Outlier vs DataAnnotation: pay, screening and staying in

Outlier and DataAnnotation are the two platforms most people search for first, and this site lists neither of them.

Outlier is run by Scale AI, through its affiliate Smart Ecosystem, Inc. DataAnnotation is run by Surge Labs, Inc. Outlier prices work per track on separate landing pages, from “up to $15 USD/hr” for English generalist work to “$34/hr” on a Latin America coding track. DataAnnotation lists a starting rate per track, from $25-50+/hr for general work to $40-150+/hr for coding. We do not list Outlier or DataAnnotation and earn nothing if you apply to either.

The two platforms compared

	Outlier	DataAnnotation
Runs it	Scale AI, via its affiliate Smart Ecosystem, Inc.	Surge Labs, Inc.
Who it’s for	18 or older, at least an associate degree; some projects require a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD	A bachelor’s degree or equivalent real-world experience, plus fluent English
How work is offered	Task invitations, no set schedule, no guaranteed continuity; listings can be pulled at any time	Projects matched to your skills across five tracks, available around the clock with no minimum hours
Pay as published	Set per track on its own pages: up to $15 USD/hr for English generalist work, $34/hr for a Latin America coding track, up to $31 USD/hr for its Japan track. No platform-wide range	A starting rate per track in its FAQ: $25–50+/hr general, $20+/hr multilingual, $40–150+/hr coding, $40–125+/hr STEM and professional
Screening	Identity and phone verification, then a skill assessment. Pay for assessment time is not published	One free Starter Assessment, about an hour for general work or one to two hours for a specialized track. No retakes
Payment	Weekly, processed on Tuesdays, via PayPal, Airtm or ACH	PayPal only, with deposits typically arriving within a handful of days
Countries	Valid ID and phone from your country of residence; none from a US-embargoed country	Not published
Deactivation	Terms of Use: may deactivate an account “immediately without prior notice for any reason”	FAQ: weak or problematic contributions can cost you access to future projects

Getting in

DataAnnotation’s own FAQ names the problem directly. It says that silence after the assessment usually means your application is still under review, and that the company cannot respond to every applicant individually given how many apply. You take the one-hour Starter Assessment once, pass or fail, then wait with no channel to ask why.

Outlier’s onboarding is sequenced and visible: create an account, verify your identity and phone number, pass a skill assessment, then start on tasks. You know which step you’re on. Outlier does not publish whether the verification and assessment time is paid, or a minimum payout amount.

DataAnnotation’s own trust page also warns that people have impersonated the brand, and says the company never asks applicants for money. For a general list of the tricks that show up under a platform’s name, see our scam checklist.

The pay

DataAnnotation’s FAQ gives each track a starting rate: $25–50+/hr for general work, $20+/hr for multilingual work, $40–150+/hr for coding, and $40–125+/hr for STEM and for licensed professional work in law, finance or medicine. Its home page shows the same $25–50 generalist band. Each figure is a starting point, and the FAQ does not say what moves a worker above it.

Outlier does not publish one range at all. Each track has its own page and its own number: up to $15 USD/hr for English generalist work, $34/hr for a Latin America coding track and up to $31 USD/hr for its Japan track. Outlier’s FAQ says you will see the rate before you start work, but only for the specific track you’re assigned.

A published rate is not a promise of hours or income. Neither platform states how much work will reach you at that rate once you’re approved.

Staying in

What follows is what people report, not a verified figure.

On DataAnnotation, reviewers describe accounts locked without a stated reason and no path to appeal, projects that dry up entirely after months with no work, and support emails that go unanswered. As of 27 Sep 2026, DataAnnotation’s Trustpilot page carries close to 2,000 reviews at just under 4 out of 5, with roughly a fifth of them at one star.

On Outlier, contributors describe being placed in what they call an empty queue after a project batch ends or a quality flag is applied, with no explanation of when or whether work resumes. Others report accounts suspended over an alleged duplicate account with no evidence shown, and wages withheld after a ban. Outlier’s Better Business Bureau profile lists an F rating and seven closed complaints over the past three years.

Which one

If you want a rate written down before you apply and you’re a generalist, DataAnnotation’s home-page figures start higher on paper than Outlier’s English generalist track, which says up to $15 USD/hr. If you have a specific, provable credential (a PhD, a rare language, a coding specialty), Outlier’s per-track pages give you the exact number for that track instead of a range that might not apply to you. If what worries you most is being cut off with no explanation, neither platform’s own pages promise otherwise. Outlier’s terms let it deactivate an account without notice for any reason, and DataAnnotation’s FAQ says poor work can cost you access to future projects.

Both are hard to get into and, by workers’ own accounts, hard to stay in once you are. The roles on this site work differently: every one publishes its own pay and who it’s open to, because that’s the only kind we carry. Right now that’s 220 open micro1 roles paying $6–400/hr and 202 open Mercor roles paying $15–450/hr, across professions from generalist review to law and medicine. Browse them at /jobs/, or read what we know about micro1 and Mercor specifically. Both pay this site a referral fee if you’re hired through our link. Outlier and DataAnnotation don’t, because we don’t list them.

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