Sites Like MTurk: Where to Do Micro-Tasks Now That MTurk Has Closed

If you are searching for sites like MTurk, you probably relied on Amazon Mechanical Turk for small paid tasks, surveys or academic studies. The question is no longer whether MTurk is shutting down: it has closed. The real question is where to go next, and which MTurk alternatives actually accept workers from your country and pay through a method you can use.

A word of transparency: this guide is published by Microtaches, a micro-task platform. That is why Microtaches appears in the comparison with its limits spelled out, and why figures about other platforms are linked to the sources used for them. When a platform does not publish something, we say so instead of guessing.

What these numbers tell you: MTurk ran for many years and left a lot of workers looking for a new home at the same time. Scammers know it. Task scams, the kind that show fake earnings and then ask for a deposit, quadrupled in the US reports collected by the FTC. Choosing a replacement carefully matters as much as choosing quickly.

Is MTurk shutting down, or has it already closed?

It has already closed. The mturk.com homepage now states: “Amazon Mechanical Turk permanently closed on September 30.” The service had been launched by Amazon Web Services on November 2, 2005, as a marketplace where “requesters” posted small jobs called HITs (Human Intelligence Tasks) and workers completed them for a fee.

If you still had approved work on your account, the official MTurk FAQ explains how approved HITs are paid. We deliberately do not paraphrase payment details here: the FAQ is the only authoritative source, so read it directly.

What this timeline means for you: there is nothing to wait for. Treat any message offering “MTurk access”, a “new MTurk account” or a “relaunched MTurk” with caution: the official site announces a permanent closure.

What replaced MTurk? It depends on what you did there

MTurk was a marketplace for HITs. Today, alternatives differ by type of work, entry tests, countries and payout methods. No single platform has taken over all of that. The market has split into specialized services.

• You mostly did academic surveys and experiments → Prolific and CloudResearch Connect are the closest match. Respondent covers paid research interviews.
• You did short, varied micro-tasks → Clickworker (which also distributes UHRS tasks), Microworkers, SproutGigs (formerly Picoworkers) and Microtaches.
• You did labeling, categorization or transcription for AI → DataAnnotation, Outlier, Appen/CrowdGen, TELUS Digital AI Community, OneForma, Alignerr, RWS TrainAI.
• You liked testing websites and apps → UserTesting, which announces the amount before each test.

If the vocabulary is new to you, our guide explaining what micro-tasks are, with examples and how you get paid covers the basics. French-speaking readers looking for a « site comme MTurk » can also read our French-language guide to Amazon Mechanical Turk and its alternatives.

Which sites like MTurk are available, and how do they compare?

The table below gathers what each platform publishes about its work, countries, payouts and minimums. “Not published” means we could not find the information in the official sources linked in this article; check the platform's site before signing up.

What this table shows: payout minimums are rarely the real barrier. The real filters are country eligibility (Prolific does not list Nigeria, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal or Morocco, and one Outlier offer targets six English-speaking countries) and entry tests (DataAnnotation gives you one attempt). Start with the platforms that accept your country and pay through a method you already have.

Where should survey and research-study workers go?

Prolific is a research-study platform with published participant rules. It has a waitlist, verifies your identity and sets a floor for researchers: they must pay at least GBP 6 or USD 8 per hour, and Prolific recommends GBP 9 or USD 12. You can cash out to PayPal once your balance reaches GBP 6 or USD 6.

What this chart shows: the recommended rate is 50% higher than the minimum. Studies paying close to the floor are allowed, so compare the hourly rate shown on each study before accepting. Remember that the hourly figure applies to time spent in a study, not to time spent waiting for one.

The main catch is eligibility. Prolific's published country list includes the US, the UK, Canada, France, Belgium and India, but not Nigeria, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal or Morocco.

CloudResearch Connect is another research-study platform to check. It pays to PayPal from USD 5, to a bank account from USD 25, or in Amazon gift cards. Respondent works differently: research interviews, paid through Tremendous.

