Deel vs Gusto
One of fourteen models named Deel first on the direct prompt; zero named Gusto. Both were named by all fourteen models and Deel carries 60 labels and Gusto 49, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
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 contractor payments page.
By framing
DeelFirst choices, of fourteen modelsGusto
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Deel and Gusto were named in the same answer 114 times, of the 188 answers naming Deel and the 147 naming Gusto. In those answers Gusto took the first choice thirty-two times and Deel twenty-four.
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 4.20 | | | | | | |
| 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 | | | | |
Deel Gusto first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Deel on the left and Gusto on the right.The direct prompt
Deel first, Gusto not the choice
1 of 14 modelsGusto was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Neither was the first choice, one was named
12 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Neither was named
1 of 14 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
Deel20%#2 of 14Gusto2%#6 of 14What the models said about Deel
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“flagged as having high fees, lacking compliance features, or being unsuitable for contractor payments” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid: Full-service platforms like Rippling, Deel, or Remote if budget is tight” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“With Deel, you can't negotiate custom payment schedules or request alternative payout methods outside Deel's supported options” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Deel and Remote dominate the "all-in-one" global contractor space, offering strong compliance, per-contractor pricing, and broad country coverage.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
“Deel or Remote are the default starts to price. Deel is the platform to open when a contractor needs a contract, an invoice, and a payout on one record.” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Contractor management / Contractor of Record with payments like Deel, Remote, Rippling, Papaya Global for compliance heavy global use” Muse Glimmer 30B · scale prompt · first choice
What the models said about Gusto
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Gusto is a solid simpler option, but it's usually better for smaller orgs than a true mid-market, multi-team setup” GPT-5.4 mini · direct prompt · soft negative
“Gusto is primarily U.S.-focused and does not support international contractor payments.” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“less suited for global, high-volume, or complex AP scenarios” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · soft negative
“Best for: U.S. businesses paying U.S. contractors and wanting payroll + contractor payments in one system.” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
“The easiest to set up for domestic work. Automates 1099-NEC tax reporting and W-9 collection natively.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Gusto’s Contractor Only plan is usually the best balance of price + ease of use + 1099 filing” GPT-5.4 mini · 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.