ADP TotalSource vs Paychex PEO
Eleven of fourteen models named ADP TotalSource first on the direct prompt; one named Paychex PEO. Both were named by all fourteen models and ADP TotalSource carries 50 labels and Paychex PEO 36, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in five categories this edition.
Named in one category 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 PEO providers page.
By framing
ADP TotalSourceFirst choices, of fourteen modelsPaychex PEO
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, ADP TotalSource and Paychex PEO were named in the same answer eighty-eight times, of the 191 answers naming ADP TotalSource and the 99 naming Paychex PEO. In those answers Paychex PEO took the first choice zero times and ADP TotalSource thirty-three.
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 | | | | |
ADP TotalSource Paychex PEO first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, ADP TotalSource on the left and Paychex PEO on the right.The direct prompt
Both were the first choice
1 of 14 modelsThe answer named them together, and the judge labeled each a first choice.ADP TotalSource first, Paychex PEO an alternative
10 of 14 modelsPaychex PEO was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Neither was the first choice, one was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.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
ADP TotalSource7%#4 of 7Paychex PEO0%#6 of 7ADP TotalSource37%#1 of 7Paychex PEO2%#6 of 7ADP TotalSource67%#1 of 8Paychex PEO0%#7 of 8What the models said about ADP TotalSource
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“cite serious issues such as failure to submit employment taxes and state reports... Many former clients recommend switching to alternatives” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Multiple reports of payroll tax errors and filing mistakes” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Many others (e.g., TriNet, ADP TotalSource, Insperity, Paychex) require custom quotes, often resulting in $100–$150+ per employee/month” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · soft negative
“Most businesses (small to enterprise) | Custom pricing | #1 market share (22.8%)... For most small/midsize businesses: ADP TotalSource or Paychex PEO” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
“ADP TotalSource and TriNet are top choices due to their scalability, industry expertise, and comprehensive service offerings” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“ADP TotalSource is widely considered the gold standard for mid-market companies transitioning away from smaller providers.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Paychex PEO
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Many others (e.g., TriNet, ADP TotalSource, Insperity, Paychex) require custom quotes” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · soft negative
“quote by % of payroll or custom pricing and typically start at 2-6% of payroll” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · soft negative
“Paychex: 5.2/10 ... worth extra due diligence” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · soft negative
“ADP TotalSource and Paychex PEO are the most commonly recommended mainstream picks” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“Worth comparing if you want a customizable PEO or may need broader payroll options, though pricing generally requires a quote.” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · alternative
“Customizable services, remote compliance across all 50 states, lower-cost coverage | Midsize businesses” Kimi K2 · direct prompt · alternative
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.