DataAnnotation vs Mercor: a rate card or a posted role

DataAnnotation matches you to projects by track after one Starter Assessment and publishes a starting rate per track. Mercor posts individual roles, each with a stated hourly rate, and screens with a resume, assessments and an AI interview. We do not list DataAnnotation and earn nothing if you apply there. Mercor pays this site a referral fee if you are hired through our link, and your pay is unaffected either way.

DataAnnotation and Mercor side by side

	DataAnnotation	Mercor
Run by	Surge Labs, Inc., per its Terms of Use	Mercor
Offered as	Tracks (general, multilingual, coding, STEM, professional); projects matched to your skills	202 posted roles, each with a stated hourly rate
Pay as published	Starting rates: $25-$50+ general, $20+ multilingual, $40-$150+ coding, $40-$125+ STEM and professional	$15–450 across hourly roles; median ceiling $85
Who can apply	A bachelor’s degree or equivalent real-world experience, plus fluent English	Set per role, within Mercor’s list of supported countries
Screening	One Starter Assessment, about an hour, taken once; ID check through Persona	Resume, role assessments, work-authorisation check, one AI interview of about 20 minutes with up to 3 retakes
Time to hear back	Approval “typically” within a few days; no reply to every applicant	No general time frame; shown per role after you submit
Hours	No minimum; work as little or as much as you want	Contract-based; length and hours vary by project
Paid	PayPal; deposits within a few days of a request	Weekly, Wednesdays, via Stripe (Wise where Stripe is unavailable)
Countries	No list published	Per role

The work

DataAnnotation’s tracks cover evaluating chatbot responses, comparing AI outputs, coding, and STEM or professional review in fields like law, finance and medicine. You join the pool for a track, and projects appear as they come.

Mercor’s listings describe a specific role, often tied to a professional background: engineer, accountant, clinician, lawyer. You apply to that role, and the work matches what the listing says.

The pay

DataAnnotation gives a starting rate per track and does not say what moves a worker above it. Mercor states a rate on each role, currently $15–450 across its hourly listings. Neither guarantees hours, and a published rate is not promised income.

Getting in

DataAnnotation’s one Starter Assessment cannot be retaken, and its FAQ says it is unable to reply to every applicant, so a wait with no answer is a normal outcome. Mercor runs the same screening for every role and offers no human-interview alternative to the AI interview. Its applications sometimes sit in review past the stated window.

Staying in

DataAnnotation’s Terms of Use say it may end your work “for any or no reason” and its FAQ says weak contributions can cost you access. Applicants report accounts locked without warning, which is a report and not something DataAnnotation publishes. Mercor’s contracts last as long as a project needs the work, and neither platform promises you stay busy.

Which one

DataAnnotation suits someone who wants to take one assessment, skip per-role applications, and work irregular hours without a minimum, accepting PayPal as the only payout. Mercor suits someone with a professional background who wants a posted role, a rate stated before applying, and a weekly payment cycle.

Browse Mercor’s roles open now, or read the Mercor platform page. Mercor pays this site a referral fee if you are hired through that link; your pay is unaffected. For DataAnnotation alone, see the DataAnnotation review or DataAnnotation alternatives.

Red Pen Jobs is independent. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for DataAnnotation in any way, and we do not recruit on its behalf.