The most visible HR and payroll tools in Europe, October 2026

October 2026 · 105 questions asked from 7 countries · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 420 answers read

Leader

Gusto

34Heralded Score, range 31–37

Most cited source

youtube.com

100citations

From Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

Factorial

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on ChatGPT, not on Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Brands

Search is not measured for this board yet, so it ranks on AI answers.

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
21 QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite US New entry 5 , range 4–8 5#21
5
  • : score 5 · #21
5% 3% None First reading
22 TeamSystem New entry 5 , range 4–8 5#22
5
  • : score 5 · #22
5% 3% None First reading
23 Justworks US New entry 5 , range 4–8 5#23
5
  • : score 5 · #23
7% 1% First reading
24 Employment Hero AU New entry 5 , range 3–8 5#24
5
  • : score 5 · #24
4% 3% None First reading
25 Lucca FR New entry 5 , range 3–8 5#25
5
  • : score 5 · #25
5% 2% None First reading
26 Silae New entry 5 , range 3–7 5#26
5
  • : score 5 · #26
5% 1% None First reading
27 Dipendenti in Cloud New entry 5 , range 3–7 5#27
5
  • : score 5 · #27
4% 2% First reading
28 Zucchetti New entry 4 , range 3–6 4#28
4
  • : score 4 · #28
4% 2% First reading
29 ADP Workforce Now US New entry 4 , range 3–6 4#29
4
  • : score 4 · #29
6% 0% First reading
30 Skello New entry 4 , range 3–6 4#30
4
  • : score 4 · #30
5% 1% None First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI gives each brand’s score and rank from the engines’ answers; Search is not measured for this board yet. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 youtube.com Social 11.9% 3 of 4 65 Not read
2 factorial.es Vendor site 3.6% 4 of 4 17 1
3 equalpaytoday.org Unclassified 5.2% 1 of 4 1 2
4 factorial.it Vendor site 3.1% 3 of 4 13 5
5 inspectiamuncii.ro Regulator 1.9% 1 of 4 14 Not read
6 capterra.com Review site 4.8% 4 of 4 5 12
7 reddit.com Community 4.8% 3 of 4 13 Not read
8 belastingdienst.nl Regulator 2.1% 3 of 4 10 Not read
9 urssaf.fr Regulator 2.1% 3 of 4 9 Not read
10 hirechore.com Consultancy 3.8% 2 of 4 1 7

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
best hr and payroll software for small businesses English Gusto and Rippling, tied
pay employees and manage hr for small businesses English Deel, Gusto, Remote, Rippling and Sage HR, tied
how can a small business pay employees and manage hr English DATEV, Lexware Office and Personio, tied
how to run payroll and keep employee records up to date English No brand recommended
payroll software vs hr software for small businesses English BambooHR, DATEV, Factorial and Lexware Office, tied
¿Cuál es el mejor software de recursos humanos y nóminas para pequeñas empresas? Spanish Factorial
¿Cómo puede una pequeña empresa gestionar a sus empleados y las nóminas? Spanish PayFit
¿Cómo puede una pequeña empresa calcular las nóminas de sus empleados? Spanish No brand recommended
¿Cómo puedo llevar un control de las vacaciones y los días trabajados? Spanish Factorial
Software de recursos humanos frente a hojas de cálculo para gestionar las nóminas en una pequeña empresa Spanish No brand recommended

Each engine's top three

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured