401(k) providers · November 2026 Edition
Guideline vs Empower Retirement
Zero of fourteen models named Guideline first on the direct prompt; four named Empower Retirement. Guideline was named by twelve of the fourteen models and Empower Retirement by thirteen and Guideline carries 25 labels and Empower Retirement 37, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share10%8%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate4%14%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#5A position in a field of 18; printed, not drawn.
Labels2537A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Guideline reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Human Interest was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Human Interest vs Guideline · Human Interest vs Empower Retirement · Fidelity Workplace Investing vs Guideline
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 401(k) providers page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
GuidelineFirst choices, of fourteen modelsEmpower Retirement
Direct041 against Empower Retirement
Paraphrase10
Comparative10
Budget-constrained40
Scale-constrained00
Negative001 against Guideline · 4 against Empower Retirement
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 Guideline and Empower Retirement stood in it.
| 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 | | | |
Guideline Empower Retirement first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Guideline on the left and Empower Retirement on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Guideline and Empower Retirement stood in it.
Empower Retirement first, Guideline an alternative
4 of 14 modelsGuideline was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniEmpower Retirement alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Guideline, Gusto Retirement, Human Interest
Mistral SmallADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401, Vanguard Workplace Solutions alternatives: ForUsAll, Guideline, Human Interest, Paychex Retirement Services, Vestwell
GPT-6 LunaEmpower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401 alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Principal
Muse Glimmer 30BEmpower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace Investing alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Betterment at Work, Human Interest, Paychex Retirement Services, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
Neither was the first choice, one was named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashFidelity Investments alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Principal Financial Group
Grok 4.20Human Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Betterment at Work, Fidelity Workplace Investing, Guideline, Vestwell
DeepSeek V4 FlashHuman Interest alternatives: Empower Retirement, Fidelity Advantage 401
Qwen 3.7 FlashFidelity Workplace Investing, Human Interest alternatives: Empower Retirement, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
Kimi K2Fidelity Workplace Investing, Human Interest alternatives: Betterment at Work, Empower Retirement, ForUsAll, Vanguard Workplace Solutions, Vestwell
GLM 4.7 FlashXBetterment for Business, Human Interest alternatives: ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace Investing, Vanguard Workplace Solutions
Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Perplexity SonarFidelity Workplace Investing alternatives: Betterment at Work, Human Interest
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
MiniMax M2.5Human Interest alternatives: Betterment at Work, Fidelity Workplace Investing
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
Guideline leads by twenty-five points.
Guideline25%#1 of 11Empower Retirement0%#– of 11Mid-marketThe figures above
Guideline leads by two points.
Guideline10%#3 of 18Empower Retirement8%#5 of 18Enterprise
The order flips: Empower Retirement leads at enterprise.
Empower Retirement7%#4 of 11Guideline2%#– of 11What the models said about Guideline
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.
“execution and service seem unreliable—avoid if you value responsive support.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Guideline is frequently ranked first for cost/automation, with $89 base + $8/employee in current provider listings, and no setup fee.” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · first choice
“Choose a Tech-Forward Provider (Guideline, Human Interest, Betterment) if you have under 50 employees” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Guideline looks like the strongest low-budget option for many small businesses” GPT-5.4 mini · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about Empower Retirement
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Be most cautious with: Empower (service meltdowns)” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“the SEC found that Empower entities inadequately disclosed conflicts and financial incentives tied to recommendations to enroll participants in that service” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“remains a mid-tier provider where plan design (chosen by your employer) determines whether you get good or bad options” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Scale / investment choice + fiduciary support: Fidelity Workplace Investing, Empower Retirement” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“Empower, Vanguard, Fidelity, and ADP are frequently cited as top choices” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“Why I'd lean Empower for a true mid-market B2B company” GPT-5.4 mini · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Human Interest vs GuidelineHuman Interest vs Empower RetirementFidelity Workplace Investing vs GuidelineFidelity Workplace Investing vs Empower RetirementGuideline vs ADP Retirement ServicesGuideline vs Fidelity Advantage 401Guideline vs Employee Fiduciary 401(k) PlanGuideline vs Fidelity InvestmentsADP Retirement Services vs Empower RetirementEmpower Retirement vs Fidelity Advantage 401Empower Retirement vs Employee Fiduciary 401(k) PlanEmpower Retirement vs Fidelity InvestmentsAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full 401(k) providers standing
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.