Pilla vs Skedulo (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or mobile workforce scheduling and dispatch
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
15 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces Skedulo. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
You plan jobs and shifts in Skedulo's web app with calendars, maps, swimlanes and Gantt. An optimisation engine, still marketed as MasterMind and as a Scheduling Agent in 2026, assigns the right person given skills, travel, SLAs and availability. Field staff run the day in Skedulo Plus on a phone or tablet: accept work, navigate, fill forms, capture photos and signatures, and check off job tasks. You can add DMs and channels if you buy Dynamic Messaging.
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 Skedulo when I want dispatch for field jobs and shifts.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For Skedulo I went back to their product pages and docs 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 Skedulo's current docs: Form Builder, job templates, Skedulo Plus, Dynamic Messaging, the AI agents page and pricing. I have not lived in a paid Skedulo 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 a job template and a no-code form
- I would pick Pilla if I wanted AI to fetch, decide and act inside the run, not a Scheduling Agent that assigns who is sent
- I would keep Skedulo if I needed dispatch for field jobs and shifts, with the optimiser
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over scheduling and dispatch
How do Pilla and Skedulo compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | Skedulo |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | Mobile workforce scheduling and dispatch |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | Job templates and no-code forms |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Written text and static images; no in-form video |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | Skedulo Plus on phone and tablet; web app for schedulers |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos, files, signatures, numbers, dates, job-task checklists; GPS on status |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | Required fields, job tasks, and scheduling AI; not AI in the job |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Follow-up jobs, SMS/webhooks, and job dependencies; not AI |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | DMs and channels as a paid add-on |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | REST/GraphQL APIs, webhooks, Salesforce and enterprise connectors; no MCP |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Job records, form responses, attachments, and Looker analytics |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote; per-user annual seats; no public rates |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Enterprises dispatching mobile field and shift work |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. Skedulo sells mobile workforce scheduling and dispatch.
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 Skedulo 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 photo, a video or a file sitting on the step itself
- You want DMs and group chats next to the work
- You want an MCP server you can call
- You are happy to keep dispatch, rotas and timesheets somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | Skedulo |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote; per-user annual seats; no public rates |
| 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 | Demo and quote. Trial only via sales. |
Skedulo sells scheduler and mobile-worker seats per user per month, on a one-year minimum contract. They do not accept monthly billing. Adding seats mid-year is prorated. Dynamic Messaging is a paid add-on. Lens and professional services are extra. 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. Skedulo starts with a demo and a quote. A dispatch rollout takes a real implementation.
If you move, you rebuild the job types on the canvas. Photos and history stay in Skedulo unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep dispatch, rotas, timesheets and routing on Skedulo 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 the work followed and you want to try something today, start with Pilla. If you dispatch field and shift work and you need the optimiser, stay with Skedulo. If money is tight, I publish prices. Skedulo 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?
Skedulo works well for
- Home healthcare and NDIS visit scheduling, routing and caregiver mobile completion
- Field service and residential contractor jobs with drag-and-drop dispatch
- Energy, utilities and telecom crews with skills tags and optimisation
- Shift and roster templates, shift offers and mobile timesheets
- Salesforce as the system of record, with Skedulo as the mobile execution layer
- Customer self-booking and SMS updates built on Lens APIs
- Post-job customer SMS ratings and scheduler follow-up messages
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 Skedulo designed to do?
Skedulo gets the right skilled person to the right appointment or shift on time. You dispatch to Skedulo Plus. You optimise travel and utilisation. You capture job data and photos on the device, including offline. You track location for routing, proximity and visit verification. You can run shift and roster templates, work offers and mobile timesheets next to field jobs. I would stay on Skedulo for that scheduling engine and Salesforce dispatch.
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 Skedulo a required field, validation or a job task does the checking. Scheduling AI assigns and routes people. 2026 agents generate forms and extensions for admins. I could not find an AI step inside the worker's job.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On Skedulo you build a job template and a no-code form in the web app, and hide fields with show and hide rules. Pulse calendars, maps, swimlanes and Gantt are a scheduling board.
How do you provide guidance?
On Pilla you sit written, photo and video guidance beside each step. On Skedulo you use read-only text, item descriptions and static images that need a live connection. I could not find a dedicated video-guidance step in Form Builder.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. Skedulo Dynamic Messaging is DMs and channels, sold as a paid add-on. Without it, people get push and SMS dispatch, plus optional broadcasts.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. Skedulo publishes REST and GraphQL APIs, webhooks, native Salesforce and named enterprise connectors. I could not find a Skedulo 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. Skedulo quotes you for per-user annual seats, with separate scheduler and mobile-worker seats. I could not find a public software price.
Which should you pick?
If I needed to dispatch skilled people onto field jobs and shifts, I would keep Skedulo. That scheduling suite 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 rotas somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skedulo a work-management canvas like Pilla?
No. Skedulo is mobile workforce scheduling and dispatch. You reuse job templates and no-code Plus forms with show and hide rules. The visual boards are calendars, maps, swimlanes and Gantt for scheduling.
Does Skedulo have AI inside the job?
I could not find an AI step inside the worker's job. Checking is a required field, validation and a job task. 2026 marketing names four agents: Scheduling, Admin, Mobile and Developer. The optimiser decides who is sent.
Can staff chat in Skedulo the way they would in Pilla?
Dynamic Messaging is DMs, channels, mentions, attachments and job links, in the web app and Plus. It is a paid add-on. Without it, communication is mainly SMS and push dispatch, plus optional broadcast messages.
What evidence can a Skedulo job capture?
A job can take a photo, a file, a signature, a number, a date, notes and job-task checklists. GPS is stored on travel and check-in or complete. Video is named on developer attachments and in chat. I could not find a video field on Form Builder, an audio component, or a form rating control. A marketplace SMS survey rates the client 1 to 10 after the job.
How much does Skedulo cost compared to Pilla?
Skedulo quotes you. I could not find a public software price. Seats are per user on a one-year minimum, with separate scheduler and mobile-worker seats, and no monthly billing. Dynamic Messaging and Lens are extra. 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 Skedulo scheduling and dispatch?
No. I did not build Pilla for shift scheduling, payroll or HR. If you need Skedulo's optimiser, roster, work offers, clock on and off or Salesforce dispatch, keep those on Skedulo or another product.
How long does it take to switch from Skedulo to Pilla?
You rebuild the job types 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 job types you have. Photos and history stay in Skedulo unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and Skedulo?
I read Skedulo 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 Skedulo does not publish.
Where did these facts come from?
Skedulo 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 Skedulo.
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