Sales commissions and incentive compensation
Asked as “sales commission management platform”, and as “incentive compensation management tool”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B software company. 61 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, six models each.
Standing · first-choice share
25%
Contested · Everstage 16%
25CaptivateIQ16Everstage15QuotaPath44others
25% of first choices, contested.
Since September 2026↗new leaderNew leader since September 2026: CaptivateIQ (26%) replaces Everstage (25% then, 17% now), 9 points clear, inside the 12-point floor.CaptivateIQ leads at 26%, replacing Everstage, which led at 25% and stands at 17% now: 9 points clear, inside the floor, so the swap reads as unsettled.
The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all six models, for a mid-market B2B software company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
01
CaptivateIQ25%18%57accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 24% → 26%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.24% → 26%
CaptivateIQ25%18%57accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 24% → 26%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.24% → 26%02
Everstage16%5%42accepted challenger▼−9Since September 2026: 25% → 17%, −9 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.25% → 17%
Everstage16%5%42accepted challenger▼−9Since September 2026: 25% → 17%, −9 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.25% → 17%03
QuotaPath15%10%48accepted challenger▲+11Since September 2026: 4% → 15%, +11 points. Past the 12-point floor: movement. Read over the models both editions asked.4% → 15%
QuotaPath15%10%48accepted challenger▲+11Since September 2026: 4% → 15%, +11 points. Past the 12-point floor: movement. Read over the models both editions asked.4% → 15%04
Commissionly10%17%12accepted challenger▼−4Since September 2026: 14% → 9%, −4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.14% → 9%
Commissionly10%17%12accepted challenger▼−4Since September 2026: 14% → 9%, −4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.14% → 9%05
Qobra7%0%24accepted challenger▼−10Since September 2026: 18% → 7%, −10 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.18% → 7%
Qobra7%0%24accepted challenger▼−10Since September 2026: 18% → 7%, −10 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.18% → 7%06
Visdum7%0%14accepted challenger▲+5Since September 2026: 2% → 7%, +5 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 7%
Visdum7%0%14accepted challenger▲+5Since September 2026: 2% → 7%, +5 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 7%07
Xactly Incent3%48%46criticized challenger▲+4Since September 2026: 0% → 4%, +4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 4%
Xactly Incent3%48%46criticized challenger▲+4Since September 2026: 0% → 4%, +4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 4%08
Performio2%15%27accepted challenger▼−4Since September 2026: 4% → 0%, −4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.4% → 0%
Performio2%15%27accepted challenger▼−4Since September 2026: 4% → 0%, −4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.4% → 0%09
Varicent2%46%26criticized challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%
Varicent2%46%26criticized challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%Show the one product at 0%, ordered by negative rate
10
Salesforce Spiff0%26%46criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%
Salesforce Spiff0%26%46criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 0% → 0%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 0%The floor is 12 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one is noise, and both are shown. How the floor is measured
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
All fifteen head-to-head pages: the top six products, each against each
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
01020304050607080910Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative40%
Key
01CaptivateIQ25%
CaptivateIQ25%02Everstage16%
Everstage16%03QuotaPath15%
QuotaPath15%04Commissionly10%
Commissionly10%05Qobra7%
Qobra7%06Visdum7%
Visdum7%07Xactly Incent3%
Xactly Incent3%08Performio2%
Performio2%09Varicent2%
Varicent2%10Salesforce Spiff0%
Salesforce Spiff0%What they warned about
A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Xactly Incent48%
22 of 46 labels negative · 11 of 6 models · 2 hard negative
“outdated interface that can feel clunky and unintuitive, with inadequate and cumbersome reporting features ... implementation is long and expensive” Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt
Salesforce Spiff26%
12 of 46 labels negative · 11 of 6 models
“being especially careful with **feature-rich but implementation-heavy** platforms such as **Varicent**, **CaptivateIQ**, and some **Spiff** deployments” Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt
CaptivateIQ18%
10 of 57 labels negative · 7 of 6 models
“usually out of the question due to high minimum user counts, steep monthly platform fees, and expensive implementation costs” Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt
Varicent46%
12 of 26 labels negative · 7 of 6 models
“massive enterprise-grade platforms (like Varicent or SAP Commissions) are too rigid, expensive, and require dedicated IT departments to maintain” Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt
What they cite
Citations exist only for the models that return a source list: fourteen of the six in this edition.
