AI Index / Payroll software for startups / History

Payroll software for startups — AI Recommendation History

What AI assistants recommended for payroll software for startups, date by date. Every ranking we publish is frozen the day it publishes, so this is a record of what was said — not a re-computation of what today's data would say about the past.

Record: 26 dated snapshots · Aug 14, 2026 – Sep 8, 2026

Answer archive Methodology Data studies JSON

What changed

Computed by comparing each dated snapshot with the one before it. Share moves smaller than 1pp are treated as noise and left out — the same threshold that suppresses trend arrows on the ranking.

Sep 8, 2026vs Sep 7, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 7, 2026vs Sep 6, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 6, 2026vs Sep 5, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 5, 2026vs Sep 4, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 4, 2026vs Sep 3, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 3, 2026vs Sep 2, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 2, 2026vs Sep 1, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Sep 1, 2026vs Aug 31, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 31, 2026vs Aug 30, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 30, 2026vs Aug 29, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 29, 2026vs Aug 28, 2026

▲ INSquare Payroll entered the top 10 (#11 → #10)
▼ OUTADP left the top 10 (#9 → #11)
▼ADP moved #9 → #11
▲OnPay moved #3 → #2
▼Rippling moved #2 → #3
▲Deel moved #5 → #4
▼QuickBooks moved #4 → #5
▲Square moved #10 → #9
▲Square Payroll moved #11 → #10
▼QuickBooks -3.6pp (45.3% → 41.7%)
▼ADP -2.8pp (25% → 22.2%)
▼Deel -2.2pp (45.3% → 43.1%)
▼Rippling -2.1pp (56.3% → 54.2%)
▼Justworks -1.7pp (40.6% → 38.9%)
▼Patriot -1.1pp (34.4% → 33.3%)

Aug 28, 2026vs Aug 27, 2026

▲Justworks moved #7 → #6
▼Patriot moved #6 → #7
▲Remote +14pp (18.8% → 32.8%)
▲OnPay +10.9pp (43.8% → 54.7%)
▲Deel +10.9pp (34.4% → 45.3%)
▲Justworks +9.3pp (31.3% → 40.6%)
▲Rippling +6.3pp (50% → 56.3%)
▲Square +6.3pp (15.6% → 21.9%)
▲ADP +6.2pp (18.8% → 25%)
▲QuickBooks +4.7pp (40.6% → 45.3%)
▲Gusto +3.1pp (75% → 78.1%)
▲Patriot +3.1pp (31.3% → 34.4%)

Aug 27, 2026vs Aug 26, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 26, 2026vs Aug 25, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 25, 2026vs Aug 24, 2026

Methodology change: extraction rules 4-7 → 7 between these dates. Differences below may reflect the rule change rather than a change in what AI recommends — see the methodology changelog.

▲Patriot moved #7 → #6
▼Justworks moved #6 → #7
▲Remote moved #9 → #8
▼ADP moved #8 → #9
▼ADP -8.7pp (27.5% → 18.8%)
▼Rippling -7.5pp (57.5% → 50%)
▼Justworks -6.2pp (37.5% → 31.3%)
▼Remote -6.2pp (25% → 18.8%)
▼Deel -5.6pp (40% → 34.4%)
▼Gusto -5pp (80% → 75%)
▼QuickBooks -4.4pp (45% → 40.6%)
▼Square -1.9pp (17.5% → 15.6%)
▼OnPay -1.2pp (45% → 43.8%)
▼Patriot -1.2pp (32.5% → 31.3%)

Aug 24, 2026vs Aug 23, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 23, 2026vs Aug 22, 2026

▲ INRemote entered the top 10 (#11 → #9)
▼ OUTSquare Payroll left the top 10 (#10 → #11)
▼ADP moved #6 → #8
▲Remote moved #11 → #9
▲Justworks moved #7 → #6
▲Patriot moved #8 → #7
▼Square moved #9 → #10
▼Square Payroll moved #10 → #11
▼OnPay -8.6pp (53.6% → 45%)
▼ADP -8.2pp (35.7% → 27.5%)
▼Square -7.5pp (25% → 17.5%)
▼Square Payroll -7.5pp (25% → 17.5%)
▲Remote +5.4pp (19.6% → 25%)
▼QuickBooks -5pp (50% → 45%)
▼Gusto -3.9pp (83.9% → 80%)
▲Justworks +3.6pp (33.9% → 37.5%)
▼Rippling -1.4pp (58.9% → 57.5%)

Aug 22, 2026vs Aug 21, 2026

▼Rippling -7.2pp (66.1% → 58.9%)
▼Square -5.4pp (30.4% → 25%)
▼Square Payroll -5.4pp (30.4% → 25%)
▼Gusto -3.6pp (87.5% → 83.9%)
▼Deel -3.6pp (42.9% → 39.3%)
▼Justworks -3.6pp (37.5% → 33.9%)
▼OnPay -3.5pp (57.1% → 53.6%)
▼ADP -1.8pp (37.5% → 35.7%)
▲Patriot +1.7pp (30.4% → 32.1%)

Aug 21, 2026vs Aug 20, 2026

Methodology change: extraction rules 4 → 4-7 between these dates. Differences below may reflect the rule change rather than a change in what AI recommends — see the methodology changelog.

