# Human Interest vs Vanguard: which do AI models recommend for 401(k) providers, October 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, 401(k) providers. Seven of fourteen models named Human Interest first on the direct prompt; zero named Vanguard. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/human-interest-vs-vanguard/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Interest | 20% | #1 of 12 | 7% | 42 | 13 of 14 |
| Vanguard | 5% | #7 of 12 | 4% | 46 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: human interest first (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: Fidelity Investments, Principal, Vanguard)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: human interest first (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Principal Financial Group)
- Perplexity Sonar: human interest first (first choices: ADP Retirement Services, Human Interest) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401, John Hancock, Securian Financial)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: human interest first (first choices: Guideline, Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Advantage 401, Principal, Vanguard)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: human interest first (first choices: Fidelity Investments, Guideline, Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: human interest first (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard)
- MiniMax M2.5: human interest first (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Fidelity Investments, Guideline, Lighthouse Group) (alternatives: Charles Schwab, Vanguard)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Fidelity Investments) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Investments) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Employee Fiduciary, Guideline, Human Interest, Nationwide, Vanguard)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: ADP Retirement Services) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Gusto, ShareBuilder 401k)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Fidelity Advantage 401) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: ADP 401(k) Premier) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace, Principal)

## What the models said about Human Interest

- "slam poor support, payroll delays/errors, and communication issues" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Human Interest, Slavic401k, Guideline, and Ubiquity/Online 401(k) in various user reviews or forum posts reporting high costs, poor service" (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "notable player, but it has historically been more focused on smaller businesses than true mid-market complexity" (GPT-5.4 mini, direct prompt, soft negative)
- "Best Tech-Forward & Automated: Human Interest ... If you use Rippling, Gusto, or BambooHR and want the lowest administrative burden: Go with Human Interest." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Human Interest is recommended as the best fit for mid-market employers that want managed 401k administration with structured onboarding and conversion support." (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Human Interest: Best Overall Value & Ease of Use ... go with Human Interest or Guideline" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Vanguard

- "Vanguard is excellent for investing but not recommended for 401(k) administration" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "their 401(k) administration has drawn criticism... recommended using Vanguard funds through another provider instead" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "For Large/Midsize Businesses: Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, and Charles Schwab are renowned for offering excellent low-cost institutional index funds." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, first choice)
- "consider providers like Vanguard or Fidelity, which are known for lower fees and better investment options" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, first choice)
- "Want lowest-cost investing and a very large, established provider? Look at Vanguard." (GPT-5.4 mini, 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.