Every category where a model named ADP Retirement Services for a mid-market B2B company. Share is first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts; rank is within every product named in that category.

Category	Function	Share	Rank	Negative rate	Labels	Quadrant	Since September 2026
401(k) providers	Compensation and total rewards	16%	3 of 78	12%	41	accepted challenger

Movement

This is the first edition on this tier, so no move can be computed for ADP Retirement Services yet. From the next edition this section shows, per buyer segment and per category, whether its share moved by more than the measured noise floor.

By model

How each model treated ADP Retirement Services across every prompt where it was named for a mid-market B2B company. Fourteen models, six prompts per category.

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Model	First choice	Alternative	Mention	Negative	Labels
Claude Haiku 4.5	0	2	1	0	3
GPT-5.4 mini	2	0	1	0	3
Gemini 3.5 Flash	0	1	2	2	5
Perplexity Sonar	2	1	0	0	3
Grok 4.1 Fast	2	2	0	0	4
Mistral Small	1	2	1	0	4
DeepSeek V4 Flash	0	1	1	1	3
Llama 4 Maverick	0	0	2	0	2
Qwen 3.7 Flash	1	0	0	0	1
Kimi K2	0	2	1	0	3
GLM 4.7 FlashX	1	2	0	2	5
MiniMax M2.5	0	0	1	0	1
GPT-6 Luna	0	1	1	0	2
Muse Glimmer 30B	0	2	0	0	2

By framing

Which of the six questions produced the naming. By model says how often; this says asked what. The first-choice count on the right carries the marks of the models that produced it.

FramingLabels by classFirst choices

Direct29 labels6

Paraphrase31 labels9

Comparative31 labels2not counted in share

Budget-constrained16 labels1

Scale-constrained7 labels1

Negative14 labelsNone

First choiceAlternativeMentionNegative128 labels in all, every segment counted; 17 of the 19 first choices count toward share, since the comparative and negative framings do not. The bar is one segment per label class, to scale within the framing.

What the models said for it

Verbatim evidence the judge attached to positive labels.

“This is widely considered the best option for very small teams because its pricing structure is designed to minimize costs” Qwen 3.7 Flash · 401(k) providers · budget prompt · first choice

“Shortlist: ADP Enhanced (mid-sized focus), Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or Human Interest/ForUsAll for tech-forward.” Grok 4.1 Fast · 401(k) providers · scale prompt · first choice

“ADP and Fidelity are often the top recommendations due to their flexibility, strong service, and tailored solutions” Mistral Small · 401(k) providers · paraphrase prompt · first choice

“Best all-around for a mid-market B2B company: ADP because it is positioned for midsized businesses” Perplexity Sonar · 401(k) providers · direct prompt · first choice

And against it

Verbatim evidence attached to negative labels. A warning on a product with few labels is a warning; on a product with many, it is one voice among them.

“ADP's fee structures can sometimes be less transparent than modern digital-first providers ... their underlying fund options may feature slightly higher expense ratios.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · 401(k) providers · paraphrase prompt · soft negative

“Large, Bundled Payroll Providers Common Examples: *ADP Retirement Services and Paychex*... historically carry high administrative and recordkeeping costs” Gemini 3.5 Flash · 401(k) providers · negative prompt · soft negative

“Concerns about "bundled" packages that may inflate total costs and obscure fee structures.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · 401(k) providers · negative prompt · soft negative

“ADP is a strong choice, though generally more expensive than the digital-first options” GLM 4.7 FlashX · 401(k) providers · budget prompt · soft negative

Named alongside

The products named in the same answers as ADP Retirement Services, over the 128 answers that named it. Took the first choice instead counts the answers where the other product was the first choice and ADP Retirement Services was named but was not.

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ProductSame answerTook the first choice insteadHead to head

Vanguard68 of 1288Compare →

Human Interest66 of 12816Compare →

Guideline61 of 12830Compare →

Fidelity Advantage 40161 of 12810Compare →

Empower Retirement53 of 1287Compare →

Fidelity Investments37 of 12820Compare →

Paychex37 of 1280Not among the top eight

Charles Schwab24 of 1281Not among the top eight

Employee Fiduciary20 of 1282Not among the top eight

Betterment at Work20 of 1280Not among the top eight

A head-to-head page exists where both products are among a category's top eight. The other rows are the same fact without a page behind them, so they link to the product instead.

What carried it into the answer

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named ADP Retirement Services. A fact about retrieval, not a lever on the model.

Citations exist only for the models that return a source list, five of the fourteen in this edition, so these counts come from 128 of the 128 answers that named ADP Retirement Services and are not a share of its labels.

Domains cited

adp.comYour site87

spotsaas.com71

forbes.com62

fidelity.com52

betterment.com51

uschamber.com51

fitsmallbusiness.com38

goldenwealthcapital.com32

aol.com31

business.com30

418 of the 505 domain citations in answers naming ADP Retirement Services came from somebody else's page.

Pages cited

adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/401k.aspx78

forbes.com/advisor/retirement/best-401k-plans52

uschamber.com/co/run/human-resources/employee-retirement-providers51

spotsaas.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-best-401k-provider45

fidelity.com/retirement-ira/small-business/compare-retirement-plans44

betterment.com/top-401ks-for-small-businesses-in-202641

fitsmallbusiness.com/best-401k-companies38

spotsaas.com/blog/10-best-401k-providers-202635

Pages are listed as the models cited them.

