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Payroll software · November 2026 Edition

Patriot Payroll vs ADP Workforce Now

Zero of fourteen models named Patriot Payroll first on the direct prompt; three named ADP Workforce Now. Patriot Payroll was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and ADP Workforce Now by twelve and Patriot Payroll carries 25 labels and ADP Workforce Now 23, so the shares are not directly comparable.

Patriot Payroll

accepted challenger

Named in one category this edition.

ADP Workforce Now

accepted challenger

Named in nineteen categories this edition.

First-choice share24%10%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate4%0%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#3A position in a field of 18; printed, not drawn.
Labels2523A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Patriot Payroll reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Rippling was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Rippling vs Patriot Payroll · Rippling vs ADP Workforce Now · Patriot Payroll vs Paylocity

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 payroll software page.

By framing

How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Patriot PayrollFirst choices, of fourteen modelsADP Workforce Now
Direct03
Paraphrase02
Comparative00
Budget-constrained120
Scale-constrained00
Negative101 against Patriot Payroll
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.

Every model, every framing

The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Patriot Payroll and ADP Workforce Now stood in it.
ModelDirectParaphraseComparativeBudget-constrainedScale-constrainedNegative
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
Patriot Payroll ADP Workforce Now first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Patriot Payroll on the left and ADP Workforce Now on the right.

The direct prompt

The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Patriot Payroll and ADP Workforce Now stood in it.

ADP Workforce Now first, Patriot Payroll not the choice

3 of 14 modelsPatriot Payroll was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.
Claude Haiku 4.5ADP Workforce Now, Rippling alternatives: Paychex Flex, Paylocity
GPT-5.4 miniADP Workforce Now, Rippling alternatives: Deel, Paychex Flex
Perplexity SonarADP Workforce Now alternatives: Namely, Paycom, Paylocity

Neither was the first choice, one was named

8 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.
Gemini 3.5 FlashRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, Paylocity
Grok 4.20Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Gusto, Paylocity
DeepSeek V4 FlashRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Dayforce, Paycom
Kimi K2Paychex Flex, Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Dayforce, Paycom
GLM 4.7 FlashXRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Dayforce, Paylocity, UKG Pro
MiniMax M2.5Rippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity, Workday
GPT-6 LunaRippling alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity, UKG Ready
Muse Glimmer 30Bno first choice alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Dayforce, Namely, Paycom, Paylocity, Rippling, UKG Pro, Workday

Neither was named

3 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.
Mistral SmallUKG Pro, Workday Mid-Market alternatives: Dayforce, Namely, Paycom, Rippling
Llama 4 MaverickNamely alternatives: OnPay, Paychex Flex, Paycor, QuickBooks Payroll
Qwen 3.7 FlashPaylocity, Rippling alternatives: Dayforce, Deel, Paycom

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

The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Patriot Payroll leads by twenty-three points.
Patriot Payroll23%#2 of 13
ADP Workforce Now0%#– of 13
The full small business standing →
Mid-marketThe figures above
Patriot Payroll leads by fourteen points.
Patriot Payroll24%#2 of 18
ADP Workforce Now10%#3 of 18
The full mid-market standing →
Enterprise
The order flips: ADP Workforce Now leads at enterprise.
ADP Workforce Now26%#2 of 15
Patriot Payroll0%#– of 15
The full enterprise standing →

What the models said about Patriot Payroll

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.

“low Customer Support scores for Patriot Software 1/10” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Best overall budget pick: Patriot Software – it offers the lowest starting price, per‑employee fees, and solid features” GLM 4.7 FlashX · budget prompt · first choice
“If budget is your absolute top priority, go with Patriot Software. It offers the essentials at the lowest price point.” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · first choice
“Look into modern, full-service, transparently-priced platforms like Gusto, OnPay, or Patriot Payroll.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · first choice

What the models said about ADP Workforce Now

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. One of one in this category shown.

“ADP Workforce Now is the default choice for mid-market payroll because it is the safest choice” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared

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.