The main Outlier AI alternatives are DataAnnotation ($25-$50 an hour for general work, up to $150+ for coding), Alignerr ($80 an hour stated average), Mindrift ($15-30 entry level, $60-100+ for experts), Mercor ($90 an hour average contracted rate), Handshake AI (US-based, invite-only elsewhere; up to $17 to $300 an hour by role), CrowdGen by Appen and OneForma. Outlier itself publishes no rate table. Most of them pay weekly or twice a month, and each sets its own country rules.
- Outlier publishes no pay table: the rate is shown per project and varies by location. DataAnnotation, Mindrift and Alignerr publish ranges.
- For non-US workers, Mindrift, CrowdGen, OneForma and Remotasks publish the widest country coverage; the Handshake AI Fellowship is built for people based in the US and is invite-only elsewhere.
- Apply to more than one: Outlier says project lengths vary, and DataAnnotation adds workers to projects based on expertise and performance.
Outlier AI alternatives at a glance
Outlier is Scale AI's platform for paid AI training: you write hard prompts, build grading rubrics and rate AI answers. It says it has paid "$500M+" to experts and has "900K+" people on it (Outlier). People look for alternatives when projects dry up, when pay in their country is low, or to run a second account alongside it.
The table lists the closest alternatives with what each program published on its own pages on November 12, 2026. "Published pay" means a figure the program shows; where it shows none, the table says so.
| Program | Who runs it | Kind of work | Who it accepts | Published pay | How and when it pays | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outlier | Scale AI | Writing hard prompts, grading rubrics, rating and ranking AI answers | Undergraduate-level expertise at minimum; no AI experience needed | No rate published; you see the rate before each project, and it varies by location | Weekly on Tuesdays via PayPal, Airtm or ACH | "50 Countries" on its homepage; ID from your country of residence |
| DataAnnotation | DataAnnotation | Rating chatbot answers, coding, STEM, professional and language tracks | Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; one Starter Assessment attempt | $25-$50/hr general; $25-$40 multilingual; $40-$150+ coding; $40-$125+ STEM and professional | PayPal, within a few days of requesting | No country list in its FAQ |
| Alignerr | Labelbox | Expert AI training jobs; some roles need no tech background | Applicants who meet skill and communication requirements; ID check through Persona | $80/hr stated average; listings up to $150/hr | Stripe Connect or PayPal, depending on location | Says it welcomes applicants "from around the world" |
| Mindrift | Toloka | Writing prompts, evaluating AI answers; open "All-access" tasks | Anyone can start All-access tasks; specialized projects need qualifications | $15-30/hr entry level; $60-100+/hr domain experts | Twice a month (5th and 20th) via Payoneer or Tipalti (PayPal) | Any country except a published exclusion list |
| Mercor | Mercor | Expert roles such as benchmark and evaluation work | Set per role | $90/hr average contracted rate | Weekly via Stripe or Wise (example listing) | Set per role |
| Handshake AI Fellowship | Handshake | AI project work by field | Based in the US with valid work authorization | Up to $17/hr (evaluation) to up to $300/hr (medical professional) | Weekly; payouts sent by Wednesday | US; elsewhere by invitation only |
| CrowdGen | Appen | Domain-expert evaluation and annotation | Most projects have a qualification process | Up to $95/hr linguists, $400/hr legal, $450/hr clinicians; rate depends on location and skills | Local currency via bank transfer, PayPal, Payoneer or Airtm | Global network; pay set by location |
| OneForma | OneForma | Language, annotation and data-collection projects | Per project | Fixed rate per project; examples on its board: $5/hr, $125 per session | PayPal or Payoneer | "100 + Countries" on its homepage |
Sources for this table: Outlier: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026; DataAnnotation: homepage and roles, read 12 Nov 2026; Alignerr: homepage (powered by Labelbox), read 12 Nov 2026; Mindrift: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026; Mercor: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026; Handshake AI: fellowship program, read 12 Nov 2026; CrowdGen by Appen: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026; OneForma: homepage and open projects, read 12 Nov 2026.
