All three pay people to help train AI models. They differ in what kind of work they have, who they're looking for and how they show it. This is what we can see from their public listings and from tracking them by hand. For this week's numbers, check the tracker.
The short version
- Mercor has the widest range, from no-degree image rating up to generalist and specialist roles. Each listing shows its rate, and pay rises with the skill a role needs.
- micro1 leans towards experts: finance, law, medicine, coding and other specialist fields, with hourly rates on each listing.
- Turing is strongest for coding: LLM trainer roles for people who write good code, plus some expert roles in other fields.
How they compare
| Mercor | micro1 | Turing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Beginners to experts | Specialists | Coders |
| Shows pay on listing | Yes | Yes | Usually |
| Degree needed | Depends on role | Usually | For expert roles |
| Shows open slots | Often | No | No |
Which one should you pick?
- No degree, good English: start with Mercor's no-degree roles.
- A degree or years in a field: apply to both Mercor and micro1. Expert roles pay more and have less competition.
- You code: Turing first, then Mercor's coding roles.
Whatever you choose, apply to roles that are hiring now, not listings that have been sitting for months. That single choice matters more than which platform you pick. See what's hot this week.
Last checked by Charlie Pham. We update this comparison when the tracker shows a real change.
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