▲Patriot moved #10 → #8
▼Square moved #8 → #9
▼Square Payroll moved #9 → #10
▼ADP -12.5pp (50% → 37.5%)
▼Rippling -8.9pp (75% → 66.1%)
▼Deel -7.1pp (50% → 42.9%)
▼Square -7.1pp (37.5% → 30.4%)
▼Square Payroll -7.1pp (37.5% → 30.4%)
▼Gusto -6.3pp (93.8% → 87.5%)
▼Justworks -6.3pp (43.8% → 37.5%)
▼OnPay -5.4pp (62.5% → 57.1%)
▼QuickBooks -3.1pp (53.1% → 50%)

Aug 20, 2026vs Aug 19, 2026

▲ INSquare Payroll entered the top 10 (#11 → #9)
▼ OUTRemote left the top 10 (#10 → #11)
▲Square Payroll moved #11 → #9
▲OnPay moved #4 → #3
▼QuickBooks moved #3 → #4
▲Deel moved #6 → #5
▼ADP moved #5 → #6
▼Patriot moved #9 → #10
▼Remote moved #10 → #11
▼Remote -9.4pp (37.5% → 28.1%)
▼ADP -8.9pp (58.9% → 50%)
▼QuickBooks -7.6pp (60.7% → 53.1%)
▼Patriot -6.2pp (37.5% → 31.3%)
▼Rippling -5.4pp (80.4% → 75%)
▼Justworks -2.6pp (46.4% → 43.8%)
▲OnPay +1.8pp (60.7% → 62.5%)
▼Deel -1.8pp (51.8% → 50%)
▼Square -1.8pp (39.3% → 37.5%)
▲Square Payroll +1.8pp (35.7% → 37.5%)

Aug 19, 2026vs Aug 18, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 18, 2026vs Aug 17, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 17, 2026vs Aug 16, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 16, 2026vs Aug 15, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

Aug 15, 2026vs Aug 14, 2026

No change above the noise floor.

The ranking, date by date

Top 10 on each archived date, exactly as published. Cite a date and it stays true: snapshots are append-only, and a correction appends a new revision rather than overwriting the original.

Sep 8, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-11 – 2026-09-08 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 7, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-10 – 2026-09-07 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 6, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-09 – 2026-09-06 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 5, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-08 – 2026-09-05 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 4, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-07 – 2026-09-04 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 3, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-06 – 2026-09-03 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 2, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-05 – 2026-09-02 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Sep 1, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-04 – 2026-09-01 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Aug 31, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-03 – 2026-08-31 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Aug 30, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-02 – 2026-08-30 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Aug 29, 202672 sampled answers · window 2026-08-01 – 2026-08-29 · rules v7

#1Gusto77.8%
#2OnPay54.2%
#3Rippling54.2%
#4Deel43.1%
#5QuickBooks41.7%
#6Justworks38.9%
#7Patriot33.3%
#8Remote33.3%
#9Square22.2%
#10Square Payroll22.2%

Aug 28, 202664 sampled answers · window 2026-07-31 – 2026-08-28 · rules v7

#1Gusto78.1%
#2Rippling56.3%
#3OnPay54.7%
#4QuickBooks45.3%
#5Deel45.3%
#6Justworks40.6%
#7Patriot34.4%
#8Remote32.8%
#9ADP25%
#10Square21.9%

Aug 27, 202632 sampled answers · window 2026-07-30 – 2026-08-27 · rules v7

#1Gusto75%
#2Rippling50%
#3OnPay43.8%
#4QuickBooks40.6%
#5Deel34.4%
#6Patriot31.3%
#7Justworks31.3%
#8Remote18.8%
#9ADP18.8%
#10Square15.6%

Aug 26, 202632 sampled answers · window 2026-07-29 – 2026-08-26 · rules v7

#1Gusto75%
#2Rippling50%
#3OnPay43.8%
#4QuickBooks40.6%
#5Deel34.4%
#6Patriot31.3%
#7Justworks31.3%
#8Remote18.8%
#9ADP18.8%
#10Square15.6%

