Sites like Mercor
Mercor alternatives
10 employers and programs that hire for the same kinds of work as Mercor, the ones with roles open today first: what each pays, who can join and how it pays out, read from their job boards every day.
Mercor alternatives: the short answer
The closest alternatives to Mercor with roles open today are micro1 (9 open roles in the same work), Perle (3), Claru (16) and Appen (1).
Like Mercor, they are data-collection programs that hire for Egocentric Capture.
Figure Index, DoorDash Tasks and The Global Talent Co. are other data-collection programs like Mercor.
Of all the employers on this page, the highest advertised pay right now is micro1's: a median of $15/hr on its open roles.
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Sites like Mercor with roles open today
Data-collection programs like Mercor that hire for the same kinds of work and have open roles right now, in the site's ranking order. Each count is the open roles in the kinds of work Mercor hires for.
micro1
Robot-data gig platform
Review robot-task video or record physical tasks for robotics data projects.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
Perle
Egocentric capture network
Wear a headstrap with your phone, press record, and go about your day: paid per accepted hour of first-person video for robot training.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
More data-collection programs like Mercor
The best known first. Some publish no job board we can read, so they show no count here; their roles are on their own sites.
Figure Index
Record-and-earn data app
Get paid by the minute to record everyday tasks at home for Figure's humanoid dataset. Over $15M paid to Creators so far.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
Roles listed on its own site
DoorDash Tasks
Record-and-earn data app
Get paid through DoorDash's Tasks app to film everyday activities and record audio that help train AI and robots.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
Roles listed on its own site
The Global Talent Co.
Robotics data operations
Record household activities for a robotics training-data project.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
No open roles in Mercor's kinds of work today
Instawork
Record-and-earn data app
A staffing app whose recording projects pay people to film everyday chores for robot training.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
Roles listed on its own site
OpenTrain AI
Gig job board
A marketplace that already aggregates robot-teleoperation and video-capture gigs.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
Roles listed on its own site
Atlas Capture
Record-and-earn data app
An iPhone app that pays you for approved hours of first-person video of everyday chores, recorded with your phone on a head strap.
Same work as Mercor: Egocentric Capture
Roles listed on its own site
Why people look for alternatives to Mercor
- Mercor's robotics program pays businesses, not individual workers: a business applies and is paid per approved hour of its team's footage.
- As an individual you can only refer a business you know, for a referral bonus based on the hours it contributes.
Still weighing it up? Read the full Mercor review, with what it pays, how it pays out and whether it is legit.
Mercor and its alternatives, side by side
| Employer | Kind | Advertised pay | Open roles in this work | Who can join | How it pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor(for reference) | Data-collection networks | $12–$18 per approved hour, paid to the business | See its site | For businesses: the application asks for the business's country, and the program lists hands-on business types such as restaurants, bakeries, salons, auto repair, warehouses, construction and manufacturing | Bi-weekly, to the business, for approved hours |
| micro1 | Data-collection networks | $11-$29/hr (live median $15) | 9 | Eligibility is posting-specific | The official recording-program page states biweekly payment for approved work |
| Perle | Data-collection networks | Paid per accepted hour of footage | 3 | Remote, in the countries each posting lists | Paid per accepted hour of footage, as a contractor (the Malaysia and Indonesia posting is listed as Contractor / 1099) |
| Claru | Data-collection networks | $6-$12/hr (live median $10) | 16 | Remote, in four regions with their own postings: the United States, Canada, Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru) and Asia (India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam) | Every two weeks: direct deposit (ACH) in the United States, international wire or Wise in Canada, and Wise, Payoneer or a local equivalent in Latin America and Asia |
| Appen | Data-collection networks | $3.6/hr in checked postings | 1 | Global remote | Contractor payments per project |
| Figure Index | Data-collection networks | Paid per minute of recorded tasks | See its site | Downloads in 108 countries (August 2026) | Paid by the minute for recorded tasks, through the Index app |
| DoorDash Tasks | Data-collection networks | Pay shown per task | See its site | 34 US states listed in the App Store description (October 2026), including Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia | Per approved submission, tracked in the Tasks app |
| The Global Talent Co. | Data-collection networks | See individual openings | 0 | Remote: Kenya, Namibia, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa (Johannesburg) and Nigeria | Employment and payment terms are stated in individual job postings |
| Instawork | Data-collection networks | Reported: $80 for two hours of footage | See its site | United States: reported in Los Angeles, with projects offered through the Instawork app, so check what is available near you | Project terms are set in the Instawork app |
| OpenTrain AI | Data-collection networks | Historical reference: Teleop $30–$55/hr; video $6–$30/hr | See its site | US on-site (teleop) plus global remote (video) | Marketplace payouts |
| Atlas Capture | Data-collection networks | Paid per approved hour, rate set per chore | See its site | iPhone only, with a head strap | Approved hours credited weekly on Mondays |
Pay shows each employer's live measured band where its job board publishes enough hourly rates to measure, otherwise the figure on its review page, labeled there by how we know it. How we compile pay.
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Mercor alternatives: common questions
What are the best Mercor alternatives?
The closest alternatives to Mercor with roles open today are micro1 (9 open roles in the same work), Perle (3), Claru (16) and Appen (1). Like Mercor, they are data-collection programs that hire for Egocentric Capture. Figure Index, DoorDash Tasks and The Global Talent Co. are other data-collection programs like Mercor.
Why do people look for Mercor alternatives?
Mercor's robotics program pays businesses, not individual workers: a business applies and is paid per approved hour of its team's footage. As an individual you can only refer a business you know, for a referral bonus based on the hours it contributes.
Which sites like Mercor pay the most?
Among the alternatives whose job boards publish enough hourly rates to measure, micro1 has the highest advertised pay right now, a median of $15/hr, followed by Claru ($10). These are medians of the rates on roles open today, so they move as roles open and close. Mercor's own pay: $12–$18 per approved hour, paid to the business.
Which Mercor alternative is easiest to join?
All of the alternatives here are data-collection programs, open to many people, usually remote or at home, though each project sets its own countries, equipment and screening.
Can individuals join Mercor's program?
Mercor's robotics program pays businesses, not individual workers: a business applies and Mercor pays it per approved hour of its team's footage. As an individual, you can refer a business you know and earn a referral bonus based on the hours it contributes.