Sites like Outlier (Scale AI)
Outlier AI alternatives
12 platforms that hire for the same kinds of work as Outlier (Scale AI), the ones with roles open today first: what each pays, who can join and how it pays out, read from their job boards every day.
Outlier AI alternatives: the short answer
The closest alternatives to Outlier (Scale AI) with roles open today are micro1 (208 open roles in the same work), AfterQuery (168), Mercor (171) and Turing (159).
Like Outlier (Scale AI), they are expert networks that hire for AI Evaluation, Coding and Math & STEM.
DataAnnotation, Handshake AI and Alignerr are other expert networks like Outlier (Scale AI).
Of all the platforms on this page, the highest typical pay right now is Handshake AI's: a median of $90/hr on its open roles.
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Sites like Outlier (Scale AI) with roles open today
Expert networks like Outlier (Scale AI) that hire for the same kinds of work and have open roles right now, in the site's ranking order. Each count is the open roles in the kinds of work Outlier (Scale AI) hires for.
Zara AI-interview vetting, then expert data work at published hourly rates.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts, Multilingual
Expert reasoning and rubrics for frontier labs, weekly Stripe pay.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Writing, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Premium expert network: physicians, lawyers, engineers, PhDs.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Writing, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Coding-and-reasoning data for frontier labs, heavy vetting.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Vetted expert network with a data-trainer career ladder.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts, Multilingual
Keep all of your pay: published per-role bands, no talent fees.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Writing, Coding, Domain Experts
More expert networks like Outlier (Scale AI)
The best known first. Some publish no job board we can read, so they show no count here; their roles are on their own sites.
DataAnnotation
Assessment-gated contractor
Reliable-paying generalist and expert work for educated writers.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Writing, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts, Multilingual
Roles listed on its own site
Degree-holding US trainers, with hourly contract roles on its live board.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Writing, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Design the training tasks in your own professional domain.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Writing, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Grok's own tutor program: hourly work straight from the lab, no marketplace in between.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts, Multilingual
A unified board of AI-training jobs with real per-role pay.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Browse live AI-training and paid-study listings, each with pay shown upfront.
Same work as Outlier (Scale AI): AI Evaluation, Coding, Math & STEM, Domain Experts
Why people look for alternatives to Outlier (Scale AI)
- After Meta took a 49% stake in Scale AI in mid-2025 and major labs paused work, Outlier cut generalist projects and shifted toward technical and expert work.
- Reviews split between praise for weekly pay and complaints about empty queues and account issues.
Still weighing it up? Read the full Outlier (Scale AI) review, with what it pays, how it pays out and whether it is legit.
Outlier (Scale AI) and its alternatives, side by side
| Platform | Kind | Typical pay | Open roles in this work | Who can join | How it pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outlier (Scale AI)(for reference) | Expert network | $15–$50/hr; specialists to ~$100/hr | 5 | Global remote | Weekly (Tuesdays) via PayPal, Airtm or ACH bank transfer |
| micro1 | Expert network | $50-$270/hr typical (live median $75) | 208 | Global, remote-first | USD via Deel (bank, PayPal, Wise, Payoneer) |
| AfterQuery | Expert network | $50-$125/hr typical (live median $75) | 168 | Remote, but it can pay only banks in the countries on its supported list | Weekly (Fridays) via Stripe to bank |
| Mercor | Expert network | $55-$150/hr typical (live median $75) | 171 | Global (45+ countries) | Weekly via Stripe (1099 contractors) |
| Turing | Expert network | $15–$150/hr | 159 | Global, fully remote | Monthly for the hours you log: paid on the 5th calendar day of each month, through Turing's own portal or Deel depending on the project |
| SuperAnnotate (SME) | Expert network | $17–$115+/hr by domain and geography | 355 | 40+ countries, 5 continents, up to ~18 languages | Via Deel (contracts, tax/compliance) |
| Braintrust | Expert network | $18-$100/hr typical (live median $25) | 63 | Global (100+ countries, 50+ languages) | Weekly |
| DataAnnotation | Expert network | $15–$100+/hr | See its site | 6 countries only | PayPal |
| Handshake AI | Expert network | $55-$150/hr typical (live median $90) | 164 | United States | Weekly through Stripe (set up in Handshake AI): Handshake sends each Monday-to-Sunday week's pay to its pay partners by Wednesday afternoon |
| Alignerr | Expert network | $35-$130/hr typical (live median $60) | 236 | Global, remote-first | Stripe Connect or PayPal by region |
| xAI (SpaceXAI) | Expert network | $40-$65/hr typical (live median $40) | 15 | Remote from anywhere in the world, subject to legal eligibility, time-zone fit and the needs of the role | Hired directly by the company, not through a marketplace wallet: tutor roles are offered as full-time, part-time or contractor depending on the role and the candidate, so pay runs through xAI's own payroll or contract terms |
| OpenTrain AI | Expert network | $15-$60/hr typical (live median $30) | 22 | Global job board | Stripe payouts to your bank, in the 120 countries its payout docs list |
| Terac | Expert network | $55-$105/hr typical (live median $85) | 16 | Payouts in most countries (its payment docs name no list) | Terac wallet, cashed out through Whop: $12.50 minimum, up to $10,000 a day (its payment docs, read 15 Oct 2026) |
Pay shows each platform's live measured band where its job board publishes enough hourly rates to measure, otherwise our compiled benchmark. How we compile pay.
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Outlier AI alternatives: common questions
What are the best Outlier AI alternatives?
The closest alternatives to Outlier (Scale AI) with roles open today are micro1 (208 open roles in the same work), AfterQuery (168), Mercor (171) and Turing (159). Like Outlier (Scale AI), they are expert networks that hire for AI Evaluation, Coding and Math & STEM. DataAnnotation, Handshake AI and Alignerr are other expert networks like Outlier (Scale AI).
Why do people look for Outlier AI alternatives?
After Meta took a 49% stake in Scale AI in mid-2025 and major labs paused work, Outlier cut generalist projects and shifted toward technical and expert work. Reviews split between praise for weekly pay and complaints about empty queues and account issues.
Which sites like Outlier (Scale AI) pay the most?
Among the alternatives whose job boards publish enough hourly rates to measure, Handshake AI has the highest typical pay right now, a median of $90/hr, followed by Terac ($85) and micro1 ($75). These are medians of the rates on roles open today, so they move as roles open and close. Outlier (Scale AI)'s own pay: $15–$50/hr; specialists to ~$100/hr.
Which Outlier AI alternative is easiest to join?
All of the alternatives here are expert networks, gated by a screen for a degree, professional expertise, or a skills test.
Can you work on Outlier (Scale AI) and other platforms at the same time?
Yes. They are independent platforms, and many contributors join several at once to keep a steady flow of work. Joining one does not affect your account on another.