Outlier AI alternatives: 8 sites like Outlier in 2026

If your Outlier dashboard has shown an empty queue for weeks, you're not alone. "EQ", short for empty queue, is common enough on Outlier that workers have their own word for it. This guide is for anyone stuck there: you passed the screenings, you want paid AI training work, and you need somewhere else to look.

Below are eight real alternatives, compared on the kind of work, how you get in, who can apply and what they pay. Everything was checked on 7 October 2026 against each platform's own pages and, for platforms on our board, the live roles we check every night.

First: don't quit Outlier, add to it

Outlier doesn't promise work. Its FAQ says there are "no minimum hour requirements", and that rates "vary by expertise, project complexity, and location". It doesn't tell you why a queue is empty, and an empty queue isn't proof you did something wrong.

So keep your Outlier account, keep your profile current, and apply to two or three other platforms at the same time. One platform's dry spell then costs you less. Our Outlier review covers why "no tasks" happens there, and passed the interview but no projects covers what to do in the first month on any platform.

The alternatives at a glance

Pay is what each platform published, or what the roles on our list showed, on 7 October 2026. It changes often, so check each listing before you start.

Platform	Kind of work	How you get in	Pay (7 Oct 2026)
DataAnnotation	Rating chatbots, writing, coding, expert review	One Starter Assessment, no retakes	From $20+/hr (multilingual) to $40–$150+/hr (coding), per its FAQ
Alignerr	Labelling, prompts, audio, expert review	Apply to roles, some assessments	$30–$120/hr on its home page role cards
micro1	Expert projects across many fields	AI interview with Zara	$6–$400/hr across 243 roles on our list
Turing	Coding, data science, domain experts	Skill assessments and live interviews	$30–$150/hr across 186 roles on our list
Welo Data	Annotation, transcription, ranking and safety work	Language test, then a task exam	$5–$105/hr across 208 roles on our list
CrowdGen by Appen	Domain-expert and linguistics projects	Verification, then a project qualification	$20–$100/hr across 44 roles on our list
RWS TrainAI	Language data and annotation	Sign-up form, then email invitations	$6–$36/hr across 43 roles on our list
Meridial	Prompts, rating, red-teaming, expert work	Profile, confirmation step, apply per project	$10–$100/hr across 94 roles on our list

The ranges for platforms on our list are wide because they mix entry-level rating with specialist roles. Our pay explorer shows today's figures.

Two big names we review but don't list

We don't list DataAnnotation or Alignerr jobs, and we earn nothing if you join either. They're here because their work is the closest to Outlier's.

DataAnnotation

• The work: rating and comparing chatbot answers, fact-checking, writing, and coding or expert review on higher tracks.
• How you get in: pick a track and take its Starter Assessment. The FAQ says most take about an hour, and you can take it "only once". If you pass, you hear by email within a few days. If you don't hear back, it says your application is likely still under review or wasn't accepted.
• Who can apply: its About page says it's "available in 50+ countries" but publishes no list. Its FAQ asks for fluent English and reliable internet.
• Pay (its FAQ, 7 Oct 2026): general $25–$50+/hr, multilingual $20+/hr, coding $40–$150+/hr, STEM and professional $40–$125+/hr. Paid by PayPal.
• Watch for: one try only, and silence is the usual rejection. Read our guide to passing the DataAnnotation Starter Assessment before you start.

Alignerr

• The work: labelling data, writing prompts, transcribing audio, testing chatbots and specialist review. It says it is "Powered by Labelbox".
• How you get in: sign in with Google, upload your CV, then apply to specific roles. Its help centre says only some roles need an assessment, and some ask for a voice sample.
• Who can apply: access is limited in some countries "for legal, regulatory, and security reasons". It publishes no list. If you're blocked you'll see a "Location Denied" message.
• Pay (7 Oct 2026): its home page claims "$80/hr" average pay. The role cards on the same page show $30–50/hr for prompt writing, $30–40/hr for English writing and $40–120/hr for labelling, testing and review roles. Paid weekly, by the following Friday, through Stripe or PayPal, depending on your country.
• Watch for: its help centre says "a few projects in their evaluation phase are unpaid", and sometimes the rate is shown "only after you're selected". It also says: "Don't start working until you're sure about the pay rate."

