Handshake AI alternatives for licensing company data
By Gareth HoyleLast updated How we research
In short
The alternatives to Handshake AI on this page are Mercor, micro1, Scale AI, Polyshares, Labelbox Prism, Endless Data, Appen and Sell My Data To AI. Each pays businesses to license operational data for AI labs, as Handshake AI's data partnerships program does. Each entry copies its facts from our profile of that company, checked in November 2026, and the order is not a ranking.
Key takeaways
- Handshake AI is a training-data company. Its published payout: $100,000 to more than $4 million (headline).
- This page lists 8 alternatives to Handshake AI: Mercor, micro1, Scale AI, Polyshares, Labelbox Prism, Endless Data, Appen and Sell My Data To AI.
- micro1, Scale AI, Polyshares, Labelbox Prism and Endless Data publish a payout figure or pricing rule on their own pages.
- Mercor, Polyshares, Endless Data and Appen state that the seller pays no fee.
- Sell My Data To AI wrote this page and is one of the alternatives listed.
About Handshake AI
Handshake AI, the AI arm of the Handshake careers network, buys operational data from businesses to supply AI labs. Its data partnerships page headlines earnings of $100,000 to more than $4 million, lists industries from finance and healthcare to logistics and software, and sets out a five-step process, but its page text does not state size thresholds, exclusivity, fees or payment timing.
How do the Handshake AI alternatives compare?
The Handshake AI alternatives below are compared with Handshake AI on the terms our directory tracks. "Not published" means the company's own pages do not say.
| Company | Type | Published payout | Size requirement | Exclusivity | Fee to seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handshake AI | Training-data company | $100,000 to more than $4 million (headline). Its calculator shows estimates up to $100,000 and $400,000 to $800,000 or more | Not published. The calculator asks for employees, tools used and years in business | Not published | Not published |
| Mercor | Training-data company | Not published on mercor.com/data. ddiy.co reported Mercor's referral page listing $20,000 to $1.5 million by industry (October 2026) | Not published on mercor.com/data. Target industries include legal, healthcare, finance and insurance, professional services, manufacturing, retail, real estate and logistics | Not published | None. Mercor covers extraction, anonymization and transfer costs |
| micro1 | Training-data company | $100,000 to $500,000 (qualified partnerships), $500,000 to $3 million (large-scale or ongoing), more than $3 million (highly unique data). Agent trajectories listed at $1 million to $2 million a year | 30 or more full-time staff, mainly English records, US first, then the UK and Canada | Not published | None stated |
| Scale AI | Training-data company | $10,000 to more than $1 million per partnership (illustrative, scaling with cadence) | 40 or more employees preferred, assessed case by case | Not published | Not published |
| Polyshares | Direct buyer | $100,000 to $2 million and above typical. Four published licenses range from $110,000 to $450,000 | No headcount minimum. Any company with real operating history, in any sector | All four published case studies are perpetual exclusive licenses. Its terms page does not state exclusivity | None. No fee and no commission |
| Labelbox Prism | Training-data company | From around $50,000 (smaller targeted datasets) to more than $1 million (large enterprise partnerships) | Not published. Prefers high-volume B2C companies for support logs | Exclusive by default, tailored to scope, sensitivity and strategic value | Not published. Scoping is free and non-binding |
| Endless Data | Direct buyer | Up to $4 million (indicative estimate based on headcount, years of history and location) | Roughly 30 or more employees, several years of history, English documentation. US, UK and Canada prioritized | Non-exclusive | None. Endless is paid by the labs |
| Appen | Training-data company | Not published. Each partnership is quoted individually, based on volume, connected systems, workflow complexity and rarity | Not published. Appen responds to registrations within two business days | Not published. Appen says your data is never commingled with another partner's | None. Appen covers extraction, anonymization, preparation and transfer, with no setup fees or deductions |
The first row is Handshake AI. Published payouts are ceilings or estimates, not quotes.
The Handshake AI alternatives
Training-data company
Mercor
Best for companies whose workflow data sits in tools such as Slack, Gmail, Salesforce and GitHub
Mercor is a training-data company that pays businesses to license workflow data from tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Salesforce, GitHub and Notion. Its data monetization page says Mercor covers the cost of extraction, anonymization and transfer, and pays by wire transfer after delivery, typically within 2 to 4 weeks of the signed agreement.
