# 401(k) providers for enterprise buyers: what AI models recommend, October 2026

Gane Index, October 2026 Edition. Asked as "401(k) provider" and as "workplace retirement plan provider", six framings each, to fourteen models with search on, on behalf of an enterprise B2B company. Added to the October 2026 Edition on October 4, 2026. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/rewards/401k-providers/2026-10/enterprise

This is the permanent record of the October 2026 Edition, published October 1, 2026 and superseded since. The current standing: https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/rewards/401k-providers/enterprise/index.md

**Standing:** Fidelity Investments leads with 37% of first choices; verdict contested. 46 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| Rank | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Fidelity Investments](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/fidelity-investments/index.md) | 37% | 0% | 27 |
| 2 | [Fidelity Advantage 401](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/fidelity-advantage-401/index.md) | 13% | 12% | 26 |
| 3 | [ADP Retirement Services](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/adp-retirement-services/index.md) | 9% | 8% | 40 |
| 4 | [Empower Retirement](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/empower-retirement/index.md) | 7% | 11% | 45 |
| 5 | [Human Interest](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/human-interest/index.md) | 7% | 31% | 13 |
| 6 | [Vanguard Workplace Solutions](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/vanguard-workplace-solutions/index.md) | 4% | 28% | 46 |
| 7 | [Guideline](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/guideline/index.md) | 4% | 36% | 11 |
| 9 | [Principal](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/principal/index.md) | 2% | 17% | 12 |
| 17 | [T. Rowe Price](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/t-rowe-price/index.md) | 0% | 7% | 15 |
| 18 | [Charles Schwab](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/charles-schwab/index.md) | 0% | 7% | 15 |
| 19 | [Principal Financial Group](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/principal-financial-group/index.md) | 0% | 18% | 11 |

Rank is by share of first choices among all 73 products named; products with the same share are tied, and the order among them carries no meaning. The table lists those with at least 10 labels.

## Each model's first choice on the direct prompt

- Claude Haiku 4.5: Fidelity Investments; alternatives ADP Retirement Services, Human Interest, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- GPT-5.4 mini: ADP Retirement Services; alternatives Fidelity Advantage 401, Paychex Retirement Services, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: Fidelity Investments; alternatives Charles Schwab, Human Interest, Principal Financial Group
- Perplexity Sonar: ADP 401(k) Enhanced; alternatives Fidelity Advantage 401
- Grok 4.20: Fidelity Advantage 401; alternatives ADP Retirement Services, Alight Solutions, Empower Retirement, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- Mistral Small: ADP Retirement Services, Mercer; alternatives Fidelity Investments
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: Fidelity Investments; alternatives ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- Llama 4 Maverick: no first choice
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: ADP Retirement Services, Alight, Fidelity Institutional; alternatives Empower Retirement, MassMutual, Vanguard Retirement Plan Services
- Kimi K2: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Investments; alternatives ADP Retirement Services, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Fidelity Investments; alternatives ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- MiniMax M2.5: Fidelity Investments; alternatives ADP Retirement Services, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
- GPT-6 Luna: Fidelity Advantage 401; alternatives Alight, Empower Retirement, Principal
- Muse Glimmer 30B: Fidelity Investments Institutional Services; alternatives Charles Schwab Retirement Plan Services, Empower Retirement, Mercer, Vanguard Institutional 401k

## Sources the answers cite

79 of 84 answers came back with a source list, from 14 of 14 models. Sites named in the most answers:

- spotsaas.com: 44 answers, 79 citations
- adp.com: 44 answers, 53 citations
- forbes.com: 33 answers, 35 citations
- goldenwealthcapital.com: 29 answers, 41 citations
- worldmetrics.org: 25 answers, 46 citations
- myshortlister.com: 25 answers, 28 citations
- zipdo.co: 24 answers, 36 citations
- gitnux.org: 22 answers, 35 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/401k.aspx (40 answers)
- https://spotsaas.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-best-401k-provider (38 answers)
- https://spotsaas.com/blog/10-best-401k-providers-2026 (31 answers)
- https://forbes.com/advisor/retirement/best-401k-plans (30 answers)
- https://goldenwealthcapital.com/blog/the-top-401k-providers-proven-list-from-a-401-k-expert (26 answers)
- https://myshortlister.com/401-k-plan/vendor-list (23 answers)
- https://aol.com/finance/best-401-k-plans-2023-215234539.html (17 answers)
- https://goldenwealthcapital.com/blog/best-401k-providers-2026-comparison-guide-latest (15 answers)
- https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-401k-companies (13 answers)
- https://finantrix.com/buyer-guides/401k-management-software-recordkeepers (12 answers)

## Warned against

- Vanguard Workplace Solutions: 13 of 46 labels negative. "Frequently criticized for weak 401(k) administration despite low-cost funds... Better for funds via a third-party administrator (TPA) than full service for large plans." (Grok 4.20, negative prompt)
- Empower Retirement: 5 of 45 labels negative. "If you stick with an underperforming proprietary fund (for instance, a Fidelity active fund or an Empower-owned TDF) simply because it keeps your recordkeeping costs low, your company is exposing itself to massive litigation risks." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt)
- Guideline: 4 of 11 labels negative. "SMB-Focused Fintechs & Modern Startups (Avoid for Enterprise)" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt)
- ForUsAll: 3 of 3 labels negative. "consistently receive employer complaints for slow data updates, automated rollouts/distributions upon employment changes, high administrative fees" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt)

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, October 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/hr.