# Fidelity Advantage 401 vs Vanguard: which do AI models recommend for 401(k) providers, October 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, 401(k) providers. One of fourteen models named Fidelity Advantage 401 first on the direct prompt; zero named Vanguard. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/fidelity-advantage-401-vs-vanguard/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Advantage 401 | 9% | #5 of 12 | 0% | 36 | 13 of 14 |
| Vanguard | 5% | #7 of 12 | 4% | 46 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Mistral Small: fidelity advantage 401 first (first choices: Fidelity Advantage 401) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: Fidelity Investments, Principal, Vanguard)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: ADP Retirement Services, Human Interest) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401, John Hancock, Securian Financial)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Guideline, Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Advantage 401, Principal, Vanguard)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Fidelity Investments, Guideline, Lighthouse Group) (alternatives: Charles Schwab, Vanguard)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Fidelity Investments) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Investments) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Employee Fiduciary, Guideline, Human Interest, Nationwide, Vanguard)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: ADP Retirement Services) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Gusto, ShareBuilder 401k)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Principal Financial Group)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Fidelity Investments, Guideline, Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: ADP 401(k) Premier) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace, Principal)

## What the models said about Fidelity Advantage 401

- "Fidelity – Highly rated for its broad investment lineup, transparent fees, strong digital tools, and education resources. It's a top choice" (Mistral Small, direct prompt, first choice)
- "1. Fidelity Investments  - Best for: Large and mid-sized companies; top-rated mobile app, zero-fee index funds (e.g., FZROX)." (Grok 4.1 Fast, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "If it is Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or Empower, you are in safe territory regarding platform security and customer service." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Vanguard

- "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)

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. 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.