Mercor vs Braintrust: which should you pick?

Pick Mercor if you want better pay on today's listings and want the best-paid single roles; it's built for doctors, lawyers and finance pros. Pick Braintrust if you want generalist work, which Mercor doesn't list; it's built for experienced professionals. Both hire software engineers.

Mercor

Typical top rate: $90/hrPlatform says $20–200/hr
Highest live top rate: $450/hr
Open jobs: 364

Apply on Mercor Review of Mercor

Braintrust

Typical top rate: $31/hrPlatform says $20–200/hr
Highest live top rate: $150/hr
Open jobs: 58

Apply on Braintrust Review of Braintrust

How do Mercor and Braintrust compare?

Mercor is ahead on

Typical pay on live jobs
The highest-paying listing
Open to India

Braintrust is ahead on

None of the graded rows.

About the same

Getting in
Steady work
Payout record
Payout schedule
Hires worldwide

How we mark a row

A tick marks the better of the two only where one is plainly better for anyone: advertised pay, typical pay on live jobs, how easy it is to get in, steady work, the payout record and schedule, and where it hires. Pay rows need a gap of at least 10%, and the live-jobs rate needs 5+ priced listings on both sides (otherwise it's under "Can't compare yet"). The advertised-pay tick goes to the higher advertised top; a single live listing above it is shown as context, not counted. There's no overall score: a better payout record matters more than a payout day, so weigh the rows that matter to you.

"Hires worldwide" and "Open to India" are marked on listings posted in the last 4 weeks, so a pile of months-old posts can't win them. Payout method, time to apply, open jobs, recent posts and red flags are context, never a win. A count of red flags mostly shows how much has been written about a platform, so read the flags themselves below.

Mercor compared with Braintrust, row by row
	Mercor	Braintrust
Typical top rate, live jobs	$90/hr, from 320 priced listings (better)	$31/hr, from 29 priced listings
Highest live listing	$450/hr (better)	$150/hr
Platform says (advertised range)	$20–200/hr	$20–200/hr
Getting in	Some screening	Some screening
Steady work	Work is patchy	Work is patchy
Payout record	Pays on time	Pays on time
Payout schedule	Weekly, every Wednesday	Weekly
Payout method	Stripe (Wise in a few countries)	Not specified on the AI training page
Hires worldwide	Not on today's listings; says it hires in many countries	Not on today's listings; says it hires in many countries
Open to India	Yes: 4 open roles name India; none are open worldwide; 211 more don't name a country (better)	Yes: 1 open role names India; none is open worldwide; 1 more don't name a country
Time to apply	~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview	~30–60 min profile + AI interview
Open jobs on Rubric	364	58
Posted in the last 4 weeks	124 of 364	58 of 58
Red flags on record	2	None

What kind of work does each one hire for?

Mercor

What it is: Hiring marketplace that screens professionals with an AI video interview and places them on hourly contracts training and evaluating models for AI labs.
Fields: Coding, Math, Science, Medicine, Law, Finance, Writing, Languages, Images, Audio, Video, STEM
Best for: Doctors, lawyers and finance pros, Software engineers, Grad degree holders

Red flags

Red flagLong waits with no offer after passing the interview
Red flagProjects ending abruptly with little warning

Braintrust

What it is: Freelance talent network that now also runs AI training work, matching professionals to rating, red-teaming and code-review tasks after an AI skills interview.
Fields: Coding, Writing, Finance, Law, Medicine, Science, Generalist, Audio, Images, STEM
Best for: Experienced professionals, Software engineers, Freelancers already on Braintrust

Red flags

None on record.

How do you apply to Mercor and Braintrust?

Mercor~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview

Create a profile and upload your resume
Apply to a listed role
Take the recorded AI video interview (practice round available)
Complete any role-specific assessment and the ID check
Accept the offer and sign the contract

You'll need: Resume showing real experience in your field; Webcam with your full face visible for the AI interview; Government ID.

Braintrust~30–60 min profile + AI interview

Create a Braintrust profile with your specialization
Complete the AI skills interview
Browse and accept AI training tasks in your dashboard

You'll need: Professional experience in your field; Complete profile.

Common questions

Which pays more, Mercor or Braintrust?

Mercor says $20–200/hr and Braintrust says $20–200/hr. On current listings the typical top rate is $90/hr on Mercor and $31/hr on Braintrust.

Which is easier to get into, Mercor or Braintrust?

They're about the same: both are “some screening”.

Can you work on both Mercor and Braintrust?

Yes. Both are contract platforms, and nothing stops you from being on several at once. Many people apply to both and work wherever there are tasks that week.