Appen vs Handshake AI
Side by side from today's live listings and each platform's own documentation. Plenty of people work on both.
| Appen | Handshake AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Live roles | Behind login | 242 |
| Median hourly | n/a | $80 |
| Top rate | n/a | $300 |
| How it pays | Monthly. Appen says it charges no payout fees itself, but payment providers do: in the US, the first ACH or PayPal payment each month is free, with small fees after that. Methods include PayPal, Payoneer, Airtm, local bank transfer and gift cards, depending on your country. | Weekly payouts through Stripe, according to the fellowship page as quoted by third-party guides. Handshake does not publish a rate per project. |
| Hiring | Create a CrowdGen account, complete your profile, and apply to projects that match your language and location. Many projects add a qualification exam before you can start. | Apply through the Handshake AI site with a Handshake account. Expert tracks ask for a degree in the field. |
| Run by | Appen, an Australian AI data company listed on the ASX. Its contributor platform is CrowdGen, which replaced Appen Connect in 2024. | Handshake, the college careers network, which started an AI training business (the Handshake AI Fellowship) in 2025. |
Median hourly by field
| Field | Appen | Handshake AI |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & health | n/a | $125 (17) |
| Mental health | n/a | $75 (5) |
| Law | n/a | $130 (2) |
| Finance & accounting | n/a | $85 (31) |
| Chemistry | n/a | $58 (6) |
| Biology & life sciences | n/a | $68 (6) |
| Physics | n/a | $63 (6) |
| Math & statistics | n/a | $75 (6) |
| General STEM | n/a | $39 (2) |
| Energy & earth sciences | n/a | $85 (21) |
| Business & operations | n/a | $80 (29) |
| Engineering | n/a | $85 (45) |
| Software & coding | n/a | $105 (7) |
| Machine learning | n/a | $75 (6) |
| Data & analytics | n/a | $105 (2) |
| Cybersecurity | n/a | $140 (2) |
| Design & media | n/a | $125 (6) |
| Languages & translation | n/a | $30 (12) |
| Voice & audio | n/a | $94 (6) |
| Teaching | n/a | $75 (4) |
| Humanities & policy | n/a | $98 (4) |
| Generalist | n/a | $55 (16) |
Number of hourly listings in brackets.