Leader
34Heralded Score, range 31–37
The most visible HR and payroll tools in Europe, October 2026
Most cited source
100citations
From Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews
Where engines disagree most
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 34 , range 31–37 | 34#1 | 34
| 23% | 12% | | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 31 , range 24–34 | 31#2 | 31
| 21% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 30 , range 19–33 | 30#3 | 30
| 19% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 26 , range 14–32 | 26#4 | 26
| 16% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 22 , range 12–31 | 22#5 | 22
| 17% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 12 , range 8–25 | 12#6 | 12
| 11% | 5% | None | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 10 , range 7–22 | 10#7 | 10
| 11% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 9 , range 6–17 | 9#8 | 9
| 11% | 3% | | First reading | |
| 9 | | New entry | 8 , range 6–15 | 8#9 | 8
| 8% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 10 | | New entry | 8 , range 6–14 | 8#10 | 8
| 8% | 3% | | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | | Vendor site | 2.1% | 4 of 4 | 12 | 7 |
| 12 | | Regulator | 1.4% | 1 of 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 13 | | Media | 3.1% | 3 of 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 14 | | Vendor site | 3.1% | 3 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 15 | | Regulator | 1.0% | 1 of 4 | 5 | Not read |
| 16 | | Social | 2.6% | 2 of 4 | 8 | Not read |
| 17 | | Media | 2.1% | 3 of 4 | 11 | Not read |
| 18 | | Media | 2.6% | 3 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 19 | | Vendor site | 2.6% | 3 of 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 20 | | Social | 1.9% | 1 of 4 | 9 | Not read |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| best hr and payroll software for small businesses | English | |
| pay employees and manage hr for small businesses | English | |
| how can a small business pay employees and manage hr | English | |
| how to run payroll and keep employee records up to date | English | No brand recommended |
| payroll software vs hr software for small businesses | English | |
| What’s the best HR and payroll software for small businesses? | English | |
| How can a small business manage employees and payroll? | English | No brand recommended |
| How can a small business calculate employee payroll? | English | No brand recommended |
| How can I keep track of leave and days worked? | English | |
| HR software vs. spreadsheets for payroll at a small business | English | |
Each engine's top three
Related leaderboards
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.