Mercor's main competitors are the other human-data companies that supply AI labs with experts, training data and RL environments: Scale AI, Surge AI, Turing, Handshake AI, micro1, Invisible and Labelbox. For a company that owns data, the useful question is which of them pay businesses for internal records. On November 5, 2026, five of them published such a program: micro1, Handshake AI, Turing (Project Lazarus), Scale AI and Labelbox (Prism), alongside Mercor Data and the data platform Protege. Published figures run from $10K at the low end of Scale AI's illustrative range to $4M+ in Handshake AI's headline. Terms differ most on size limits, exclusivity and whether you are paid once or on every sale.
- Most of Mercor's competitors sell experts and training data to AI labs; five of them also publish programs that pay companies for internal records.
- Size floors differ: Mercor lists some company types from 5 staff, Handshake AI wants 20+ full-time employees, micro1 30+, and Scale AI prefers 40+.
- Terms matter more than headlines: Turing pays on every non-exclusive sale, Labelbox Prism licenses exclusively by default, and Mercor pays by wire on delivery.
Who are Mercor's competitors?
Mercor describes itself as "organizing human intelligence to power the AI economy": it recruits experts for paid AI work, evaluates models and, through Mercor Data, licenses company data to frontier labs. Its competitors are the other human-data companies that sell experts, training data and environments to the same labs.
For a company that owns data, they fall into three groups: companies with a published program that pays businesses for internal records, companies reported to buy company data without a public program, and companies that sell only expert work and AI training services. The table sorts them as of November 5, 2026.
| Company | What it does | Pays companies for internal records? | Program | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor | Expert network, model evaluations and data for AI labs | Yes: published program | Mercor Data | Mercor |
| micro1 | Expert network; evaluations and RL environments for AI labs | Yes: published program | Company data partnerships | micro1 |
| Handshake AI | Early-career network; its Fellowship pays students for AI project work | Yes: published program | Employer Data Partnerships | Handshake |
| Turing | Expert network; helps frontier labs improve models and enterprises deploy agents | Yes: published program | Project Lazarus | Turing |
| Scale AI | Training data for AI labs; runs the Outlier expert platform | Yes: published program | Data Partnerships | Scale AI |
| Labelbox | Builds environments frontier labs train AI on; runs the Alignerr expert network | Yes: published program | Prism | Labelbox Prism |
| Surge AI | Human data and an expert workforce for AI development | Reported to buy data to build RL gyms; no public program found | None published | MIT Technology Review |
| Invisible Technologies | AI training data and experts (Meridial network), plus an enterprise AI platform | No public program found | None published | Invisible |
| Protege | Real-world data platform for AI model builders | Yes: licenses data from data and content providers | For data providers | Protege |
Mercor alternatives that pay companies for data: published terms
Figures are as published on each program's page on November 5, 2026. Mercor publishes a range for each type of company on its listings page; the range below is from Origin's buyer programs study, read October 26, 2026. Published figures are ceilings set by each program, not offers.
| Program | Published payout | Eligibility | Exclusivity and pricing model | Payment timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor Data | $20K to $1.5M by company type | Set per listing; several from 5 staff | Not stated; Mercor covers extraction, anonymization and transfer costs | Wire on delivery, typically 2 to 4 weeks after signing |
| micro1 | $100K to $500K; $500K to $3M; $3M+ | 30+ full-time employees, records mainly in English; US companies first | Data licensed only to labs and enterprises in the US and allied countries | Review of up to 30 days, then payment within 30 days of invoicing |
| Handshake AI | $100K to $4M+ | 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years in operation | Not stated | Not stated |
| Turing Project Lazarus | No figure published; paid on each sale | Active, winding-down and wound-down companies | Non-exclusive licenses; Turing alone sells the record for the first 90 days; revenue share | On each sale; samples reviewed within 5 business days |
| Scale AI Data Partnerships | $10K to $1M+, described as illustrative | 40+ employees preferred, assessed case by case | Designed for recurring revenue | Not stated |
| Labelbox Prism | From about $50K to $1M+ | Companies with operational data or work documents | Exclusive by default; upfront fee at signing plus a revenue share | About 21 days to first wire |
| Protege | Not published | Data and content providers: healthcare, video, audio, spatial and other domains | Revenue share agreement | Not stated |
What changed since Origin's October 2026 study
Programs change their pages often. Between Origin's study of 8 programs on October 26 and November 5, 2026, two published terms moved. micro1 now lists tiers up to $3M+, where the study recorded $100K to $500K, $500K to $2M and $2M+. Turing's Project Lazarus now describes non-exclusive licenses paid on every sale, where the study recorded up to $1M in one payment.
Scale AI's and Labelbox Prism's programs were not among the 8 in the study. Read each program's page again before you sign.
How to choose between Mercor and its competitors
Each program prices from its own model, so the same company can get very different answers. Compare them on these points, in this order:
- Eligibility: size, years in operation, language and country. micro1 wants 30+ full-time employees and mainly English records, Handshake AI 20+ employees and 3+ years, and Scale AI prefers 40+ employees.
