401(k) providers · October 2026 Edition
Guideline vs ADP Retirement Services
Three of fourteen models named Guideline first on the direct prompt; two named ADP Retirement Services. Guideline was named by eleven of the fourteen models and ADP Retirement Services by fourteen and Guideline carries 32 labels and ADP Retirement Services 41, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
ADP Retirement Services
accepted challengerNamed in one category this edition.
First-choice share20%16%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate9%12%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#3A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels3241A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Guideline reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Human Interest was named alongside these two in eight of the fourteen direct answers. Human Interest vs Guideline · Human Interest vs ADP Retirement Services · Guideline vs Fidelity Investments
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 401(k) providers page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
GuidelineFirst choices, of fourteen modelsADP Retirement ServicesDirect32
Paraphrase152 against ADP Retirement Services
Comparative00
Budget-constrained711 against ADP Retirement Services
Scale-constrained01
Negative003 against Guideline · 2 against ADP Retirement Services
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, Guideline and ADP Retirement Services were named in the same answer sixty-one times, of the 99 answers naming Guideline and the 128 naming ADP Retirement Services. In those answers ADP Retirement Services took the first choice three times and Guideline thirty.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Guideline and ADP Retirement Services stood in it.
| Model | DirectAR | ParaphraseAR | ComparativeAR | Budget-constrainedAR | Scale-constrainedAR | NegativeAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | AR | AR | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | AR | AR | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | AR | AR | | AR | ||
| Perplexity Sonar | AR | AR | AR | | ||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | AR | AR | AR | | AR | |
| Mistral Small | AR | AR | AR | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | AR | AR | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | ||||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | AR | |||
| Kimi K2 | AR | AR | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | AR | AR | AR | AR | AR | |
| MiniMax M2.5 | ||||||
| GPT-6 Luna | AR | |||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | AR | AR | |
GuidelineAR ADP Retirement Services first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Guideline on the left and ADP Retirement Services on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Guideline and ADP Retirement Services stood in it.
Guideline first, ADP Retirement Services an alternative
3 of 14 modelsADP Retirement Services was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Grok 4.1 FastGuideline, Human Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Advantage 401, Principal, Vanguard
DeepSeek V4 FlashFidelity Investments, Guideline, Human Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price
Qwen 3.7 FlashFidelity Investments, Guideline, Lighthouse Group alternatives: Charles Schwab, Vanguard
ADP Retirement Services first, Guideline not the choice
2 of 14 modelsGuideline was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniADP Retirement Services alternatives: Empower Retirement, Gusto, ShareBuilder 401k
Perplexity SonarADP Retirement Services, Human Interest alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401, John Hancock, Securian Financial
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashHuman Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Principal Financial Group
Mistral SmallFidelity Advantage 401 alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement
Kimi K2Fidelity Investments alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard
GLM 4.7 FlashXHuman Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard
Muse Glimmer 30BEmpower Retirement, Fidelity Investments alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Employee Fiduciary, Guideline, Human Interest, Nationwide, Vanguard
Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Human Interest alternatives: Fidelity Investments, Principal, Vanguard
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
MiniMax M2.5Human Interest alternatives: Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price
GPT-6 LunaADP 401(k) Premier alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace, Principal
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
Guideline leads by thirty-six points.
Guideline43%#1 of 9ADP Retirement Services8%#4 of 9
The full small business standing →Mid-marketThe figures above
Guideline leads by four points.
Guideline20%#2 of 12ADP Retirement Services16%#3 of 12
The full mid-market standing →Enterprise
The order flips: ADP Retirement Services leads at enterprise.
ADP Retirement Services9%#3 of 11
Guideline4%#7 of 11What the models said about Guideline
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“BBB customer reviews include stark warnings, e.g.: "Avoid at all costs." "You will never be able to get your money out."” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“Users call it "crooks" and warn against it.” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · hard negative
“reporting high costs, poor service, or rollover/admin problems” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“Guideline is typically the best choice for companies with a limited budget due to its low monthly base fee ($39), no setup costs” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · first choice
“Start with Guideline if you prioritize ease, integrations, and scalability—it's frequently top-rated for budget-conscious SMBs.” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · first choice
“Guideline is often the strongest pick because it is explicitly positioned as an affordable, fully automated 401(k)” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about ADP Retirement Services
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“ADP's fee structures can sometimes be less transparent than modern digital-first providers ... their underlying fund options may feature slightly higher expense ratios.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase prompt · soft negative
“Large, Bundled Payroll Providers Common Examples: *ADP Retirement Services and Paychex*... historically carry high administrative and recordkeeping costs” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Concerns about "bundled" packages that may inflate total costs and obscure fee structures.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“This is widely considered the best option for very small teams because its pricing structure is designed to minimize costs” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“Shortlist: ADP Enhanced (mid-sized focus), Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or Human Interest/ForUsAll for tech-forward.” Grok 4.1 Fast · scale prompt · first choice
“ADP and Fidelity are often the top recommendations due to their flexibility, strong service, and tailored solutions” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
Also compared
Human Interest vs GuidelineHuman Interest vs ADP Retirement ServicesGuideline vs Fidelity InvestmentsGuideline vs Fidelity Advantage 401Guideline vs Empower RetirementGuideline vs VanguardGuideline vs PrincipalADP Retirement Services vs Fidelity InvestmentsADP Retirement Services vs Fidelity Advantage 401ADP Retirement Services vs Empower RetirementADP Retirement Services vs VanguardADP Retirement Services vs PrincipalAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full 401(k) providers standing
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.