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
71 Altamira HRM New entry 2 , range 1–3 2#71
2
  • : score 2 · #71
1% 0% None First reading
72 iFlow RO New entry 2 , range 1–3 2#72
2
  • : score 2 · #72
1% 0% None First reading
73 Access Group GB New entry 2 , range 1–3 2#73
2
  • : score 2 · #73
1% 0% None First reading
74 Charisma GB New entry 2 , range 1–3 2#74
2
  • : score 2 · #74
1% 0% None First reading
75 IRIS Staffology Payroll GB New entry 2 , range 1–3 2#75
2
  • : score 2 · #75
1% 0% None First reading
76 OrangeHRM US New entry 2 , range 1–3 2#76
2
  • : score 2 · #76
1% 0% None First reading
77 WizSalary BD New entry 1 , range 1–3 1#77
1
  • : score 1 · #77
1% 0% None First reading
78 Nexus RO New entry 1 , range 1–3 1#78
1
  • : score 1 · #78
1% 0% None First reading
79 True Pontaj Electronic RO New entry 1 , range 1–3 1#79
1
  • : score 1 · #79
1% 0% None First reading
= 80 Bitrix24 US New entry 1 , range 1–3 1= #80
1
  • : score 1 · #80
1% 0% 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
pay employees and manage hr for small businesses English Gusto
how can a small business pay employees and manage hr English Clarvision Payroll and SD Worx, 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 Gusto

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