Comparison
micro1 and Alignerr are the two most accessible ways to get paid for training and evaluating AI models, but they work very differently. micro1 feels like a genuine hiring process: an interview with their AI, a human review, a contract, and an assigned team. Alignerr is a job board run by the Labelbox team where you sign up and keep applying. Getting in is easier at Alignerr; what happens afterwards is handled considerably better at micro1.
Ease of getting in
A video interview with Zara, their AI recruiter, with one attempt per listing. A human reviews it afterwards.
Open sign-up and free applications. A technical assessment is only requested for some roles, and a voice sample for others.
Time to a first project
Around 30 days on average after the interview, though some people have signed within two weeks.
Weeks or months. A month of waiting before a first project is the norm.
Payment transparency
The model is stated in each listing, but you must read carefully whether it is hourly or per task: several users ended up earning far below the advertised rate.
Alongside hourly pay there is the "finished hour" model, where only the time the system counts as productive is paid. This is where the widest gap with the advertised rate is reported.
Payment reliability
Semi-monthly payroll on fixed dates: work from the 1st to the 15th is paid around the 20th, and from the 16th to month end around the 5th.
Payments are tied to each project being validated, with no calendar that is anywhere near as clear or predictable.
Support during the project
A Slack channel with an assigned HDM and project lead, plus a very actively managed community.
Support through the dashboard and email. Considerably more impersonal and less responsive.
Stability of the work
Projects get paused and some close without prior notice.
Very frequent pauses and dry spells that can last months.
Non-technical profiles
Takes writing, voice work, and skilled trades, but everything goes through passing the Zara interview.
Writing, translation, or voice get in well by completing the relevant assessment, with no knockout interview.
Growth within the platform
A clear ladder from Expert to Reviewer and on into management roles. Once inside, lining up projects is easier.
No defined progression: every project is applied for from scratch.
Risk of losing access
No reports of arbitrary account closures; the usual outcome is simply having no project assigned.
Several users describe closures without warning, in at least one case over the state or country they worked from.
Verdict
micro1 wins clearly, and mostly on the things you feel once you are actually working: you know which days you get paid, you have someone to ask, and there is a path ahead of you. Alignerr has the wider front door, which counts for a lot if you are starting out or your profile is not technical, but its unevenness makes it a poor bet as a main source. The sensible move is not to choose: sign up for both, put micro1 first, and use Alignerr to cover the gaps, because in this field the work comes in waves on both.
Choose micro1 if…
Anyone who wants to treat this as a real job, with a contract, a team, and payment on fixed dates.
Choose Alignerr if…
Anyone starting with no prior experience, or coming from writing, translation, or voice work, who wants a second platform to cover the quiet spells.