Pilla vs Pazo (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or photo-led visual merchandising
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
15 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces Pazo. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
Pazo sells AI visual merchandising and task management for store and facility teams. You log into the Pazo app. Staff run digital checklists and workflows, take live photos, and often video or audio. An AI agent can score a shelf photo against a planogram, then open a ticket if it fails. Chat, broadcasts, training and ticketing sit in the same app.
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 Pazo when I want photo-led visual merchandising with tickets and store chat.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For Pazo I went back to their public marketing, platform, pricing, release notes and App Store listing 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 Pazo's public pages: the platform, visual merchandising, shelf image recognition, pricing, release notes 10.4 and 10.5, and the App Store listing. I have not lived in a paid Pazo account for this write-up. I am telling you what their public pages 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 a drag-and-drop store workflow
- I would pick Pilla if I wanted AI to fetch, decide and act inside the run, not a shelf photo scored against a planogram and a ticket
- I would keep Pazo if I needed a shelf photo scored against a planogram, with tickets in the same app
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over VM photo scoring
How do Pilla and Pazo compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | Pazo |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | AI visual merchandising and retail task management |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | Drag-and-drop workflows with conditions and approvals |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Written, photo and video on the task, plus training modules |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | iPhone, Android, or web app |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos, video, audio, files, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | AI image scoring and auto-tickets |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Tickets, escalations and rule auto-issues |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | 1:1, team and broadcast chat |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | Custom APIs and POS, ERP and Sheets connectors |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Checklist records, photos, dashboards, exports and logs |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote by locations, users and modules |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Teams that want photo-led visual merchandising and store tasks |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. Pazo sells AI visual merchandising and retail task management.
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 Pazo 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 a drawn signature step in the work
- You want an MCP server and an API you can call
- You want to pay for workflows with as many people as you need
- You are happy to keep planogram photo scoring somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | Pazo |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote by locations, users and modules |
| Public price | Starter is £49 a month for 500 processed workflows. Pro is £99 a month for 1,000. | No public software price. Sales quote. |
| Trial | 14-day free trial of every Pro feature, with no card | 15-day free trial advertised. Demo also offered. |
Silver, Gold and Enterprise are all Custom. Platform copy prices by locations, users and use cases. Workflow sits on Gold. Attendance sits on Enterprise. Integrations can be add-ons. I could not find an unlimited-users claim. I have left third-party dollar figures off this page.
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. Pazo advertises a 15-day trial and a demo. Checklists and photo scoring sit in the same app.
If you move, you rebuild the checklists on the canvas. Photos and history stay in Pazo unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep planogram scoring and attendance on Pazo 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 lists and you want to try something today, start with Pilla. If you run store visual merchandising and you need a photo scored against a planogram from one vendor, stay with Pazo. If money is tight, I publish prices. Pazo quotes you. 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?
Pazo works well for
- Planogram and seasonal display checks from a single shelf photo
- Opening, closing, hygiene and SOP checklists with live photo proof
- Store audits with geo-tagged photo or video and auto-assigned fixes
- Broadcasts, 1:1 and team chat tied to tasks
- Frontline training modules with videos and completion tracking
- Facility, mall and coworking tickets, QR issues and PPM lists
- Daily sales numbers and NPS or CSAT from a QR code
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 Pazo designed to do?
Pazo holds visual merchandising, planogram checks, opening lists and audits in one app. You prove the work with live geo-tagged photos. Image AI scores a shelf against a planogram, then a ticket can open if it fails. Chat, broadcasts and training sit next to the work. I would stay on Pazo for that photo-led merchandising bundle. I would also keep it if I needed Enterprise attendance in the same vendor.
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 Pazo an AI agent on a workflow step scores a photo against a threshold and approves or rejects. It can summarise a submission and auto-open a ticket. I could not find Pazo fetching live data, deciding a branch, or acting on other software inside the run.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On Pazo you build a drag-and-drop checklist and workflow with conditions and approvals. Recurrence is scheduled tasks.
How do you provide guidance?
On Pilla you sit written, photo and video guidance beside each step. On Pazo you attach annotated photos, short videos and step-by-step instructions to the task, plus in-image text markup. Training modules sit in a separate docs and training module.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. Pazo documents 1:1 chat, team or department chat and broadcasts, with files, read receipts and messages attached to tasks. I could not find threaded replies, mentions or reactions.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. Pazo documents custom APIs and POS, ERP and Sheets connectors at setup. I could not find a Pazo MCP server or a public API reference.
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. Pazo quotes you by locations, users and modules. I could not find a public software price.
Which should you pick?
If I needed a shelf photo scored against a planogram from one vendor, I would keep Pazo. That photo-led merchandising 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 planogram vision somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pazo have AI inside workflows?
Yes, as image AI. You can put an agent on a workflow step. It scores a photo and approves or rejects. It also summarises submissions and can auto-raise a ticket. I could not find it fetching live data, deciding a branch, or acting on other software inside the run. I could not find an MCP server.
Can staff chat in Pazo the way they would in Pilla?
Pazo documents 1:1 chat, team or department chat, broadcasts, files, read receipts and messages attached to tasks. I could not find threaded replies, mentions or reactions.
What evidence can a Pazo checklist capture?
Photos are core, plus video, audio, file attachments, ratings or NPS, numbers, checklists, date and time questions, and GPS or QR location. Marketing PDFs have a text Signature line. I could not find a drawn e-signature field on gopazo.com or in App Store notes.
Does Pazo run on tablet and web?
You log into the web app at app.gopazo.com. There is an iPhone app, an Android app and a Huawei listing. The App Store listing is for iPhone. Marketing shows a tablet mock. I could not find a native iPad listing.
How much does Pazo cost compared to Pilla?
Pazo quotes you. I could not find a public software price. They advertise a 15-day trial. 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 Pazo planogram AI or attendance?
No. I did not build Pilla for shift scheduling, payroll or HR, and I did not build it to score shelf photos. If you need Pazo's planogram computer vision or Enterprise attendance, keep those on Pazo or another product.
How long does it take to switch from Pazo to Pilla?
You rebuild the checklists 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 lists you have. Photos and history stay in Pazo unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and Pazo?
I read Pazo's public marketing, platform, pricing, release notes and App Store listing 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 Pazo does not publish.
Where did these facts come from?
Pazo 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 Pazo.
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