Pilla vs Way We Do (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or SOP manuals with activated workflows
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
16 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces Way We Do. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
Way We Do is SOP and process software. You write policies and procedures in a company manual, then turn the ones that need a run into Activated Checklists. People tick steps, leave comments and photos, fill a form or sit a quiz, and a supervisor can sign off. Native AI helps draft the document. Instant Flowcharts generate a swimlane from the list.
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 Way We Do when I want SOP manuals, policy acceptance and activated workflows together.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For Way We Do I went back to their 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 Way We Do's current help: Activated Checklists, Instant Flowcharts, procedure acceptance, Forms and Registers, native AI, the public API and the live pricing page. I have not lived in a paid Way We Do 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 Way We Do if I needed SOP manuals, policy acceptance and activated workflows from one product
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over that SOP manual and acceptance suite
How do Pilla and Way We Do compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | Way We Do |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | SOP and process platform for policies and activated workflows |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | Reusable checklists with decision points and generated swimlanes |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Written, photo and video on procedures and steps |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | Responsive web on phone, tablet or browser |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos and files on comments; numbers and dates on forms |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | Required steps, quizzes and supervisor sign-off |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Reminders, sign-off requests and next-checklist automations |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | Step comments with @mentions |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | Public API, Zapier, Power Automate and Teams |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Checklist instance reports, CSV and acceptance records |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | $99/month Entry for 10 team members |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Teams that want SOP manuals, policy acceptance and activated workflows |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. Way We Do sells SOP manuals, policy acceptance and activated workflows.
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 Way We Do 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 photos, video, audio, signatures and location as the work happens
- You want DMs and group chats next to the work
- You want unlimited people, paying for processed workflows
- You are happy to keep the SOP manual, policy acceptance and ISO records somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | Way We Do |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | $99/month Entry for 10 team members |
| Public price | Starter is £49 a month for 500 processed workflows. Pro is £99 a month for 1,000. | Entry $99 a month for 10 team members. Extra people in allotments of 10. Enterprise from 50 members is a quote. |
| Trial | 14-day free trial of every Pro feature, with no card | 14-day free trial. 30-day money-back on Entry. |
Way We Do bills team members. Entry is $99 a month for 10 people, with extra people in allotments of 10. Unlimited procedures. All roles are billed the same. Prices are in USD. AU and NZ pay AUD plus GST. Growth, Mission Critical and Enterprise are a quote from 50 people. I could not find a public dollar figure for the extra allotment of 10. 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. Way We Do starts with a 14-day trial on their web app. Checklists can go live quickly. Policy acceptance, revision schedules and SSO take a real rollout.
If you move, you rebuild the checklists on the canvas. Photos and history stay in Way We Do unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep the SOP manual, policy acceptance and ISO-style records on Way We Do or another vendor. I did not build Pilla to be a policy library, 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 need a governed SOP library, read-and-accept and activated checklists from one vendor, stay with Way We Do. If money is tight, I publish prices and so do they. Entry is $99 a month for 10 team members. If you want AI in the run and DMs on the floor, I would pick Pilla even in a small team.
What is each one used for?
Way We Do works well for
- Company operations manual for policies and SOPs
- Policy and procedure acceptance with a version snapshot
- New-employee and client onboarding checklists
- Opening and closing procedures
- Audits, inspections and incident forms with a register
- Training quizzes on the back of an SOP
- Recurring month-end, meeting or revision workflows
- ISO 9001 / 27001 style quality and information-security systems
- Instant Flowchart swimlanes for training and stakeholder review
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 Way We Do designed to do?
Way We Do holds policies, procedures and processes in one manual. You force a read-and-accept. You turn a procedure into a role-based checklist run with comments, forms and quizzes. You keep version history, revision schedules and ISO-style audit records. I would stay on Way We Do for that SOP-manual and acceptance suite.
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 Way We Do a required step, a quiz or a supervisor sign-off does the checking. Native AI drafts the SOP. Connector AI sits in Zapier, Power Automate or the API. I could not find an AI fetch, decision or action step inside a live checklist run.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On Way We Do you build a reusable checklist with decision points, then Instant Flowcharts generate a swimlane from that list. Help says support must switch the flowchart on. I could not find a visual canvas you design branches on.
How do you capture evidence?
On Pilla you sit photos, video, audio, signatures and location on the step. On Way We Do comments take photos and files, and forms take numbers, dates and attachments. Policy Acceptance is a checkbox and password. Supervisor Sign-off is a review checkbox. I could not find a drawn signature pad, a rating field, a GPS field, or a dedicated video or audio capture field.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. Way We Do comments sit on a checklist step, with @mentions and email. The Microsoft Teams app shows the dashboard and search. I could not find DMs or group chat rooms.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. Way We Do documents a public REST API, Zapier, Power Automate, Teams and cloud storage. I could not find a Way We Do 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. Way We Do bills team members. Entry is $99 a month for 10 people.
Which should you pick?
If I needed SOP manuals, policy acceptance and activated workflows from one vendor, I would keep Way We Do. That 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 floor evidence, I would use Pilla, and I would keep the policy library and acceptance snapshots somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Does Way We Do have AI inside Activated Checklists?
Native Way We Do AI drafts outlines, paragraphs, lists and expansions while you write. Checking a run is required steps, quizzes and supervisor sign-off. Marketing says you can connect ChatGPT or Zapier AI through Zapier, Power Automate or the API. I could not find an AI fetch, decision or action step inside a live checklist run.
Does Way We Do have a native mobile app?
Help says Way We Do is completely responsive and can be viewed on iPhone, iPad and other phones and tablets. You can add the site to the home screen as a web app. I could not find a native iOS or Android store app.
Can staff chat in Way We Do the way they would in Pilla?
Comments sit on a checklist step, with @mentions and email. The Teams app shows the dashboard and search. I could not find DMs or group chat rooms.
What evidence can a Way We Do checklist capture?
Ticks, comments, photos, images, PDFs and other attachments, plus form fields for text, numbers, dates and files. Policy Acceptance is a checkbox and password. Supervisor Sign-off is a review checkbox. I could not find a drawn signature pad, a rating field, a GPS field, or a dedicated video or audio capture field.
How much does Way We Do cost compared to Pilla?
Way We Do publishes Entry at $99 a month for 10 team members, with extra people in allotments of 10. Unlimited procedures. Growth, Mission Critical and Enterprise are a quote from 50 people. New accounts get a 14-day trial. Entry has a 30-day money-back guarantee. 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 Way We Do have an MCP server?
I could not find one. There is a public REST API at api.waywedo.com, plus Zapier, Power Automate, Teams and cloud-storage connectors.
Does switching to Pilla replace Way We Do's SOP manual and acceptance suite?
No. I did not build Pilla as document control, policy acceptance or an ISO operations manual. If you need that suite, keep it on Way We Do or another product.
How long does it take to switch from Way We Do 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 checklists you have. Photos and history stay in Way We Do unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and Way We Do?
I read Way We Do 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 Way We Do does not publish.
Where did these facts come from?
Way We Do 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 Way We Do.
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