What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about hr software for small businesses — measured on a rolling 4-week window across 5 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-09-17 · 40 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Measured by Orbatormethodology owner Henrik Tellewindow ends Sep 17, 2026
Sample: 40 AI answers · Window: Aug 20, 2026 – Sep 17, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (64 answers)
Samples by engine: GROK 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · GEMINI 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · CHATGPT 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · CLAUDE 8 (last run Aug 29, 2026) · PERPLEXITY 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026 — stalest)
How these numbers are made: sampling design · prompt provenance · what counts as a mention · what we cannot see
On the record: This ranking is frozen as a dated snapshot every day. View this category's history to see what entered and left the ranking and when, or read what the engines actually said on a given day.
Across 40 sampled AI answers from 5 engines, Gusto is recommended most often — appearing in 87.5% of recommendations, followed by BambooHR (75%) and Zoho (62.5%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 5 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
Orbator asked Grok, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity buyer questions about hr software for small businesses and sampled 40 answers between Aug 20, 2026 and Sep 17, 2026. Recommendation share counts the answers that recommended or listed a product, so a passing mention or a warning adds nothing to it. A category publishes once it holds at least 20 independently sampled answers in the window. Read the full methodology or download this ranking as CSV.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gusto.com | 87.5% 95% CI 73.9–94.5% 35 mentions · avg pos 3.2 first pick 54.3% | — | GROK 100%GEMINI 87.5%CHATGPT 87.5%CLAUDE 100%PERPLEXITY 62.5% | Claim |
| 2 | bamboohr.com | 75% 95% CI 59.8–85.8% 30 mentions · avg pos 5.4 first pick 13.3% | — | GROK 87.5%GEMINI 75%CHATGPT 75%CLAUDE 62.5%PERPLEXITY 75% | Claim |
| 3 | zoho.com | 62.5% 95% CI 47–75.8% 25 mentions · avg pos 4.5 first pick 12% | — | GROK 75%GEMINI 62.5%CHATGPT 62.5%CLAUDE 50%PERPLEXITY 62.5% | Claim |
| 4 | rippling.com | 52.5% 95% CI 37.5–67.1% 21 mentions · avg pos 6.1 first pick 4.8% | — | GROK 62.5%GEMINI 62.5%CHATGPT 50%CLAUDE 62.5%PERPLEXITY 25% | Claim |
| 5 | joinhomebase.com | 42.5% 95% CI 28.5–57.8% 17 mentions · avg pos 8.7 first pick 0% | — | GROK 62.5%GEMINI 37.5%CHATGPT 25%CLAUDE 50%PERPLEXITY 37.5% | Claim |
| 6 | deel.com | 27.5% 95% CI 16.1–42.8% 11 mentions · avg pos 9.7 first pick 9.1% | — | GROK 87.5%GEMINI 12.5%CHATGPT 25%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 7 | firsthr.app | 20% 95% CI 10.5–34.8% 8 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | GROK 75%CHATGPT 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 8 | onpay.com | 17.5% 95% CI 8.7–32% 7 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 14.3% | — | GROK 37.5%GEMINI 25%CLAUDE 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 9 | adp.com | 15% 95% CI 7.1–29.1% 6 mentions · avg pos 7.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 37.5%CHATGPT 12.5%CLAUDE 25% | Claim |
| 10 | connecteam.com | 15% 95% CI 7.1–29.1% 6 mentions · avg pos 8.7 first pick 0% | — | GROK 37.5%GEMINI 25%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 11 | justworks.com | 12.5% 95% CI 5.5–26.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 8.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5%CHATGPT 25%CLAUDE 25% | Claim |
| 12 | factorial.com | 12.5% 95% CI 5.5–26.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 11.2 first pick 0% | — | GROK 62.5% | Claim |
| 13 | breathehr.com | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 5.3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%CHATGPT 12.5%PERPLEXITY 25% | Claim |
| 14 | zapier.com | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 5.3 first pick 25% | — | GROK 50% | Claim |
| 15 | paychex.com | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 7.5 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25%GEMINI 12.5%CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 16 | quickbooks.intuit.com | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 11.8 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25%GEMINI 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 17 | hibob.com | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5%CLAUDE 25% | Claim |
| 18 | GoCo | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%PERPLEXITY 25% | Claim |
| 19 | workday.com | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%CHATGPT 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 20 | Eddy | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 16.3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 25% | Claim |
| 21 | freshteam.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 22 | paycor.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 5.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5%CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 23 | sloneek.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 6.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 24 | orangehrm.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 9.5 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25% | Claim |
| 25 | TriNet | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 16 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 26 | HRLocker | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 27 | notion.so | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 28 | shifton.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 29 | forbes.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 30 | techradar.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 31 | Bob | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 32 | bitrix24.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 33 | frappe.io | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 34 | treegarden.io | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 35 | waveup.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 12 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 36 | slack.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 14 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 37 | attendancebot.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 38 | oracle.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 39 | patriotsoftware.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 40 | paylocity.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 41 | purelyhr.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 42 | sap.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 43 | SAP SuccessFactors | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 44 | Talent HR | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 45 | talenthr.io | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 40 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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Head-to-head pages for products ranked in HR software for small businesses. Each one sets out sourced facts side by side, plus which product AI assistants recommend more, engine by engine.
Every number on this page is measured from sampled answers, and those answers are kept. The archive holds dated excerpts of what each engine answered, never full answers. Read the answer archive for hr software for small businesses to see the excerpts by date and engine, or view the ranking history to see what entered and left this ranking and when.
Across 40 sampled AI answers from 5 engines (Aug 20, 2026 to Sep 17, 2026), Gusto is recommended most often for hr software for small businesses, appearing in 87.5% of recommendations, followed by BambooHR (75%). This is a measurement of what AI assistants recommend, not an editorial verdict.
ChatGPT recommends Gusto most often for hr software for small businesses. It appears as a recommendation in 87.5% of ChatGPT's sampled answers in this window (Aug 20, 2026 to Sep 17, 2026). Other engines answer differently. The per-engine breakdown in the ranking shows each one.
Orbator samples AI answers to buyer questions across 5 engines and counts how often each product is recommended. No product pays for placement. The hr software for small businesses ranking is based on 40 answers in the current 4-week window (Aug 20, 2026 to Sep 17, 2026). Full methodology is published at https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology.
Verified facts for the most-recommended products — each sourced and dated. No editorial scoring, just the data side by side.
| BambooHRbamboohr.com | QuickBooksquickbooks.intuit.com | OrangeHRMorangehrm.com | Bitrix24bitrix24.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Core: $10 a month ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Simple Start: $19 a month ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Starter: Free ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | — |
| Features | HR Benchmarks ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Automated bookkeeping ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Surveys ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Time tracking ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Platforms | — | Mobile app ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Mobile App ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Mobile ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Integrations | VirgilHR ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | PayPal ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Microsoft 365 ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Google Drive ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
What AI recommends in adjacent categories — same method, fresh weekly.
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