Remotasks Review: Is It Still Worth It in Your Country?
This Remotasks review separates an accessible website from actual country eligibility, available projects, and money received. Explore the documented country shutdowns, the connection with Scale AI and Outlier, payment uncertainties, and alternatives that may better fit your location and profile.

A useful Remotasks review starts with a practical question: can you actually work from where you live? Older guides often jump straight to earnings or training. That skips the biggest issue. A website can remain online while registrations are restricted, existing accounts have different access, or particular projects are unavailable. Those situations need different answers, especially if you are deciding whether to invest time in onboarding.
The connection with Outlier adds another layer. It is real, but it does not mean every Remotasks account has moved or that every country has reopened. Below, you will find the historical country changes, the official platform relationship, payment rules, and the strongest documented concerns. For a broader starting point, our microtask platform comparison explains how eligibility, task supply, and withdrawals differ.
- Countries with documented shutdown reports
- 3
- Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan; historical evidence, not a current global access map.
- Contributors interviewed in a press investigation
- 36
- Current or former contributors; not a representative platform-wide sample.
- Interviewees reporting payment problems
- 34
- Delayed, reduced, or canceled payments in that investigation.
- Scale/Remotasks Fairwork score
- 1/10
- Cloudwork assessment published in 2023, not a current user rating.
These figures explain why caution is reasonable, but none measures your likely earnings. The country count concerns specific historical shutdowns. The interviews document serious experiences without establishing how common they are across all workers. Fairwork evaluates evidence against labor standards, not whether you personally will receive projects. Treat each figure as evidence about a particular issue, rather than a universal verdict.
Does Remotasks still work, or has it shut down?
Remotasks’ public website remains accessible, checked in November. Its English-language homepage still describes the platform and lists payment information. That supports a narrow conclusion: Remotasks has not disappeared from the public web. It does not support the much broader claim that registration and paid work are available everywhere the brand previously operated.
Separate the process into distinct gates. First, your location must be eligible. Then your account must be accepted and enabled for a relevant project. Tasks must actually be available, and completed work must qualify for payment. An accessible homepage answers none of those later questions. Likewise, an empty project queue does not, by itself, prove a country-wide closure.
The sensible approach is to confirm the gate you are stuck at before spending more time. A location restriction calls for an eligibility answer. Missing projects call for an account or project answer. A missing payment calls for a payment record and support request. Avoid treating a generic success story, public country list, or technical uptime claim as proof that all of these conditions are satisfied.
Which countries can use Remotasks today?
The clearest shutdown evidence concerns Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan in March 2024. NTV Kenya reproduced a Remotasks email stating that Kenyan operations would stop effective March 8, 2024. Rest of World’s March 28, 2024 report documented shutdowns in Nigeria and Pakistan. These are press-supported historical facts. No dated public Remotasks announcement directly publishing those closures, or confirming a subsequent reopening, is established in the available record.
| Published evidence | Historical scope | Current eligibility | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Shutdown effective March 8, 2024 | Operations discontinued | Not confirmed |
| Nigeria | Shutdown reported March 2024 | Country shutdown | Not confirmed |
| Pakistan | Shutdown reported March 2024 | Country shutdown | Not confirmed |
| Thailand | Restrictions reported March 2024 | New registrations halted | Check current onboarding |
| Vietnam | Restrictions reported March 2024 | New registrations halted | Check current onboarding |
| Poland | Restrictions reported March 2024 | New registrations halted | Check current onboarding |
| India | Scale statement in March 2024 | Existing contributors retained access | Check current onboarding |
| France / Côte d’Ivoire | Mentioned in undated official list | Listing only | Not confirmed by listing |
| Cameroon / Senegal / Morocco | Mentioned in undated official list | Listing only | Not confirmed by listing |
Historical sources: NTV Kenya, effective date March 8, 2024; Rest of World, March 28, 2024, including Scale’s response. Country-list source: Remotasks, Where Is Remotasks Available?, undated, checked in November. Historical restrictions and published listings do not establish present eligibility.
