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

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

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rippling | 20% | #1 of 14 | 5% | 43 | 13 of 14 |
| Gusto | 6% | #6 of 14 | 27% | 49 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## 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.