# Square Payroll vs Routable: which do AI models recommend for contractor payments, September 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Contractor payments. Zero of twelve models named Square Payroll first on the direct prompt; two named Routable. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/spend/contractor-payments/square-payroll-vs-routable/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Payroll | 14% | #2 of 14 | 0% | 12 | 9 of 12 |
| Routable | 5% | #8 of 14 | 0% | 11 | 9 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Mistral Small: routable first (first choices: Routable) (alternatives: Deel, Tipalti, Wingspan)
- Llama 4 Maverick: routable first (first choices: Routable) (alternatives: BILL, Wingspan)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: BILL, Deel, Gusto, Routable)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Tipalti) (alternatives: BILL, Deel, Routable, Wingspan, Worksuite)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Tipalti) (alternatives: Deel, Routable)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: BILL, Gusto) (alternatives: Routable, Tipalti, Wingspan)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Deel, Remote) (alternatives: Gusto, Oyster / Rippling Global, Routable)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Worksuite) (alternatives: Deel, Tipalti)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Deel) (alternatives: Gusto, Tipalti)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: Deel, Remote, Tipalti, Wingspan)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Deel) (alternatives: Remote, Tipalti)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Deel) (alternatives: Gusto, Tipalti)

## What the models said about Square Payroll

- "I'd recommend starting with Patriot Software or Square Payroll since they have the lowest ongoing costs" (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Square Payroll's contractor-only plan stands out as the best option for a company with a limited budget." (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Based on your requirement for a limited budget, the best platform is Square Payroll." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Routable

- "Routable - Best overall 1099 automation solution that combines automated 1099 filing with mass payout infrastructure" (Llama 4 Maverick, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Recognized as the best overall 1099 automation solution" (Mistral Small, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Use Routable if you're doing high-volume programmatic disbursements with unique tax-form needs." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, alternative)

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.