Mercor vs TELUS Digital: which should you pick?

Pick Mercor if you want to be paid more often and want math or science work, which TELUS Digital doesn't list; it's built for doctors, lawyers and finance pros. Pick TELUS Digital if you want an easier way in and want steadier work; it's built for beginners with no AI experience.

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

TELUS Digital

Typical top rate: No public job listPlatform says $3–25/hr
Highest live top rate: Not enough data
Open jobs: 0

Apply on TELUS Digital Review of TELUS Digital

How do Mercor and TELUS Digital compare?

Mercor is ahead on

Payout schedule

TELUS Digital is ahead on

Getting in
Steady work

About the same

Payout record
Hires worldwide
Open to India

Can't compare yet: typical pay on live jobs. TELUS Digital has 0 priced listings; a typical rate needs 5.

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 TELUS Digital, row by row
	Mercor	TELUS Digital
Typical top rate, live jobs	$90/hr, from 320 priced listings	No public job list
Highest live listing	$450/hr	Not enough data
Platform says (advertised range)	$20–200/hr	$3–25/hr
Getting in	Some screening	Fairly easy (better)
Steady work	Work is patchy	Comes and goes (better)
Payout record	Pays on time	Pays on time
Payout schedule	Weekly, every Wednesday (better)	Weekly or twice a month, depending on project
Payout method	Stripe (Wise in a few countries)	Payment portal (Hyperwallet) to PayPal or bank
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	Not on today's listings; says it hires in India
Time to apply	~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview	Days to two months; exam can take several hours
Open jobs on Rubric	364	Apply on their site (no public job list)
Posted in the last 4 weeks	124 of 364	Apply on their site (no public job list)
Red flags on record	2	1

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

TELUS Digital

What it is: TELUS Digital's crowd workforce (formerly TELUS International AI / Lionbridge AI), hiring part-time search raters, data annotators and language specialists country by country.
Fields: Generalist, Languages, Audio, Images, Video, Coding
Best for: Beginners with no AI experience, Speakers of regional languages, People wanting steady part-time rater hours

Red flags

Red flagFake recruiters asking for 'Premium ID' or other fees: TELUS never charges to join

How do you apply to Mercor and TELUS Digital?

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.

TELUS DigitalDays to two months; exam can take several hours

Apply to a country- and language-specific role on the AI Community site
Create your profile and submit ID
Study the guidelines and pass the qualification exam or short assessment
Get approved and start tasks within your weekly hour limit

You'll need: Residence in the hiring country; Full English plus the target language; Own computer and broadband.

Common questions

Which pays more, Mercor or TELUS Digital?

Mercor says $20–200/hr and TELUS Digital says $3–25/hr. There are too few priced listings on TELUS Digital to compare live pay yet.

Which is easier to get into, Mercor or TELUS Digital?

TELUS Digital is easier to get into (“Fairly easy” vs “some screening”).

Can you work on both Mercor and TELUS Digital?

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.