Salesforce feature release lifecycle

PILOT 
Pilot programs feature new products or capabilities currently under development by Salesforce product teams. Participation in pilots is available to selected customers and partners by invitation only. Pilot participants can expect to share feedback on their experiences directly with product teams, including the chance to influence the continued development of the feature. Typically, documentation for pilot features is only available to pilot participants. Support for customers and partners in pilot programs is provided within the program itself rather than via standard support processes.

BETA
Beta programs are open to customers or partners that meet any prerequisites such as edition or use of another already GA capability. These prerequisites will vary by program. Beta programs offer participants an experience closer to a GA product, while still including the opportunity to share feedback with product teams. Typically, an organization administrator can activate beta functionality on their own. Beta functionality will be labeled as “Beta” in Release Notes. Support for customers and partners in beta programs is provided within the program itself rather than via standard support processes.