Performance management · September 2026 Edition
Lattice vs Small Improvements
Twelve of twelve models named Lattice first on the direct prompt; zero named Small Improvements. Lattice was named by twelve of the twelve models and Small Improvements by ten and Lattice carries 51 labels and Small Improvements 11, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in nineteen categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share41%7%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate12%9%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#5A position in a field of 14; printed, not drawn.
Labels5111A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Lattice reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.15Five was named alongside these two in nine of the twelve direct answers. Lattice vs PerformYard · Lattice vs 15Five · Lattice vs HiBob
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 performance management page.
By framing
How many of the twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
LatticeFirst choices, of twelve modelsSmall Improvements
Direct120
Paraphrase40
Comparative60
Budget-constrained032 against Lattice · 1 against Small Improvements
Scale-constrained30
Negative004 against Lattice
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 Lattice and Small Improvements 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 | | | | |
Lattice Small Improvements first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Lattice on the left and Small Improvements on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Lattice and Small Improvements stood in it.
Lattice first, Small Improvements not the choice
12 of 12 modelsSmall Improvements was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Lattice alternatives: 15Five, Betterworks, Culture Amp, HiBob, Leapsome, PerformYard
GPT-5.4 miniLattice alternatives: Mitratech Perform
Gemini 3.5 FlashLattice alternatives: 15Five, Betterworks, HiBob, Leapsome
Perplexity SonarLattice alternatives: 15Five, Betterworks, HiBob, Leapsome
Grok 4.1 FastLattice alternatives: 15Five, HiBob, Leapsome, Paylocity
Mistral SmallLattice alternatives: 15Five, Culture Amp
DeepSeek V4 FlashLattice alternatives: 15Five, Betterworks, Culture Amp, Leapsome, PerformYard
Llama 4 MaverickBetterworks, HiBob, Lattice
Qwen 3.7 FlashLattice alternatives: 15Five, Betterworks, HiBob
Kimi K2Lattice alternatives: 15Five, Culture Amp, Leapsome, PerformYard
GLM 4.7 FlashXLattice alternatives: 15Five, Culture Amp, HiBob, Leapsome, Rippling
MiniMax M2.5Lattice alternatives: Engagedly, Paylocity
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
Lattice leads by eleven points.
Lattice17%#2 of 10Small Improvements6%#7 of 10Mid-marketThe figures above
Lattice leads by thirty-five points.
Lattice41%#1 of 14Small Improvements7%#5 of 14Enterprise
Lattice leads by twelve points.
Lattice12%#3 of 9Small Improvements0%#– of 9What the models said about Lattice
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of four in this category shown.
“Watch Out For: Minimum seat requirements (e.g., Lattice requires $4,000/year minimum)” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Steep learning curve - frequently cited as confusing for initial tasks ... Expensive - minimum $4,000 annual agreement” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Choose Lattice if you are a fast-growing company (Seed to Series C/D) that wants to manage reviews, promotions, and salary adjustments in one easy-to-use place.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Lattice: Best Overall for Balanced Performance & Goal Alignment... widely considered the gold-standard platform for mid-market, tech-forward B2B companies” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Small Improvements
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of four in this category shown.
“Cheapest credible option (but has seat minimums)” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · soft negative
“The best performance management software for a company with a limited budget is Small Improvements, which is the cheapest credible performance appraisal software” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · first choice
“Often cited as the best value for money, Small Improvements strikes a balance between robust features and affordability.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“Often cited as the cheapest credible option at $3/user/month, making it ideal for small businesses” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
Also compared
Lattice vs PerformYardLattice vs 15FiveLattice vs HiBobLattice vs BetterworksLattice vs LeapsomeLattice vs Culture AmpPerformYard vs Small Improvements15Five vs Small ImprovementsHiBob vs Small ImprovementsSmall Improvements vs BetterworksSmall Improvements vs LeapsomeSmall Improvements vs Culture AmpAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full performance management 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.