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

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

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paylocity | 17% | #3 of 13 | 29% | 35 | 11 of 12 |
| ADP | 11% | #4 of 13 | 29% | 28 | 11 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about Paylocity

- "here are the platforms you should be cautious about and why:

### 1. Paylocity ... claim the software causes significant errors in payroll processing" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "multiple user discussions describe poor support and technical issues, so it is a candidate for extra due diligence" (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, hard negative)

## 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)

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.