Alignerr and Outlier are both contractor networks for AI training work, and this site lists neither. Alignerr, a Labelbox-led network, posts individual listings, each with its own pay range. Outlier, run by Scale AI through its affiliate Smart Ecosystem, Inc., prices work per track on separate pages. We earn nothing if you apply to either.
The two platforms compared
| Alignerr | Outlier | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs it | Labelbox-led; contract with ALIGNERR LLC | Scale AI, through its affiliate Smart Ecosystem, Inc. |
| Offered as | A public board of listings (5,624 roles shown on 3 Oct 2026) | Task tracks with their own pay pages |
| Pay as published | Homepage “$80/hr Average pay”; listings show $40-120/hr, language and transcription roles $10-35/hr | Per track: up to $15 USD/hr English generalist, $34/hr Latin America coding, up to $31 USD/hr Japan. No platform-wide range |
| Screening | Phone verification, identity check through Persona, then project onboarding | Identity and phone verification, then a skill assessment |
| Paid | Weekly cycle, paid “by the following Friday”; Stripe Connect or PayPal depending on country | Weekly, Tuesdays, through PayPal, Airtm or ACH |
| Countries | “From almost anywhere in the world”; no eligibility list published | ID and phone from your country of residence; none from a US-embargoed country |
| Referral | No first-party referral terms found | A referral feature in the dashboard; no amount published |
| Removal | Rules page: poor-quality work can lead to a ban | Terms: may deactivate or remove listings “immediately without prior notice for any reason” |
Getting in
Alignerr’s process page describes signing up with Google or a resume upload, verifying your phone by text, completing identity verification with Persona, then setting up Stripe Connect or PayPal and joining Discord. It does not state whether any interview or assessment time is paid, and a sample listing says only “Quick screening process.”
Outlier’s sequence is: create an account, verify your identity and phone number, pass a skill assessment, start tasks. Its FAQ does not state whether onboarding is paid and publishes no minimum payout.
The pay
Alignerr’s homepage shows “$80/hr Average pay” and does not show how the average is worked out. Its board is more specific: on the listings we read, an AI Training Specialist role shows $40-120/hr, and audio transcription and language roles in Hindi, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese, French and Italian show $10-35/hr. Its payment FAQ lists several billing modes, including pay-per-task, hourly and pay-per-media-hour.
Outlier publishes a figure per track, and says rates “vary by expertise, project complexity, and location.” Its generalist page says “Earn up to $15 USD/hr.”
A published rate is not promised hours or income. Neither platform states how much work reaches you.
Staying in
Alignerr’s rules page says members who consistently produce poor-quality work face consequences “including potential banning,” and that breaking confidentiality means immediate removal. Outlier’s Terms say you are “not required to use the Services or perform Tasks at any specified time or day” and that it may deactivate an account without prior notice. Neither page describes an appeal process.
What people report is not verified. Alignerr contributors describe weeks or months with no project after onboarding, and some describe an account deactivated shortly before a payment was due. Outlier contributors describe an “empty queue” after a batch ends or a quality flag lands.
Which one
A board of listings with a range on each suits someone who wants to read the pay for a specific role before applying. Track pages suit someone who wants to join a queue for their language or specialism.
Roles open on this site each state their own pay. Right now that is 220 open micro1 roles paying $6–400 an hour and 202 open Mercor roles paying $15–450 an hour. Browse micro1’s roles, Mercor’s roles or everything open now. Both pay this site a referral fee if you are hired through our link, and your pay is unaffected. Alignerr and Outlier do not, because we do not list them. For leaving either, see Outlier alternatives and Alignerr alternatives.
Open work in your field
Each page lists the roles open today for that profession, with the pay each posting states.
- Accountants and finance experts154
- Business and operations specialists148
- Software engineers91
- Bilingual speakers84
- Sales and CRM specialists83
- Researchers and academics78
- Engineers72
- Lawyers56
- Doctors and clinicians54
- Generalists50
- Marketing professionals50
- Life scientists34
- Voice and audio recorders24
- Machine learning engineers22
- Designers21
- CAD and manufacturing specialists16
- Writers and editors16
- Data analysts15
- Physicists14
- Transcribers14
- Video recorders9
- IT support specialists8
- Medical coders and auditors6
- QA engineers6
- Mathematicians and statisticians5
- Video editors and animators4
Red Pen Jobs is independent. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for Alignerr or Outlier in any way, and we do not recruit on either’s behalf.