# ADP vs Gusto: which do AI models recommend for payroll software, October 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Payroll software. Two of fourteen models named ADP first on the direct prompt; zero named Gusto. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/core/payroll-software/adp-vs-gusto/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADP | 9% | #4 of 14 | 33% | 30 | 13 of 14 |
| Gusto | 6% | #6 of 14 | 27% | 49 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Mistral Small: adp first (first choices: ADP, Rippling) (alternatives: Keka, Paylocity)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: adp first (first choices: ADP) (alternatives: Dayforce, Gusto, Paycom, Paycor, Paylocity, Rippling)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Paycom) (alternatives: ADP, Deel, G-P, Namely, Paylocity, Rippling)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Gusto, Paychex Flex, Paycom, Paycor, Paylocity)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: ADP Workforce Now) (alternatives: Dayforce, Gusto, Paycom)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Paylocity)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: ADP Workforce Now, Rippling) (alternatives: Dayforce, Paycom, Paylocity)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paycor) (alternatives: QuickBooks Payroll)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Paylocity) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Rippling, UKG Ready)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither named (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Namely, Paychex Flex, Paycor, Paylocity)

## What the models said about ADP

- "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

- "Small US business with <500 employees, no HR department: Start with Gusto for simplicity and transparency." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)

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. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.