# Figures vs Pave: which do AI models recommend for pay equity, October 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Pay equity. Zero of fourteen models named Figures first on the direct prompt; one named Pave. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/pay-equity/figures-vs-pave/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figures | 7% | #4 of 14 | 7% | 15 | 9 of 14 |
| Pave | 5% | #6 of 14 | 19% | 16 | 10 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: pave first (first choices: Pave) (alternatives: Payscale, Phodata, Workleap Compensation)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Syndio) (alternatives: Aeqium, Affirmity, Compport, Figures, HiBob, Pave, PayAnalytics, Payscale, Workday Pay Equity, beqom Pay Equity)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: HiBob) (alternatives: Aeqium, Pave, Payscale, Workleap Compensation)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Workleap Compensation) (alternatives: Compport, OpenComp, PayAnalytics, Payscale, Syndio, Trusaic PayParity)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Syndio) (alternatives: PayAnalytics, Trusaic PayParity)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: PayAnalytics) (alternatives: CandorIQ, Pequity, Syndio, Trusaic PayParity)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Aeqium) (alternatives: HiBob, Payscale, Salary.com Pay Equity, Workleap Compensation)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Workleap Compensation) (alternatives: Aeqium, HiBob, Payscale)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Aeqium) (alternatives: Sysarb, Workleap Compensation)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: PayAnalytics) (alternatives: Compport, Payscale, Syndio)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Workleap Compensation) (alternatives: Affirmity, Effy)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: PayAnalytics, Syndio) (alternatives: Payscale, Trusaic PayParity)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Payscale) (alternatives: Syndio, Trusaic PayParity)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither named (first choices: PayAnalytics, beqom Pay Equity) (alternatives: Syndio, Trusaic PayParity)

## What the models said about Figures

- "Tools requiring heavy analyst intervention (e.g., certain configurations of Aeqium, Figures)" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "If EU-based or global: Figures offers the best balance of compliance features and usability for mid-market" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "I'd suggest starting with Figures or Syndio as they balance functionality with mid-market accessibility" (MiniMax M2.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Top Recommendation: Figures HR (if EU/UK focus) or Syndio (if global/US focus)" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Pave

- "smaller/low-cost options like Barley, Deel basic tiers, Pave, or Equity.com basic... "avoid for scale"" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, hard negative)
- ""Examples to Avoid: Pave, Barley, Equity.com (basic tiers)."" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "well-known platforms (e.g., Pave, Equity.com) may have basic tiers that are not suitable for comprehensive pay equity analysis" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)

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.