Mercor vs Scale AI: how their terms compare
By Gareth HoyleLast updated How we research
In short
Mercor suits companies whose workflow data sits in tools such as Slack, Gmail, Salesforce and GitHub, and Scale AI suits companies with 40 or more employees that want records de-identified before extraction. Scale AI publishes an illustrative $10,000 to more than $1 million and prefers 40 or more employees. Mercor publishes no payout or size threshold on mercor.com/data.
Key takeaways
- Mercor and Scale AI are both training-data companies.
- Published payout at Mercor: Not published on mercor.com/data.
- Published payout at Scale AI: $10,000 to more than $1 million per partnership (illustrative, scaling with cadence).
- Mercor publishes 3 of the 6 terms compared here, and Scale AI publishes 3.
- Facts were checked on each company's own pages in November 2026.
How do Mercor and Scale AI compare?
The table sets each company's published terms side by side, copied from our profiles. "Not published" means the company's own pages do not say.
| Term | Mercor | Scale AI |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Training-data company | Training-data company |
| What it buys | Workflow data from more than 100 supported tools, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Salesforce, GitHub and Notion | Structured, de-identified records from operational systems, never the raw systems themselves |
| 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) | $10,000 to more than $1 million per partnership (illustrative, scaling with cadence) |
| Size requirement | Not published on mercor.com/data. Target industries include legal, healthcare, finance and insurance, professional services, manufacturing, retail, real estate and logistics | 40 or more employees preferred, assessed case by case |
| Exclusivity | Not published | Not published |
| Fee to seller | None. Mercor covers extraction, anonymization and transfer costs | Not published |
| Payment timing | Wire transfer after delivery, typically within 2 to 4 weeks of the signed agreement | Not published. Scale says partnerships are designed for recurring revenue |
| Facts checked | November 2026 | November 2026 |
Published payouts are ceilings or estimates, not quotes.
Who are Mercor and Scale AI?
Training-data company
Mercor
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.
Training-data company
Scale AI
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.
Which fits you, Mercor or Scale AI?
The right fit between Mercor and Scale AI depends on your records and the terms you need. We do not rank either company, and each point below comes from its published facts.
Mercor may suit you if
- your records sit in tools Mercor supports, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Salesforce, GitHub or Notion
- you want the buyer to cover extraction, anonymization and transfer costs
- you want a wire transfer after delivery, which Mercor says typically arrives within 2 to 4 weeks of the signed agreement
Scale AI may suit you if
- you have 40 or more employees, the starting point Scale AI prefers, or want to be assessed case by case
- you want to provide structured, de-identified records rather than access to raw systems
- you want recurring revenue, which Scale AI says its partnerships are designed for
Terms to ask about
Mercor does not publish its payout, size requirement or exclusivity terms. Scale AI does not publish its exclusivity terms, fee to seller or payment timing. Ask each company for these terms in writing before you share a sample.
Comparing offers?
Published payouts are ceilings, not quotes. We can put your records in front of several vetted buyers and compare offers on the same terms. Get a free valuation.
Frequently asked questions
What do Mercor and Scale AI pay for data?
What size of company do Mercor and Scale AI look for?
Do Mercor and Scale AI charge sellers a fee or require exclusivity?
When do Mercor and Scale AI pay sellers?
Related comparisons
Sources
- 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 partnership, Scale AI, accessed November 2026