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Index › Core HR and payroll › Payroll software › ADP vs Gusto
Payroll software · October 2026 Edition

ADP vs Gusto

Two of fourteen models named ADP first on the direct prompt; zero named Gusto. ADP was named by thirteen of the fourteen models and Gusto by fourteen and ADP carries 30 labels and Gusto 49, so the shares are not directly comparable.

ADP

criticized challenger

Named in fourteen categories this edition.

Gusto

criticized challenger

Named in twenty-four categories this edition.

First-choice share9%6%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate33%27%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#4#6A position in a field of 14; printed, not drawn.
Labels3049A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, ADP reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Paylocity was named alongside these two in eleven of the fourteen direct answers. Rippling vs ADP · Rippling vs Gusto · ADP Workforce Now vs ADP

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the payroll software page.

By framing

How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
ADPFirst choices, of fourteen modelsGusto
Direct201 against Gusto
Paraphrase322 against Gusto
Comparative011
Budget-constrained011 against ADP · 1 against Gusto
Scale-constrained002 against Gusto
Negative009 against ADP · 7 against Gusto
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.

Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, ADP and Gusto were named in the same answer eighty-one times, of the 201 answers naming ADP and the 926 naming Gusto. In those answers Gusto took the first choice twenty-three times and ADP six.

Every model, every framing

The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where ADP and Gusto stood in it.
ModelDirectParaphraseComparativeBudget-constrainedScale-constrainedNegative
Claude Haiku 4.5
GPT-5.4 mini
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Perplexity Sonar
Grok 4.1 Fast
Mistral Small
DeepSeek V4 Flash
Llama 4 Maverick
Qwen 3.7 Flash
Kimi K2
GLM 4.7 FlashX
MiniMax M2.5
GPT-6 Luna
Muse Glimmer 30B
ADP Gusto first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, ADP on the left and Gusto on the right.

The direct prompt

The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where ADP and Gusto stood in it.

ADP first, Gusto an alternative

2 of 14 modelsGusto was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.
Mistral SmallADP, Rippling alternatives: Keka, Paylocity
GLM 4.7 FlashXADP alternatives: Dayforce, Gusto, Paycom, Paycor, Paylocity, Rippling

Neither was the first choice, one was named

3 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.
Claude Haiku 4.5Paycom alternatives: ADP, Deel, G-P, Namely, Paylocity, Rippling
Grok 4.1 FastRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Gusto, Paychex Flex, Paycom, Paycor, Paylocity
Qwen 3.7 FlashADP Workforce Now alternatives: Dayforce, Gusto, Paycom

Neither was named

9 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.
GPT-5.4 miniRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Paylocity
Gemini 3.5 FlashRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity
Perplexity SonarRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity
DeepSeek V4 FlashADP Workforce Now, Rippling alternatives: Dayforce, Paycom, Paylocity
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Kimi K2Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity
MiniMax M2.5ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paycor alternatives: QuickBooks Payroll
GPT-6 LunaPaylocity alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Rippling, UKG Ready
Muse Glimmer 30Bno first choice alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Namely, Paychex Flex, Paycor, Paylocity

Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.

By buyer segment

The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Gusto leads by forty-seven points.
Gusto49%#1 of 11
ADP2%#7 of 11
The full small business standing →
Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: ADP leads at mid-market.
ADP9%#4 of 14
Gusto6%#6 of 14
The full mid-market standing →
Enterprise
ADP leads by thirty-one points.
ADP31%#1 of 14
Gusto0%#14 of 14
The full enterprise standing →

What the models said about ADP

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.

“Severe customer support issues ... Payroll processing failures — missed payrolls, tax filings not submitted” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“If your B2B business is mature, growing rapidly, or faces strict regulatory environments, ADP Workforce Now is the safer long-term investment.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“ADP is especially noted for being a tried and tested system for mid-sized companies operating across multiple states” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“I'd most often recommend ADP if your priorities are multi-state payroll, scalability, and a proven system.” Perplexity Sonar · paraphrase prompt · first choice

What the models said about Gusto

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. One of one in this category shown.

“Small US business with <500 employees, no HR department: Start with Gusto for simplicity and transparency.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared

Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.