Updated 2 November 2026
I work on all three. I have worked on Mercor since August 2026, and micro1 has had me under contract since September 2026. I applied to AfterQuery in November 2026. Mercor wants licensed and senior experts first, and it pays every week. micro1 covers roles from bilingual generalists to BigLaw attorneys, and it pays twice a month. AfterQuery has the lightest application, a form with no interview, but it cannot pay every country and it has the weakest reviews. Most experts should apply to more than one.
The facts here come from each platform’s own pages, from my own work on them and from the sources I name. I read them on 2 November 2026.
The three platforms side by side
| Mercor | micro1 | AfterQuery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it wants | STEM PhDs, MDs, licensed attorneys, senior engineers and finance professionals, plus large generalist projects | Attorneys, physicians, consultants, finance experts, mathematicians and life scientists, plus generalist and bilingual roles | Software engineers, PhDs, and professionals in finance, law, data science, health and business |
| Screening | An AI interview of about 20 minutes that starts from your résumé, reused across listings. Some listings add a paid assessment. | Zara, an AI interview of 20 to 40 minutes, on camera with screen share. It reuses the skills you already passed. | A form with your résumé and structured questions, with no interview in my case. Some pools add an unpaid assessment with one attempt. |
| Pay model | Hourly or task-based contracts, with a weekly cap on hours | Hourly, per approved task or a flat fee per approved task, as your contract says | Set for each project, in your offer |
| Pay rhythm | Every Wednesday, through Stripe or Wise | Twice a month through Deel, around the 5th and the 20th | Every Friday, through Stripe only |
| Countries | Hires globally, and pays in 107 countries through Stripe or Wise, including Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and Saudi Arabia | Takes people from all over the world, in my experience. Pays through Deel. | Pays banks in about 95 countries, including Kenya, Pakistan, India and Morocco. Not yet Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Ghana, Brazil or Bangladesh. |
| Listing pay, October 2026 | Most $50 an hour and up. Expert listings $150 to $250. | $30 to $65 for generalist and bilingual roles, up to $400 for BigLaw attorneys | Typically $50 to $125, according to job boards |
| Second chances | Up to three retakes per interview, and hiring managers see the count | Zara reuses the skills you passed, and you can ask for feedback after a fail | One attempt per pool, and no pass or fail notice |
| What my referral asks of you | Sign up from my link and claim the referral within about a week. Name Nada Arida when Mercor asks who referred you. | Open my link before you sign up. | Sign up through my link. |
The screens also feel different from the inside. Mercor’s AI interview starts from your résumé, so your résumé is part of the preparation. micro1’s Zara corrects you and raises the difficulty as you go, so hard final questions can mean you are doing well. AfterQuery asked me for a form and nothing more.
Which one first, by profession
Lawyers: start with micro1 and Mercor together. micro1’s attorney listings in October 2026 ran from $70 an hour for international corporate and in-house roles to $400 for BigLaw roles. Mercor names licensed attorneys among the experts it wants. On AfterQuery, job boards recorded the top rates, around $160 to $175, for tax attorneys.
Doctors: start with micro1 and Mercor. micro1 listed hospitalists and physicians at $70 to $125 an hour in October 2026, and Mercor wants MDs. On AfterQuery, job boards recorded medical roles at $75 to $125, with medical doctors near its top rates.
Finance professionals and consultants: start with micro1 if you live in an English-speaking country, because its management consulting and investment roles listed $245 to $280 an hour. Mercor wants finance professionals too, and quant analysts reached AfterQuery’s top rates.
Mathematicians, scientists and other PhDs: start with Mercor, because it names STEM PhDs first. micro1 also listed roles for mathematicians and life-sciences researchers, and AfterQuery hires PhDs.
Software engineers: start with Mercor, which wants senior engineers, and AfterQuery, which hires software engineers.
Teachers, writers and editors: start with micro1. Its Educator/Assessor Writer role, the one I reached the next step for, listed $90 to $140 an hour in October 2026.
Bilingual speakers without a specialist field: start with micro1, whose generalist and bilingual roles listed $30 to $65 an hour. My own bilingual interview there was in French. Mercor also runs large generalist projects.
Whatever your field, if your bank account is in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria or Ghana, start with Mercor, which pays all four. If it is in Kenya or Pakistan, AfterQuery pays both.
My own order, and why
I came to Mercor first, in August 2026, through a referral company. It gave me paid work on one large project, and it cost me more than half of my teaching hours. micro1 came next. It accepted me in September 2026, and I have taken three Zara interviews there. I opened my AfterQuery account in October and applied to an opening in November, through a form with no interview. AfterQuery has not matched me to a project yet.
That order gave me my rule: apply to every platform in your field that can pay you. Each one screens in its own way, so a no on one is not a no on the others. On Mercor, filter the Explore page and start with its first pages, where the hot projects sit.
Mercor
For experts with a degree or real experience in their field who can hold a 15 to 20 minute AI interview in English. Most Mercor listings in October 2026 paid $50 an hour and up, with weekly pay.
[Nada’s photo beside the referral lines]
micro1
For people with a degree or real experience in their field who can hold a 20 to 40 minute interview in English. Each role shows its own pay.
This is my referral link, so please open it before you sign up. micro1 pays me a referral bonus, and nothing comes out of your pay.
AfterQuery
For professionals in fields such as law, medicine, finance, software or research, who live in a country AfterQuery can pay. Job boards listed its roles at typically $50 to $125 an hour in October 2026.
This is my referral link. AfterQuery pays me a referral bonus, and nothing comes out of your pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mercor or micro1 better?
Neither wins for everyone. Mercor pays every week and puts licensed and senior experts first. micro1 pays twice a month and covers more kinds of roles, from bilingual generalists to BigLaw attorneys. I work on both.
Which pays more, Mercor or micro1?
It depends on the role. In October 2026, most Mercor listings paid $50 an hour and up, with expert listings at $150 to $250. micro1 listed generalist and bilingual roles at $30 to $65, and some attorney roles up to $400.
Can I work on Mercor and micro1 at the same time?
Yes. I have contracts with both. Read each contract’s confidentiality and conflict clauses first. micro1’s, for example, rules out people currently employed by companies that build foundational AI models.
Which AI training platform has no interview?
Of these three, AfterQuery. My application in November 2026 was a form, with no interview. Mercor and micro1 both use AI interviews, about 20 minutes on Mercor and 20 to 40 on micro1.
Which platform gives a second chance after a failed interview?
Mercor lets you retake an interview up to three times, and hiring managers see the count. micro1 reuses the skills you passed and lets you ask for feedback after a fail. AfterQuery gives one attempt per assessment pool, with no pass or fail notice.
Which platform pays the fastest?
Mercor and AfterQuery pay every week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. micro1 pays twice a month, around the 5th and the 20th. Your first Stripe payout on Mercor or AfterQuery has a seven-day hold.
Which platform should I join if I live in Egypt?
Start with Mercor, which lists Egypt among the 107 countries it pays, through Stripe Connect. micro1 pays through Deel, and I know people from all over the world who got in there. AfterQuery cannot pay a bank account in Egypt for now.