Sales commissions and incentive compensation
Asked as “sales commission management platform”, and as “incentive compensation management tool”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B software company. 27 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, six models each.
Standing · first-choice share
41%
Clear leader
41CaptivateIQ19Everstage11Sales Cookie30others
41% of first choices, clear leader.
The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all six models, for a mid-market B2B software company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
Show the two products at 0%, ordered by negative rate
The floor is 12 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one can't be told apart from repeat variation, and both are shown. Each index measures its own floor from its own repeat, over its own categories, so the floor differs from one index to the next. How the floor is measured
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
All fifteen head-to-head pages: the top six products, each against each
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative60%
Key
01CaptivateIQ41%
CaptivateIQ41%02Everstage19%
Everstage19%03QuotaPath7%
QuotaPath7%04Qobra4%
Qobra4%05Performio4%
Performio4%06Salesforce Spiff4%
Salesforce Spiff4%07Varicent0%
Varicent0%08Xactly Incent0%
Xactly Incent0%What they warned about
Four of six models held their first choice under the paraphrase. Gemini 3.1 Pro and Perplexity Sonar Pro changed. A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Xactly Incent58%
14 of 24 labels negative · 6 of 6 models · 4 hard negative
“it's important to avoid enterprise tools like Xactly or Spiff, which come with high implementation costs and long contracts” Gemini 3.1 Pro, budget prompt
CaptivateIQ23%
7 of 30 labels negative · 6 of 6 models · 2 hard negative
“Avoid enterprise tools like Xactly, CaptivateIQ, or Everstage if the budget is tight” Perplexity Sonar Pro, budget prompt
Salesforce Spiff36%
10 of 28 labels negative · 5 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“avoid enterprise tools like Xactly or Spiff, which come with high implementation costs and long contracts” Gemini 3.1 Pro, budget prompt
Varicent36%
5 of 14 labels negative · 4 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“Probably not right for you: Xactly and Varicent” Claude Opus 5, direct prompt
What they cite
Six of the six models returned a source list in this edition: six return the pages they cited.
Sites the answers cite
34 of 36 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 6 of 6 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 583 links across 115 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. None of the 36 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category.
vendor site · Everstage25 answers · 57 citations · 6 models
vendor site · QuotaPath25 answers · 39 citations · 6 models
vendor site · CaptivateIQ23 answers · 43 citations · 6 models
vendor site · Qobra19 answers · 40 citations · 5 models
vendor site · Visdum15 answers · 26 citations · 3 models
15 answers · 17 citations · 4 models
14 answers · 42 citations · 6 models
vendor site · Forma.ai14 answers · 18 citations · 4 models
vendor site · Salesforce14 answers · 18 citations · 6 models
13 answers · 16 citations · 4 models
12 answers · 12 citations · 5 models
vendor site · Capterra9 answers · 20 citations · 4 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
15 answers · 4 models
15 answers · 4 models
13 answers · 4 models
12 answers · 4 models
12 answers · 3 models
12 answers · 5 models
10 answers · 3 models
9 answers · 2 models
9 answers · 3 models
7 answers · 3 models
Search against answers
Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best sales commission management platform”, “sales commission management platform”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
| Company and products | Share | Own site cited | Name searches, Google | AI search demand, est. | Organic visits | Paid search a month, est. | Google ads, last 30 days | Best Google position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CaptivateIQ captivateiq.com | 41% | 146 | 4,400 | 41 | 17,854 | 31 | 2 | |
| Everstage everstage.com | 19% | 127 | 1,300 | 15 | 26,345 | $1,064 | 41 | 1 |
| Sales Cookie salescookie.com | 11% | 51 | 260 | 138 | 437 | 4 | ||
| QuotaPath quotapath.com | 7% | 181 | 1,600 | 5 | 21,168 | $1,546 | 34 | 3 |
| Qobra qobra.co | 4% | 39 | 260 | 1 | 47,808 | 7 | ||
| Performio performio.co | 4% | 110 | 720 | 5 | 2,271 | 10 | 6 | |
| Visdum visdum.com | 4% | 33 | 70 | 3 | 15,225 | 0 | 1 | |
| Salesforce parent site Salesforce Spiff 4% | 4% | 139 | 550,000 | 60,632 | ||||
| Carvd | 4% | |||||||
| Commissionly commissionly.io | 4% | 58 | 210 | 0 | 447 |
Google's top ten for the two searches hold 15 sites; 5 of them are among the sites the models cited here (captivateiq.com, croclub.com, everstage.com, quotapath.com, visdum.com). The first result for “best sales commission management platform” is everstage.com.
