# Paychex Flex alternatives: what AI models name instead, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. 194 of the 216 answers in the 1 category where Paychex Flex holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/vendors/paychex-flex/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Gusto: 38
- Rippling: 25
- Patriot Payroll: 24
- ADP: 20
- ADP Workforce Now: 10
- Paylocity: 7

## Payroll software

**Small business**: 66 of 72 answers did not name Paychex Flex (Paychex Flex is #10 of 10 at 0%).

- Gusto: first choice in 32 of those 66
- Patriot Payroll: first choice in 12 of those 66
- OnPay: first choice in 4 of those 66
- Rippling: first choice in 4 of those 66
- ADP RUN: first choice in 1 of those 66
- BambooHR: first choice in 1 of those 66
- BrightPay: first choice in 1 of those 66
- Payroll4Free: first choice in 1 of those 66

**Mid-market**: 61 of 72 answers did not name Paychex Flex (Paychex Flex is #12 of 13 at 0%).

- Rippling: first choice in 13 of those 61
- Patriot Payroll: first choice in 12 of those 61
- Paylocity: first choice in 7 of those 61
- Gusto: first choice in 6 of those 61
- ADP: first choice in 4 of those 61
- Paycom: first choice in 3 of those 61
- Paycor: first choice in 2 of those 61
- ADP Workforce Now: first choice in 1 of those 61

**Enterprise**: 67 of 72 answers did not name Paychex Flex (Paychex Flex is #10 of 13 at 2%).

- ADP: first choice in 16 of those 67
- ADP Workforce Now: first choice in 9 of those 67
- Rippling: first choice in 8 of those 67
- Workday: first choice in 6 of those 67
- Dayforce: first choice in 5 of those 67
- Paycom: first choice in 3 of those 67
- SAP SuccessFactors: first choice in 2 of those 67
- ADP Enterprise / ADP Workforce Now or ADP Lyric HCM: first choice in 1 of those 67

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.