Thailand, Vietnam, and Poland require a different reading. Rest of World reported halted new registrations, while Scale said existing contributors retained access in those countries and India. That is not equivalent to closing every account. Scale cited enhanced security protocols for some discontinuations and attributed missing advance notice in Kenya to operational errors. Those explanations provide context, not proof of current access.
The official country list is undated and still includes countries affected by the reported shutdowns. France, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, and Morocco also appear, but a listing alone cannot confirm present onboarding or paid projects. Ask about your actual country of residence and project eligibility. Do not substitute citizenship, a relative’s address, or a foreign payment account for your working location.

Has Remotasks become Outlier, and what changed?
Remotasks and Outlier have an official connection to Scale. Remotasks’ terms name Scale AI, Inc. and affiliates, including Smart Ecosystem Inc., as contracting parties. In its dated November 1, 2024 announcement about Outlier, Scale presents Outlier as a product within its group, focused on human expertise for generative AI—the technology that produces text and other content.
The official Remotasks migration announcement describes transferring generative AI work to Outlier. It tells affected contributors to use their existing Remotasks credentials and says pending payments will transfer. However, the announcement has no visible date. It does not establish a simultaneous move for every account, nor does a promised balance transfer prove that the money ultimately arrived.
- February 14, 2023: the last update displayed on Remotasks’ Working Location Policy, which describes country restrictions that can vary by generative AI project.
- July 20, 2023: Oxford Internet Institute publishes its Fairwork Cloudwork release.
- August 2023: The Independent and The African republish Rebecca Tan and Regine Cabato’s investigation into working conditions and payment complaints; Rest of World reports historical Scale language job listings.
- March 2024: NTV Kenya and Rest of World report country shutdowns; Rest of World also reports restrictions on new registrations.
- November 1, 2024: Scale publishes its official explanation of Outlier’s role.
- October 21, 2025: the effective date displayed on Remotasks’ published terms.
| Remotasks | Outlier | Practical implication | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official work focus | Computer-vision data | Generative AI expertise | Related, but distinct |
| Migration announcement | Transfers generative AI work | Receives affected contributors | Not every account proven moved |
| Listed payment methods | PayPal / AirTM | PayPal / Airtm / ACH | Check account availability |
| Published payment schedule | Weekly advertised | Tuesday processing advertised | Processing differs from receipt |
| Affected contributors’ login | Existing credentials | Existing Remotasks credentials | Follow official instructions |
Sources: Remotasks migration announcement, undated; Remotasks English-language homepage; Outlier FAQ; Scale, A New Era of Outlier, November 1, 2024. Public pages checked in November. Advertised processing schedules are not guarantees of receipt.
Currently published Outlier terms also include remotasks.com within their scope, while the two sites display different contract versions. Save the version presented to your account rather than assuming one public page settles every contractual question. If you are comparing opportunities, our Outlier, Alignerr, and Mercor comparison helps distinguish platforms without treating their project access as interchangeable.
What kind of work do Remotasks and Outlier describe?
Remotasks’ migration announcement describes its continuing focus as image, video, and 3D sensor data for computer vision—helping software interpret visual information. That matters because older descriptions may mix this work with generative AI projects now associated with Outlier. A broad brand description is not an inventory of tasks currently available to your account.
Outlier’s FAQ describes creating prompts, ranking AI outputs, and improving model responses. A prompt is an instruction given to an AI system. These activities can involve different skills from visual annotation, which means labeling or organizing data. Our data annotation jobs guide explains the wider field, while the remote AI training jobs guide covers tests, project access, and compensation questions.
According to the official Remotasks FAQ, project access can require completed training and activation for that project. The same FAQ discourages complex 2D and 3D annotation on devices other than a laptop or desktop. Training completion, suitable equipment, and project activation are therefore separate considerations. Free access does not establish that every minute of training is paid.