The best Outlier AI alternatives, one by one
**DataAnnotation.** The most detailed public pay table in this group: general projects start at $25-$50 an hour, multilingual at $25-$40, coding at $40-$150+, and STEM and professional work at $40-$125+. The baseline is "a bachelor's degree or equivalent real-world experience", you get one attempt at the Starter Assessment, and not every applicant gets a reply. It pays through PayPal "within a few days after you request" (DataAnnotation FAQ). Our review: Is DataAnnotation legit?.
**Alignerr.** Powered by Labelbox, Alignerr states "$80/hr Average pay" and lists jobs such as a finance and accounting expert at up to $150 an hour (Alignerr). Some roles say "no tech background needed". You verify your ID through Persona and are paid by Stripe Connect or PayPal depending on your location. Its FAQ says it welcomes applicants "from around the world", but its answer on visas also says it accepts only US IDs for verification, so check before you apply from abroad (Alignerr FAQ). Our review: Is Alignerr legit?.
**Mindrift.** Built by Toloka, Mindrift publishes "Entry-level: $15-30 per hour" and "Domain experts: $60-100+/hr" (Mindrift). Anyone can start on open "All-access" tasks; qualifications unlock better-paid specialized projects. It pays twice a month, on the 5th and 20th, through Payoneer or Tipalti (PayPal), and joining is free (Mindrift welcome page). Toloka's own tasks have moved there. Our reviews: Is Mindrift legit? and Toloka review.
**Mercor.** Mercor shows a $90/hr average contracted rate on its homepage (Mercor) and hires for named expert roles, each with its own requirements. Its contract listings state "Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise" (Mercor listing). It suits people with a clear specialty more than generalists. Our review: Is Mercor legit?.
**Handshake AI Fellowship.** Posted rates run from up to $17 an hour for an AI evaluation specialist to up to $150 for a software engineer, but you "must be based in the U.S." with valid work authorization (Handshake AI); outside the US, "Participation is currently invite-only" (Handshake AI Help Center). Some role pages post more, such as "Medical Professional Apply now Up to $300/hr" (Handshake AI). Payouts go out weekly, by Wednesday afternoon (Handshake Help Center). Our review: Is Handshake AI legit?.
**CrowdGen (Appen).** CrowdGen is "the contributor platform of Appen". It lists domain rates up to $95 an hour for linguists, $400 for legal experts and $450 for clinicians, and says pay "is based on location and skills". Earnings are paid in local currency through bank transfer, PayPal, Payoneer or Airtm, and most projects have a qualification step (CrowdGen).
**OneForma.** OneForma pays a fixed rate per project, shown before you start, through PayPal or Payoneer (OneForma: how it works). Its project board on November 12, 2026, ranged from a speech-translation evaluator at "$5 per hour" to a US in-home capture study at "$125 USD per completed session", and it cites "100 + Countries" (OneForma). Our review: OneForma review.
**Remotasks**, Scale AI's other platform, is a separate option for simpler labeling and transcription tasks; see sites like Remotasks.
Is DataAnnotation better than Outlier?
They differ more in transparency than in the work. Both pay for rating and writing AI answers. DataAnnotation publishes starting rates by track ($25-$50 an hour general, $40-$150+ coding) and pays through PayPal on request. Outlier shows each project's rate only once you are in, pays weekly on Tuesdays, and lists three payout methods (PayPal, Airtm, ACH). DataAnnotation gives you one attempt at its Starter Assessment, so prepare before you take it. If DataAnnotation is the one you are leaving, see DataAnnotation alternatives.
Which Outlier alternative fits your background?
