# Guideline vs Principal: 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; zero named Principal. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/guideline-vs-principal/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guideline | 20% | #2 of 12 | 9% | 32 | 11 of 14 |
| Principal | 2% | #8 of 12 | 8% | 13 | 9 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)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: Fidelity Investments, Principal, Vanguard)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: ADP 401(k) Premier) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace, Principal)
- 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)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: ADP Retirement Services, Human Interest) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401, John Hancock, Securian Financial)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Fidelity Advantage 401) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Fidelity Investments) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Human Interest) (alternatives: Empower Retirement, T. Rowe Price)

## 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 Principal

- "Common Examples: *Transamerica, Principal, John Hancock, Voya, Equitable, and Lincoln Financial*." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Principal or Fidelity if you want comprehensive features, broad investment options, and strong institutional support" (Claude Haiku 4.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Principal Financial Group offers 401(k) recordkeeping mostly to small and mid-size businesses." (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, alternative)
- "Want broad plan design options and employee engagement tools? Look at Principal." (GPT-5.4 mini, comparative prompt, alternative)

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.