DataAnnotation vs OpenTrain AI
Side by side from today's live listings and each platform's own documentation.
| DataAnnotation | OpenTrain AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Live roles | Behind login | 672 |
| Median hourly | n/a | $55 |
| Top rate | n/a | $400 |
| How it pays | Through PayPal, on request: its FAQ says deposits arrive within a few days after you ask for them. Starting rates are $25-50/hr for general work and $40-150+/hr for coding, STEM and professional tracks. | OpenTrain says it is free for freelancers, with no fees or subscriptions. Clients fund each milestone before work starts, and OpenTrain pays out to your connected payout method when the client approves the milestone. It doesn't publish a fixed payout schedule. |
| Hiring | Take the starter assessment. DataAnnotation emails you within a few days if you're approved, and projects show up in your dashboard. | Create a free profile with your domains, languages and hourly rate, then apply to listings. Some listings hire through OpenTrain; others link you straight to the hiring platform. |
| Run by | Surge Labs (Surge AI). Its logo reads "Data Annotation by surge", and a May 2025 court complaint names the company as Surge Labs, Inc. dba DataAnnotation. | OpenTrain AI, a freelance marketplace that connects AI trainers with companies and data platforms that need them. |
Median hourly by field
| Field | DataAnnotation | OpenTrain AI |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & health | n/a | $90 (42) |
| Mental health | n/a | $150 (8) |
| Law | n/a | $125 (61) |
| Finance & accounting | n/a | $90 (38) |
| Chemistry | n/a | $69 (12) |
| Biology & life sciences | n/a | $70 (9) |
| Physics | n/a | $75 (11) |
| Math & statistics | n/a | $25 (18) |
| Energy & earth sciences | n/a | $60 (4) |
| Business & operations | n/a | $60 (38) |
| Engineering | n/a | $60 (44) |
| Software & coding | n/a | $65 (69) |
| Machine learning | n/a | $90 (24) |
| Data & analytics | n/a | $20 (39) |
| Cybersecurity | n/a | $70 (7) |
| Design & media | n/a | $53 (12) |
| Writing & editing | n/a | $60 (8) |
| Languages & translation | n/a | $25 (108) |
| Voice & audio | n/a | $20 (42) |
| Teaching | n/a | $20 (3) |
| Humanities & policy | n/a | $65 (10) |
| Generalist | n/a | $40 (46) |
Number of hourly listings in brackets.