Search and answers

Where ADP Retirement Services stands in Google search beside where it stands in the models' answers.

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In search

Google, US estimates

Searches for its name, Google: 8,100 a month (“adp retirement services”)
AI search demand for its name, est.: 56 a month
Its own site: It sits on ADP's site (adp.com), so there are no site figures for it alone

In answers

This edition

Share of first choices

16%

rank 3 of 78 in 401(k) providers

Segment leader

20%

Human Interest

First choices: 17 across its categories
Named in: 128 answers
Its own site cited: in 128 of the answers that named it

Search figures are US estimates from DataForSEO, read October 5, 2026; AI search demand is its modeled, directional estimate, not a count of queries to any assistant. The answers are this edition's. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.

Names read as ADP Retirement Services

What the judge wrote, as written, with how often. The vendor table decides that these count as ADP Retirement Services; a claim can dispute any of them.

ADP 26ADP (Starter-k Complete) 1ADP Retirement 1ADP Starter 401(k) 1

Follow ADP Retirement Services

An email the morning each edition publishes: where this product moved, where it held, and by how much against the noise floor. One address, confirmed by a click; a stop link in every email.

Already following? Everything you follow, with a stop for each.

The company

ADP is the company behind ADP Retirement Services.

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On record

Company records

Also from ADP: ADP 401(k) Premier, ADP Assist, ADP Benefits, ADP Celergo, ADP DataCloud, ADP Employer of Record, ADP Flex, ADP Global and 24 more

In its own words

Stated by the vendor, not checked

Positioning: Avoid costly penalties by complying with state-mandated retirement plans. ADP Retirement Services can help your company navigate state mandates.
adp.com/resources/state-mandated-retirement-plans.aspx
For: employers
adp.com/resources/state-mandated-retirement-plans.aspx
Price stated: Starting at just $100/month adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/401k.aspx
Starting price: 100/month adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/401k.aspx
Free plan or trial: up to 5 MONTHS FREE adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/adp-401k-essential.aspx
Certifications: SEC Registered Investment AdviserMember FINRAFINRA
Customers named: Amazon DSP
Not stated on the pages read: Integrations, hosting

What ADP Retirement Services's own pages state, read October 5, 2026: adp.com/resources/state-mandated-retirement-plans.aspx, adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/401k.aspx, adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/adp-401k-essential.aspx, adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/r/retirement-plans.aspx, adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/4/403b-retirement-plan.aspx. A claimed page can correct any of them.

Is this your product?

Claim this page

Claiming is free and changes nothing in the data. A claimed page shows a verified contact who is told when each edition publishes and when ADP Retirement Services's standing changes by more than the noise floor; the right to propose corrections to the vendor table, meaning names the judge wrote that should or should not read as ADP Retirement Services, applied by version and listed in the change log; and a one-line description supplied by the vendor and marked as such.

What a new claim receivesHide what a new claim receives

A new claim receives the current edition's vendor brief for ADP Retirement Services by email, built from the raw record of the edition. It shows:

where ADP Retirement Services is named, by buyer and by framing, and which cells hold its first choices;
the claims the models make when they name it, ranked, with the strongest and the weakest quoted;
its vocabulary against the segment leader's, and the pages the models cited;
who was chosen in the answers that did not name ADP Retirement Services, and every reason the record gives;
a battlecard for each top rival: the head-to-head split, why they win, and the reservation quoted against them;
one page of published figures cleared to show a buyer.

Badges

Wins only: a badge exists where ADP Retirement Services is ranked in a category's top three this edition. Three sizes, one file each, light and dark; the code is under each.

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ADP Retirement Services is among the products AI models recommend first in 401(k) providers this edition. Each badge says so in the buyer's words, names the edition, and links to the standing. The next edition issues a new badge; this one stays true as a record of October 2026.

Wide · 320 × 104 Website, beside other badges

Show the code

<a href="https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/"><img src="https://hr-ai-index.com/badges/2026-10/adp-retirement-services--401k-providers-wide.svg" alt="Among AI models' top three in 401(k) providers, October 2026 Edition, HR AI Recommendation Index" width="320" height="104"></a>

Copy the code as it is. The link is part of the badge: it points at the 401(k) providers standing, where the claim can be checked.

Square · 240 × 240 LinkedIn, slides

Show the code

<a href="https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/"><img src="https://hr-ai-index.com/badges/2026-10/adp-retirement-services--401k-providers-square.svg" alt="Among AI models' top three in 401(k) providers, October 2026 Edition, HR AI Recommendation Index" width="240" height="240"></a>

Copy the code as it is. The link is part of the badge: it points at the 401(k) providers standing, where the claim can be checked.

Compact · 200 × 56 Email signature, footer

Show the code

<a href="https://hr-ai-index.com/rewards/401k-providers/"><img src="https://hr-ai-index.com/badges/2026-10/adp-retirement-services--401k-providers-compact.svg" alt="Among AI models' top three in 401(k) providers, October 2026 Edition, HR AI Recommendation Index" width="200" height="56"></a>

Copy the code as it is. The link is part of the badge: it points at the 401(k) providers standing, where the claim can be checked.

Badges read on light and dark pages. Alt text carries the claim, the category, the edition and the index, so it stays a citation where the image does not load.