Six platforms we check every night

These are on our board. The pay ranges come from the roles we checked on 7 October 2026, taken from each platform's own listings.

micro1

• The work: expert projects in fields such as engineering, finance, healthcare, law, economics and linguistics, from early-career people to PhDs.
• How you get in: apply to a role, take an AI interview with its interviewer Zara, then get onboarded. Our micro1 interview guide walks through it.
• Who can apply: micro1 says it hires "from around the world", except 21 places it lists, including China, Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Venezuela.
• Pay: $6–$400/hr across 243 open roles. Its own page doesn't publish a payout method.
• See micro1 jobs we've checked

Turing

• The work: coding and data science above all, plus domain experts, on projects that improve AI models.
• How you get in: create a profile, then pass "skill assessments and live interviews". See our Turing interview guide.
• Who can apply: Turing doesn't publish a country list. It asks for a "strong command of English" and doesn't provide visas.
• Pay: $30–$150/hr across 186 open roles.
• See Turing jobs we've checked

Welo Data

• The work: data annotation, speech transcription, image and video labelling, preference ranking and safety testing.
• How you get in: six steps: apply, create a Welo Works account, take a language and cultural assessment, use its learning resources, pass a task exam, then add payment details.
• Who can apply: Welo says it works across "100+ countries" and "250+ locales". You need a computer, stable internet and a modern browser.
• Pay: $5–$105/hr across 208 open roles. Welo says pay varies "by task type, complexity, and project volume".
• See Welo Data jobs we've checked

CrowdGen by Appen

• The work: domain-expert projects to "evaluate, annotate, generate, and refine" AI output, in areas such as accounting, law, linguistics, medicine and software engineering.
• How you get in: apply and get verified, get matched by domain, then pass the project's qualification. CrowdGen says most projects have one.
• Who can apply: its home page doesn't list countries.
• Pay: $20–$100/hr across 44 open roles. Its own site shows "up to" rates by field, such as $95/hr for linguistics and $150/hr for software engineering. Payouts by bank transfer, PayPal, Payoneer or Airtm, among others.
• See CrowdGen jobs we've checked

RWS TrainAI

• The work: language data, annotation and other tasks that help train AI. RWS says no training or experience is needed to join.
• How you get in: apply through its community page. Its recruiting team then contacts you, and after sign-up you get project invitations by email.
• Who can apply: anyone 18 or over. You need a Windows or Mac computer, fast internet and the latest Chrome.
• Pay: $6–$36/hr across 43 open roles. RWS pays per task and says rates reflect "economic factors as well as your desired pay rate". Paid by PayPal or bank transfer.
• See RWS TrainAI jobs we've checked

Meridial

• The work: writing and answering prompts, ranking responses, improving reasoning and red-teaming. Meridial is "powered by Invisible Technologies".
• How you get in: create a profile, complete a short confirmation step, then apply to projects. Accepted experts sign a Statement of Work.
• Who can apply: Meridial says project availability depends on "geographic eligibility", among other things. It publishes no country list.
• Pay: $10–$100/hr across 94 open roles. Meridial says it publishes the rate range on each engagement.
• See Meridial jobs we've checked

Which one fits you

• You have no degree: start with the general track at DataAnnotation, RWS TrainAI or Welo Data. Then filter our list for no-degree roles.
• You live outside the US: micro1 publishes the countries it can't hire from, so you can check before you apply. Welo Data and RWS TrainAI are built around languages and locales.
• You code: Turing hires software developers first and foremost, and DataAnnotation's coding track starts at $40–$150+/hr. Read AI coding trainer jobs first.
• You're a professional (law, medicine, finance): micro1, CrowdGen and Meridial all run expert projects. Their expert rates sit well above general rating work.
• You speak another language well: Welo Data and RWS TrainAI are built around it. See AI training jobs in other languages.

Whichever you choose, never pay to join. A real platform pays you, not the other way round. If someone asks for money, read how to spot a remote AI job scam.

Others you'll hear about

Mercor often comes up as an Outlier alternative too. It's a separate case with its own rules and history, so we cover it in our Mercor review rather than here.

Sources we checked (7 Oct 2026)

• Outlier, FAQ
• DataAnnotation, FAQ and About
• Alignerr, home page; help centre: onboarding, when do I get paid (updated 30 March 2026), payment FAQs, why is the pay rate not visible (updated 4 November 2025), location denied
• micro1, experts page
• Turing, jobs page
• Welo Data, home page and join the community
• CrowdGen by Appen, home page
• RWS, TrainAI community page and FAQ
• Meridial, home page
• HiringRemote, pay explorer: ranges from the open roles we checked on 7 October 2026