AIPayList

Head to head · updated 2026-10-12

Mercor vs micro1: the rates each one publishes

Mercor advertises the higher median top rate today ($105/hr, n=83 distinct rates) vs micro1 ($90/hr, n=129).

Mercor

median top rate
$105/hr
typical band
$70–$150/hr
highest rate
$450/hr
distinct rates
83
live roles
250

Rated elsewhere: Glassdoor 4.2/5 (180 reviews), Trustpilot 4.3/5 (676 reviews). Sources

micro1

median top rate
$90/hr
typical band
$45–$130/hr
highest rate
$400/hr
distinct rates
129
live roles
366

Rated elsewhere: Glassdoor 4.6/5 (19 reviews, trainer role), Trustpilot 4.7/5 (10,159 reviews, contractor profile). Sources

What the figures leave out

  • Mercor: 250 live listings tracked. 27 pay per task and are never converted to hourly. 8 publish no pay at all.
  • micro1: 366 live listings tracked. 8 publish no pay at all.

What Mercor hires for

Most country-specific roles: United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Germany · 147 worldwide-remote

What micro1 hires for

Most country-specific roles: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Vietnam · 291 worldwide-remote

Best-paid live roles on each

Mercor

micro1

Which suits you

  • ▪ On advertised pay alone, Mercor is ahead: $105/hr median against $90/hr, from 83 and 129 distinct rates respectively.
  • ▪ On volume, micro1 has more live roles right now (366 vs 250), which matters more than a headline rate if you need a queue that stays full.
  • ▪ Rates here are what platforms advertise, not what you will earn: task availability, unpaid onboarding and review time all cut the effective hourly. How we measure.
  • ▪ Pay is only half the decision. What the application, the AI interview and the offer are actually like on these platforms is covered in what happens after you apply, written from having done it.

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