Data-collection networks · Gig job board
OpenTrain AI
OpenTrain AI is a gig marketplace that lists robot-teleoperation, household, egocentric, and mobile-motion video-collection gigs alongside digital AI-training work. Listings churn quickly.
Stated by the employer
Is OpenTrain AI legit?
Researched October 2026 · 22 sourcesMostly. OpenTrain AI, Inc. is a real Seattle marketplace that pays approved work to your bank through Stripe, but listings close fast, some pass you on to another hiring site, and late or cut pay is a repeated complaint. You are paid only after the client approves each milestone, and reviewers report late pay, a rate halved mid-project and removals with no reason given. Listings churn fast and do not name the end client. It pays First-person video $5 to $15/hr in checked postings; no teleop listing open (stated by the employer).
Joined through its own application (it publishes no job postings)
OpenTrain AI, Inc. (opentrain.ai) runs a marketplace that matches AI companies with freelance data labelers and AI trainers. Its LinkedIn page gives Seattle as headquarters and 2022 as the founding year. Weston Dotson is founder and CEO, with a small named team, and we found no announced funding round. It claims 538,000+ trainers and jobs drawn from 20+ platforms; workers are independent contractors, and some are referred on to the client.
Joining is free. Work is paid by milestone: the client funds it, you request payout, and once the client approves, Stripe sends it to your bank on a daily schedule (120 payout countries, bank timing varies). Clients pay OpenTrain's 10% fee plus $9.95 per new contract on top. Hourly projects may log your time in Hubstaff.
Trustpilot 3.8/5 (113 reviews). Read October 2026.
Remote, worldwide; each role lists the countries it takes. (checked on opentrain.ai, 29 Oct 2026)
We found no reports of fake recruiters using OpenTrain's name. Real jobs are at opentrain.ai/jobs and applications run in app.opentrain.ai; staff write from @opentrain.ai, and project mail may reach an @opentrain.work inbox OpenTrain gives you. Joining is free and payouts are set up only inside OpenTrain, so never pay anyone or open a Stripe account for a 'recruiter'.
What people praise
- Many 2026 Trustpilot reviewers who got onto projects say pay came on time or weekly, with clear instructions and helpful project staff.
- Its San Francisco robot data roles name the rate up front: $10 to $20 an hour, on site for 20 or more hours a week, to run a handheld gripper through repeated object-handling tasks, with no robotics experience needed.
- Payouts land in a local bank account in any of 120 countries through a Stripe form inside OpenTrain, so you do not need your own Stripe account.
What people complain about
- Listings vanish quickly: OpenTrain's September 2026 egocentric video postings had both closed by October 11, and the board showed no open egocentric roles.
- Some listings just take your resume and send you elsewhere: one reviewer was redirected to Mercor for an AI interview before they could apply.
- Contributors say they were dropped from projects or group chats without warning; OpenTrain's replies blame heavy rework or AI-assisted cheating.
- Recent reviewers say support does not answer, and Trustpilot shows OpenTrain replied to only 40% of its negative reviews.
What has gone wrong
- April 2026. A quality analyst on a video QA project wrote that pay for February and March 2026 work was more than 60 days late while support said it was waiting on a client report. An update on May 9 said the money finally arrived, after many emails.
- August 2026. An applicant's contract was cancelled minutes after passing a screener. OpenTrain replied that its security review saw account sessions outside the job's eligible countries, so it ended the engagement, and said time already worked was paid. Location-restricted jobs check your device location.
- October 2026. A worker on a recording project advertised at $4 an hour, with 60-second clips, said the rate was cut to $2 under an unannounced 'pilot phase'. OpenTrain replied that payments might not be complete yet and that standby, training and time between recordings would be paid.
Best for: People in the San Francisco area after on-site robot data collection (posted at $10 to $20 an hour), and remote workers in a payout country who check the board often and apply fast. Not for: Anyone who needs steady hours, wants to know the end client before applying, cannot wait for client sign-off to get paid, or lives where OpenTrain cannot pay out.
Honest catches
- Pay here is stated by the employer, not measured live from a job feed, so treat it as a benchmark rather than a guaranteed rate.
