Platforms
How each platform works and how they compare
General13 guides
- micro1 vs Mercor: pay, hiring and which to apply toCompare micro1 and Mercor on stated pay, AI interviews, how and when each pays, and who each suits, with the same professions side by side.
- Outlier vs Mercor: task tracks or an hourly rateOutlier pays per task track, with no promise the queue refills. Mercor posts roles with a stated hourly rate and one short AI interview.
- micro1 vs Outlier: posted roles or task tracksmicro1 posts roles with the pay on each and one AI interview. Outlier sorts work into tracks with their own pay and an assessment.
- Outlier vs DataAnnotation: pay, hiring and who each suitsCompare Outlier and DataAnnotation on stated pay, how each hires, how and when each pays, and who each suits, from their own pages.
- Alignerr vs Outlier: listings or task tracksAlignerr posts a pay range on each listing. Outlier prices work per track, with no platform-wide rate. How each one screens, pays and keeps you on.
- DataAnnotation alternatives that publish their payPlatforms that post AI training work with pay stated on the listing, for readers looking past DataAnnotation's one-time assessment and its silence.
- DataAnnotation vs Mercor: pay, hiring and who each suitsCompare DataAnnotation and Mercor on stated pay, how each hires, how and when each pays, and who each suits, from their own pages.
- DataAnnotation vs Alignerr: track rates or listing ratesDataAnnotation sets a starting rate per track after one assessment. Alignerr posts a range on each listing. Pay, screening and countries compared.
- Alignerr vs Mercor: many listings or one rated roleAlignerr runs a large board of listings to apply to broadly. Mercor posts fewer roles, each with a stated hourly rate. Pay, screening and who each suits.
- Mercor vs Turing: AI interview or proctored testsMercor screens with one AI interview and pays every Wednesday. Turing uses proctored tests and an interview, and its own pages disagree on pay dates.
- Mercor vs SME Careers: stated rates or country maximumsMercor states a rate per role and pays on Wednesdays. SME Careers posts maximums that vary by country and pays through Deel. Compared by profession.
- Ethos vs Mercor: one profile or one AI interviewEthos matches senior professionals from one profile and pays per project. Mercor screens with a 20 minute AI interview and pays weekly.
- micro1 vs SME Careers: AI interviews, pay and countriesBoth screen with a recorded AI interview and pay through Deel. micro1 pays twice a month. SME Careers pays weekly, with rates set per country.
micro16 guides
- The micro1 hiring process, step by stepmicro1 has published its own hiring process: four steps, the timings it states for each, what certification gets you, and how payment works through Deel.
- How to pass micro1's Zara AI interviewVideo, 1:28 What Zara asks, how she builds questions from your introduction, where to take a free practice interview, and what each result status means.
- Every micro1 application status, explainedAll ten statuses on micro1's talent dashboard, the difference between did not qualify and not selected, and what to do about each.
- What micro1 certification and skill ratings meanmicro1 says being certified does not mean you are hired. What certification gets you, how vetted skills are rated, and what micro1 advises about a low rating.
- micro1 alternatives: where to apply while you waitThree platforms that state pay on every role, how each screens and pays, and which suits you after a micro1 status of waiting, not selected or did not qualify.
- Is micro1 legit, and what does it pay?Check whether micro1 is legit, what its postings state for pay, how Deel pays twice a month, what happens to recordings, and how to spot fake recruiters.
Mercor9 guides
- How Mercor works: from application to weekly payThe steps that decide whether you get Mercor work and get paid: the application, the AI interview, contracts and the pay week, with links to each guide.
- How a Mercor application is actually assembledMercor holds application steps on your account, so finishing one advances the rest. The retake limit, and why offers arrive for roles you never applied to.
- Mercor onboarding: from accepted offer to first paid taskWhich steps after a Mercor offer you can finish today, and which ones you can only wait on.
- Mercor's pay week runs on Indian timeMercor's week closes Friday 23:59 IST, which is Friday morning in California. How that boundary explains missing hours, plus the four payment statuses.
- Which Mercor hours get paid, and what happens when some are questionedMercor pays tracked time by default and names three reasons it can withhold hours. Weak work is not one. How the review, email and dispute reply work.
- The four ways Mercor work stops, and what each one meansPaused, project ended, performance offboarding and policy violation are four different Mercor events. What each means for you and your pay.
- Mercor alternatives: where to apply after no replyMercor gives no feedback and no time to a decision. Three platforms that state pay on every role, how each screens and pays, and who each one suits.
- How to prepare for Mercor's AI interviewMercor builds its 20-minute AI interview from your resume. Retakes and what they cost, the setup checks, freezes, and what Mercor never tells you.
- Is Mercor legit, and what does it pay?Check whether Mercor is a real company, how it hires and pays, who can apply, and what it says about its March 2026 data breach, from its own pages.
Ethos1 guide
Turing2 guides
- Is Turing legit, and how often does it pay?Who runs Turing, why its own pages give three different pay dates, how Deel and direct bank payments work, and what ends a Turing contract early.
- How to prepare for Turing's application and proctored testsTuring's proctored tests disqualify you for 90 days if you pause screen sharing more than four times. Setup, timers, review times and the 6-week silence.
SME Careers3 guides
- SME Careers alternatives: where to apply while you waitQualified on SME Careers but no project yet? Three platforms that state pay on every role, how each screens and pays, and who each one is for.
- How to prepare for the SME Careers AI interviewSME Careers gives you one 15-minute AI interview and a retake only if offered. The AI work it tests for, what it asks, setup, results and screening.
- Is SME Careers legit, and what does it pay?SME Careers is SuperAnnotate's expert network. See how it hires, what its roles pay by country, when Deel pays you, and what it does not publish.
Outlier2 guides
- Is Outlier AI legit, and what does it pay?Check who runs Outlier AI, what its pages say it pays, when it pays, how to spot fake recruiters, and what Trustpilot and a reported lawsuit show.
- Outlier alternatives that publish their payPlatforms with posted roles and stated pay for people leaving Outlier, grouped by background: generalist, coding, languages, and STEM and research.
DataAnnotation1 guide
Alignerr2 guides
- Is Alignerr legit, and what does it pay?Alignerr is a real Labelbox contractor network with a public board of 5,624 roles. What its own pages say about pay and screening, and what applicants report.
- Alignerr alternatives that post a rate on every rolePlatforms that state pay on every AI training role, grouped by background: domain experts, software and data, languages, and no specialism.