Illustrative example: Priya, a graduate student in Pune, used to take surveys on MTurk. India is on Prolific's list, so she can join the waitlist; for CloudResearch Connect, she should check current eligibility on its site. Chidi, a student in Lagos with the same habits, cannot use Prolific because Nigeria is not listed; he will look at micro-task platforms instead (see below).

Where can you still do classic MTurk-style micro-tasks?

Clickworker offers its own micro-tasks and also distributes UHRS tasks. Its payment page lists PayPal and SEPA from €10, Payoneer from €20 or USD 20, and US bank transfer from USD 10. UHRS earnings go through a 39-day review before payment. Our Clickworker alternative comparison goes into more detail.

Microworkers states in its FAQ that you can sign up from any country, which makes it one of the more open MTurk alternatives. Read our Microworkers review for its strengths and limits. SproutGigs, formerly Picoworkers, is a micro-job marketplace too; check its current rules on its site. Hive Micro's website is still online, but we could not confirm that tasks are actually available.

Microtaches is a francophone micro-task platform open worldwide to all nationalities. You accept a task, follow the instructions shown, submit your answer, and the work is checked before your account is credited. Its rules and payout methods are detailed further down.

One distinction matters: rewards apps that pay for offers or games are not MTurk alternatives in the strict sense. For a wider comparison of micro-job sites, see our worker-side comparison of micro-job platforms.

Are AI data annotation jobs a good MTurk alternative?

For many former MTurk workers, yes, if they pass the tests. Data annotation means adding labels or judgments that help train or evaluate an AI: tagging images, classifying text, transcribing audio, writing prompts, or ranking and correcting AI answers. Our guide to data annotation jobs explains the work and who hires.

• DataAnnotation: its FAQ announces USD 25–50 per hour for general projects, USD 40–150+ for coding and USD 40–125+ for STEM and specialized professions, paid via PayPal. The Starter Assessment takes about an hour, and there is no second chance. The country list is not published.
• Outlier (Scale AI): onboarding of 30 to 90 minutes, ID check and tests, per its FAQ. One generalist English offer announces up to USD 18/h for the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Weekly payments by ACH, PayPal or AirTM.
• Appen / CrowdGen: rates depend on expertise and country. Published ceilings such as USD 95/h for linguists or USD 450/h for clinicians are examples for experts, not a general rate. Payments go through Dots (local bank, PayPal, Payoneer or Airtm, by country), per CrowdGen.
• TELUS Digital AI Community: TELUS International became TELUS Digital on September 18, 2024. It recruits by country and project, with assessments.
• OneForma: certification per project; payouts via Tipalti, Payoneer or PayPal from USD 10, with PayPal capped at USD 300 per year.
• Alignerr, Mercor, RWS TrainAI: Alignerr (Labelbox) pays per project, sometimes only per accepted task, via Stripe or PayPal. Mercor pays USD contracts on Wednesdays via Stripe Connect or Wise; supported countries include France, Belgium, Canada, the US, Morocco and Senegal. RWS TrainAI does not publish rates.

Two warnings. First, access can disappear. In March 2024, Rest of World reported that Remotasks closed in Kenya, excluded workers from Nigeria and Pakistan, and stopped new sign-ups in Thailand, Vietnam and Poland. Google also ended its contract with Appen, effective by March 19, 2024. Second, market hype is not a job offer: Grand View Research's commercial estimate of about USD 1.7 billion for annotation tools, projected at USD 10.3 billion by 2033, says nothing about work available in your country.

What about search engine evaluator jobs?

Search evaluators judge whether a result meets the searcher's intent (“Needs Met”) and how good a page is (“Page Quality”), using Google's public Search Quality Rater Guidelines, a PDF of 182 pages in the version dated September 11, 2025. Google said it worked with about 16,000 external raters in a November 2023 document. Their ratings help measure search systems; they do not directly change a page's ranking.

