Amazon Mechanical Turk in 9 slides
The original microtask crowdwork platform from Amazon, where workers complete small human intelligence tasks like data labeling, surveys, and content moderation. Requesters post batches and workers earn per task.
- Microtask platform
- Microtask sites
- Based in Seattle, Washington, United States
What you do on Amazon Mechanical Turk
How the money is made: small online tasks
- Sign up
- Pick small tasks
- Work gets approved
- Cash out at the minimum
The original microtask crowdwork platform from Amazon, where workers complete small human intelligence tasks like data labeling, surveys, and content moderation. Requesters post batches and workers earn per task.
Founded 2005 · next to 15 other microtask sites
Work and topics
Good for
What Amazon Mechanical Turk takes
Requesters pay fees, workers keep the listed reward
How the money reaches you
From sign-up to payout
- Sign upFree
- Quick profile or ID review
- Do the work
- Earnings clearScheduled transfers every 3, 7, 14 or 30 days
- First payoutDays
No minimum, new workers have a 10-day hold before the first transfer
2 ways to withdraw
- Amazon gift cards
- Bank transfer
Can you join?
Yes, if you are 18 or older and live almost anywhere.
You need a computer, reliable internet and a tax ID number. Your profile is reviewed before you start. The first payout comes within days.
What you need
- 18 or olderMinimum age
- A computer
- Reliable internet
- A tax ID number
- Free to joinSign-up cost
- Quick profile or ID reviewHow sign-up works
Open in 196 of 200 countries and territories
What people actually earn
Median hourly wage of about $2 among 2,676 MTurk workers doing 3.8 million tasks, per a peer-reviewed CHI 2018 study (Hara et al.).
Source: arxiv.org ↗In the same peer-reviewed CHI 2018 study, only 4% of MTurk workers earned more than the US federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
Source: arxiv.org ↗How it scores
Strong on proof of earnings and access. Weaker on track record.
- FeesNot enough facts
- Getting paid3.0
- Access4.8
- Track record1.0
- Proof of earnings5.0
- Verified earnings
- Open worldwide
- Free to join
- Low payout bar
- 10 years running
- 20 years running
- Public company
- Fully documented
How much we know
We have 12 of the 17 things we track for every platform. Fees, payouts, join rules, countries and real earnings count most.
What we have
- What kind of platform it is
- Year founded
- Headquarters
- Fees
- Minimum payout
- How fast you get paid
- Withdrawal methods
- Join requirements
- Countries it accepts
- Real earnings figures
- Wikipedia or reference page
- Support channels
Still missing
- Plain-English overview
- Payment protection
- Review ratings
- Mobile apps
- Social accounts