Sources for this review
- OpenTrain AI: homepage, pricing and FAQ
- OpenTrain AI: About (team)
- OpenTrain AI: Privacy Policy of OpenTrain AI, Inc., last updated Oct 9, 2026
- OpenTrain AI: Terms of Service, last updated Apr 25, 2026
- LinkedIn: OpenTrain AI company page
- OpenTrain AI: job board, 798 open roles as of Oct 11, 2026
- OpenTrain AI: AI training careers (for freelancers)
- OpenTrain Docs: Payments and payouts for AI trainers
- OpenTrain Docs: Payout country availability
- OpenTrain Docs: Setting up payouts as a non-US freelancer
- OpenTrain Docs: Hubstaff time tracking
- OpenTrain Docs: Use your Work Email (@opentrain.work)
- OpenTrain Docs: Why a job's location check blocks my proposal
- OpenTrain AI jobs: AI Robotics Data Trainer, San Francisco, $10 to $20 an hour, posted Sep 14, 2026 (archived Sep 29)
- OpenTrain AI jobs: Robotics Data Collection Specialist, San Francisco, $10 to $20 an hour, posted Sep 23, 2026
- OpenTrain AI jobs: Experienced Egocentric Video Contributor (closed, read Oct 11, 2026)
- OpenTrain AI jobs: Experienced Egocentric Video Contributor, earlier posting (closed, read Oct 11, 2026)
- Trustpilot: OpenTrain AI reviews
- Trustpilot: OpenTrain AI 1-star reviews
- Trustpilot: OpenTrain AI 5-star reviews
- RemoWork: OpenTrain company profile
- FTC: That job offer text is probably a scam (Apr 30, 2026)
What OpenTrain AI pays
Stated by the employer · updated 2026-10-29Researched rate card (stated by the employer), updated 2026-10-29
From OpenTrain's job board on October 29, 2026: first-person video roles that train home robots and other robotics systems pay $5 to $15 an hour (US, Latin America and a few other countries). No robot teleoperation listing is open, and no robotics video annotation role is listed. Listings expire fast. (checked on opentrain.ai, 29 Oct 2026)
| Role | Work type | Researched pay |
|---|---|---|
| Home Robot Video Data Collector (US) | Egocentric Capture | $5 per approved hour |
| Commercial Workplace Video Data Collector (9 countries) | Egocentric Capture | $8 to $12 per hour |
| First-Person Household Video Data Collector (US) | Egocentric Capture | $13 to $15 per hour |
Wondering where a number comes from? Read how researched rate cards are sourced and graded.
Live OpenTrain AI roles
OpenTrain AI does not publish a public job feed.
Applications go through OpenTrain AI's own site, and once you have an account it matches you to work.
Join OpenTrain AI (opens the job details)Some links here are referral links: when you join an employer through one, RobotTraining.jobs may receive a commission. It costs you nothing, and the employer pays you exactly the same.
Get new Teleoperation roles by email
OpenTrain AI keeps no public job board for us to read, so we'll send you new Teleoperation openings from employers that do, each with its posted pay. No cost, and you can stop any time.
Kinds of work at OpenTrain AI
Open any of them for the day-to-day tasks, every employer hiring for it and market-wide pay.
First time doing this kind of work? Read the beginner guides or line up pay at every employer.
What our research records about OpenTrain AI
12 dated facts from public sources (the company itself, filings, regulators, courts and the press), each kept with the publication it comes from in one of our research reports. Newest first; the newest is from 26 Oct 2026.
OpenTrain AI posted a US home robot video data collector role (smartphone on a head mount, four-week pilot) paying 5 US dollars per approved hour.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Robot data vendors
OpenTrain posted a four-week US pilot on 26 October 2026 paying $5 per approved hour to record everyday household tasks with a smartphone on a head mount to help train home robots.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
The $5 per approved hour OpenTrain pilot asks for at least 5 hours of recording a day on 6 days a week, with a minimum of 20 hours a week, from candidates in the United States.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
An OpenTrain AI listing pays US$8 to US$12 an hour for recording first-person video of one's own commercial or industrial work for AI and robotics training, open in South Africa and eight other countries, under 20 hours a week.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Africa data collection
OpenTrain AI's workplace recording role asks for fluent English, a recent iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy phone and a head strap, and the workplace manager's consent before recording.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Africa data collection
OpenTrain's commercial workplace video role pays $8 to $12 an hour and requires the workplace manager's consent before recording; it is open in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru among nine countries.
