# Lattice vs Small Improvements: which do AI models recommend for performance management, October 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Performance management. Twelve of fourteen models named Lattice first on the direct prompt; zero named Small Improvements. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/performance/performance-management/lattice-vs-small-improvements/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lattice | 43% | #1 of 15 | 11% | 56 | 14 of 14 |
| Small Improvements | 2% | #7 of 15 | 0% | 11 | 10 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: 15Five, Leapsome, PerformYard)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: 15Five, Leapsome, PerformYard)
- Perplexity Sonar: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: ClearCompany, Culture Amp, Engagedly, PerformYard)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: lattice first (first choices: 15Five, Lattice) (alternatives: Culture Amp, Deel, HiBob)
- Mistral Small: lattice first (first choices: 15Five, Lattice)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: 15Five, Betterworks, Leapsome)
- Llama 4 Maverick: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: Betterworks)
- Kimi K2: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: 15Five, Culture Amp, Leapsome, PerformYard)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: 15Five, Culture Amp, Engagedly, Leapsome)
- MiniMax M2.5: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: Betterworks, PerformYard)
- GPT-6 Luna: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: 15Five, Leapsome, PerformYard)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: lattice first (first choices: Lattice) (alternatives: BambooHR, Leapsome, Namely, PerformYard)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: HiBob) (alternatives: Lattice, Leapsome, Rippling)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Leverage) (alternatives: Betterworks, BigDeals, Lattice, Spiff)

## What the models said about Lattice

- "What to Avoid on a Limited Budget - Lattice... minimum commitments make it poor for tight budgets" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Widely considered the market leader for mid-sized, high-growth tech and professional services companies. Outstanding UX, great Slack integration, and excellent analytics." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "Lattice: Best Overall for Usability & Modern B2B Alignment... the default choice for mid-market technology, SaaS, and professional services B2B companies" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Small Improvements

- "Small Improvements at $3/user/month offers the best value for money." (MiniMax M2.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Choose Small Improvements if you have 20+ staff and want the lowest possible per-head cost." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, alternative)
- "For larger small businesses (20+ employees), Small Improvements provides excellent value" (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, alternative)

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.