# Skills Base vs Eightfold AI: which do AI models recommend for skills intelligence, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Skills intelligence. Zero of twelve models named Skills Base first on the direct prompt; two named Eightfold AI. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/performance/skills-intelligence/skills-base-vs-eightfold-ai/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skills Base | 17% | #2 of 16 | 0% | 12 | 8 of 12 |
| Eightfold AI | 4% | #7 of 16 | 59% | 27 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: eightfold ai first (first choices: Eightfold AI, SkillPanel) (alternatives: Fuel50, Retrain.ai, Workday Skills Cloud)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: eightfold ai first (first choices: Eightfold AI) (alternatives: Clad.io, DeepSkill, Gloat, Lightcast Open Skills)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: TalentGuard) (alternatives: INOP, SkillPanel, Skills Base, iMocha)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Fuel50, TalentGuard) (alternatives: MuchSkills, Skills Base)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: iMocha) (alternatives: MuchSkills, Skills Base, TalentGuard)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: TalentGuard) (alternatives: Amplemarket, iMocha)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Career Bird) (alternatives: Docebo, Fuel50, Workera)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: TalentGuard, iMocha) (alternatives: Fuel50)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: TalentGuard, iMocha) (alternatives: Bryq, INOP)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: TalentGuard) (alternatives: Criteria Corp, Engagedly, iMocha)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: TalentGuard) (alternatives: 365Talents, Engagedly, Fuel50, TechWolf)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: TalentGuard) (alternatives: 365Talents, Gloat)

## What the models said about Skills Base

- "the best practical choice is usually Skills Base if you want a dedicated skills management platform with strong value for SMBs" (Perplexity Sonar, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Best Overall Value & "Spreadsheet Killer": Skills Base ... is the industry standard for budget-conscious companies" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Skills Base (starting at ~$2–$2.25 per user per month with a free tier) ... are the most practical entry points." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Eightfold AI

- "Gloat and Eightfold AI ... bring enterprise-grade complexity, cost, and lengthy implementations that usually overkill mid-market budgets" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, hard negative)
- "The Best All-Rounder (AI & Talent Acquisition)
Eightfold AI

Eightfold is widely considered the leader in the skills-based movement" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct 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.