Pilla vs Zaptic (2026): AI that acts inside the work, or a connected frontline worker for manufacturing
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
16 September 2026
I wrote this because I keep getting asked whether Pilla replaces Zaptic. I ran restaurants for years. I know the job: you want the floor to do the work without you chasing every check.
Intellect bought Zaptic on 17 November 2025. You still search for Zaptic. Their marketing now lives under Intellect Connected Frontline Worker. zaptic.com sends you there. You run digital work instructions, collect photo, video and signature proof, and you can add SAP, Maximo, MES and a path into Intellect QMS.
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 Zaptic when I want shop-floor work instructions tied to plant systems and QMS.
How did we compare them?
I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Pilla I describe what the product does today. For Zaptic I went back to Intellect Connected Frontline Worker pages, live PDFs and store listings on 16 September 2026. Their Zendesk help centre is closed. 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 Intellect's current CFW pages: work instructions, Instant AI Chat Help, instant messaging, issue and action tracking, the product overview PDF, the integrations PDF, and the Intellect IQ and Zaptic 2.0 store listings. I have not lived in a paid Intellect CFW account for this write-up. I am telling you what their public 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 Zaptic if I needed shop-floor work instructions plus plant systems and QMS
- I would not switch expecting Pilla to take over TPM, HACCP or Maximo/SAP work orders
How do Pilla and Zaptic compare at a glance?
| Capability | Pilla | Zaptic |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | AI work management for deskless teams | Connected frontline worker platform for manufacturing |
| Design the work | Visual canvas, branching, reusable workflows | No-code flows with decision trees |
| Provide guidance | Written, photo and video guidance beside each step | Written, photo and video guidance beside the step |
| Run the work | Phone, tablet, or web app | Phone, tablet, or web app (iOS, Android, Windows) |
| Capture evidence | Photos, video, audio, files, signatures, ratings, numbers, checklists, dates and location | Photos, video, audio, signatures, numbers, checklists, dates |
| Check the work | AI fetching, decisions and actions inside the work | AIKA answers plus field rules |
| Follow up | Human and AI follow-ups | Rule-based escalation, CAPA, and assigned actions |
| Talk to the team | DMs and group chats | Work-tied instant messaging, news feeds, and comments |
| Connect other software | MCP server, API, integrations | REST API and plant-system integrations |
| See what happened | Workflow records and evidence | Reports, boards, timestamps, photos, and Power BI |
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote; demo only; billing unit unclear |
| Best for | Operators who want AI to act inside the work | Manufacturers who want shop-floor work instructions plus QMS |
I built Pilla for AI work management on the floor. Zaptic sells a connected frontline worker platform for manufacturing, now as Intellect Connected Frontline Worker.
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 Zaptic 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 rating or a location field 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 TPM, HACCP, Maximo/SAP and QMS somewhere else
What do you pay for?
| Capability | Pilla | Zaptic |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Unlimited users, usage based on workflows | Quote; demo only; billing unit unclear |
| 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. No advertised self-serve trial. |
Live pages offer a demo, not a price list. I could not find a public software price or billing unit, or an unlimited-user claim. Intellect professional services list bulk hours from $300 an hour; that is implementation, not the CFW licence. 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. Zaptic starts with a demo and a quote. Work instructions can go live once they are authored. SAP, Maximo and MES take a real rollout.
If you move, you rebuild the flows on the canvas. Photos and history stay in Zaptic unless you export them by hand. Run both for a while. Keep TPM, HACCP, Maximo, SAP and QMS on Zaptic 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 a plant and you need CIL, HACCP, Maximo or SAP and Intellect QMS from one vendor, stay with Zaptic. If money is tight, I publish prices. Zaptic 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?
Zaptic works well for
- Clean, inspect, lubricate and centreline rounds on a line
- In-line quality, first-off, HACCP and CCP checks with digital records
- Defect and hazard reports with annotated photo and video, then CAPA
- Changeovers triggered from MES, with hygiene and setup flows
- Layered process audits, 5S and Gemba walks
- Shift handover, news feeds and SIM / task-manager boards
- Job-specific training, one-point lessons and a training matrix
- SAP PM and Maximo work orders on the same to-do list
- AIKA answers from SOPs and past reports at the machine
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 Zaptic designed to do?