- Before training: confirm your location is eligible for the relevant project.
- Before accepting work: read the compensation and quality requirements.
- Before relying on a phone: check whether the project needs a computer.
- Before continuing: distinguish training access from paid project activation.
How much can you actually earn on Remotasks?
There is no established current, universal Remotasks hourly rate or representative net income figure. Remotasks says compensation depends on the quality and number of completed tasks. That makes a monthly estimate especially fragile: it needs assumptions about task supply, acceptance, working speed, unpaid preparation, and payment fees. The quantity of available tasks varies by day, country, and profile.
Historical listings illustrate variation, not current earning potential. Rest of World reported Scale listings in August 2023 at $21.55 per hour for German writing and $1.43 for Telugu expertise. These involved different languages and profiles. They cannot be presented as today’s Remotasks rates, Outlier rates, or average worker income. A published offer and money actually received measure different things.
The Washington Post investigation, republished by The African on August 30, 2023, also included a contributor reporting $0.30 received for four hours of work. That is a serious individual account, not a platform-wide average. For your own decision, record time spent on training, working, and resolving issues, then compare it with payments actually received after fees. A dashboard balance alone is not spendable income.
How does Remotasks pay through PayPal or AirTM?
Remotasks lists PayPal and AirTM as payment methods. Its Africa-facing page advertises weekly payments in US dollars. Some official FAQ wording mentions Thursday PayPal payments, but that detailed schedule is not established as applicable to every current project. Outlier’s FAQ separately advertises Tuesday processing through PayPal, Airtm, or ACH bank transfer. Do not carry one platform’s calendar over to the other.
A universal current Remotasks withdrawal minimum is not publicly established. That is different from saying there is no minimum. The official FAQ also warns that third-party payment providers may charge fees. No universal current PayPal, AirTM, or local-currency conversion fee schedule is established for Remotasks. Check the method available in your account and the provider’s conditions before completing substantial work.
A listed payment logo does not prove that you can receive and withdraw funds locally. Verify receiving capability, identity requirements, and the final route into money you can use. If you migrate, preserve the old payment history and compare it with the transferred balance. Remotasks’ migration announcement provides for pending payments to move to Outlier, but you still need a completed transaction to establish receipt.
Is Remotasks legitimate, and why do workers report withheld pay?
Remotasks has an identifiable corporate relationship and published rules. That distinguishes it from an anonymous recruitment message, but it does not settle whether its working conditions suit you. Its terms, effective October 21, 2025, allow Scale, subject to applicable law, to delay or suspend payment during an investigation into compliance. A hold therefore has a contractual basis, although that does not automatically resolve a particular dispute.
Rebecca Tan and Regine Cabato’s investigation, republished by The Independent on August 30, 2023, found that all but two of 36 current or former contributors interviewed reported delayed, reduced, or canceled payments. Scale spokesperson Anna Franko responded that payment delays or interruptions were exceedingly rare. Both the documented complaints and the company’s response belong in the picture. Neither supports saying that Remotasks always pays promptly or never pays.
| points out of 10 | |
|---|---|
| Scale / Remotasks | 1/10 |
| Clickworker | 1/10 |
| Appen | 3/10 |
| Prolific | 5/10 |
| Upwork | 2/10 |
Fairwork awarded Scale/Remotasks 1 out of 10 in its 2023 Cloudwork ratings. The assessment concerns evidence against labor standards, not a consumer star rating or your probability of getting paid. Its historical result reinforces the need to examine compensation, contracts, and dispute handling. It should not be relabeled as a current score, and a higher historical score elsewhere is not a promise of better outcomes for you.
- Good sign:The official account shows the project rules and payment information.
- Good sign:You can preserve payment records and contact support through the platform.
- Warning sign:Someone asks for an access fee before you can work.
- Warning sign:You must recharge an account or make a deposit to unlock earnings.
- Warning sign:A recruiter asks for a password, secret code, or SMS verification code.
