// Platform comparison
Pick your platform.
Side-by-side comparison of the 6 platforms hiring most actively for AI training and contract work in 2026. Honest assessment of pay, application difficulty, payout speed, and where each platform actually wins.
| Outlier | Scale AI | Mercor | Surge AI | Turing | Micro1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay range | $28–$95/hr | $22–$150/hr | $40–$220/hr | $30–$200/hr | $80–$220/hr | $55–$220/hr |
| Top role pay | RLHF code · $95 | Math expert · $150 | Sr eng · $200+ | Medical MD · $200 | Sr eng · $180 | ML eng · $220 |
| Application diff. | Easy | Easy | Medium | Medium | Hard | Hard |
| Payout speed | Weekly | Weekly | Weekly | Bi-weekly | Bi-weekly | Bi-weekly |
| Time to first $ | 5–10d | 7–14d | 10–21d | 14–30d | 21–45d | 14–30d |
| Volume of work | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Support quality | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Work types | RLHF · Coding · Multilingual · Math · Creative | RLHF · Coding · Math · Multilingual · Creative | RLHF · Coding · Domain · Sr eng · Research | Domain · Multilingual · RLHF · Creative | Sr eng · Math · Research | Sr eng · ML · Domain · Coding |
| Geography | Global · pay varies by region | Global · pay varies by region | Global · same rate worldwide | US-leaning · global accepted | Global · timezone-flexible | Global |
| Tier-up speed | Fast · 2 wks | Medium · 3–4 wks | Medium · 3–4 wks | Slow · 6+ wks | N/A · contract-based | N/A · contract-based |
| Best for | Volume + RLHF/Coding | Math + Multilingual | Domain + Sr eng | Medical + Long-form | FTE-replacement contracts | ML eng contracts |
// Best if you want
Volume + steady income
Outlier or Scale AI. Both have the largest inventories of RLHF and coding eval tasks. Easiest application bar. Weekly payouts. Reliable 15–25 hrs/week available year-round.
// Best if you have
Specialized credentials
Mercor for legal/engineering domain experts. Surge AI for medical (active practice). Both pay $120–$200/hr for active credentials. Higher application bar but worth the screening time.
// Best if you are
A senior engineer
Turing for full-time-equivalent contracts (3–6 month engagements). Micro1 for hands-on ML / training-infra work at the highest hourly rates. Both pay $100–$220/hr depending on stack.
// Pro tip
The smartest contractors are on 2–3 platforms simultaneously. When work dries up on one, you pivot to another. Mercor + Outlier is the most common pair (different work mix, no overlap conflict). Avoid using your same email across all of them — most platforms will tier you down if they detect cross-platform activity.