Mercor and Terac both pay professionals for AI evaluation work. Mercor screens with an AI interview and ID check, lists the most open roles we track at a $75 median, and pays every Wednesday. Terac mixes AI output review with paid market research interviews and surveys, its homepage roles list $24 to $40 an hour worked, and it pays once a project is completed. Mercor suits steady hourly contracts. Terac suits short, scoped studies around another job.
Quick verdict
Mercor pays more on live listings: Mercor $75/hr median (middle half $50 to $100, 1,361 distinct listed rates across 1,404 open listings) vs Terac $70/hr median (middle half $40 to $90, 18 distinct listed rates across 28 open listings). Updated October 4, 2026. How we count.
Typical Pay (Median)
Mercor
$75/hr listed median · 7% higher
Faster Onboarding
Terac
Mercor: Varies (AI interview, then a client match) Terac: Fast (short AI interview)
Global Access
Limited to Specific Regions
Mercor: 130+ countries via Stripe, plus Brazil, UAE, Nepal and Turkey via Wise Terac: Set per study
Trustpilot Score
Mercor
Mercor: 4.5/5 Terac: 4.4/5
The Case for Mercor
Mercor screens every applicant with an AI interview and a one-time Persona identity check, then matches you to roles as clients need them. It lists more open roles than any other platform we track, with a $75 median listed rate and an average contracted rate of $109 an hour stated on its homepage. Pay lands every Wednesday through Stripe or Wise, in 130+ countries, into an account in your own legal name.
The Case for Terac
Terac pays verified professionals for two kinds of work: market research interviews and surveys, and reviewing AI outputs in their field for AI labs. It screens with a short conversational AI interview and usually wants undergraduate-level expertise or professional experience. Its homepage roles list $24 to $40 an hour worked, open listings vary widely by field, and payment terms are set before a project starts and paid on completion.
| Metric | Mercor | Terac |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Pay (Median) | $75/hr
Generalist median: $75/hr
Specialist median: $75/hr
| $30/hr
Generalist median: $30/hr
Specialist median: $90/hr
|
| Payment Schedule | Weekly, every Wednesday (Stripe or Wise) | Per project, on completion |
| Geo Accessibility | 130+ countries via Stripe, plus Brazil, UAE, Nepal and Turkey via Wise | Set per study |
| Onboarding Speed | Varies (AI interview, then a client match) | Fast (short AI interview) |
| Top User Complaint | "Strict activity tracking" | "Entry-level tasks pay very little ($2-$5/hr)" |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Interview Required (from listings) | 98% (n=143) | Not enough tracked listings yet |
| Typical Contract Length (from listings) | 3–23.5 weeks (n=121) | Not enough tracked listings yet |
| Full-Time Commitment (35+ hrs/wk, from listings) | 4% (n=554) | Not enough tracked listings yet |
Interview, hours, contract-length, and timezone figures come directly from live job listings we track and manually verify, not platform marketing copy.
Mercor
Mercor hires professionals as contractors to train and evaluate AI models, with more open roles than any other platform we track. Fields run from law, medicine and finance to software, STEM and languages, and listed hourly rates have a $75 median. You apply with one AI interview and a one-time Persona ID check, and pay lands every Wednesday via Stripe or Wise.
- ✓ Paid every Wednesday for the previous work week
- ✓ More open roles than any other platform we track
- ✓ Homepage states an average contracted rate of $109/hr
💬 User Feedback
"Mercor was my first experience with training AI and working intensely in a remote setting. I've been around for six months plus and while nothing is perfect, Mercor is darned close. I've met some amazing colleagues and learned a tremendous amount about AI."
– Steven W. • Jan 22
"Out of all the AI training companies I've worked for, Mercor has the highest pay rates and the most available projects. Even though it can take a while to get accepted into a project, it's definitely worth the wait."
– B Maly • Jan 20
Current Openings
3 latest listings from Mercor
Multimodal Image Expert
Task Writer: Project Agentic-MME
Baseball Fan – Live MLB Game AI Evaluator (US)
Terac
Terac pays verified professionals, such as software engineers, clinicians, lawyers, accountants and consultants, for two kinds of work: paid market research interviews and surveys, and reviewing AI outputs in their field for AI labs. It screens with a short AI interview, its homepage roles list $24 to $40 an hour worked, and specialist studies list higher. Payment terms are set before a project starts and paid on completion.
- ✓ Homepage roles list $24-$40 per hour worked
- ✓ Two work streams: AI evaluation and paid research interviews/surveys
- ✓ Short conversational AI interview, no prior AI experience required
Current Openings
3 latest listings from terac
Software Engineers: Paid Code Review for AI Agent Evaluation
Photography Evaluators: Paid Task on Image Quality and Brand Guidelines
LATAM Software Engineers: Coding Tasks for AI Evaluation
Mercor vs Terac: common questions
- Which pays more, Mercor or Terac?
- Mercor pays more on live listings: Mercor $75/hr median (middle half $50 to $100, 1,361 distinct listed rates across 1,404 open listings) vs Terac $70/hr median (middle half $40 to $90, 18 distinct listed rates across 28 open listings). Updated October 4, 2026.
- Which is easier to start, Mercor or Terac?
- Terac onboards faster. Mercor: Varies (AI interview, then a client match). Terac: Fast (short AI interview). 98% of Mercor's 143 tracked listings require an interview; Terac has no interview-rate data yet.
- Can I work on both Mercor and Terac?
- Yes. Both are independent-contractor platforms with separate accounts and separate payouts (Mercor: Weekly, every Wednesday (Stripe or Wise); Terac: Per project, on completion). Exclusivity, where it exists, is set per project in the agreement you sign, so check each project's terms before overlapping hours.
Both platforms are legitimate and widely used. The best choice depends on your background, goals, and location.