- Payout: treat headlines as ceilings. Origin's study found Handshake AI's calculator showing up to $100,000 against its $100K to $4M+ headline. The number that matters is an offer for your records.
- Exclusivity: Labelbox Prism licenses exclusively by default, while Turing licenses non-exclusively after its first 90 days. Exclusive rights should pay more; see exclusive vs non-exclusive licenses.
- One payment or ongoing: Mercor pays by wire on delivery of the dataset. Turing and Protege pay a share of each sale, Prism pays an upfront fee plus a revenue share, and Scale AI designs partnerships for recurring revenue.
- Payment timing: Mercor typically 2 to 4 weeks after signing, Prism about 21 days to first wire, micro1 up to 30 days of review and then 30 days from invoice.
- Data handling: ask who de-identifies the data, where, and who sees it raw. Scale AI says it anonymizes inside your environment before extraction; micro1 limits buyers to the US and allied countries.
- Get more than one offer. See company data buyers compared for a fit table by company size and country.
Who are Scale AI's competitors?
Scale AI competes with the same group: Mercor, Surge AI, Turing, Handshake AI, micro1, Invisible and Labelbox all supply experts, training data or environments to AI labs.
Scale runs Outlier, a platform that connects experts with AI companies, and a Data Partnerships program that pays companies for de-identified operational records. Its page gives $10K to $1M+ as illustrative value per partnership and calls 40+ employees its preferred starting point.
Looking for contractor work instead?
This page is for companies that own data. If you want paid AI training work as an individual, most of these companies run expert networks: Mercor, micro1, Handshake AI (its Fellowship), Turing, Scale AI's Outlier, Labelbox's Alignerr and Invisible's Meridial network. Pay, screening and project volume vary, so read each platform's terms before you apply.
Next step
Start with a description of what you hold: the systems, years of history and volume. No export is needed to compare programs. See what company data is worth and the buyer programs study.
Origin Data Partners works with companies that own data and helps get it bought. We are independent of the services on this page, and a buyer may pay us when a deal closes (how Origin is paid). See what your data is worth.
Common questions
Who are Mercor's competitors?
Other human-data companies that supply AI labs: Scale AI, Surge AI, Turing, Handshake AI, micro1, Invisible and Labelbox. Most recruit experts for AI work. Five of them (micro1, Handshake AI, Turing, Scale AI and Labelbox) also publish programs that pay businesses for internal records.
What are the best Mercor alternatives for selling company data?
Programs with published terms are micro1 ($100K to $3M+, 30+ staff), Handshake AI ($100K to $4M+, 20+ staff and 3+ years), Turing's Project Lazarus (revenue share on non-exclusive sales), Scale AI ($10K to $1M+ illustrative, 40+ staff preferred) and Labelbox Prism (about $50K to $1M+, exclusive by default). The best fit depends on your size, records and whether you want one payment or a revenue share.
Who are Scale AI's competitors?
Mercor, Surge AI, Turing, Handshake AI, micro1, Invisible and Labelbox compete with Scale AI to supply experts, training data and environments to AI labs. Scale AI, Mercor, micro1, Handshake AI, Turing and Labelbox also pay companies for operational records.
Which Mercor competitor pays companies the most for data?
On headline figures, Handshake AI ($100K to $4M+) and micro1 ($3M+ for highly unique data). Headlines are ceilings: Handshake AI's own calculator showed up to $100,000 when Origin checked in October 2026. Actual offers depend on the records, their history and the rights you grant.
Which programs pay a revenue share instead of a one-time fee?
Turing's Project Lazarus pays on every sale of a non-exclusive license, Labelbox Prism pays an upfront fee plus a revenue share, and Protege pays a revenue share. Mercor pays by wire on delivery of the dataset, and Scale AI says it designs partnerships for recurring revenue.
Are there Mercor alternatives for contractors and freelancers?
Yes. micro1, Handshake AI's Fellowship, Turing, Scale AI's Outlier, Labelbox's Alignerr and Invisible's Meridial network all recruit experts for AI training work. This page compares programs for companies that own data, not contractor pay.
Sources and further reading
Origin Data Partners is independent and not affiliated with any buyer named on this page.
- Mercor: homepage
- Mercor: Monetize your data
- micro1: Monetize your company's operational data
- Handshake AI: Get paid for your company data
- Handshake: Introducing Handshake AI Employer Data Partnerships
- Turing: homepage
- Turing: Project Lazarus
- Turing: How Lazarus works
- Scale AI: Data Partnerships
- Outlier: homepage (operated by Scale AI)
- Labelbox: homepage
- Labelbox Prism: Enterprise
- Alignerr: homepage (powered by Labelbox)
- Surge AI: homepage
- MIT Technology Review: AI labs are buying data from dead startups (Oct 2026)
- Invisible Technologies: Human experts for AI training
- Invisible Technologies: homepage
- Protege: for data providers