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The most visible HR and payroll tools in United Kingdom, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from United Kingdom in English · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

Where engines disagree most

QuickBooks Payroll

1/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Employment Hero AU New entry 29 , range 17–56 36#3 16#5
29
  • : score 29 · #1
 16% 12% None First reading
2 Xero Payroll NZ New entry 29 , range 20–58 39#2 11#10
29
  • : score 29 · #2
 20% 12% None First reading
3 Sage HR GB New entry 27 , range 17–56 36#4 12#8
27
  • : score 27 · #3
 19% 8% None First reading
4 Breathe New entry 25 , range 20–57 39#1 1= #45
25
  • : score 25 · #4
 19% 12% None First reading
5 Gusto US New entry 24 , range 9–53 32#6 9#11
24
  • : score 24 · #5
 17% 4% First reading
6 Rippling US New entry 23 , range 6–51 29#8 14#7
23
  • : score 23 · #6
 13% 4% None First reading
7 QuickBooks Payroll US New entry 22 , range 10–53 33#5 4= #25
22
  • : score 22 · #7
 16% 6% None First reading
8 BambooHR US New entry 21 , range 6–51 31#7 5= #23
21
  • : score 21 · #8
 15% 2% None First reading
9 BrightPay New entry 18 , range 5–51 28#9 0= #49
18
  • : score 18 · #9
 10% 6% None First reading
10 HMRC Basic PAYE Tools GB New entry 16 , range 4–50 19#11 11#9
16
  • : score 16 · #10
 9% 5% 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 and Search give each brand’s score and rank on that side alone. 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 equalpaytoday.org Unclassified 6.7% 1 of 4 1 2
12 linkedin.com Social 6.7% 2 of 4 4 Not read
13 talenthr.io Vendor site 6.7% 3 of 4 2 Not read
14 acenteus-cca.com Consultancy 5.0% 3 of 4 1 Not read
15 directpayrollservices.co.uk Consultancy 5.0% 1 of 4 3 Not read
16 expertsure.com Review site 5.0% 1 of 4 2 Not read
17 factorial.com Vendor site 5.0% 2 of 4 3 Not read
18 zelt.app Vendor site 5.0% 2 of 4 2 Not read
19 bshsoft.com Vendor site 3.3% 2 of 4 1 Not read
20 charliehr.com Vendor site 3.3% 2 of 4 1 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
best hr and payroll software for small businesses English Employment Hero, Sage HR and Xero Payroll, tied
pay employees and manage hr for small businesses English Breathe and Xero Payroll, tied
how can a small business pay employees and manage hr English Access Group, Deel, FreeAgent, Gusto, HMRC Basic PAYE Tools and PeopleHR, 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 Breathe, Employment Hero, Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll, tied

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