Source: OpenTrain AI · In Latin America data collection
All 12 facts about OpenTrain AI
OpenTrain's commercial workplace video role, posted 20 October 2026, pays $8 to $12 per hour to record first-person video of one's own commercial or industrial work to train AI and robotics systems, under 20 hours a week.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
OpenTrain Commercial Workplace Video Data Collector: The commercial workplace recording role is open to candidates in nine countries, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and South Africa, and requires workplace manager consent before recording.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
OpenTrain's Latin American first-person video role pays $6 per hour of accepted recorded video to contributors in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
Source: OpenTrain AI · In Latin America data collection
OpenTrain's US at-home household video recorder role, posted 19 October 2026, pays $15 per hour of qualifying recorded video and excludes ten listed US states and the District of Columbia.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
OpenTrain's Latin American first-person video role, posted 19 October 2026, pays $6 per hour for accepted recorded video to contributors in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
OpenTrain's US at-home household task video role, posted 20 August 2026, pays $14 to $15 per hour of recorded video, with a $20 signing bonus and head strap reimbursement after 20 hours.
Source: OpenTrain AI (job listing) · In Paid recording programs
From the forum
Ask the people doing OpenTrain AI work what only they can tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenTrain AI legit?
Mostly. OpenTrain AI, Inc. is a real Seattle marketplace that pays approved work to your bank through Stripe, but listings close fast, some pass you on to another hiring site, and late or cut pay is a repeated complaint. You are paid only after the client approves each milestone, and reviewers report late pay, a rate halved mid-project and removals with no reason given. Listings churn fast and do not name the end client.
Is OpenTrain AI a scam?
No. OpenTrain AI is a real company. We found no reports of fake recruiters using OpenTrain's name. Real jobs are at opentrain.ai/jobs and applications run in app.opentrain.ai; staff write from @opentrain.ai, and project mail may reach an @opentrain.work inbox OpenTrain gives you. Joining is free and payouts are set up only inside OpenTrain, so never pay anyone or open a Stripe account for a 'recruiter'.
Does OpenTrain AI pay?
Yes. A peer marketplace worth watching for supply. Payouts: Contract work, mostly paid hourly in US dollars; a few roles pay per task.
How much does OpenTrain AI pay?
First-person video $5 to $15/hr in checked postings; no teleop listing open. From OpenTrain's job board on October 29, 2026: first-person video roles that train home robots and other robotics systems pay $5 to $15 an hour (US, Latin America and a few other countries). No robot teleoperation listing is open, and no robotics video annotation role is listed. Listings expire fast.
Is OpenTrain AI worth it?
OpenTrain AI pays First-person video $5 to $15/hr in checked postings; no teleop listing open (stated by the employer). It works best as flexible, project-by-project income, since each project sets its own pay, equipment and eligibility. Worth knowing: Trustpilot 3.8/5 (113 reviews).
How does OpenTrain AI pay out?
Contract work, mostly paid hourly in US dollars; a few roles pay per task.
Where is OpenTrain AI open to workers?
Remote, worldwide; each role lists the countries it takes.
How OpenTrain AI stacks up against similar employers
Remote freelance work for TELUS Digital's AI Community, including a robot teleoperation and wearable-capture role at $32 to $45 an hour, open to applicants in any country.
$32 to $45 an hour on its robot teleoperation role, stated per postingStated by the employer
Wear an Insta360 X5 on your head and film ten-minute stretches of your ordinary day (cooking, cleaning, errands) for an hourly rate set per country.
$40–$120/hr by countryStated by the employer
A European expert network whose robotics program pays remote annotators to describe what robot and human hands do in short video clips.
$5–$15/hr once placedStated by the employer
Wear a headstrap with your phone, press record, and go about your day: paid per accepted hour of first-person video for robot training.
Paid per accepted hour of footageStated by the employerSorted by what an application there is likely worth to you, with a referral lift for employers that pay us a referral fee; your pay is never affected.
Hiring for OpenTrain AI? We find the people (you contract them yourself) or we run the project (we deliver the robot data).