- What it buys
- Workflow data from more than 100 supported tools, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Salesforce, GitHub and Notion
- Published payout
- Not published on mercor.com/data. ddiy.co reported Mercor's referral page listing $20,000 to $1.5 million by industry (October 2026)
- Size requirement
- Not published on mercor.com/data. Target industries include legal, healthcare, finance and insurance, professional services, manufacturing, retail, real estate and logistics
- Exclusivity
- Not published
- Fee to seller
- None. Mercor covers extraction, anonymization and transfer costs
- Payment timing
- Wire transfer after delivery, typically within 2 to 4 weeks of the signed agreement
Training-data company
micro1
Best for US, UK and Canadian companies with 30 or more full-time staff and mainly English records
micro1 is a training-data company that licenses operational records from established companies and supplies them to AI labs and enterprises in the US and allied countries. Its data partnerships page publishes payments from $100,000 to more than $3 million, asks for 30 or more full-time staff and mainly English records, and prioritizes the US, UK and Canada.
- What it buys
- Operational records such as engineering documentation, finance SOPs, support tickets, CRM records, legal and compliance procedures and logistics workflows, plus agent trajectories
- Published payout
- $100,000 to $500,000 (qualified partnerships), $500,000 to $3 million (large-scale or ongoing), more than $3 million (highly unique data). Agent trajectories listed at $1 million to $2 million a year
- Size requirement
- 30 or more full-time staff, mainly English records, US first, then the UK and Canada
- Exclusivity
- Not published
- Fee to seller
- None stated
- Payment timing
- Homepage says within 30 days of acceptance. FAQ says up to 30 days to review, then payment within 30 days of invoice
Training-data company
Scale AI
Best for companies with 40 or more employees that want records de-identified before extraction
Scale AI runs a data partnership program that pays companies for structured, de-identified records from their operational systems. Its page gives an illustrative value of $10,000 to more than $1 million per partnership, names 40 or more employees as its preferred starting point and says Scale anonymizes data inside the company's own environment before anything is extracted.
- What it buys
- Structured, de-identified records from operational systems, never the raw systems themselves
- Published payout
- $10,000 to more than $1 million per partnership (illustrative, scaling with cadence)
- Size requirement
- 40 or more employees preferred, assessed case by case
- Exclusivity
- Not published
- Fee to seller
- Not published
- Payment timing
- Not published. Scale says partnerships are designed for recurring revenue
Direct buyer
Polyshares
Best for companies of any headcount with real operating history that want no fee or commission
Polyshares is a direct buyer that licenses a company's operational record, anonymizes it and supplies AI labs itself. Its site says typical deals run $100,000 to $2 million and above, sellers pay no fee or commission, an offer arrives within one to two weeks and payment follows net 30 to 60 days once data is approved, shared and anonymized.
- What it buys
- Operational data: Slack, email, Drive, spreadsheets, CRM history, support tickets, design files, call recordings, accounting and ERP exports
- Published payout
- $100,000 to $2 million and above typical. Four published licenses range from $110,000 to $450,000
- Size requirement
- No headcount minimum. Any company with real operating history, in any sector
- Exclusivity
- All four published case studies are perpetual exclusive licenses. Its terms page does not state exclusivity
- Fee to seller
- None. No fee and no commission
- Payment timing
- Offer within one to two weeks. Net 30 to 60 days after data is approved, shared and anonymized
Training-data company
Labelbox Prism
Best for companies open to an exclusive license paid as an upfront fee plus revenue share
Prism, operated by Labelbox, acquires operational data and work documents from companies and contributors to supply frontier AI developers. Its page publishes deals from around $50,000 for smaller targeted datasets to more than $1 million for large enterprise partnerships, pays an upfront licensing fee at signing plus a revenue share on downstream use, and makes licenses exclusive by default.
