Payactiv vs Dave
Zero of twelve models named Payactiv first on the direct prompt; zero named Dave. Payactiv was named by twelve of the twelve models and Dave by ten and Payactiv carries 39 labels and Dave 15, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve 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 earned wage access page.
By framing
PayactivFirst choices, of twelve modelsDave
Across every category in the September 2026 Edition, Payactiv and Dave were named in the same answer fifteen times, of the 115 answers naming Payactiv and the 24 naming Dave. In those answers Dave took the first choice zero times and Payactiv six.
Every model, every framing
| 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 | | | |
Payactiv Dave first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Payactiv on the left and Dave on the right.The direct prompt
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 12 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Neither was named
7 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.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
What the models said about Payactiv
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Verdict: Proceed with Caution. ... the 2025 data breach and previous regulatory disputes should be factored into your decision.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“BBB/CFPB logs (2022\u20132024) cite overdrafts, incorrect debits, poor support (e.g., DailyPay, Payactiv in samples)” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · soft negative
“Payactiv and DailyPay are also employer-free in many cases but may require more integration for smaller firms” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · soft negative
“1. Payactiv - It's a zero-cost benefit that requires no change to cash flow. Payactiv is the only EWA provider to provide 5 free options” Claude Haiku 4.5 · budget prompt · first choice
“I'd generally recommend Payactiv as the safer default choice for an employer-sponsored on-demand pay benefit” GPT-5.4 mini · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“For most large U.S. employers, DailyPay or PayActiv offer the most robust, scalable solutions” MiniMax M2.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about Dave
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.
“Verdict: Avoid. The FTC's complaint highlights systemic deception aimed at financially vulnerable users.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“Courts in multiple states have ruled against several payday loan apps including Brigit, Cleo, Dave” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“EarnIn and Dave (tip-based model) ... can trap users in cycles similar to payday loans” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Absolute Lowest Cost | Dave / Chime | No contract, no fees, no work for HR.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
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.