- Warning sign:You are told to work outside the platform through WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Warning sign:Someone offers a foreign account or location workaround instead of eligibility confirmation.
If payment is held, ask which amount is affected, which rule is involved, and what information is required to resolve it. Keep submission records, notices, and transaction references without copying confidential project material. Stop if someone demands a deposit to release the balance. A real payment dispute should not become a reason to hand over more money or your account credentials.
What should you check before signing up or migrating?
Remotasks’ terms require contributors to be at least 18 or the applicable legal age of majority. Its guidelines describe contributors as independent contractors, rather than platform employees. That published description does not settle every local legal question, but it does mean you should not interpret project access as a salaried position. Consider tax obligations and the possibility of gaps between assignments.
- 1Confirm your real working locationLocation
Check country eligibility and the requirements of the specific project before investing time in training.
- 2Read the terms presented to youRules
Save the contract version, compensation rules, and any migration notice shown in your account.
- 3Check project activationWork
Establish whether you have training access, actual project access, or an empty queue.
- 4Verify your receiving methodPayment
Confirm that the available payment provider can receive funds and supports your intended local withdrawal route.
- 5Reconcile records after migrationRecords
Compare pending balances and payment history, then contact official support about any discrepancy.
Do not solve a country restriction with a VPN—a tool that can mask your online location—or a purchased account. Remotasks’ guidelines prohibit using a VPN to mislead the platform about location or identity unless an administrator explicitly requests it; account buying and selling are also prohibited. Keep identity submissions within the official process. Our guide to data security on microtask platforms explains what to consider before sharing sensitive documents.
How do Microtaches withdrawals compare with Remotasks?
Microtaches uses Ops rather than a quoted hourly wage. 1 Ops equals €0.0042 for withdrawals and €0.0082 in the gift-card shop. For example, 1,000 Ops represents €4.20 at withdrawal value or €8.20 in gift-card value. These are different uses of the same unit, not interchangeable cash amounts. Our Ops conversion guide explains the distinction.
| EUR | |
|---|---|
| 1,000 Ops | €4.20 |
| 5,000 Ops | €21 |
| 15,000 Ops | €63 |
| 25,000 Ops | €105 |
The withdrawal minimum is 5,000 Ops, with a separate 10,000-Ops non-withdrawable reserve. You therefore need a 15,000-Ops balance for a first 5,000-Ops withdrawal. At withdrawal value, that balance represents €63, while the request represents €21 and the retained reserve represents €42. Reading only the minimum would miss the main constraint on your first withdrawal.
Bank transfers using an IBAN—an international bank account identifier—are available from the withdrawal minimum, subject to the reserve. A transfer outside Europe has a fixed 800-Ops fee, equivalent to €3.36. MVola, Orange Money, Wave, MTN MoMo, PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller become available from 25,000 Ops. Check your account’s available method and local receiving requirements. Revolut and Crypto are listed as coming soon, without a date.
Microtaches withdrawal options and conditions
Your Ops can be withdrawn to a bank account, a mobile money account or an online wallet. Bank transfer is available from the usual minimum; MVola, Orange Money, Wave, MTN MoMo, PayPal, Skrill and Neteller are available from 25,000 Ops; Revolut and Crypto are coming soon. In Readers comparing Remotasks with bank-transfer, wallet, and African mobile-money options, mobile money is often the most convenient option.
| Type | Availability | Where it is used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer (IBAN) | Bank | Available from the usual minimum | Bank account with an IBAN, in Europe or elsewhere (fixed fee outside Europe) |
| MVola | Mobile money | Available from 25,000 Ops | Madagascar |
| Orange Money | Mobile money | Available from 25,000 Ops | Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, DR Congo… |
| Wave | Mobile money | Available from 25,000 Ops | Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso… |
| MTN MoMo | Mobile money | Available from 25,000 Ops | Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Benin, Guinea, Congo, Ghana… |
| PayPal | Online wallet | Available from 25,000 Ops | Countries where PayPal lets you receive money |
| Skrill | Online wallet | Available from 25,000 Ops | International online wallet |
| Neteller | Online wallet | Available from 25,000 Ops | International online wallet |
| Revolut | Neobank | Coming soon (no date yet) | Coming soon |
| Crypto | Cryptocurrency | Coming soon (no date yet) | Coming soon |
Methods shown on the Withdrawals page of your Microtaches account. Countries listed are examples where the service is common.
