Payroll software
Which brand 5 AI models pick, with intervals.
Fast panel · Panel, equal weight
- anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 @ claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter (20%)
- openai/gpt-6-luna @ gpt-6-luna via OpenRouter (20%)
- google/gemini-4-argon @ gemini-4-argon via OpenRouter (20%)
- mistralai/mistral-large-4-0 @ mistral-large-4-0 via OpenRouter (20%)
- deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash @ deepseek-v4.1-flash via OpenRouter (20%)
Too closeNo single favourite: ADP, Gusto, Paychex, and Rippling share the top tier for these 5 API models.
Tier 1
- ADP62%95% interval > 50%–72%plausible rank 1–4
- Rippling54%95% interval 43–65%plausible rank 1–4
- Gusto53%95% interval 41–64%plausible rank 1–5
- Paychex34%95% interval 24–45%plausible rank 1–6
Tier 2
- QuickBooks Payroll23%95% interval 13–34%plausible rank 4–9
- Paycor22%95% interval 12–33%plausible rank 3–9
- OnPay10%95% interval 5–19%plausible rank 5–11
- Justworks8%95% interval 2–16%plausible rank 5–11
- Homebase5%95% interval 1–13%plausible rank 5–11
Tier 3
- Square Payroll3%95% interval 0–9%plausible rank 7–11
- Patriot Software2%95% interval 0–5%plausible rank 7–11
Drag across the chart to probe a share.
Changes since the previous edition
The judge panel changed since the previous edition, so shares are not compared between the two.
- mistralai/mistral-large-4-0 @ mistral-large-4-0 via OpenRouter: same model, new judge settings
This note was added after publication from the published editions; the signed snapshot is unchanged. Corrections log
Too closeNo single favourite: ADP, Gusto, Paychex, and Rippling share the top tier for these 5 API models.
| Brand | Choice share | 95% interval | Plausible rank | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADP | 62% | > 50%–72% | 1–4 | Tier 1 |
| Rippling | 54% | 43–65% | 1–4 | Tier 1 |
| Gusto | 53% | 41–64% | 1–5 | Tier 1 |
| Paychex | 34% | 24–45% | 1–6 | Tier 1 |
| QuickBooks Payroll | 23% | 13–34% | 4–9 | Tier 2 |
| Paycor | 22% | 12–33% | 3–9 | Tier 2 |
| OnPay | 10% | 5–19% | 5–11 | Tier 2 |
| Justworks | 8% | 2–16% | 5–11 | Tier 2 |
| Homebase | 5% | 1–13% | 5–11 | Tier 2 |
| Square Payroll | 3% | 0–9% | 7–11 | Tier 3 |
| Patriot Software | 2% | 0–5% | 7–11 | Tier 3 |
How to read this
- Choice share: how often models pick a brand when it appears in a shortlist of 4. Chance is 25%, the dashed line.
- The band is the 95% interval; the bright tick is the estimate. Overlapping bands are not a strict order.
- Tiers are published: a tier groups brands not distinguishable from that tier's leader. Same tier does not mean equal.
- Rank shows the plausible rank range, not a strict place.
- Drag across the chart to probe a share and see which intervals contain it.
- Brand names only: the models saw each option as a brand name, with no product facts, and answered from their own knowledge.
- Fast panel: the fast or small current models of each vendor, not the full flagship panel.
- Each page shows the latest edition. Dates are in the downloadable JSON.
Panel and conditions
Each edition puts the brands of the category to a panel of AI models, called through their APIs, in randomized shortlists of 4 (chance is 25%). Each option was a brand name only, with no product facts, prices or any commercial data, so a brand's share measures which brand the models recommend from their own knowledge for the shopper needs of the scenarios. Shares come with 95% intervals; tiers and rank intervals are simultaneous at the same level.
- anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 @ claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter (20%)
- openai/gpt-6-luna @ gpt-6-luna via OpenRouter (20%)
- google/gemini-4-argon @ gemini-4-argon via OpenRouter (20%)
- mistralai/mistral-large-4-0 @ mistral-large-4-0 via OpenRouter (20%)
- deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash @ deepseek-v4.1-flash via OpenRouter (20%)
Conditions: closed-book API calls via OpenRouter (pinned providers); web search, grounding, tools and retrieval off; forced choice; 2 paraphrases per scenario in English.
Methodology: ACM-1.0-chart-draft (draft rules for movement, significance and events, awaiting review).