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Updated Sep 25, 2026
Seven platforms, compared on the things that decide it: what they pay, how hard they are to get into, how fast they pay out, and whether they accept people where you live.
| Platform | Reported pay | Best for | Screening | Payment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor | $60–$250/hr | Credentialed experts — MDs, JDs, PhDs, senior engineers, finance professionals | Recorded AI interview, 15–30 minutes, after a CV upload | Per project cadence, typically every two weeks | Apply |
| Alignerr | $25–$200/hr | Specialists who want a second queue alongside a main platform | Application plus credential verification, varies by track | Bi-weekly | Apply |
| Braintrust | $20–$200/hr | Experts who want task-based AI work rather than waiting on a project match | Profile, then an AI skills interview, then you browse and accept tasks | Weekly | Apply |
| Handshake AI | $50–$150/hr | PhDs, graduate students and credentialed academics | Application with credential verification | Per project | Apply |
| micro1 | $40–$120/hr | Software engineers, especially with competitive-programming experience | AI interview plus a technical assessment | Monthly or per engagement | Apply |
| Outlier | $15–$60/hr | Coding and writing tasks, with the widest country eligibility | Written assessment, sometimes a short coding test | Weekly | Apply |
| DataAnnotation | $20–$60/hr | Careful generalists and coders with no specialist credential | Unpaid written assessment, 1–3 hours, usually one attempt only | Weekly via PayPal | Apply |
Pay figures are the ranges platforms report for US, UK and Canada-based contributors. The live per-listing rates on the boardcome straight from the listings themselves.
Head to head
The matchups people actually weigh up before applying.
Different markets wearing the same label. Mercor pays two to four times more but wants a credential and a passed interview. Outlier takes far mor…
The closest match on this list, and most specialists end up on both. Mercor has more listings and a more consistent pipeline. Alignerr is the sen…
For engineers, this is a real choice. micro1 is engineering-first with a technical screen to match; Mercor spans every profession and pays more a…
The two generalist platforms. DataAnnotation pays better per hour and pays weekly, but the unpaid assessment is a real filter and eligibility is …
Both target credentialed experts, and Handshake AI is aimed squarely at PhDs and graduate students. Mercor has more volume and higher ceilings. H…
Alignerr pays more when a specialist track is open to you; Outlier has more work more of the time. Neither is reliable enough on its own, which i…
Two things settle it faster than any comparison table: what the work actually pays for your background, and what is open right now.