Aug 25, 202632 sampled answers · window 2026-07-28 – 2026-08-25 · rules v7

#1Gusto75%
#2Rippling50%
#3OnPay43.8%
#4QuickBooks40.6%
#5Deel34.4%
#6Patriot31.3%
#7Justworks31.3%
#8Remote18.8%
#9ADP18.8%
#10Square15.6%

Aug 24, 202640 sampled answers · window 2026-07-27 – 2026-08-24 · rules v4-7

#1Gusto80%
#2Rippling57.5%
#3OnPay45%
#4QuickBooks45%
#5Deel40%
#6Justworks37.5%
#7Patriot32.5%
#8ADP27.5%
#9Remote25%
#10Square17.5%

Aug 23, 202640 sampled answers · window 2026-07-26 – 2026-08-23 · rules v4-7

#1Gusto80%
#2Rippling57.5%
#3OnPay45%
#4QuickBooks45%
#5Deel40%
#6Justworks37.5%
#7Patriot32.5%
#8ADP27.5%
#9Remote25%
#10Square17.5%

Aug 22, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-25 – 2026-08-22 · rules v4-7

#1Gusto83.9%
#2Rippling58.9%
#3OnPay53.6%
#4QuickBooks50%
#5Deel39.3%
#6ADP35.7%
#7Justworks33.9%
#8Patriot32.1%
#9Square25%
#10Square Payroll25%

Aug 21, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-24 – 2026-08-21 · rules v4-7

#1Gusto87.5%
#2Rippling66.1%
#3OnPay57.1%
#4QuickBooks50%
#5Deel42.9%
#6ADP37.5%
#7Justworks37.5%
#8Patriot30.4%
#9Square30.4%
#10Square Payroll30.4%

Aug 20, 202632 sampled answers · window 2026-07-23 – 2026-08-20 · rules v4

#1Gusto93.8%
#2Rippling75%
#3OnPay62.5%
#4QuickBooks53.1%
#5Deel50%
#6ADP50%
#7Justworks43.8%
#8Square37.5%
#9Square Payroll37.5%
#10Patriot31.3%

Aug 19, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-22 – 2026-08-19 · rules v4

#1Gusto92.9%
#2Rippling80.4%
#3QuickBooks60.7%
#4OnPay60.7%
#5ADP58.9%
#6Deel51.8%
#7Justworks46.4%
#8Square39.3%
#9Patriot37.5%
#10Remote37.5%

Aug 18, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-21 – 2026-08-18 · rules v4

#1Gusto92.9%
#2Rippling80.4%
#3QuickBooks60.7%
#4OnPay60.7%
#5ADP58.9%
#6Deel51.8%
#7Justworks46.4%
#8Square39.3%
#9Patriot37.5%
#10Remote37.5%

Aug 17, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-20 – 2026-08-17 · rules v4

#1Gusto92.9%
#2Rippling80.4%
#3QuickBooks60.7%
#4OnPay60.7%
#5ADP58.9%
#6Deel51.8%
#7Justworks46.4%
#8Square39.3%
#9Patriot37.5%
#10Remote37.5%

Aug 16, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-19 – 2026-08-16 · rules v4

#1Gusto92.9%
#2Rippling80.4%
#3QuickBooks60.7%
#4OnPay60.7%
#5ADP58.9%
#6Deel51.8%
#7Justworks46.4%
#8Square39.3%
#9Patriot37.5%
#10Remote37.5%

Aug 15, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-18 – 2026-08-15 · rules v4

#1Gusto92.9%
#2Rippling80.4%
#3QuickBooks60.7%
#4OnPay60.7%
#5ADP58.9%
#6Deel51.8%
#7Justworks46.4%
#8Square39.3%
#9Patriot37.5%
#10Remote37.5%

Aug 14, 202656 sampled answers · window 2026-07-17 – 2026-08-14 · rules v4

#1Gusto92.9%
#2Rippling80.4%
#3QuickBooks60.7%
#4OnPay60.7%
#5ADP58.9%
#6Deel51.8%
#7Justworks46.4%
#8Square39.3%
#9Patriot37.5%
#10Remote37.5%

Read any date directly

Every archived date is machine-readable at /api/index/payroll-software-for-startups/as-of/<YYYY-MM-DD>, which returns the ranking as it stood, with the extraction version and revision it was published under. Dates before the record begins return no_record rather than a recomputation — we do not reconstruct history on demand and present it as what we said. See what the engines actually said.

[ORBATOR]