Zaptic holds CIL, quality checks, changeovers and EHS observations on the line. You prove the work with photos, video, audio, signatures and timestamps. You escalate a failed check into CAPA. You keep OPLs and SOPs one click away, train against a skills matrix, and talk in the work. You can pipe SAP PM, Maximo and MES onto the same to-do list, and you can add Intellect QMS. I would stay on Zaptic for that factory 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 Zaptic a required field, a min or max, a decision tree or a failed-check escalation does the checking. AIKA answers from SOPs, manuals and reports beside the task. I could not find fetch, decision or action steps you place inside a live run.
How do you design the work?
On Pilla you draw a visual canvas with branching and reuse the workflow. On Zaptic you build no-code flows, reuse DMS templates, and route with decision trees and conditional elements. Recurrence is a shift and asset schedule. I could not find a visual node canvas.
How do you capture evidence?
On Pilla a step can take ratings and location, plus photos, video, audio, files, signatures, numbers, checklists and dates. On Zaptic a task can take photos, video, audio, Sign on the Glass, numbers, checklists, a Date Only field and timestamps. Authors can upload files as guides. I could not find a 1-5 rating field or a GPS location capture field.
How does the team talk?
On Pilla you get DMs and group chats, including on a workflow. Zaptic Instant Messaging is real-time messaging between operators, supervisors, maintenance and quality, tied to work, assets and issues. There are site news feeds and comments. I could not find a published 1:1 DM versus named group-room matrix.
How do they connect other software?
Pilla publishes an MCP server, a REST API and integrations. Zaptic documents REST APIs, API push, SFTP/CSV, a cloned SQL database, and named plant systems such as SAP PM and IBM Maximo. I could not find a Zaptic 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. Zaptic quotes you. I could not find a public software price or billing unit.
Which should you pick?
If I ran a plant that needed digital standard work, CIL, HACCP, Maximo or SAP and a QMS loop from one vendor, I would keep Zaptic. That factory 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 plant systems and QMS somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zaptic still Zaptic after Intellect bought it?
The product still runs. Intellect acquired Zaptic on 17 November 2025. In September 2026, zaptic.com sends you to Intellect Connected Frontline Worker, formerly Zaptic. The iOS app listing is Intellect IQ, on the same App Store ID as Zaptic 2.0. Google Play still says Zaptic 2.0. I could not use their old Zendesk help centre; it is closed.
Does Zaptic have AI inside the work?
AIKA, also called Instant AI Chat Help, answers from SOPs, manuals and reports, and can generate work instructions. Checking a live task is rules: required fields, min and max, decision trees, and human or rule-based escalation. I could not find fetch, decision or action steps you place inside a run.
Can staff chat in Zaptic the way they would in Pilla?
There is real-time messaging between operators, supervisors, maintenance and quality, tied to work, plus news feeds and comments. I could not find a published 1:1 DM versus named group-room matrix.
What evidence can a Zaptic task capture?
A task can take photos, video, audio, annotations, Sign on the Glass, numbers with min and max, checklists, a Date Only field, and auto timestamps. Files can be uploaded as guides. I could not find a 1-5 rating field or a GPS location capture field on live product pages.
How much does Zaptic cost compared to Pilla?
Zaptic quotes you. I could not find a public software price or billing unit. 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 Zaptic have an MCP server?
I could not find one. Integrations are REST APIs, API push, SFTP/CSV, a cloned SQL database, and named plant systems such as SAP PM, Maximo, MES, ERP and QMS.
Does switching to Pilla replace Zaptic TPM, HACCP or Maximo/SAP?
No. I did not build Pilla for shift scheduling, payroll or HR, and I did not build it as a manufacturing OEE, CMMS or QMS suite. If you need TPM, HACCP, Maximo or SAP work orders, or Intellect QMS, keep those on Zaptic or another product.
How long does it take to switch from Zaptic to Pilla?
You rebuild the flows 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 flows you have. Photos and history stay in Zaptic unless you move them by hand.
How did you compare Pilla and Zaptic?
I read Intellect Connected Frontline Worker public pages, live PDFs and store listings 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. Their Zendesk help centre is closed, so I did not use it.
Where did these facts come from?
Zaptic 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 Zaptic.
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