Both hire professionals as remote contractors for AI work, and both pay weekly through Stripe. They differ in how you get in. Mercor uses one AI interview of about 20 minutes that you can retake up to three times. AfterQuery uses an unpaid assessment for each expert pool, with one attempt and no pass or fail notice.
Mercor and AfterQuery side by side
| Mercor | AfterQuery | |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles here | 202 | 47 |
| Hourly pay as stated | $15–450 | $15–200 |
| Median hourly ceiling | $85 | $100 |
| Screening | Resume, any role assessments, one AI interview of about 20 minutes | An assessment for each expert pool, unpaid |
| Retakes | Up to 3 for the interview | None |
| Result | By email; no feedback | No pass or fail notice; AfterQuery gets in touch when a project matches |
| Paid | Weekly, on Wednesdays, through Stripe or Wise | Weekly, on Fridays, through Stripe to a bank account |
| First payout | Held 7 days by Stripe | Held 7 days by Stripe |
| Hours | A weekly maximum per contract, no minimum | You choose your own hours and can decline tasks |
| Countries | Set per role | Stripe-supported countries only; AfterQuery’s list excludes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Monaco and South Korea |
Pay figures come from the live postings, checked each morning. Process rows come from each platform’s own help pages, read on 13 Oct 2026.
The work
Mercor’s roles here lean toward engineers (35), voice and audio recorders (22) and business and operations (19). AfterQuery’s lean toward accountants and finance experts (10), business and operations (7) and software engineers (7).
AfterQuery pays an hourly rate in US dollars for approved hours, and says unapproved hours may move to a later week. Mercor pays tracked hours on hourly contracts, and some of its roles pay per task instead.
The pay
Mercor’s hourly roles here span $15–450, with half between $60 and $120. AfterQuery’s span $15–200. AfterQuery says it charges no fees. Neither platform deducts tax: you are an independent contractor on both.
Getting in
Mercor’s AI interview is its only screen, with no human alternative. You can retake it up to three times, and Mercor shares no feedback. The Mercor interview guide covers it.
AfterQuery’s assessment is built to look like real project work. It is unpaid, you get one attempt per pool, and no pass or fail notice follows. AfterQuery says silence usually means no matching project yet. You can take as many pools as you like. Onboarding then asks for an NDA, a Persona ID check and Stripe setup. The AfterQuery assessment guide covers it.
Which one
Pick Mercor if you want a second and third try at the screen and a stated contract cap on hours. Pick AfterQuery if you would rather set your own hours, and your bank is in a country Stripe supports. AfterQuery says you can work with other companies at the same time, so applying to both is fine.
See what is open: Mercor roles and AfterQuery roles. The full reviews are on the Mercor page and the AfterQuery page.
If you’re hired through our link and start paid work, Mercor pays this site a referral fee. If you’re hired through our link, AfterQuery pays this site a referral fee. Your pay is unaffected on both. Red Pen Jobs is independent. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for Mercor or AfterQuery in any way, and we do not recruit on their behalf.