Pay depends heavily on country. A TELUS Digital offer in Canada estimated USD 13.50/h, with five consecutive years of residency and a qualification exam; a Spanish-language offer for Mexico estimated USD 5/h. Our search engine evaluator guide lists the recruiters and how to apply.

How much do you need before your first cash-out?

The minimum payout decides how long your money stays on a platform before you can touch it. Here are the published minimums of five MTurk alternatives, each shown in its own currency.

What this chart shows: study platforms let you cash out small amounts quickly. Microtaches has a higher minimum per request and adds a 10,000 Ops reserve that cannot be withdrawn. In practice, your balance must reach at least 15,000 Ops (€63 at the withdrawal rate) before a first bank transfer. That is a real limit, and you should know it before you start.

The minimum is not the only delay. UHRS earnings via Clickworker wait 39 days, UserTesting pays about 14 days after each test, and Microtaches transfers can take up to 3 weeks after your request is validated.

Which MTurk alternatives work from Africa, India and other countries?

This is where many comparison pages stay vague. Based on what platforms publish: Prolific accepts India but not Nigeria, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal or Morocco. Outlier's generalist English offer targets six English-speaking countries. Mercor lists Morocco and Senegal among its payment countries. Microworkers accepts sign-ups from any country. Toloka, which now says it is joining Mindrift, restricts several countries, including Russia, China, Iran and Cuba.

Microtaches is open worldwide, and its community reflects that. Here is where its approved workers live.

What this chart shows: more than two-thirds of Microtaches workers are in Africa, with Madagascar alone accounting for about a third, followed by Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Senegal. Several hundred workers are in India and Nigeria, and more than 300 in Haiti. A large community does not mean tasks are available every day: availability varies by day, country and profile. For Nigeria specifically, see our guide to legit ways to make money online in Nigeria.

Illustrative example: Aina, a student in Fianarantsoa, cannot use Prolific. On Microtaches, she can withdraw to MVola, which is available from 25,000 Ops. If she cashes out in cash at an agent, the operator's fees apply: for 500,000 Ar withdrawn, the official MVola grid charges 4,700 Ar (0.9%), against 1,900 Ar for 100,000 Ar (1.9%).

How does Microtaches work as an MTurk alternative, and what are its limits?

Sign-up is free and validated by the team, so it is not instant. Completing your profile earns a 10 Ops bonus. Then the rules are simple and published:

• Tasks: 60 minutes maximum per task, 3 tasks in progress at most. You can abandon a task without penalty during the first 10 minutes; if a task expires without an answer, 20 Ops are deducted.
• Validation: every task is checked before your account is credited.
• Currency: earnings are in Ops. 1 Ops is worth €0.0082 in the shop (gift cards, products) and €0.0042 at withdrawal, so the shop values your Ops about 1.95 times better.
• ID verification (KYC): available from 1,000 Ops, processed within up to 7 business days, required before your first withdrawal or shop order. You need an ID document and proof of address, and the name must match the receiving account.
• Withdrawals: 5,000 Ops minimum per request (€21), a 10,000 Ops reserve, an internal cap of €2,500 per year (a Microtaches rule, not a law), and an 800 Ops fee for bank transfers outside Europe. Payment within up to 3 weeks; shop orders within up to 2 weeks.

The honest limits: no income is guaranteed, tasks are not always available, and the reserve plus the minimum mean your first transfer takes longer than on a study platform. If you need cash within days, Microtaches is not the right tool.

Withdrawal methods on Microtaches

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.

You request payouts from the Withdrawals page of your account. If your usual method is not listed, such as Airtel Money, Moov Money, M-Pesa, Free Money/Mixx or Payoneer, Microtaches does not offer it; choose one of the published methods instead. Revolut and crypto are announced as “coming soon”, with no date.

How do you spot a fake MTurk replacement or task scam?

According to the FTC, task scams reached about 20,000 reports in the first half of 2024, against 5,000 in all of 2023. Reported losses to job scams of all kinds reached USD 223 million in the first half of 2024, after USD 286 million for the whole of 2023. A common pattern is that fake earnings are shown, then you are asked to deposit money, often in crypto, to “unlock” them.

