Handshake AI vs OpenTrain AI
Side by side from today's live listings and each platform's own documentation. Plenty of people work on both.
| Handshake AI | OpenTrain AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Live roles | 242 | Behind login |
| Median hourly | $80 | n/a |
| Top rate | $300 | n/a |
| How it pays | Weekly payouts through Stripe, according to the fellowship page as quoted by third-party guides. Handshake does not publish a rate per project. | OpenTrain says it is free for freelancers, with no fees or subscriptions. Clients fund projects into escrow, released when milestones are approved. It doesn't publish a payout schedule we can cite. |
| Hiring | Apply through the Handshake AI site with a Handshake account. Expert tracks ask for a degree in the field. | Create a free profile with your domains, languages and hourly rate, then apply to listings. Some listings link out to the hiring platform; others hire through OpenTrain after AI interviews and skill tests. |
| Run by | Handshake, the college careers network, which started an AI training business (the Handshake AI Fellowship) in 2025. | OpenTrain AI, a freelance marketplace that connects AI trainers with companies and data platforms that need them. |
Median hourly by field
| Field | Handshake AI | OpenTrain AI |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & health | $125 (17) | n/a |
| Mental health | $75 (5) | n/a |
| Law | $130 (2) | n/a |
| Finance & accounting | $85 (31) | n/a |
| Chemistry | $58 (6) | n/a |
| Biology & life sciences | $68 (6) | n/a |
| Physics | $63 (6) | n/a |
| Math & statistics | $75 (6) | n/a |
| General STEM | $39 (2) | n/a |
| Energy & earth sciences | $85 (21) | n/a |
| Business & operations | $80 (29) | n/a |
| Engineering | $85 (45) | n/a |
| Software & coding | $105 (7) | n/a |
| Machine learning | $75 (6) | n/a |
| Data & analytics | $105 (2) | n/a |
| Cybersecurity | $140 (2) | n/a |
| Design & media | $125 (6) | n/a |
| Languages & translation | $30 (12) | n/a |
| Voice & audio | $94 (6) | n/a |
| Teaching | $75 (4) | n/a |
| Humanities & policy | $98 (4) | n/a |
| Generalist | $55 (16) | n/a |
Number of hourly listings in brackets.