Outlier and Terac both pay for AI training work, packaged differently. Outlier gives you a queue of projects after 30 to 90 minutes of onboarding and pays every Tuesday, with listed rates of $8 to $50 an hour. Terac verifies professionals with a short AI interview, mixes AI output review with paid research interviews and surveys, and pays once a project is completed; its homepage roles list $24 to $40 an hour worked. Outlier suits generalists. Terac suits working professionals.
Quick verdict
Terac pays more on live listings: Outlier AI $20/hr median (middle half $13 to $28, 11 distinct listed rates across 11 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)
Terac
$70/hr listed median · 259% higher
Faster Onboarding
Similar
Outlier AI: Fast (30 to 90 minutes, per Outlier) Terac: Fast (short AI interview)
Global Access
Limited to Specific Regions
Outlier AI: About 50 countries (list not published) Terac: Set per study
Trustpilot Score
Terac
Outlier AI: 4.2/5 Terac: 4.4/5
The Case for Outlier AI
Outlier is Scale AI's freelance platform. Onboarding takes 30 to 90 minutes, with an ID and mobile number from your country of residence, and Outlier says it works in about 50 countries without publishing the list. You see each project's rate before you start; open listings run $8 to $50 an hour. Pay goes out every Tuesday by PayPal, Airtm or ACH, and the queue can sit empty between projects.
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 | Outlier AI | Terac |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Pay (Median) | – | $30/hr
Generalist median: $30/hr
Specialist median: $90/hr
|
| Payment Schedule | Weekly, every Tuesday (PayPal, Airtm or ACH) | Per project, on completion |
| Geo Accessibility | About 50 countries (list not published) | Set per study |
| Onboarding Speed | Fast (30 to 90 minutes, per Outlier) | Fast (short AI interview) |
| Top User Complaint | "silent removal from projects without notice" | "Entry-level tasks pay very little ($2-$5/hr)" |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.4/5 |
Outlier AI
Outlier is Scale AI's freelance platform. Contractors write prompts, build grading rubrics and rate model answers across coding, STEM and languages, and pay goes out every Tuesday by PayPal, Airtm or ACH. Rates are set per project and shown before you start. Work comes project by project, so your queue can sit empty between them, which is the most common complaint in reviews.
- ✓ Paid weekly, every Tuesday
- ✓ You see the task rate before you start a project
- ✓ Payout by PayPal, Airtm or ACH bank transfer
💬 User Feedback
"Projects are offered on an unstable basis—sometimes there are many available, and sometimes nothing to work on. Still, the experience is great and the Playground feature is magnificent for practicing and improving skills."
– Luis Á. • Jan 17
"Outlier is a good platform with several project options. The variety of tasks keeps things interesting and the pay is fair for the work involved."
– Olakunle A. • Jan 15
Current Openings
3 latest listings from Outlier
Voice Conversation Quality Evaluator - Thai
Voice Conversation Quality Evaluator - Indonesian
Voice Conversation Quality Evaluator - Chinese (zh-CN)
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
Outlier AI vs Terac: common questions
- Which pays more, Outlier AI or Terac?
- Terac pays more on live listings: Outlier AI $20/hr median (middle half $13 to $28, 11 distinct listed rates across 11 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, Outlier AI or Terac?
- Onboarding time is similar. Outlier AI: Fast (30 to 90 minutes, per Outlier). Terac: Fast (short AI interview). Outlier AI has no interview-rate data yet; Terac has no interview-rate data yet.
- Can I work on both Outlier AI and Terac?
- Yes. Both are independent-contractor platforms with separate accounts and separate payouts (Outlier AI: Weekly, every Tuesday (PayPal, Airtm or ACH); 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.