# Plan A vs Workiva: which do AI models recommend for ESG and carbon reporting, September 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, ESG and carbon reporting. Zero of twelve models named Plan A first on the direct prompt; one named Workiva. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/corporate/esg-and-carbon-reporting/plan-a-vs-workiva/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan A | 10% | #4 of 15 | 7% | 14 | 10 of 12 |
| Workiva | 4% | #8 of 15 | 29% | 35 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: workiva first (first choices: Workiva) (alternatives: IBM Envizi, Novisto, Sphera)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Sweep) (alternatives: Coolset, Greenly, Plan A, Tanso)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Novisto) (alternatives: Coolset, Sustain.Life, Sweep, Workiva)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: EcoOnline ESG, Sweep) (alternatives: Coolset, Normative, Novisto, Plan A)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: EcoOnline ESG) (alternatives: Greenstone, Normative, Sphera, Sweep)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Greenly, Sweep) (alternatives: Coolset, Novata)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Novisto) (alternatives: EcoOnline ESG, Greenly, Novata, Sweep)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Sweep) (alternatives: Coolset, Novisto)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Sweep) (alternatives: Coolset, EcoOnline ESG)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: EcoOnline ESG, Novisto, Sweep)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Novisto) (alternatives: Gravity, LogicGate, Sweep)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Novisto) (alternatives: EcoOnline ESG, Greenly, Sustain.Life, Sweep)

## What the models said about Plan A

- "unproven mid-market carbon tools like Sweep, Plan A, or lower-rated ones" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "For a broader range of compliance frameworks and a focus on decarbonisation, Plan A is a strong alternative." (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Sweep / Coolset / Plan A / ESG:ONE: These are specifically built for upper-mid-market companies." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "If you want a single default recommendation, I'd choose Plan A for most mid-sized B2B companies" (Perplexity Sonar, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Workiva

- "| Workiva | $50K–$150K+ (likely overkill) | Skip unless you need integrated financial + ESG reporting |" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, scale prompt, hard negative)
- "Platforms like Workiva excel here because they allow you to import messy Excel sheets, clean the data within the software using "source codes," and publish to a final PDF, keeping an audit trail." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "If you're a mid-market B2B company and want one default pick:

- Choose Workiva if ESG reporting is tightly connected to finance, board reporting, or audit/compliance." (GPT-5.4 mini, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Choose Workiva if: You need to produce high-stakes regulatory filings (SEC/CSRD) and need rigorous control over who sees and edits data." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.