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.ShowHide
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ShowHideModelDirect“What is the best sales commission management platform for a mid-market B2B software company?”Paraphrase“Which incentive compensation management tool would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B software company?”Comparative“What are the top sales commission management platforms and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best sales commission management platform for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating a sales commission management platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which sales commission management platforms should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5CaptivateIQagainst: Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentCaptivateIQHeldagainst: Forma.ai, Performio, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentCaptivateIQagainst: Salesforce SpiffSales Cookie, Visdumagainst: CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Performio, Xactly Incentno first choiceagainst: Blitz, CaptivateIQ, Commissionly, Core Commissions, ElevateHQ, Salesforce Spiff, Xactly Incent
Four alternatives
Everstage, Performio, Qobra, QuotaPathTwo alternatives
Everstage, QuotaPathSeven alternatives
Everstage, Forma.ai, Performio, QuotaPath, Varicent, Visdum, Xactly IncentOne alternative
QuotaPathClaude Opus 4.8CaptivateIQ, Everstageagainst: Xactly IncentCaptivateIQ, EverstageHeldagainst: Xactly Incentno first choiceQuotaPathagainst: CaptivateIQno first choiceagainst: SAP Commissions, Salesforce Spiff, Xactly Incent
One alternative
QuotaPathThree alternatives
Performio, QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffTen alternatives
CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Forma.ai, Performio, Qobra, QuotaPath, SAP Commissions, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentOne alternative
EverstageGPT-6 AstraCaptivateIQCaptivateIQHeldCaptivateIQ, QuotaPathSales Cookieagainst: QuotaPathCaptivateIQ, Everstageagainst: Varicent, Xactly Incentagainst: CaptivateIQ, SAP Commissions, Salesforce Spiff, Xactly Incent
Three alternatives
Everstage, QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffTwo alternatives
QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffFive alternatives
Everstage, Performio, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentTwo alternatives
QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffGPT-5.6 SolCaptivateIQCaptivateIQHeldCaptivateIQSales Cookieagainst: QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffCaptivateIQ, Performioagainst: QuotaPathagainst: CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Oracle Incentive Compensation, Performio, QuotaPath, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly Incent
Four alternatives
Everstage, Performio, QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffFive alternatives
Performio, QuotaPath, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentSeven alternatives
Everstage, Performio, Qobra, QuotaPath, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentOne alternative
Easy-CommissionFour alternatives
Everstage, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly IncentGemini 3.1 ProEverstageSalesforce SpiffChangedCaptivateIQCarvdagainst: Salesforce Spiff, Xactly IncentEverstageagainst: Performio, Xactly Incentagainst: CaptivateIQ, SAP Commissions, Salesforce Spiff, Varicent, Xactly Incent
Four alternatives
CaptivateIQ, QuotaPath, Salesforce Spiff, VisdumFour alternatives
CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Performio, QuotaPathSix alternatives
Everstage, Qobra, QuotaPath, Salesforce Spiff, Visdum, Xactly IncentThree alternatives
Qobra, QuotaPath, Sales CookieThree alternatives
CaptivateIQ, QuotaPath, Salesforce SpiffPerplexity Sonar ProQobraCaptivateIQChangedno first choiceCommissionly, QuotaPathagainst: CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Xactly Incentno first choicenothing named
Four alternatives
CaptivateIQ, Everstage, QuotaPath, VisdumThree alternatives
Qobra, QuotaPath, VisdumBold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency.
Thirty-six rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:29 | yes | 36 | 58 s |
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:31 | yes | 36 | 48 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:32 | yes | 5 | 32 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:34 | yes | 6 | 29 s |
| Direct recommendation | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:25 | yes | 9 | 108 s |
| Direct recommendation | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:31 | yes | 20 | 8 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:36 | yes | 23 | 54 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:37 | no | 0 | 21 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:39 | yes | 6 | 26 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:40 | yes | 7 | 34 s |
| Paraphrase | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:26 | yes | 7 | 39 s |
| Paraphrase | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:38 | yes | 20 | 5 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:43 | yes | 40 | 72 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:45 | yes | 34 | 53 s |
| Comparative | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:47 | yes | 8 | 41 s |
| Comparative | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:49 | yes | 10 | 53 s |
| Comparative | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:28 | yes | 8 | 24 s |
| Comparative | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:46 | yes | 20 | 7 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:51 | yes | 30 | 43 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:55 | yes | 38 | 57 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:57 | yes | 2 | 27 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:57 | yes | 3 | 28 s |
| Budget constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:29 | yes | 13 | 36 s |
| Budget constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:56 | yes | 20 | 7 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 21:00 | yes | 27 | 67 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 21:01 | no | 0 | 30 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 21:04 | yes | 5 | 50 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 21:06 | yes | 6 | 53 s |
| Scale constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 18:39 | yes | 6 | 36 s |
| Scale constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 21:01 | yes | 20 | 10 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 21:10 | yes | 40 | 74 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 21:16 | yes | 36 | 192 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 21:18 | yes | 4 | 41 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 21:20 | yes | 9 | 41 s |
| Negative framing | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 18:42 | yes | 9 | 129 s |
| Negative framing | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 21:17 | yes | 20 | 7 s |
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
ShowHide
Category-scoped readings
Oracle Sales Performance Management read as Oracle Incentive Compensation
Xactly read as Xactly Incent
Xactly (Xactly Incent) read as Xactly Incent
Unresolved, counted raw
None awaiting human review.
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.