# Guideline: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 26 judge labels across 2 categories by 12 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/vendors/guideline

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [401(k) providers](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/rewards/401k-providers/index.md) | 10% | 3 | 4% | 25 |
| [Financial wellness platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/hr/rewards/financial-wellness-platforms/index.md) | 0% | 72 | 0% | 1 |

## What the models said for it

- "Guideline is frequently ranked first for cost/automation, with $89 base + $8/employee in current provider listings, and no setup fee." (Muse Glimmer 30B, 401(k) providers)
- "Choose a Tech-Forward Provider (Guideline, Human Interest, Betterment) if you have under 50 employees" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, 401(k) providers)
- "Guideline looks like the strongest low-budget option for many small businesses" (GPT-5.4 mini, 401(k) providers)
- "Guideline is the best 401(k) provider for most small businesses" (Claude Haiku 4.5, 401(k) providers)

## And against it

- "execution and service seem unreliable—avoid if you value responsive support." (Grok 4.20, 401(k) providers)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Grok 4.20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Mistral Small | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kimi K2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Guideline, from 70 of the 81 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- adp.com: 41
- betterment.com: 29
- forbes.com: 26
- reddit.com: 26
- fitsmallbusiness.com: 23
- employeefiduciary.com: 22
- myubiquity.com: 21
- leadchangegroup.com: 19
- spotsaas.com: 17
- humaninterest.com: 16

### Pages cited

- https://adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/401k.aspx: 29
- https://betterment.com/top-401ks-for-small-businesses-in-2026: 24
- https://forbes.com/advisor/retirement/best-401k-plans: 24
- https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-401k-companies: 22
- https://adp.com/what-we-offer/benefits/retirement/adp-401k-essential.aspx: 17
- https://joinhomebase.com/blog/who-are-the-best-small-business-401k-providers: 15
- https://themodernwallet.com/roundup/best-401k-providers-for-small-business: 15
- https://fidelity.com/retirement-ira/small-business/compare-retirement-plans: 12

## In its own words

What Guideline's own pages state, read 2026-10-05. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Positioning: Affordable 401(k) & IRA Plans for Companies & Solopreneurs (https://guideline.com/)
- For: small businesses; companies; solopreneurs; small and medium-sized businesses; anyone hiring their first employee or managing hundreds (https://guideline.com/)
- Price stated: transparent pricing; 50% off employer fees for your first year (https://guideline.com/)
- Certifications: SOC 2 Type II

## What it publishes

Every page guideline.com exposes, read 2026-10-05: 499 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:

- blog: 90 pages, 1 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-08-28
- case study: 1 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2025-08-06
- comparison: 7 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-05-01
- template or tool: 2 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2025-12-10
- glossary or explainer: 2 pages, 1 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-08-26
- Recent: 2026-08-28 blog: Guideline gusto acquisition agreement https://www.guideline.com/education/articles/guideline-gusto-acquisition-agreement
- Recent: 2026-08-26 glossary or explainer: 10127196 new 401 k participant welcome guide https://help.guideline.com/en/articles/10127196-new-401-k-participant-welcome-guide
- Recent: 2026-05-01 comparison: 8593852 what is a qualified default investment alternative qdia https://help.guideline.com/en/articles/8593852-what-is-a-qualified-default-investment-alternative-qdia
- Recent: 2026-03-06 blog: A top retirement expert weighs in about how to strengthen the u s retirement system https://www.guideline.com/education/articles/a-top-retirement-expert-weighs-in-about-how-to-strengthen-the-u-s-retirement-system
- Recent: 2026-03-06 blog: How much can you contribute to a 401 k in 2024 https://www.guideline.com/education/articles/how-much-can-you-contribute-to-a-401-k-in-2024
- Recent: 2026-03-06 glossary or explainer: What is esg investing https://www.guideline.com/education/articles/what-is-esg-investing

## Record

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