Sites the answers cite
78 of 84 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 14 of 6 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 1067 links across 138 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. None of the 36 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category.
vendor site · Qobra57 answers · 148 citations · 12 models
vendor site · Everstage52 answers · 90 citations · 14 models
vendor site · CaptivateIQ47 answers · 80 citations · 14 models
vendor site · Guideflow43 answers · 60 citations · 11 models
vendor site · QuotaPath36 answers · 54 citations · 12 models
30 answers · 63 citations · 12 models
vendor site · Forma.ai29 answers · 40 citations · 11 models
24 answers · 24 citations · 11 models
21 answers · 25 citations · 9 models
vendor site · Capterra13 answers · 21 citations · 9 models
vendor site · Visdum13 answers · 17 citations · 7 models
13 answers · 17 citations · 7 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
31 answers · 10 models
28 answers · 11 models
27 answers · 11 models
24 answers · 11 models
23 answers · 10 models
23 answers · 11 models
19 answers · 9 models
16 answers · 10 models
15 answers · 8 models
14 answers · 9 models
Search against answers
Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best sales commission management platform”, “sales commission management platform”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
| Company and products | Share | Own site cited | Name searches, Google | AI search demand, est. | Organic visits | Paid search a month, est. | Google ads, last 30 days | Best Google position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CaptivateIQ captivateiq.com | 25% | 156 | 4,400 | 41 | 17,854 | 31 | 2 | |
| Everstage everstage.com | 16% | 134 | 1,300 | 15 | 26,345 | $1,064 | 41 | 1 |
| QuotaPath quotapath.com | 15% | 178 | 1,600 | 5 | 21,168 | $1,546 | 34 | 3 |
| Commissionly commissionly.io | 10% | 54 | 210 | 0 | 447 | |||
| Qobra qobra.co | 7% | 72 | 260 | 1 | 47,808 | 7 | ||
| Visdum visdum.com | 7% | 41 | 70 | 3 | 15,225 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sales Cookie salescookie.com | 7% | 50 | 260 | 138 | 437 | 4 | ||
| Easy-Commission easy-commission.com | 3% | 8 | ||||||
| Xactly Incent xactlycorp.com | 3% | 138 | 390 | 3 | 25,619 | 23 | ||
| Performio performio.co | 2% | 75 | 720 | 5 | 2,271 | 10 | 6 |
Google's top ten for the two searches hold 15 sites; 5 of them are among the sites the models cited here (captivateiq.com, croclub.com, everstage.com, quotapath.com, visdum.com). The first result for “best sales commission management platform” is everstage.com.
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.ShowHide
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ShowHideModelDirect“What is the best sales commission management platform for a mid-market B2B company?”Paraphrase“Which incentive compensation management tool would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B company?”Comparative“What are the top sales commission management platforms and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best sales commission management platform for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating a sales commission management platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which sales commission management platforms should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5no first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Claude Opus 4.8no first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
GPT-6 Astrano first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
GPT-5.6 Solno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Gemini 3.1 Prono first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Perplexity Sonar Prono first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Bold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency. Full answer text is in the free responses file. Download the record
Zero rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
ShowHide
Category-scoped readings
Salesforce read as Salesforce Spiff
Xactly read as Xactly Incent
Xactly (Incent) read as Xactly Incent
Unresolved, counted raw
Captivea (formerly Performio)
Excel/Google Sheets templates
HiBob
KeepSolid Sales Commission
Namely
Pallet
Replicon
Salesforce Commission tools (legacy/unsupported apps)
Salesforce Incentive Compensation Management
Sapling
Spreadsheet-heavy "tools" (e.g., ad-hoc Excel/Sheets formulas)
Tipalti
Variable.io
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.