Pilla vs FastField (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or mobile forms for field data collection
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
16 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces FastField. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
FastField is Quickbase's mobile forms product. You still search for FastField. Their homepage now lives under Quickbase. You build a form, collect photo, video, audio and signature proof, and you send reports, tasks and data back to the office.
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 FastField when I want mobile forms, dispatch and PDF reports.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For FastField I went back to their help and Quickbase FastField pages on 16 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 16 September 2026 I sat with FastField's current help: field types, field rules and skip logic, the AI Form Builder, AI Photo Insights, tasks, Global Workflow, the web app versus the Portal, and the Quickbase pricing page. I have not lived in a paid FastField 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 the floor to follow the process without me chasing every check
- I would pick Pilla if I wanted the work checked as it comes in, and followed up when something needs me
- I would keep FastField if I needed a mobile-forms and dispatch SOP, with custom PDF reports
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over their forms, dispatch and PDF product
How do Pilla and FastField compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | FastField |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | Mobile forms for field data collection |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | No-code form builder with skip logic and reusable libraries |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Static text, hint text, embedded photos, documents and web links |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | Phone, tablet, or web app |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | Rules, scoring, photo insights and AI submission routing |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Tasks, forwards, emails and new-form dispatch |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | Task inbox, email, push and Slack notifications |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | API, webhooks, Zapier and named connectors |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Submissions, custom PDF reports and dashboards |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Per-seat Core, Pro and Enterprise plans |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Field teams that want mobile forms, dispatch and PDF reports |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. FastField sells mobile forms for field data collection, now as a Quickbase product.
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 FastField 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 video guidance sitting on the step itself
- You want DMs and group chats next to the work
- You want an MCP server you can use
- You are happy to keep custom PDFs, dispatch and Quickbase form sync somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | FastField |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Per-seat Core, Pro and Enterprise plans |
| Public price | Starter is £49 a month for 500 processed workflows. Pro is £99 a month for 1,000. | Core $24 per seat per month billed annually. Pro $36. Enterprise custom. |
| Trial | 14-day free trial of every Pro feature, with no card | 14-day trial from FastField. 30-day if you start from Quickbase. |
Prices are per seat in USD. On the Annual toggle, Core is $24 per seat per month and Pro is $36. Enterprise is a custom quote. Paid plans include unlimited forms and unlimited submissions. External web forms, HIPAA, white-label and SMS are extra. I could not find a published monthly-toggle dollar amount. There is no unlimited-user plan.
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 opening or closing workflow take an afternoon. FastField starts with a trial on their portal. Trials from FastField are 14 days. Trials started from Quickbase are 30 days. Forms can go live quickly.
If you move, you rebuild the forms on the canvas. Reports, libraries and history stay in FastField unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep dispatch, PDF mapping and Quickbase form sync on FastField or another vendor. I did not build Pilla to do shift scheduling, payroll or HR.
Does the answer change by budget or size?
If you only need digital forms and you want to try something today, start with Pilla. If you run field work and you need offline capture, a dispatch inbox and custom PDFs from one vendor, stay with FastField. If money is tight, we both publish prices. They charge per seat. I do not. 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?
FastField works well for
- Site, safety and equipment inspections with photo, video and audio proof
- Compliance and EHS checklists with skip logic and scores
- Field service work orders dispatched to a person or a group inbox
- Construction punch lists, daily reports and toolbox-talk forms
- Incident reports that forward for review or a third-party signature
- Recurring scheduled inspections on Pro
- Public intake, surveys and QR web forms
- Office follow-up in Quickbase, Drive, SharePoint or a private endpoint
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 FastField designed to do?
FastField holds inspections, work orders and checklists as mobile forms. You prove the job with photos, video, audio, signatures and GPS. You dispatch the next form, map a branded PDF, and push the data into Quickbase or another system. I would stay on FastField for that forms and dispatch SOP.
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 FastField a rule, a score, required fields or an approval does the checking. Pro can run Photo Insights on a multi-photo field and AI Workflow after submit. I could not find an AI step that fetches, decides and acts inside the form.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On FastField you build a form in the Portal Form Builder, hide fields with skip logic, and reuse libraries and subforms. Recurrence is Task Scheduler on Pro.
How do you provide guidance?
On Pilla you sit written, photo and video guidance beside each step. On FastField you put static text, hint text, an embedded photo, a document and a web link. I could not find a dedicated video-guidance step. Video is a capture field. A web link can point at YouTube or Vimeo.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. FastField gives people a task inbox, email, push and Slack on submit. I could not find DMs or group channels.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. FastField documents API tokens, a developer portal, webhooks, Zapier and named connectors including Quickbase. I could not find a FastField MCP server.
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. FastField charges per seat on Core, Pro or Enterprise. Core is $24 a month billed annually. Pro is $36. They publish a software price.
Which should you pick?
If I ran field work that needed offline mobile forms, a dispatch inbox and custom PDFs from one vendor, I would keep FastField. That forms SOP is a fair reason to stay. If I wanted the work drawn on a canvas and AI acting inside the run, with DMs and MCP, I would use Pilla, and I would keep the forms and dispatch product somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Is FastField still FastField after Quickbase?
Yes. FastField is Quickbase's mobile forms product. In September 2026 you still search for FastField. The homepage at fastfieldforms.com sends you to quickbase.com/fastfield. You still log into the FastField portal and apps.
Does FastField have AI inside forms?
Pro can analyse a multi-photo field with AI Photo Insights and fill fields from a photographed label with Label Scanner. AI Form Builder writes a form at design time. AI Workflow on Pro is marketed to analyse, summarise and route submissions after they land. I could not load the AI Workflow setup article. I could not find an AI step that fetches, decides and acts inside the form. Checking during the fill is still mostly rules, scores, required fields and approvals.
Can staff chat in FastField the way they would in Pilla?
People get a task inbox, email, push, optional SMS, and Slack when a form is submitted. Photo fields can hold comments. Live chat is FastField support. I could not find DMs or group channels.
What evidence can a FastField form capture?
A form can take photos, including annotation and GPS, plus video, audio, uploaded PDF, Word or Excel files, signatures, ratings from 1 to 10, numbers, checklist answers, dates and GPS location. Barcode, NFC and label scan exist as capture helpers.
Does FastField put video guidance beside each step?
I could not find a video-guidance field. Guidance is static text, hint text, a section description, an embedded photo, a preloaded document, and a web link that may point at YouTube or Vimeo. Video is a capture field.
How much does FastField cost compared to Pilla?
FastField charges per seat. On the Annual toggle, Core is $24 a month and Pro is $36. Enterprise is a quote. 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 the FastField forms product?
No. I did not build Pilla as a mobile-forms and PDF-dispatch suite. If you need FastField's custom PDF mapping, dispatch inbox or Quickbase form sync, keep those on FastField or another product.
How long does it take to switch from FastField to Pilla?
You rebuild the forms 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 forms you have. Reports and history stay in FastField unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and FastField?
I read FastField and Quickbase FastField public docs on 16 September 2026 and answered the same twelve questions I use on every comparison. I described Pilla as it works today. I left out anything FastField does not publish.
Where did these facts come from?
FastField 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 FastField.
FastField alternatives · See all comparisons · How Pilla works · MCP server · Pricing