- What it buys
- Work documents (coding sessions, research traces, financial modeling) and operational data from systems such as Salesforce, Jira and SAP
- Published payout
- From around $50,000 (smaller targeted datasets) to more than $1 million (large enterprise partnerships)
- Size requirement
- Not published. Prefers high-volume B2C companies for support logs
- Exclusivity
- Exclusive by default, tailored to scope, sensitivity and strategic value
- Fee to seller
- Not published. Scoping is free and non-binding
- Payment timing
- Upfront fee at signing plus revenue share. Prism says first call to first wire takes under 21 days
Direct buyer
Endless Data
Best for companies with roughly 30 or more staff that want a non-exclusive license
Endless Data, the trading name of Seldon Ventures, L.L.C., licenses operational data from companies and places it with several AI labs, naming micro1, Mercor and Handshake as examples. It advertises up to $4 million, asks for roughly 30 or more staff, several years of history and English documentation, uses a non-exclusive license and charges the seller nothing.
- What it buys
- Quotes, tickets, work orders, SOPs, handover notes and internal communications. Excludes personal data, protected health information, privileged matter content, client books and pricing logic
- Published payout
- Up to $4 million (indicative estimate based on headcount, years of history and location)
- Size requirement
- Roughly 30 or more employees, several years of history, English documentation. US, UK and Canada prioritized
- Exclusivity
- Non-exclusive
- Fee to seller
- None. Endless is paid by the labs
- Payment timing
- Fixed sum agreed before data is shared, paid after signing, preparation and transfer. No date published
Training-data company
Appen
Best for enterprises with support, ITSM, CRM or ERP records that want extraction handled at no cost
Appen is a training-data company with 30 years in AI data that now licenses permissioned operational data from enterprises to AI labs. Its enterprise data page says Appen covers extraction, anonymization and transfer at no cost to the seller, quotes each partnership individually and pays on acceptance of the data. It also sells 646 off-the-shelf datasets with perpetual, non-exclusive training rights.
- What it buys
- Operational documentation, decision and escalation records from support, ITSM, CRM and messaging tools, and systems of record such as ERP, finance, contracts and procurement
- Published payout
- Not published. Each partnership is quoted individually, based on volume, connected systems, workflow complexity and rarity
- Size requirement
- Not published. Appen responds to registrations within two business days
- Exclusivity
- Not published. Appen says your data is never commingled with another partner's
- Fee to seller
- None. Appen covers extraction, anonymization, preparation and transfer, with no setup fees or deductions
- Payment timing
- On acceptance of the data rather than submission. No number of days published
Independent broker (this site)
Sell My Data To AI
Best for companies that want every buyer verified and the success fee agreed in writing before any introduction
Sell My Data To AI is an independent broker that helps companies license their data to vetted AI buyers, and helps AI teams source rights-cleared training data from vetted sellers.
- Fee to seller
- Sellers pay nothing to be assessed. We charge a success fee only when a deal completes, and the fee is agreed in writing before we introduce you to any buyer.
- Buyer vetting
- Every buyer is verified before they see a sample: company identity, intended use, security and retention commitments, onward transfer limits and, for larger deals, ability to pay.
- Data custody
- We do not take custody of your raw data. Buyers see redacted samples under a mutual NDA, and full data moves only after you sign a license directly with the buyer.
- Your control
- You approve every buyer, every sample and every license term. You can withdraw at any point before signing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to Handshake AI?
Which Handshake AI alternatives publish a payout?
Which Handshake AI alternatives state that sellers pay no fee?
How were these Handshake AI alternatives chosen?
Comparisons with Handshake AI
Sources
- Data partnerships, Handshake, accessed November 2026
- Data monetization, Mercor, accessed November 2026
- Sell company data to AI, ddiy.co, accessed November 2026
- Selling company data for AI training: what to know before you say yes, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein and Selz, accessed November 2026
- micro1 tries to beat Google's bid to buy bankrupt Spirit Airlines' data, Fortune, accessed November 2026
- Data partnerships, micro1, accessed November 2026
- micro1 commits $1bn to enterprise data for AI training, The Next Web, accessed November 2026
- Data partnership, Scale AI, accessed November 2026
- Polyshares homepage, Polyshares, accessed November 2026
- Track record, Polyshares, accessed November 2026
- Data licensing terms, Polyshares, accessed November 2026
- Answers, Polyshares, accessed November 2026
- Prism, Labelbox, accessed November 2026
- Endless Data homepage and FAQ, Endless Data, accessed November 2026
- Enterprise data to advance frontier AI, Appen, accessed November 2026
- Data catalog, Appen, accessed November 2026
- Appen homepage, Appen, accessed November 2026