open API |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Work order history, photos, activity feed, reports, CSV |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Per-user seats from $2; free plan with history caps |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Maintenance teams that want work orders, assets, PMs and chat |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. Coast sells work orders, assets, PMs and chat as maintenance software.
Why do people like Pilla?
You open Pilla on the phone you already carry. You see the next step, read how to do it, take the photo or sign, and move on. The record lands while you work. Pilla checks it against the rules you set and follows up when something needs you.
I hear the same thing from managers: they draw the process once and stop asking all day whether it happened. The team likes it because they can see what good looks like before they start.
“Pilla helps me have a day off knowing that procedures will be followed”
Charles, owner of 11 hospitality sites
When does switching from Coast to Pilla make sense?
- You want Pilla to check the work as it comes in
- You want to draw the process on a canvas and branch it
- You want written, photo and video guidance beside the step
- You want a rating, audio or a video sitting on the step itself
- You want an API and an MCP server you can call without waiting on sales
- You are happy to keep assets, parts, PMs, rotas and punches somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | Coast |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Per-user seats from $2; free plan with history caps |
| Public price | Starter is £49 a month for 500 processed workflows. Pro is £99 a month for 1,000. | Free $0. Starter $2 per user per month. Pro $4. Enterprise quote. |
| Trial | 14-day free trial of every Pro feature, with no card | 7-day Pro trial at signup, no credit card. Then Free or pay. |
You pay per user per month for the whole organisation. Yearly is 10% off, so Starter is $1.80 and Pro is $3.60. Free has unlimited users, work orders and messages, with 5 repeating work orders and history capped after 2,000 messages or 25 cards to the last 7 days. Files on Free are 3 MB, with 5 GB storage. Starter adds unlimited history and repeating work, permissions, time and cost tracking, and 5 automations. Pro adds custom workflows, reporting, external request forms, 30 automations, and setup training. Integrations and SSO are Enterprise. Location-based pricing is available if you ask.
How long does setup take, and how hard is it?
You can open Pilla the same day. Every new account gets a 14-day trial of Pro, with no card. I usually see a first workflow take an afternoon. Coast starts with a 7-day Pro trial at signup, no card, then Free or pay. Work orders and chat can go live quickly. Assets, PMs, parts and the optional scheduler take a real rollout.
If you move, you rebuild the work on the canvas. Photos and history stay in Coast unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep assets, parts, PMs, rotas and punches on Coast or another vendor. I did not build Pilla to be a CMMS, or to do shift scheduling, payroll or HR.
Does the answer change by budget or size?
If you only need a process on a canvas and you want to try something today, start with Pilla. If you run maintenance and you need work orders, assets, PMs and parts from one vendor, stay with Coast. Coast publishes a free plan and seats from $2. I publish prices on processed workflows. If you want AI in the run and an MCP server, I would pick Pilla even in a small team.
What is each one used for?
Coast works well for
- Reactive and planned work orders with photos, comments and status
- Preventive maintenance on a calendar, with a procedure checklist and parts
- Asset history, warranties and QR codes for techs and, on Pro, external request forms
- Parts inventory with low-stock email
- Digital inspections and sub forms
- Team DMs, group chat and urgent SMS beside the work
- Optional shift scheduling, shift swaps and clock in/out
- Pro reports on completion, time and cost
Pilla works well for
- Opening and closing the team can follow on their phone
- Showing someone how to do a step with writing, a photo or a video
- Collecting photos, video, audio, files and signatures as the work happens
- Letting AI fetch, decide and act while the run is live
- Following up yourself, or letting Pilla follow up
- Talking in DMs and group chats next to the work
- Connecting other software through MCP, API and integrations
- Paying for workflows with as many people as you need
What is Coast designed to do?
Coast takes paper and group texts off the maintenance floor. You create, assign and close work orders. You schedule preventive maintenance. You scan a QR code on an asset for history and manuals. You keep parts. You prove the job with photos and signatures, and you ping the tech when it is due. I would stay on Coast for that CMMS bundle, and for the optional scheduler and time clock if you use them.
What is Pilla designed to do?
I built Pilla so you can turn the processes you already know into workflows on a canvas. Your team follows them on a phone, tablet or the web app. Pilla checks completed work and handles the follow-up you configured. You keep judgement, coaching and the awkward calls. I left shift scheduling, payroll and HR out on purpose.
