Role counts and pay come from the live listings on DomainExpert Jobs and update every day. Last updated Nov 1, 2026.
The short answer
- Mercor has one of the biggest lists of roles and some of the highest pay, with lots of STEM, Coding, Medicine contracts. Many are close to full-time hours. Best if you have strong professional credentials.
- micro1 has a wide mix of roles, including legal, bilingual and generalist work, and screens everyone with an AI interview. A good all-round choice and often the easiest place to start.
- Alignerr lists fewer roles, mostly in Medicine, Coding, Generalist. Worth joining as a second platform.
Most experts join more than one. You work as an independent contractor on each, so you can usually be active on several platforms at once. Some projects have their own confidentiality or exclusivity terms, so read each contract.
At a glance
| micro1 | Mercor | Alignerr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open roles now | 309 | 322 | 60 |
| Typical posted pay | $50–$90/hr | $60–$90/hr | $40–$80/hr |
| Highest posted rate | $400/hr | $450/hr | $120/hr |
| Most common fields | Law, Generalist, Coding | STEM, Coding, Medicine | Medicine, Coding, Generalist |
| How you're screened | AI video interview with Zara, then human review | AI video interview, sometimes a work sample | ID check, then role-specific assessments |
| How you're paid | Hourly in US dollars | Hourly or per approved deliverable | Hourly, tracked with a built-in timer |
"Typical posted pay" is the median of the lowest and highest hourly rates in each platform's current listings. Payout schedules and payment providers change and depend on your country, so check your contract.
micro1
micro1 recruits experts to train and test AI models for AI labs. You apply to a role, then complete a video interview with Zara, micro1's AI recruiter, which asks about the skills that role needs. micro1's team reviews the interview and matches you to projects. Applicants report an identity check and a contract before the first payment.
On our board today: 309 open roles, typically $50–$90/hr, up to $400/hr. The most common fields are Law, Generalist, Coding, and there are many bilingual roles for languages like Korean, French and Brazilian Portuguese.
Best for: lawyers, bilingual professionals, software engineers and generalists who want one interview that can lead to several projects.
Watch out for: you often won't know which AI lab a project is for, and the amount of work changes from week to week.
Join micro1 See all micro1 jobs
Mercor
Mercor matches professionals with AI labs that need expert feedback, often for specific, well-paid contracts. The main screening step is an AI video interview about your background and field. Applicants describe it as about 20 minutes, and some roles add a short work sample. Your interview can count toward several roles, so it's worth doing it well.
On our board today: 322 open roles, typically $60–$90/hr, up to $450/hr. The most common fields are STEM, Coding, Medicine. Many listings ask for 20 or 40 hours a week, and some are open only to people in the United States.
Best for: doctors, scientists, engineers, software developers and finance professionals with clear credentials.
Watch out for: contracts can end quickly when a project wraps up. Some roles pay per deliverable rather than per hour, so you're paid only for approved work.
Join Mercor See all Mercor jobs
Alignerr
Alignerr is the expert network run by Labelbox, a data company that works with AI labs. You verify your identity, build a profile and take assessments for the roles you apply to. Passing an assessment makes you eligible for projects in that area, but it doesn't guarantee work.
On our board today: 60 open roles, typically $40–$80/hr, up to $120/hr. The most common fields are Medicine, Coding, Generalist.
Best for: a second platform alongside micro1 or Mercor, especially for medical, coding and business experts.
Watch out for: paid time is what the built-in timer records, and unpaid onboarding or rejected tasks can make real earnings lower than the posted rate.
Join Alignerr See all Alignerr jobs
Which should you join first?
- Doctor, nurse or other clinician: Mercor first, then micro1 and Alignerr. Medicine jobs
- Lawyer or legal professional: micro1 and Mercor. Law jobs
- Software engineer: all three. Coding roles are common everywhere. Coding jobs
- Scientist, engineer or mathematician: Mercor first. STEM jobs
- Native speaker of a language other than English: micro1 and Mercor. Language jobs
- No specialist degree: micro1's generalist roles, then Alignerr. Generalist jobs
How to pass the AI interviews
- Set up properly. Use a quiet room, a decent microphone, your camera and a stable connection. A rushed or noisy interview is the most common avoidable fail.
- Read the job description first. The questions focus on the skills it lists, so prepare for those.
- Have two or three real examples ready. Specific cases from your work, like a tricky diagnosis, a contract dispute or a hard bug, show expertise better than general claims.
- Explain your reasoning. Answer as you would to a smart colleague: clear steps, specific details and honesty about what you're unsure of. That's exactly the skill AI labs are paying for.
- Don't read scripted answers. Platforms look for genuine expertise, and reading from notes or AI-written text is easy to spot.
- Complete your profile. Projects are matched on your degree, experience and languages, so fill in everything.
Common questions
Are micro1, Mercor and Alignerr legit?
Yes. All three are established companies that pay experts to help train AI models. Be careful with lookalikes, though: no real platform asks you to pay a fee to apply or to buy equipment. If someone asks for money, it's a scam.
How much can I really earn?
Posted rates are per hour while you work on a project. How many hours you get depends on the project, and some weeks may have none. Treat it as flexible income rather than a guaranteed salary, and joining two or three platforms helps keep work steady.
Do I need to live in the United States?
No. Most roles on all three platforms are remote and open internationally, though some Mercor roles are limited to US residents. Each job page on this site shows its location.
Some links on this page are referral links. If you join through them, we may receive a reward from the platform. It doesn't cost you anything or affect your pay.