401(k) providers · October 2026 Edition
Empower Retirement vs Vanguard
One of fourteen models named Empower Retirement first on the direct prompt; zero named Vanguard. Both were named by all fourteen models and Empower Retirement carries 38 labels and Vanguard 46, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in three categories this edition.
First-choice share7%5%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate0%4%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#6#7A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels3846A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Empower Retirement reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.ADP Retirement Services was named alongside these two in nine of the fourteen direct answers. Human Interest vs Empower Retirement · Human Interest vs Vanguard · Guideline vs Empower Retirement
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen 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 401(k) providers page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Empower RetirementFirst choices, of fourteen modelsVanguard
Direct10
Paraphrase31
Comparative01
Budget-constrained02
Scale-constrained00
Negative142 against Vanguard
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Empower Retirement and Vanguard were named in the same answer sixty times, of the 88 answers naming Empower Retirement and the 122 naming Vanguard. In those answers Vanguard took the first choice four times and Empower Retirement four.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Empower Retirement and Vanguard 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 | | | | |||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | ||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Empower Retirement Vanguard first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Empower Retirement on the left and Vanguard on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Empower Retirement and Vanguard stood in it.
Empower Retirement first, Vanguard an alternative
1 of 14 modelsVanguard was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Muse Glimmer 30BEmpower Retirement, Fidelity Investments alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Employee Fiduciary, Guideline, Human Interest, Nationwide, Vanguard
Neither was the first choice, one was named
11 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Claude Haiku 4.5Human Interest alternatives: Fidelity Investments, Principal, Vanguard
GPT-5.4 miniADP Retirement Services alternatives: Empower Retirement, Gusto, ShareBuilder 401k
Perplexity SonarADP Retirement Services, Human Interest alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401, John Hancock, Securian Financial
Grok 4.1 FastGuideline, Human Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Advantage 401, Principal, Vanguard
Mistral SmallFidelity Advantage 401 alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement
DeepSeek V4 FlashFidelity Investments, Guideline, Human Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price
Qwen 3.7 FlashFidelity Investments, Guideline, Lighthouse Group alternatives: Charles Schwab, Vanguard
Kimi K2Fidelity Investments alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard
GLM 4.7 FlashXHuman Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard
MiniMax M2.5Human Interest alternatives: Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price
GPT-6 LunaADP 401(k) Premier alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace, Principal
Neither was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Gemini 3.5 FlashHuman Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Principal Financial Group
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
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
Vanguard leads by two points.
Vanguard2%#7 of 9Empower Retirement0%#– of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Empower Retirement leads at mid-market.
Empower Retirement7%#6 of 12Vanguard5%#7 of 12Enterprise
Empower Retirement leads by two points.
Empower Retirement7%#4 of 11Vanguard4%#6 of 11What the models said about Empower Retirement
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of four in this category shown.
“Mid-market B2B firms typically land on Fidelity or Empower for service/flexibility” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“Empower Retirement - best for flexibility and negotiated pricing for mid-market” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“If it is Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or Empower, you are in safe territory” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · first choice
What the models said about Vanguard
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“Vanguard is excellent for investing but not recommended for 401(k) administration” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“their 401(k) administration has drawn criticism... recommended using Vanguard funds through another provider instead” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“For Large/Midsize Businesses: Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, and Charles Schwab are renowned for offering excellent low-cost institutional index funds.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · first choice
“consider providers like Vanguard or Fidelity, which are known for lower fees and better investment options” Mistral Small · negative prompt · first choice
“Want lowest-cost investing and a very large, established provider? Look at Vanguard.” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
Human Interest vs Empower RetirementHuman Interest vs VanguardGuideline vs Empower RetirementGuideline vs VanguardADP Retirement Services vs Empower RetirementADP Retirement Services vs VanguardFidelity Investments vs Empower RetirementFidelity Investments vs VanguardFidelity Advantage 401 vs Empower RetirementFidelity Advantage 401 vs VanguardEmpower Retirement vs PrincipalVanguard vs PrincipalAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full 401(k) providers 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.