Sites Like Prolific: Paid Studies and AI Training Work

Sites like Prolific at a glance

Prolific is a platform where researchers post paid studies and surveys, and where some tasks evaluate AI models: participants are asked to "Evaluate machine learning models and consider key questions about AI and human interaction" (Prolific). Sites similar to Prolific fall into two groups: other research-study platforms, and AI training programs that pay by the hour for rating and writing AI answers.

The table lists both groups with what each program published on its own pages on November 12, 2026.

Sources for this table: Prolific: participants, read 12 Nov 2026; CloudResearch: Connect for participants, read 12 Nov 2026; Respondent: for participants, read 12 Nov 2026; Mindrift: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026; DataAnnotation: homepage and roles, read 12 Nov 2026; Outlier: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026; clickworker: homepage, read 12 Nov 2026.

Research-study sites similar to Prolific

**Prolific.** A research-study platform co-founded at Oxford University in 2014. Researchers must pay at least £6/$8 an hour, and Prolific recommends £9/$12 or more (Prolific Help). You cash out to PayPal once you have $6/£6 (Prolific). It is open to adults in "most OECD countries", except Turkey, Lithuania, Colombia and Costa Rica, and new sign-ups go through a waitlist (Prolific FAQ). Our review: Is Prolific legit?.

**CloudResearch Connect.** The nearest like-for-like option. CloudResearch tells researchers that studies pay "on average, $10/hour with a recommended minimum of $7.50/hour" (Connect FAQs). You cash out by PayPal (from a $5 balance), bank transfer or Amazon gift card (Connect for participants). It opened beyond the US in December 2023, "welcoming participants from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom" (CloudResearch).

**Respondent.** Paid interviews, studies and focus groups. "Most sessions pay $50-$250 depending on length and seniority", paid through Tremendous once the session is verified, but "Most participants get 1-3 invitations a month" (Respondent). Its panel spans "150+ countries".

**Amazon Mechanical Turk.** Often listed as the first alternative to Prolific, but its site now says it "permanently closed on September 30, 2026" (Amazon Mechanical Turk). Lists that still recommend it are out of date.

**clickworker.** A microtask platform with a "Workforce located in 136 countries". Clickworkers "are paid per task directly by us"; its homepage gives no rate (clickworker).

Other sites like Prolific for AI tasks

Prolific selects its "AI Taskers" from its top performers (Prolific: AI Taskers). If AI evaluation is the work you like, these programs offer more of it, usually at higher hourly rates and with stricter screening:

**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.

**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?.

**Outlier.** Run by Scale AI, Outlier "connects experts with leading AI companies to provide human feedback" (Outlier). It asks for undergraduate-level expertise at minimum and says no AI experience is needed. It publishes no rate table: "Rates vary by expertise, project complexity, and location", and you see the rate before each project. It pays weekly on Tuesdays through PayPal, Airtm or ACH (Outlier FAQ). Our review: Is Outlier AI legit?.

For more expert programs, see Outlier AI alternatives and DataAnnotation alternatives.

Which Prolific alternative fits your background?

Each row uses only the requirements the programs publish.

How to compare sites similar to Prolific

• Compare the hourly floor, not the reward: Prolific (£6/$8) and Connect ($7.50 recommended) both set an hourly minimum for researchers.
• Check the cash-out minimum: $6/£6 on Prolific, $5 to PayPal on Connect.
• Expect a waitlist. Prolific uses one for new participants, so join a second platform while you wait.
• Paid interviews pay more per hour but come less often; Respondent says most people get 1-3 invitations a month.
• Earn from recordings too: see getting paid to record your voice for AI and companies that pay to record work.

Next step

Our Is Prolific legit? review covers Prolific itself. For a primer on the work behind AI tasks, read what AI training data is.

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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).