What differences actually matter?
How do they check the work?
On Pilla I put AI fetching, decisions and actions in the run. On Coast a status, a photo, a signature, a checklist or a rule automation does the checking. The Coast team uses AI to build workflows, and an older brief describes a PDF-to-sub-form builder. I could not find an AI step inside a Coast work order.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On Coast you install a workspace from the Workflow Library, add fields in a desktop field builder, and attach a sub form to a card. Views are list, board, calendar and table. Recurrence is Repeat on tasks and PMs. I could not find a branching canvas.
How do you provide guidance?
On Pilla you sit written, photo and video guidance beside each step. On Coast you put notes, manuals, photos and videos on the card or asset, and Info Text in a sub form. I could not find a dedicated photo-guidance or video-guidance step.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. Coast has 1:1 DMs, workspace group chats and an All Teams announcement group. People comment on the work order, with @mentions, photos and urgent SMS. Read receipts show who has seen the message.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. Coast documents Zapier and a sales-gated Open API on Enterprise. I could not find a Coast MCP server. Zapier hosts a wrapper.
What are you paying for?
On Pilla you pay for processed workflows, with unlimited people, and you get a 14-day trial of every Pro feature with no card. Coast charges per-user seats from $2, with a free plan that caps history. Integrations and SSO are Enterprise.
Which should you pick?
If I ran maintenance that needed work orders, assets, PMs and parts from one vendor, I would keep Coast. That CMMS is a fair reason to stay. If I wanted the work drawn on a canvas and AI acting inside the run, with MCP, I would use Pilla, and I would keep the asset register somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Is Coast still Coast?
Yes. On 15 September 2026 Coast is still Coast App at coastapp.com. Help lives at help.coastapp.com. You log in at app.coastapp.com. It is all-in-one maintenance software: work orders, assets, preventive maintenance, parts and team chat, with optional scheduling and a time clock.
Does Coast have AI inside work orders?
I could not find an AI step inside a work order. Checking is a status, a photo, a signature, a checklist, a reminder and an automation. The Coast team uses AI to build workflows, and an older brief describes a PDF-to-sub-form builder.
Can staff chat in Coast the way they would in Pilla?
Yes. Coast has 1:1 DMs, workspace group chats, an All Teams announcement group, read receipts, @mentions and comments on the work order, including urgent SMS.
What evidence can a Coast work order capture?
A work order can take photos, files, signatures, numbers, checklists, dates and a live map location. Video can sit on assets or work orders and in chat. Audio files can go in desktop chat. I could not find an audio step or a rating field.
How much does Coast cost compared to Pilla?
Coast publishes a rate card. Free with history and file caps. Starter is $2 per user per month ($1.80 yearly). Pro is $4 per user per month ($3.60 yearly). Enterprise is quote. Integrations and SSO are Enterprise. I do not charge per person. Starter is £49 a month with 500 processed workflows included. Pro is £99 a month with 1,000 included, and adds AI automations inside Pilla. Every new account gets a 14-day trial of every Pro feature, with no card.
Does switching to Pilla replace Coast scheduling and time clock?
No. I did not build Pilla for shift scheduling, payroll or HR, and I did not build it to replace a CMMS. If you need Coast's work orders, assets, PMs, parts, rotas or punches, keep those on Coast or another product.
How long does it take to switch from Coast to Pilla?
You rebuild the work on the canvas. A first workflow usually takes an afternoon. Running both side by side can take days or a couple of weeks, depending on how many work orders and procedures you have. Photos and history stay in Coast unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and Coast?
I read Coast public docs on 15 September 2026 and answered the same twelve questions I use on every comparison. I described Pilla as it works today. I left out anything Coast does not publish.
Does Coast publish an API?
It markets an Open API for Enterprise and a live Zapier app. I could not find a public API reference. Coast's own product brief still says no public developer API. I could not find a Coast MCP server. Zapier hosts a wrapper.
Where did these facts come from?
Coast claims on this page come from their own public docs. Pilla claims come from the current product.
Pilla is AI work management for deskless teams. Try every Pro feature free for 14 days, with no card. Start a free trial or visit Coast.
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