All three platforms pay contractors to write, rate and check AI model outputs. All three are free to join, and all three are variable work, not jobs. They differ in how much they tell you up front, who they accept, and how you get paid. We have no affiliate or referral relationship with any of them. Links go to each platform's own site. Pay figures are each platform's own advertised numbers, not our measurements and not guarantees.
Short answer
- DataAnnotation is the most transparent about rates. It publishes per-track starting rates and a role list with "up to" figures. It's a good first application if you have a bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) and write well. You get one shot at the Starter Assessment.
- Outlier (run by Scale AI) says it has paid experts more than $500 million, and it pays weekly on Tuesdays. It doesn't publish rates; you see each project's rate before you start. It requires at least an associate degree.
- Alignerr (run by Labelbox) advertises the highest headline numbers, an $80/hour average, and lists a rate range on every job. Some jobs ask for a minimum number of hours, some projects track time with screenshots, and its FAQ lists US-only ID documents for verification.
Most people who earn steadily are qualified on two or three platforms, because any one of them can go quiet for weeks.
Side by side (checked 17 Oct 2026)
| DataAnnotation | Outlier | Alignerr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | DataAnnotation | Scale AI | Labelbox |
| Advertised pay | Homepage: "up to $75–$125+/hr" for experts. FAQ starting rates: general $25–$50+, multilingual $20+, coding $40–$150+, STEM $40–$125+, professional $40–$125+ | Not published. "Rates vary by expertise, project complexity, and location"; rate shown before each project | Homepage: "$80/hr average". Job ranges seen: $25–$30 (language), $30–$40 (writing), $40–$120 (search quality, AI training); some expert roles "up to $150/hr" |
| Minimum education | Bachelor's or equivalent experience (general); master's/PhD or bachelor's + 10 years (STEM); licensed credentials (law, finance, medicine) | Associate degree; some projects need a bachelor's, master's or PhD | No fixed minimum; "talented generalists are welcome"; job-specific requirements |
| Application | Starter Assessment (~1 hour; specialist tests 1–2 hours). Taken only once | 30–90 min onboarding with skill screenings and ID, then project-specific assessments | Google sign-in, resume upload, Persona ID check; some jobs add an AI interview ("Zara") or a domain assessment |
| ID verification | Persona; physical government photo ID | Valid ID and phone from your country of residence | Persona. FAQ says it accepts US driver's licenses, state IDs, work permits or permanent residence cards |
| Payout | PayPal, "within a few days" after you request it | Weekly on Tuesdays for the prior Tuesday–Monday; PayPal, Airtm or ACH | Stripe Connect or PayPal, depending on location |
| Minimum hours | None | None | None platform-wide (many contributors do 20–25/week); some jobs state a minimum, e.g. 15 hrs/week |
| Time tracking | Platform-based | Platform-based | Labelbox timer; some projects use Hubstaff, which takes periodic screenshots |
| Status | Contractor | Independent contractor; no visa sponsorship | Independent contractor; no visa sponsorship |
Sources: DataAnnotation homepage, DataAnnotation FAQ, Outlier FAQ, Outlier homepage, Alignerr homepage, Alignerr FAQ, Alignerr process, Alignerr Rust coding job.
What the advertised pay really means
- "Up to" and "average" aren't offers. DataAnnotation's FAQ itself gives two different starting points for general work, "$25–$50+" in one answer and "$25–$30+" in another. Alignerr's Rust job page shows "$20–120/hr" in its header and "$25–$100 per hour" (US) in its details. Treat ranges as ceilings and rely on the rate shown in your dashboard.
- Location changes pay. Outlier says rates vary by location. Expect lower rates outside the US for the same task type.
- Hours decide income. None of the three guarantees work. DataAnnotation says work is available if you qualify for long-running projects and do high-quality work. Alignerr says assignment depends on demand, assessments and past performance. Outlier says project lengths vary with customer needs.
Example (assumptions, not platform data): at $25/hour, 6 hours a week is about $650 a month (25 × 6 × 4.33). At $50/hour, 8 hours a week is about $1,730. Either becomes $0 in a week with no projects. Our research note has month-by-month ranges.
Payouts and fine print
- DataAnnotation pays to PayPal, so you need a PayPal account under the same email you registered (FAQ).
- Outlier pays every Tuesday through PayPal, Airtm or ACH, and shows the rate before you start a project (FAQ). Rates can differ between a project's phases, so check the rate for onboarding and review phases too.
- Alignerr sets up billing through Stripe Connect or PayPal after approval (process). Its FAQ says contributors are paid for completed work even if it's graded low quality, except in extreme fraud cases. It also says that if Trust & Safety deactivates an account and the appeal is rejected, there's no payment for completed work (FAQ).
Which one should you apply to first?
| If you are... | Start with | Then add |
|---|---|---|
| A strong writer with a bachelor's degree | DataAnnotation (prepare carefully: one attempt) | Outlier |
| A software engineer or data scientist | DataAnnotation coding track and Alignerr coding jobs | Outlier coding projects |
| A STEM master's or PhD | Any of the three; take every specialist test you can pass | The other two |
| Licensed in law, finance or medicine | DataAnnotation professional track, Alignerr expert roles | Outlier |
| A native speaker of a non-English language | DataAnnotation multilingual; Alignerr language roles | Outlier |
| Outside the US | Outlier and DataAnnotation (confirm your country is eligible); check Alignerr's ID rules first | — |
Red flags (all three)
Legitimate platforms never ask you to pay to join, buy training, or deposit money to unlock tasks or withdrawals. Apply only on the official sites above. The FTC documents "task scams" that imitate this kind of rating work (FTC). Scale AI, which runs Outlier, has also agreed to a $12.5 million California class settlement over contractor classification, with a final approval hearing on October 30, 2026 (settlement site).
How we compared
We read each platform's homepage, FAQ, process page and a sample of live job listings on 17 Oct 2026, and quoted figures as the platforms state them. We didn't apply for or work on these platforms for this comparison, and none of them paid for placement or reviewed this page. Rates and requirements change often, so check the official pages before you apply.