# DataAnnotation vs Mercor: advertised pay

DataAnnotation publishes too few distinct rates for a median (highest advertised $150/hr), as of 2026-10-13.

Mercor advertises a median top rate of $105/hr (typical $70–$150/hr, highest $450/hr) across 83 distinct advertised rates in 250 live listings, as of 2026-10-13.

| | DataAnnotation | Mercor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Median top rate | not published | $105/hr |
| Typical band | not published | $70–$150/hr |
| Highest rate | not published | $450/hr |
| Distinct advertised rates | 4 | 83 |
| Live roles | 112 | 250 |

These two cannot be compared on a single figure: only Mercor publishes enough distinct rates to measure.

Rated elsewhere, other sites' scores with their counts, never part of the pay figures:

- DataAnnotation: Glassdoor 4.0/5 (644 reviews), Trustpilot 3.9/5 (1,961 reviews).
- Mercor: Glassdoor 4.2/5 (180 reviews), Trustpilot 4.3/5 (676 reviews).

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Source: AIPayList (https://aipaylist.com/compare/dataannotation-vs-mercor)
Observed: 2026-10-13
Licence: CC BY 4.0. Reuse freely with a link to the source URL.
Method: rates are read from each platform's own public job feed. One vote per unique platform+rate band, counted at the top of the band (the most the role says it can pay). Per-task pay is never converted to hourly. No benchmark is published below 5 distinct advertised rates. Population: since 2026-08-26 a role must advertise at least $10/hr (or $10 per task) to be listed, so these figures describe listed roles rather than all AI work; lower-paid rating work exists and is not represented. Full rules: https://aipaylist.com/methodology