Data annotators label the material AI models learn from. On 3 October 2026, annotation roles on this board paid from $6 to $400 an hour, and the gap came from expertise: entry-level video labelling at the bottom, nurses and radiologists at the top. This guide covers the work, salaried and contractor pay, pay outside the US, and how annotators move up.
A drought is what DataAnnotation workers call weeks or months with an empty dashboard on an open account. DataAnnotation does not acknowledge droughts; its FAQ says work depends on demand for your skills and your performance. What workers believe causes them, how long 2026 droughts lasted by their accounts, and what to do meanwhile.
DataAnnotation screens everyone with a Starter Assessment chosen by track at signup: about an hour, one to two hours for specialized tracks, and one attempt with no retakes. It grades thoroughness over speed and says silence may mean you were not accepted. This guide covers its FAQ, what applicants report about the Core test, and how to prepare.
If DataAnnotation has gone quiet, rejected you or never replied, there are more than twenty other platforms paying for AI training work. They differ on entry gates, published pay, payout rails and where they accept people from. Here they are grouped by who they suit, with the four names that turn out to be the same company as a platform you already know.
DataAnnotation and Outlier are the two names people weigh most often when they start AI training work. They differ in who they accept, how you get in, how pay is shown and how you are paid. Here is a side-by-side from each platform's own pages, what contributors report about each, and which suits whom.
Every listing shows its pay and who it is open to.