Payroll software · September 2026 Edition
Paycom vs ADP Workforce Now
One of twelve models named Paycom first on the direct prompt; one named ADP Workforce Now. Paycom was named by eleven of the twelve models and ADP Workforce Now by ten and Paycom carries 24 labels and ADP Workforce Now 18, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in twelve categories this edition.
Named in seventeen categories this edition.
First-choice share6%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate25%11%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#5#7A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels2418A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Paycom reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Rippling was named alongside these two in eleven of the twelve direct answers. Rippling vs Paycom · Rippling vs ADP Workforce Now · Patriot Payroll vs Paycom
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; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the payroll software page.
By framing
How many of the twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
PaycomFirst choices, of twelve modelsADP Workforce Now
Direct111 against ADP Workforce Now
Paraphrase211 against ADP Workforce Now
Comparative00
Budget-constrained00
Scale-constrained00
Negative006 against Paycom
Bars are first choices, 0 to 12 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to twelve.
Every model, every framing
The seventy-two answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Paycom and ADP Workforce Now stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | |||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | ||
| Perplexity Sonar | | |||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | |||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | |||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | ||||
| Kimi K2 | | | | |||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | |
Paycom ADP Workforce Now first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Paycom on the left and ADP Workforce Now on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Paycom and ADP Workforce Now stood in it.
Paycom first, ADP Workforce Now not the choice
1 of 12 modelsADP Workforce Now was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Mistral SmallPaycom alternatives: ADP, Gusto, Paylocity, Rippling
ADP Workforce Now first, Paycom not the choice
1 of 12 modelsPaycom was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.MiniMax M2.5ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity alternatives: Rippling, UKG Pro
Neither was the first choice, one was named
7 of 12 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.GPT-5.4 miniRippling alternatives: ADP Global Payroll, ADP Workforce Now / ADP Full Service Payroll, Deel, Paycom
Gemini 3.5 FlashRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Paylocity
Perplexity SonarPaylocity, Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom
Grok 4.1 FastPaylocity, Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom
DeepSeek V4 FlashPaylocity alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Rippling, UKG Pro
Kimi K2Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Gusto, Paycom
GLM 4.7 FlashXPaylocity, Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycor, UKG Pro, Workday
Neither was named
3 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Rippling alternatives: Paycor, Paylocity
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Qwen 3.7 FlashADP, Rippling alternatives: BambooHR, Gusto, Zenefits
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
ADP Workforce Now is not named for this buyer.
Paycom0%#– of 10ADP Workforce Now—not namedMid-marketThe figures above
Paycom leads by two points.
Paycom6%#5 of 13ADP Workforce Now4%#7 of 13Enterprise
The order flips: ADP Workforce Now leads at enterprise.
ADP Workforce Now18%#2 of 13Paycom6%#6 of 13What the models said about Paycom
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of five in this category shown.
“Platforms with Significant Complaints ... Paycom - Major Issues: Tax filing errors that have caused users "tears"” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“class‑action lawsuit settled for $900K over a 2023 data breach ... This is a red flag for security.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“Paycom stands out as the best overall due to its high user satisfaction, strong support, and efficient implementation.” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“1. Paycom - named the No. 1 software in Implementation Index for Benefits Support” Llama 4 Maverick · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“I'd recommend starting with Paycom or ADP depending on your priorities” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about ADP Workforce Now
No label in this category carried a quote.
Also compared
Rippling vs PaycomRippling vs ADP Workforce NowPatriot Payroll vs PaycomPatriot Payroll vs ADP Workforce NowPaylocity vs PaycomPaylocity vs ADP Workforce NowADP vs PaycomADP vs ADP Workforce NowPaycom vs GustoPaycom vs PaycorGusto vs ADP Workforce NowADP Workforce Now vs PaycorAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full payroll software 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.