Pilla vs ProntoForms (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or field-service mobile forms with dispatch
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
16 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces ProntoForms. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
ProntoForms announced a rename to TrueContext in July 2023 and made the change in Q4 2023. You still search for ProntoForms. The live product is TrueContext, and prontoforms.com now sends you there. You build mobile forms, dispatch them to technicians, collect photo, sketch, signature and GPS proof, and you can write back to Salesforce, ServiceNow or ServiceMax if you buy those connectors.
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 ProntoForms when I want field-service mobile forms with dispatch and back-office write-back.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For ProntoForms I went back to TrueContext help and product 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 TrueContext's current help: Form Builder question types, Help Options, Conditional Logic, Audio Recording, File Upload, Teamwork, Dispatch Data Destination, the REST API and the live pricing page. I have not lived in a paid TrueContext 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 ProntoForms if I needed offline field-service forms with dispatch and Salesforce or ServiceNow write-back
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over that dispatch and connector stack
How do Pilla and ProntoForms compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | ProntoForms |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | Field service mobile forms and guided workflows |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | Low-code Form Builder with pages, sections and if/then logic |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Question help with text, images and YouTube; resource library |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | iOS, Android, Windows and macOS apps |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos, audio, files, signatures, sliders, numbers, checklists, dates and GPS |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | Conditional logic, exceptions, OCR; Elite can fetch mid-form |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Dispatch follow-up forms, approvals, email and SMS |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | Form handoff, approval notes, email and SMS |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | REST API, connectors and webhooks |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Form records, attachments, PDFs and analytics |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Team quote from $400/month Digital; higher tiers custom |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Field service teams that need mobile forms tied to back-office systems |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. ProntoForms sells field-service mobile forms, now as TrueContext.
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 ProntoForms 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 video file sitting on the step itself, as guidance or evidence
- You want DMs and group chats next to the work
- You want an MCP server you can use
- You are happy to keep field-service dispatch and Salesforce or ServiceNow write-back somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | ProntoForms |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Team quote from $400/month Digital; higher tiers custom |
| Public price | Starter is £49 a month for 500 processed workflows. Pro is £99 a month for 1,000. | Digital from $400 per month for the team, billed annually. Intelligent and Elite custom. |
| Trial | 14-day free trial of every Pro feature, with no card | Request a trial. Full platform, no card. I could not find a length in days. |
They say pricing is not a simple per-user-per-month tool. Digital starts at $400 a month for the entire team, billed annually. Intelligent and Elite are custom. Self-registration help still describes some teams on user-based billing with a user-account cap. I could not find how many users sit in the $400 floor. Salesforce connector is an optional extra on Intelligent and Elite. Implementation services are optional on Digital.
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. ProntoForms starts with a request-a-trial form. They say full platform, no card. I could not find a trial length in days. Forms can go live quickly. Dispatch, approvals and Salesforce or ServiceNow write-back take a real rollout.
If you move, you rebuild the forms on the canvas. Photos and history stay in ProntoForms unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep field-service dispatch and Salesforce, ServiceNow or ServiceMax write-back on TrueContext or another vendor. I did not build Pilla to be a field service management system.
Does the answer change by budget or size?
If you only need the work followed and you want to try something today, start with Pilla. If you run field service and you need offline mobile forms, dispatch and write-back to Salesforce or ServiceNow from one vendor, stay with ProntoForms. If money is tight, I publish prices. ProntoForms publishes Digital from $400 a month and quotes the rest. 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?
ProntoForms works well for
- Installation, maintenance and repair forms on phone or tablet
- Safety and compliance inspections with exceptions and recap scores
- Dispatch of prefilled work from the portal, API or another form
- Handoff of an incomplete job across shifts
- Supervisor approval with change requests
- Customer sign-off in a browser form
- Auto-generated PDF or Word reports into Salesforce, SharePoint or email
- Offline capture on remote sites
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 ProntoForms designed to do?
ProntoForms holds field-service inspections, installs and repairs in one place. You prove the work with photos, sketches, signatures, GPS and timestamps. You dispatch the next visit, email or SMS the right people, and drop a branded document into Salesforce, ServiceNow or SharePoint. I would stay on ProntoForms for that form, dispatch and connector stack.
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 ProntoForms a required field, a range, conditional logic or an exception does the checking. Elite can fetch live data mid-form, call an HTTP endpoint, and rewrite notes the technician must approve. AI Form Builder is design-time. I could not find an AI step that decides the next action on its own.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On ProntoForms you build a form in the Web Portal with pages, sections and If This, Then That rules. Recurrence is dispatch. I could not find a visual node canvas.
How do you provide guidance?
On Pilla you sit written, photo and video guidance beside each step. On ProntoForms you attach Help Options: YouTube, resource images, a web link or rich text. The Resource Library holds PDF, Word, Excel and images. I could not find an uploaded video file as guidance.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. ProntoForms Teamwork hands an incomplete form to the next person. Approvers leave short notes. Email and SMS fire 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. ProntoForms documents a REST API, HTTP webhooks and named connectors including Salesforce, ServiceNow and Microsoft. I could not find a ProntoForms 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. ProntoForms starts Digital at $400 a month for the team, billed annually, and quotes Intelligent and Elite. I could not find how many users sit in that $400 floor.
Which should you pick?
If I ran field service that needed mobile forms, dispatch and write-back to Salesforce or ServiceNow from one vendor, I would keep ProntoForms. That stack 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 dispatch and those connectors somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Is ProntoForms still ProntoForms?
The company rebranded to TrueContext. They announced it in July 2023 and made the change in Q4 2023. In September 2026, prontoforms.com sends you to truecontext.com. Help lives at docs.truecontext.com. The REST API still uses api.prontoforms.com. The mobile app is named TrueContext. Some app copy still mentions ProntoForms.
Does ProntoForms have AI inside forms?
Elite has AI Form Builder at design time, and AI Text Transformation that rewrites a text answer the technician must approve. Elite can also fetch live data or call an HTTP endpoint mid-form. Checking on Digital and Intelligent is rules: required fields, ranges, conditional logic and exceptions. I could not find an in-form AI agent that decides the next action on its own.
Can staff chat in ProntoForms the way they would in Pilla?
Teamwork hands an incomplete form to the next person. Approvers leave short notes. Email and SMS fire on submit. Group Inbox is unclaimed work. I could not find DMs or group channels.
What evidence can a ProntoForms form capture?
A form can take a photo, a sketch, an audio recording, a file, a signature, a number, a date, a checklist, a barcode and GPS. Sliders, steppers and button groups cover rating-style inputs. I could not find a Video question type. Audio recording is not on Windows. Help Options can open a YouTube video in the app when you are online. I could not find an uploaded video file as in-form guidance.
How much does ProntoForms cost compared to Pilla?
Digital starts at $400 per month for the entire team, billed annually. Intelligent and Elite are custom quotes. They say this is not a simple per-user price. Trial is request-based, no card. I could not find a length in days. 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 TrueContext dispatch into Salesforce or ServiceNow?
No. I did not build Pilla as a field service management system. If you need ProntoForms dispatch and write-back to Salesforce, ServiceNow or ServiceMax, keep those on TrueContext or another product.
How long does it take to switch from ProntoForms 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. Photos and history stay in ProntoForms unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and ProntoForms?
I read TrueContext 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 they do not publish.
Does ProntoForms offer an MCP server?
I could not find a first-party MCP server. They publish a REST API (docs mark it Intelligent and Elite; the pricing FAQ says all tiers), HTTP webhooks, and named connectors including Salesforce, ServiceNow and Microsoft.
Where did these facts come from?
ProntoForms 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 ProntoForms.
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