How to use this checklist: a single red flag is enough to walk away. Never send money first; check each platform's official fee rules before withdrawing. Our checklist on legit work from home without paying upfront covers more scam patterns.

Which MTurk alternative should you choose?

Match the platform to the work you did on MTurk, then filter by country and payout method:

• Surveys and academic studies: Prolific if your country is listed; CloudResearch Connect as a second option; Respondent for occasional interviews.
• Varied micro-tasks: Clickworker if PayPal, SEPA or Payoneer works for you; Microworkers if your country is excluded elsewhere; Microtaches if you want mobile money or a francophone platform open worldwide.
• AI data work: DataAnnotation if you are confident with its one-shot assessment; Outlier, Appen/CrowdGen, TELUS Digital and OneForma depending on projects open in your country.
• Search evaluation: TELUS Digital, Welo Data, OneForma or RWS, often with residency and language conditions.
• User testing: UserTesting, with the amount announced before each test.

Some workers use several platforms rather than relying on one. That spreads the risk of a sudden country exclusion, like the ones Remotasks workers faced in 2024.

Sources

• mturk.com: official notice that Amazon Mechanical Turk permanently closed on September 30.
• MTurk FAQ: how approved HITs are paid after the closure.
• AWS announcement: MTurk launch on November 2, 2005.
• Prolific, eligible countries: the published list of countries where participants are accepted.
• CloudResearch Connect, cash-out: PayPal from USD 5, bank from USD 25, Amazon gift cards.
• Clickworker, payment options: methods and minimums (PayPal and SEPA €10, Payoneer €20).
• Rest of World: Remotasks country exclusions in March 2024.
• FTC Data Spotlight: task-scam reports and job-scam losses.

Is MTurk shutting down?

It already has. The mturk.com homepage states that Amazon Mechanical Turk permanently closed on September 30. New HITs can no longer be accepted or completed.

What replaced MTurk?

No single site. Research studies moved to platforms like Prolific and CloudResearch Connect, micro-tasks to Clickworker, Microworkers, SproutGigs or Microtaches, and AI data work to DataAnnotation, Outlier, Appen/CrowdGen, TELUS Digital or OneForma.

Will I still get paid for approved MTurk HITs?

The official MTurk FAQ answers this. It explains how approved HITs are paid after the closure, so read it directly on mturk.com/help rather than relying on third-party summaries.

What are the best sites like Amazon Mechanical Turk?

It depends on the work you did. For surveys, Prolific or CloudResearch Connect; for micro-tasks, Clickworker, Microworkers or Microtaches; for AI training, DataAnnotation or Outlier. Always check that your country is accepted first.

Can I use Prolific from Nigeria or Madagascar?

No. Neither country appears on Prolific's published list of eligible countries, and neither do Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal or Morocco. Microworkers and Microtaches accept sign-ups from any country.

What is the minimum payout on Prolific?

GBP 6 or USD 6. Once your balance reaches that amount, you can cash out to PayPal. Researchers must pay at least GBP 6 or USD 8 per hour for their studies.

Do any MTurk alternatives pay by mobile money?

Yes, Microtaches does. MVola, Orange Money, Wave and MTN MoMo are available from 25,000 Ops, alongside PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and bank transfer. Airtel Money, M-Pesa and Moov Money are not offered.

How long does Clickworker take to pay UHRS earnings?

About 39 days. UHRS earnings go through a 39-day review before they become payable, then standard Clickworker minimums apply, such as €10 for PayPal or SEPA.

Is a site that asks for a deposit to unlock tasks legit?

No. Asking you to pay, often in crypto, to unlock earnings is the typical task scam described by the FTC. Legitimate platforms never ask you to pay to get paid.

Do MTurk alternatives require ID verification?

Often, yes. Prolific verifies identity, Outlier runs an ID check, and Microtaches requires KYC before the first withdrawal, processed within up to 7 business days. The check should always happen on the platform's own site.