# Trolley vs Remote: which do AI models recommend for contractor payments, September 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Contractor payments. Zero of twelve models named Trolley first on the direct prompt; one named Remote. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/spend/contractor-payments/trolley-vs-remote/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trolley | 7% | #5 of 14 | 0% | 12 | 10 of 12 |
| Remote | 5% | #6 of 14 | 0% | 28 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about Trolley

- "Trolley is a recommended freelancer payout software for mid-sized B2B companies" (Llama 4 Maverick, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend Trolley as the best overall starting point" (Perplexity Sonar, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Trolley is highly recommended for freelancer payouts" (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Remote

- "Global contractors, moderate volume | Remote (contractor plan) + Deel for niche regions" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Deel, Remote, and Worksuite are the most comprehensive all‑in‑one choices" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Deel or Remote for broad global coverage" (MiniMax M2.5, scale 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.