Pilla vs Xenia (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or checklists, audits and work orders in one suite
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
15 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces Xenia. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
Xenia is still Xenia Platform Inc. You build digital checklists and audits, collect photo and video proof, and you can open a work order from a failed step. DMs, group chats and announcement feeds sit in the same app. AI Photo Rollouts scores photos while someone is still on the list. Template Agent writes a form from a prompt or a PDF. You can add sensors, asset QR and food-prep labels if you buy those add-ons.
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 Xenia when I want checklists, audits and work orders in one suite.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For Xenia I went back to their help, product pages and API 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 Xenia's current help: the complete step-type guide, Logic Builder, chats, Photo Rollouts, the live pricing page and their API docs. I have not lived in a paid Xenia 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 template plus Logic Builder
- I would pick Pilla if I wanted AI to fetch, decide and act inside the run, not only flag a photo on the list
- I would keep Xenia if I needed checklists, audits and work orders in one suite
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over that work-order and ops bundle
How do Pilla and Xenia compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | Xenia |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | Checklists, audits and work orders for deskless teams |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | Form builder with logic and reusable templates |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Long Description on steps; videos and docs can sit in steps |
| 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, files, signatures, numbers, checklists, dates, GPS; voice notes on photos |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | Live AI photo flags plus rule logic |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Corrective tasks and notifications |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | DMs, group chats and public feeds |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | API, named integrations, webhooks claimed |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Submissions, photos, dashboards, PDF and Excel |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote per user or per location |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Teams that want checklists, audits and work orders in one suite |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. Xenia sells checklists, audits and work orders in a frontline operations app.
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 Xenia 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 audio as a first-class step
- You want an MCP server you can call
- You want unlimited people billed on workflow usage
- You are happy to keep work orders, sensors and labels somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | Xenia |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote per user or per location |
| 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 | 14-day Starter trial. Demo available. |
Xenia quotes you per user or per location. Basic and Pro are custom pricing per location. Enterprise is sales. A 14-day Starter trial is advertised. Blog posts still print a 5-user free plan and $99 or $199 for 15 users. Those figures are not on the live rate card, so I have left them off as a public price. Hardware add-ons include sensors, asset QR and food-prep labels.
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. Xenia advertises a 14-day Starter trial and a demo. Pricing is a quote. Sensors, asset QR and food-prep labels take a real rollout if you buy those add-ons.
If you move, you rebuild the templates on the canvas. Photos and history stay in Xenia unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep work orders, sensors and labels on Xenia 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 need checklists, audits, work orders, sensors and labels from one vendor, stay with Xenia. If money is tight, I publish prices. Xenia 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?
Xenia works well for
- Opening, mid-shift and closing checklists in restaurants or stores
- Brand and food-safety audits with weighted scores and photo proof
- Maintenance work orders and public QR request forms
- AI photo checks on cleanliness, planograms and equipment
- Location hierarchy and above-store completion dashboards
- DMs, group chats and acknowledgement-tracked announcements
- HR form approvals and SOP documents
- Optional sensor temperature monitoring and prep-label printing
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 Xenia designed to do?
Xenia holds opening, closing, food-safety and brand lists in one place. You prove the work with photos, videos, signatures, GPS and scores. A failed step can open a corrective task. District managers inspect on a phone and see roll-ups on a dashboard. Chats and SOP documents sit in the same app. Sensors, asset QR and food-prep labels are add-ons. I would stay on Xenia for that whole 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 Xenia a required photo, a weighted score or Logic Builder does the checking, plus live AI Photo Rollouts while someone is still on the list. Template Agent builds the form. Analytical Agent and Summaries sit on dashboards after the run. I could not find an AI fetch, decision or action step on a canvas.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On Xenia you build a template in a drag-and-drop form builder, add Logic Builder rules, and use Workflows that spawn corrective tasks. Recurrence is projects and work schedules. Template Agent can write a form from a prompt or a PDF.
How do you provide guidance?
On Pilla you sit written, photo and video guidance beside each step. On Xenia you use Long Description on a step, and they market embedding training videos and documents into steps. A lot of training also lives in the documents hub. I could not find a dedicated photo-guidance or video-guidance step.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. Xenia also has DMs and group chats, plus public announcement feeds with acknowledgement tracking and in-task chat.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. Xenia documents a REST API, Merge.dev HRIS, SSO, SCIM directory sync and named BI, ticketing and SSO connectors. Public API is gated to Enterprise. Webhooks are claimed on the integrations page. I could not find a Xenia 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. Xenia quotes you per user or per location. A 14-day Starter trial is advertised. I could not find a public software price.
Which should you pick?
If I needed checklists, audits and work orders from one vendor, I would keep Xenia. That suite 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 work orders, sensors and labels somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Does Xenia have AI inside checklists?
They have live AI on photos during completion, called Photo Rollouts, and rule logic that can require images or corrective tasks. Template Agent builds the form. Analytical Agent and Summaries sit on dashboards after the run. I could not find an AI fetch, decision or action step on a canvas.
Can staff chat in Xenia the way they would in Pilla?
Yes. You get DMs and group chats. They also have public announcement feeds with acknowledgement tracking and in-task chat.
What evidence can a Xenia checklist capture?
A checklist step can take a photo, a video, a file, a signature, a number, a date and time, GPS or a location pick, plus a checkbox procedure or pass or fail. Inspections marketing adds voice notes on photos. I could not find a dedicated audio or rating step in their complete step-type guide. Weighted scoring grades responses.
How much does Xenia cost compared to Pilla?
Xenia quotes you, per user or per location. I could not find a public software price. A 14-day Starter trial is advertised. 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 Xenia have an API or MCP?
They have a public REST API, gated to Enterprise and a Public Integrations add-on. HRIS via Merge.dev, SSO and SCIM directory sync are documented. I could not find an MCP server. Webhooks are claimed on the integrations page. I could not find them in the API index on this pass.
Does switching to Pilla replace Xenia work orders, sensors or labels?
No. I did not build Pilla for shift scheduling, payroll or HR, and I did not build a CMMS or a hardware suite. If you need Xenia's work-order ticketing, wireless sensors or food-prep printers, keep those on Xenia or another product.
How long does it take to switch from Xenia to Pilla?
You rebuild the templates 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 templates you have. Photos and history stay in Xenia unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and Xenia?
I read Xenia public help, product pages and API 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 Xenia does not publish.
Where did these facts come from?
Xenia 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 Xenia.
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