# ADP vs Paycor: which do AI models recommend for payroll software, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Payroll software. One of twelve models named ADP first on the direct prompt; zero named Paycor. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/core/payroll-software/adp-vs-paycor/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADP | 11% | #4 of 13 | 29% | 28 | 11 of 12 |
| Paycor | 4% | #8 of 13 | 17% | 12 | 8 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: adp first (first choices: ADP, Rippling) (alternatives: BambooHR, Gusto, Zenefits)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: Paycor, Paylocity)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Paycom) (alternatives: ADP, Gusto, Paylocity, Rippling)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Paylocity, Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycor, UKG Pro, Workday)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Global Payroll, ADP Workforce Now / ADP Full Service Payroll, Deel, Paycom)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Paylocity)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Paylocity, Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Paylocity, Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Paylocity) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Rippling, UKG Pro)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Gusto, Paycom)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity) (alternatives: Rippling, UKG Pro)

## What the models said about ADP

- "legacy/larger enterprise solutions like ADP Workforce Now or standard ADP Payroll Services ... high costs ... poor support accessibility" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Highly recommended for mid-sized companies operating across multiple states... ADP or Paychex are often the top recommendations" (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Start a demo with ADP if you are risk-averse and prioritize regulatory compliance above all else." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Market Leader: ADP holds the largest market share in the payroll software industry" (Mistral Small, comparative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Paycor

- "Poor customer support as the top complaint ... Unexpected hidden fees and price increases." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Paycor - Paycor is an HCM software provider designed for mid-market and enterprise organizations" (Claude Haiku 4.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve 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.