Scale AI vs Mercor
Scale AI is a expert data lab and Mercor is a expert talent marketplace, so they solve different problems. They overlap on 2 data types.
Last reviewed
Side by side
| Attribute | Scale AI | Mercor |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Expert data lab | Expert talent marketplace |
| Founded | 2016 | 2023 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, US | San Francisco, US |
| Data types | RLHF and preference data, Supervised fine-tuning data, Evaluation sets, Multimodal training data | Expert demonstration data, RLHF and preference data, Evaluation sets, Legal training data, Medical and clinical data |
| Pricing models | Per-task, Per-hour expert labor, Enterprise contract | Per-hour expert labor, Placement fee |
| Buyers | Frontier labs, enterprises, government agencies | Frontier labs and AI application companies |
| Supply side | Not an open marketplace; it employs and contracts its own annotator and expert workforce. | Individual domain experts paid hourly as contractors. |
How they differ
- Scale AI operates as a expert data lab; Mercor operates as a expert talent marketplace.
- Only Scale AI lists Supervised fine-tuning data, Multimodal training data.
- Only Mercor lists Expert demonstration data, Legal training data, Medical and clinical data.
- Scale AI uses per-task, enterprise contract, which Mercor does not list.
- Mercor uses placement fee, which Scale AI does not list.
- Scale AI was founded in 2016, earlier than Mercor in 2023.
- Both list rlhf and preference data, evaluation sets.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Scale AI if you need supervised fine-tuning data, multimodal training data.
- Choose Mercor if you need expert demonstration data, legal training data, medical and clinical data.
This comparison uses public descriptions only and does not rank quality. Test both against your own specification with a pilot.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Scale AI and Mercor?
- Scale AI is a expert data lab and Mercor is a expert talent marketplace, so they solve different problems. They overlap on 2 data types. Scale AI operates as a expert data lab; Mercor operates as a expert talent marketplace.
- Which is cheaper, Scale AI or Mercor?
- Neither publishes a full price list. Scale AI uses per-task, per-hour expert labor, enterprise contract; Mercor uses per-hour expert labor, placement fee. Request quotes for the same specification from both.
- Can I use Scale AI and Mercor together?
- Yes. They serve different needs, so buyers often combine them.
Editorial note. No company listed here pays for placement or has reviewed its entry. AI Data Auction is building its own auction marketplace and will label any commercial relationship with a listed company. Figures are as reported by the named source on the stated date; check the primary source before relying on them. See our methodology.