Compensation benchmarking data · October 2026 Edition
Pave vs SalaryCube
Three of fourteen models named Pave first on the direct prompt; five named SalaryCube. Pave was named by twelve of the fourteen models and SalaryCube by nine and Pave carries 27 labels and SalaryCube 12, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in six categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share19%10%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate4%8%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#3A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels2712A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Pave reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Salary.com CompAnalyst was named alongside these two in eight of the fourteen direct answers. Pave vs Payscale · Pave vs Salary.com CompAnalyst · Pave vs Ravio
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 compensation benchmarking data page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
PaveFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSalaryCube
Direct351 against SalaryCube
Paraphrase11
Comparative00
Budget-constrained70
Scale-constrained001 against Pave
Negative10
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.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Pave and SalaryCube 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 | | |
Pave SalaryCube first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Pave on the left and SalaryCube on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Pave and SalaryCube stood in it.
Pave first, SalaryCube not the choice
3 of 14 modelsSalaryCube was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Gemini 3.5 FlashPave alternatives: Figures, Payscale, Ravio, RepVue, Salary.com CompAnalyst
GLM 4.7 FlashXPave, Payscale Ascent alternatives: Figures, Salary.com CompAnalyst
GPT-6 LunaPave alternatives: Mercer Total Remuneration Survey, Payscale, Radford
SalaryCube first, Pave an alternative
5 of 14 modelsPave was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Grok 4.1 FastSalaryCube alternatives: Payscale, Salary.com CompAnalyst
Mistral SmallRavio, SalaryCube alternatives: CompUp, Figures
Kimi K2Payscale, SalaryCube alternatives: Figures, Pave, Ravio, Salary.com CompAnalyst
MiniMax M2.5SalaryCube alternatives: CompUp, Lattice, Salary.com CompAnalyst
Muse Glimmer 30BSalaryCube alternatives: Pave, Salary.com CompAnalyst
Neither was the first choice, one was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Claude Haiku 4.5Payscale alternatives: Comprehensive, Lattice, Pave, SalaryCube
Perplexity SonarRavio alternatives: CompUp, Pave, Payfactors, Payscale Ascent, Salary.com CompAnalyst
DeepSeek V4 FlashPayscale alternatives: Pave, Salary.com CompAnalyst
Qwen 3.7 FlashLattice alternatives: Comprehensive, Deel HR, Pave, SalaryCube
Neither was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GPT-5.4 miniPayscale alternatives: Mercer Total Remuneration Survey, Radford, WTW
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
Pave leads by twenty-eight points.
Pave30%#1 of 9SalaryCube2%#– of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Enterprise
Level: the same share of first choices.
Pave5%#3 of 12SalaryCube5%#4 of 12What the models said about Pave
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. One of one in this category shown.
“Pave is the most practical choice for many early-stage companies because it is explicitly called out as a free benchmarking option” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about SalaryCube
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of four in this category shown.
“Good modern alternative, but less brand recognition and narrower vendor ecosystem.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · soft negative
“SalaryCube "leads for most U.S. organizations due to its daily-updated Bigfoot Live system, transparent pricing, and fast implementation."” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“SalaryCube and Ravio are frequently recommended due to their comprehensive data, ease of use, and fit for mid-market needs.” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“start with SalaryCube—it's highlighted as the deepest fit in multiple independent comparisons for your scale” Grok 4.1 Fast · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Pave vs PayscalePave vs Salary.com CompAnalystPave vs RavioPave vs Comprehensive.ioPave vs RadfordPave vs Mercer Total Remuneration SurveyPayscale vs SalaryCubeSalaryCube vs Salary.com CompAnalystSalaryCube vs RavioSalaryCube vs Comprehensive.ioSalaryCube vs RadfordSalaryCube vs Mercer Total Remuneration SurveyAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full compensation benchmarkin 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.