The human data industry is booming, and dozens of platforms are competing for talent. But not all platforms are created equal. Some pay significantly more, some offer more consistent work, and some are better suited to specific skill sets. Here are the five platforms we recommend right now, based on active hiring volume, pay rates, and worker feedback.
1. Outlier (by Scale AI)
The 800-pound gorilla of AI training. Outlier runs projects for virtually every major AI lab and consistently has the highest volume of available work. They hire across writing, coding, mathematics, science, and multilingual tasks. The onboarding process involves a qualification exam, and your score determines which projects you're offered. Coding and STEM projects pay the most.
2. Ethos
The premium end of the market. Ethos connects experienced professionals — lawyers, doctors, finance experts, engineers — with AI labs that need domain-specific training data. The pay is exceptional, but so are the requirements: most roles need 5+ years of professional experience. Founded by a McKinsey/SoftBank/DeepMind team and backed by General Catalyst.
3. Alignerr
If you have a background in mathematics, physics, computer science, or engineering, Alignerr is worth your attention. They focus specifically on technical AI evaluation and training, which means less competition from generalists and more consistent project availability for qualified specialists.
4. Turing
Originally a remote developer marketplace, Turing has expanded heavily into AI training — particularly code generation, code review, and software engineering tasks. If you're a developer looking for flexible AI training work alongside (or instead of) traditional contract coding, Turing bridges both worlds.
5. Micro1
Micro1 takes a different approach: they vet candidates through a rigorous AI-powered screening process and then match them with projects. The screening can be challenging, but once you're in, the work tends to be more consistent and better organised than some of the larger platforms. Their CEO, Ali Ansari, has been vocal about the growth of the human data sector.
How to Maximise Your Earnings
The biggest mistake new human data workers make is signing up for just one platform. The smart approach is to maintain active profiles on at least 2-3 platforms simultaneously. Project availability fluctuates — when one platform is quiet, another might be ramping up. Diversification also lets you compare pay rates and cherry-pick the best opportunities.
Beyond that, invest time in your qualification exams. A higher score on Outlier's assessment, for example, can mean the difference between $25/hour general writing tasks and $60/hour specialised coding projects. The exam is your leverage.