# Guideline vs Empower Retirement: which do AI models recommend for 401(k) providers, October 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, 401(k) providers. Three of fourteen models named Guideline first on the direct prompt; one named Empower Retirement. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/guideline-vs-empower-retirement/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guideline | 20% | #2 of 12 | 9% | 32 | 11 of 14 |
| Empower Retirement | 7% | #6 of 12 | 0% | 38 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about Guideline

- "BBB customer reviews include stark warnings, e.g.: "Avoid at all costs." "You will never be able to get your money out."" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Users call it "crooks" and warn against it." (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "reporting high costs, poor service, or rollover/admin problems" (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Guideline is typically the best choice for companies with a limited budget due to its low monthly base fee ($39), no setup costs" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Start with Guideline if you prioritize ease, integrations, and scalability—it's frequently top-rated for budget-conscious SMBs." (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Guideline is often the strongest pick because it is explicitly positioned as an affordable, fully automated 401(k)" (Perplexity Sonar, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Empower Retirement

- "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)

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.