Identity verification, often called KYC, becomes accessible at a 1,000-Ops balance. It requires an identity document and proof of address and is processed within a maximum of seven business days. Verification is mandatory before the first withdrawal or first shop order. The receiving account must be in your own verified name. See the identity verification guide before submitting documents.
A withdrawal can take up to three weeks after the request is validated. Gift-card orders can take up to two weeks. Microtaches also applies an internal annual withdrawal cap of €2,500 per worker. Those conditions make it a supplemental option, not an emergency-payment service. Compare the reserve, verification stage, processing time, and receiving method together rather than choosing a platform from its minimum alone.
Which alternatives fit better than Remotasks?
Outlier is worth examining if your interest is generative AI work or your account receives an official migration instruction. However, it is related to Scale and Remotasks, so it is not a fully independent backup. Country eligibility, projects, and payment methods still need individual confirmation. If you are exploring another specialist route, our DataAnnotation review covers its own application and access questions.
| Remotasks | Outlier | Prolific | Microtaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Computer-vision data | Generative AI expertise | Research studies | Short tasks |
| Access considerations | Country and project | Country and project | Residence and admission | Team-approved account and profile |
| Payment routes | PayPal / AirTM | PayPal / Airtm / ACH | PayPal | Bank / listed wallets / mobile money |
| Published cashout minimum | Not established universally | Check official account rules | £6/$6 approved balance | 5,000 Ops request |
| Additional balance constraint | Check account rules | Check account rules | Approved funds required | 10,000-Ops reserve |
| Payment timing | Weekly advertised | Tuesday processing advertised | Check cashout guidance | Up to 3 weeks after validation |
| Main limitation | Uncertain current access | Project availability | Eligibility and study availability | Reserve and withdrawal timing |
Sources: Remotasks homepage, Africa page, FAQ, and migration announcement; Outlier FAQ; Prolific participant eligibility, cashout, and researcher reward help pages, checked in November; Microtaches rules. Remotasks has no established universal current minimum. Prolific’s published cashout threshold concerns approved balances. Microtaches additionally retains a 10,000-Ops reserve.
Prolific offers a different model: paid research studies. Its official Who can participate in studies on Prolific? page lists France, Egypt, and South Africa among the standard eligible countries of residence. Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan are not on that standard list, although waiting-list and invitation exceptions mean this should not be framed as an absolute prohibition. According to Prolific’s official How much should I pay participants? page, studies must offer at least £6/$8 per hour; that does not pay for hours with no study. Read our Prolific review for context.
Clickworker is another comparison point, not a universally available replacement. Its payment help page, modified July 13, 2024, publishes thresholds of €/$10 for PayPal, SEPA—the system for euro bank transfers—and ACH bank transfers. It publishes €/$20 thresholds for Payoneer and direct transfers outside the EU. These methods are Clickworker options, not Microtaches options. Check account availability and payable-balance conditions. Our Clickworker comparison and alternatives to the closed Amazon Mechanical Turk platform offer broader routes.
Microtaches can fit as an alternative or complement when its published withdrawal conditions suit you. Registration is free, each account is approved by the team, and the mandatory profile questionnaire awards 10 Ops when completed. You follow the displayed instructions for short tasks; responses undergo manual or automatic checks before Ops are credited. Careless responses can be rejected, and task availability varies by day, country, and profile.
