Why look elsewhere? Users often leave Terac because of Study-by-study work instead of a steady queue. Below are platforms that solve this specific pain point.
Terac pays verified engineers, clinicians, lawyers and accountants for research interviews and AI review studies, and its homepage roles list $24 to $40 an hour worked. Work comes study by study rather than as a steady queue. If you want ongoing hours, or your field is not one Terac studies often, these platforms hire generalists and experts on listed hourly rates.
Mindrift has the most open roles we track, and AfterQuery the highest median rate
Terac ranks 2nd of 4 on median hourly pay and 4th of 4 on open roles we track among the platforms on this page.
| Platform | Open roles we track | Median hourly listing | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terac | 28 | $70 | Not published |
| SME Careers | 261 | $50 | Weekly |
| DataAnnotation Tech | Not tracked | Not tracked | Not published |
| Mindrift | 305 | $45 | Not published |
| AfterQuery | 216 | $87 | Weekly |
Roles and rates as listed by each platform, from our dataset on October 4, 2026. Some platforms post only part of their work as public listings, so a low count can undercount available work. Medians cover hourly listings only and need at least 10 of them. "Not tracked" means we don't collect that platform's listings.
SME Careers is SuperAnnotate's network for subject matter experts who train and evaluate AI models. You apply with a CV and take a recorded AI interview, some roles add a qualification exam or a call, and a human makes the final hiring decision. Contracts and weekly payouts run through Deel, in any country Deel supports. Listings publish a maximum rate only, so expect typical pay below the figure shown.
We track 261 open SME Careers roles with a $50 median hourly listing, against 28 and $70 on Terac. It pays weekly.
💬 Real User Feedback
"The people here are awesome—both the SuperAnnotate team and the high-quality colleagues I worked with. This was my first time, and despite some early snags, the team was incredibly supportive. The work is meaningful and the payment is reliable."
– Tina S. • Nov 2
"SuperAnnotate is a great company. The work has been pretty steady, and the leaders are excellent."
– Michael N. • Nov 2
- ✓ Weekly payouts through Deel
- ✓ Open in any country Deel supports
Includes a recorded AI interview
Current Openings
4 latest listings from SME Careers
Workforce Experience Specialists
Legal & Compliance Specialist
Finance & Accounting Specialist
Healthcare Specialist
DataAnnotation pays remote contractors to rank AI responses, check facts, label data and write code, on their own schedule with no minimum hours. Its homepage states $25 to $150 an hour: general projects start at $25 to $50+ and coding projects at $40 to $150+. You get in by passing a one-hour Starter Assessment that can't be retaken, and you withdraw by PayPal whenever you like. Its FAQ doesn't list eligible countries, and support is minimal.
💬 Real User Feedback
"Allows you to work on your own schedule, provides engaging tasks and projects, and fantastic experience working with AI models with a vast variety of goals. Not a scam whatsoever—this platform has been reliable and pays well."
– Martin • Dec 25
"When there were projects to work on I never had an issue. Payments are on the spot and always accurate. I wish I could work on more projects but there hasn't been any available for a while now."
– Vittorio F. • Dec 19
"Reliable and selective. This company has a robust screening and onboarding process, but once qualified, there is plenty to do and the pay tends to be better than competitors. Worth the initial effort to get accepted."
– Samuel H. • Jan 6
- ✓ States $25 to $150/hr, with coding projects at the top
- ✓ Withdraw by PayPal whenever you like
Starter Assessment can only be taken once
Mindrift is Toloka's platform for AI trainers, open worldwide except 17 sanctioned countries and about 35 unsupported territories. It states $15 to $30 an hour for entry-level work and $60 to $100+ for domain experts, and open listings have a $46 median. Specialised projects ask for a CV, an assessment and ID verification, and pay goes out on the 5th and 20th of each month through Payoneer or PayPal. Task availability varies by domain and language.
We track 305 open Mindrift roles with a $45 median hourly listing, against 28 and $70 on Terac.
💬 Real User Feedback
"Working on Mindrift has been a genuinely rewarding experience. Collaborating with experts from different domains has sharpened my problem-solving, improved my feedback clarity, and helped me understand AI training from multiple perspectives."
– Mujahid Munawar • Jan 15
"I never expected this platform and its projects to be so interesting, and even less that there would be a regular supply of tasks. Of course, availability depends on your domain, but overall the platform delivers engaging work consistently."
– Anastasia A. • Nov 4
"I made it to the testing stage and got the test link via email. But when I log in, the task pane says 'In Progress' with no test tasks available. The onboarding process could use some technical improvements."
– Syed H. • Dec 16
- ✓ States $15-$30/hr entry-level and $60-$100+/hr for experts
- ✓ Open worldwide except sanctioned countries
Task availability varies by domain and language
Current Openings
3 latest listings from Mindrift
Freelance Web Designer
Freelance Web Designer
Freelance Graphic Designer
AfterQuery hires ML researchers, PhD scientists and niche-domain professionals (COBOL, audit accounting, atmospheric modeling) as well as generalists. Hourly listings run $15 to $175/hr with an $85 median, legal, finance and quant roles reach $150 to $175/hr, and pay lands every Friday through Stripe. Each talent pool has one unpaid assessment, projects run 2 to 3 weeks at 10 to 20 hrs/wk and arrive in bursts, and payouts reach the 95 countries Stripe supports.
We track 216 open AfterQuery roles with a $87 median hourly listing, against 28 and $70 on Terac. It pays weekly.
- ✓ Listed hourly rates have an $85 median, up to $175/hr
- ✓ Paid every Friday, with no fees from AfterQuery
Project-based: work arrives in bursts, not continuous
Current Openings
3 latest listings from afterquery
Legal Experts
Biology Experts
Medical Expert
Keep Terac for the paid research interviews and any listing that matches your credentials, because the ceiling there is high. Put your regular hours on a platform with a fair generalist floor. Most people work 2 to 3 platforms at once rather than betting everything on one.