# Paylocity vs Paycom: 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 Paycom. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/core/payroll-software/paylocity-vs-paycom/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paylocity | 17% | #3 of 13 | 29% | 35 | 11 of 12 |
| Paycom | 6% | #5 of 13 | 25% | 24 | 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)
- Mistral Small: paycom first (first choices: Paycom) (alternatives: ADP, Gusto, Paylocity, Rippling)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: Paycor, Paylocity)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Global Payroll, ADP Workforce Now / ADP Full Service Payroll, Deel, Paycom)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Deel, Paylocity)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Gusto, Paycom)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: ADP, Rippling) (alternatives: BambooHR, Gusto, Zenefits)

## 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 Paycom

- "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)

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.