Remotasks has a real corporate connection and an official migration explanation, but present country access, available projects, and successful payment must be established separately. It is most useful to evaluate an actual account opportunity, not an old headline about earning potential.
- Identifiable Scale relationship and published contractual rules.
- Official explanation of the generative AI migration to Outlier.
- Published PayPal and AirTM payment options.
- No charge to access work, according to the official FAQ.
- Historical shutdowns make undated country listings unreliable as access proof.
- No established universal current earnings rate or withdrawal minimum.
- Training and activation do not establish continuous project availability.
- Press investigations document payment problems, and terms allow compliance-related holds.
- Complex annotation may require a laptop or desktop.
Frequently asked questions about Remotasks
- Is Remotasks legitimate or a scam?
- Remotasks has published terms identifying Scale AI and affiliates, plus official project and payment information. That establishes an identifiable platform, not reliable income for every contributor. Historical investigations document payment complaints. Be particularly cautious if someone asks for access fees, a deposit to release earnings, secret codes, or work outside the platform through messaging apps.
- Does Remotasks still work in Kenya?
- NTV Kenya reproduced a Remotasks email announcing discontinued Kenyan operations effective March 8, 2024. A dated official reopening confirmation is not established in the available public record. Kenya appearing in an undated country list does not prove restored access. Confirm present eligibility through official onboarding or support before investing time or purchasing equipment.
- Is Remotasks available in Nigeria or Pakistan?
- Rest of World reported Remotasks shutdowns in Nigeria and Pakistan in March 2024. Those historical reports do not independently settle present eligibility, and a dated official reopening confirmation is not established. Do not rely on an old country list, a foreign account offer, or a location workaround. Check your real country of residence through current official channels.
- Which countries is Remotasks available in?
- There is no established current, authenticated country-by-country access map in the public evidence summarized here. Remotasks publishes an undated list, but it includes countries affected by reported shutdowns. Other countries may have different rules for new applicants, existing contributors, and individual projects. Confirm your country and project separately rather than treating the list as an access guarantee.
- Has Remotasks become Outlier?
- Remotasks officially describes transferring generative AI work to Outlier, while distinguishing Remotasks’ computer-vision focus. The undated migration announcement tells affected contributors to use existing Remotasks credentials and provides for pending payment transfers. It does not prove every account moved or every transferred balance was paid. Follow the instructions presented to your own account.
- How much can you actually earn on Remotasks?
- No representative current net-income figure or universal hourly rate is established. Remotasks states that payment depends on task quality and the number completed. Historical job listings and individual worker accounts cannot serve as current averages. Track your actual working and preparation time against money received after fees. Task quantity varies by day, country, and profile.
- When does Remotasks pay, and what is the withdrawal minimum?
- Remotasks advertises weekly payments and lists PayPal and AirTM. Some FAQ wording mentions Thursday PayPal payments, but its universal current applicability is not established. A universal current withdrawal minimum is also not publicly established; that does not mean there is none. Check your account-specific payment conditions, provider fees, and local receiving capability.
- Why is my Remotasks payment withheld or delayed?
- Remotasks’ terms allow payment delays or suspensions during compliance investigations, subject to applicable law. That is one possible explanation, not a diagnosis of your case. Ask official support which amount and rule are involved, preserve relevant records, and request the next resolution step. Never make a deposit or share a secret code to unlock a payment.
- Can I use a VPN or work on Remotasks with a phone?
- Remotasks prohibits using a VPN to mislead it about location or identity unless an administrator explicitly requests it. A VPN is therefore not an authorized way around country restrictions. For equipment, the official FAQ discourages complex 2D and 3D annotation on devices other than a laptop or desktop. Check the particular project’s requirements before starting.
- Do I have to pay to join Remotasks, and is training paid?
- The official Remotasks FAQ says it does not charge users to work on the platform. However, free access does not establish that training time is paid. Project access may depend on completing training and being activated for that project. Read the compensation conditions first, and stop if someone requests an access fee or deposit to release earnings.