Match the program to what you can prove. Each row uses only the requirements the programs publish.
| Your background | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No degree | Mindrift All-access tasks, Alignerr roles marked "no tech background needed", Remotasks | Mindrift says anyone can start All-access tasks; DataAnnotation and Outlier ask for degree-level or equivalent expertise |
| Bachelor's degree | DataAnnotation general track, Outlier, Mindrift | DataAnnotation's baseline is a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, at $25-$50 an hour |
| Licensed professional (law, finance, medicine) | DataAnnotation professional track, CrowdGen, Mercor, Alignerr | DataAnnotation pays $40-$125+ for licensed credentials; CrowdGen lists up to $400 (legal) and $450 (clinicians) |
| Coder | DataAnnotation coding track, Alignerr, Mercor, Handshake AI (US) | DataAnnotation coding starts at $40-$150+; Handshake lists up to $150 for software engineers |
| Outside the US | Mindrift, CrowdGen, OneForma, Alignerr, Outlier | Handshake AI is built for the US and invite-only elsewhere; Mindrift accepts most countries outside a published exclusion list |
Before you switch from Outlier
A few checks save time and protect your accounts.
- Read the rate before you start. Outlier, Mindrift, OneForma and Alignerr all say the rate is shown before each project or task.
- Check payout methods for your country. Outlier offers PayPal, Airtm or ACH; Mindrift Payoneer or Tipalti; Alignerr Stripe Connect or PayPal depending on location.
- Use your real location. Outlier asks for an ID and phone from your country of residence, and Remotasks only lets you work from your Primary Country.
- Never pay to join. Mindrift says joining is free "always", and CrowdGen says it "will never ask you to pay anything".
- Want work that uses your own recordings instead? See companies that pay to record work and getting paid to record your voice for AI.
Next step
Outlier is run by Scale AI; our Scale AI review covers the company behind it, and Mercor competitors lists the wider field of AI data companies.
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Origin Data Partners is independent of the programs on this page. A program may pay Origin when Origin introduces someone who joins it, which never changes what you are paid (how Origin is paid).
Common questions
What are the best Outlier AI alternatives?
DataAnnotation, Alignerr, Mindrift, Mercor, Handshake AI (US only), CrowdGen by Appen and OneForma. DataAnnotation publishes $25-$50 an hour for general work, Mindrift $15-30 entry level and $60-100+ for experts, Alignerr an $80 an hour average and Mercor a $90 an hour average contracted rate.
Is there an Outlier AI alternative that pays more?
On published figures, Mercor ($90 an hour average contracted rate) and Alignerr ($80 an hour average) state higher averages, and CrowdGen lists up to $400 an hour for legal experts. Outlier publishes no rate table, so a direct comparison is not possible. Pay depends on your field, location and the project.
Which Outlier AI alternatives accept workers outside the US?
Mindrift says you can join from any country outside its published exclusion list, CrowdGen sets pay by location, OneForma cites 100+ countries and Alignerr says it welcomes applicants from around the world. The Handshake AI Fellowship is US only. DataAnnotation's FAQ publishes no country list.
Is Remotasks an alternative to Outlier?
Both are run by Scale AI. Remotasks focuses on simpler tasks such as labeling images and transcribing audio, says it is available in 90+ countries and pays weekly via PayPal or AirTM. Its generative AI projects are limited to some countries.
Can I work on Outlier and another platform at the same time?
Outlier describes its contributors as independent contractors with no minimum hours, and Alignerr's FAQ says you can work with it alongside other work. Check each program's terms for any exclusivity rule on a given project.
Sources and further reading
- Outlier: homepage
- Outlier: FAQ
- DataAnnotation: homepage and roles
- DataAnnotation: FAQ
- Alignerr: homepage (powered by Labelbox)
- Alignerr: onboarding process
- Alignerr: FAQ
- Mindrift: homepage
- Mindrift: welcome page for Toloka users
- Mindrift (Toloka): eligibility and geographic restrictions
- Mercor: homepage
- Mercor: example contract listing
- Handshake AI: fellowship program
- Handshake Help Center: Handshake AI payments processing
- CrowdGen by Appen: homepage
- OneForma: homepage and open projects
- OneForma: how it works
- Remotasks: homepage
- Remotasks: working location policy