What transfers cleanly
- Experience following detailed task instructions.
- Headphones or a head or chest mount, if you already have them.
Looking for an alternative to Appen?
Crowtado pays contributors to record conversations and everyday video for AI training. Each task shows its rate before you start, and you're paid for accepted work.
What is Appen?
Appen is one of the oldest names in AI training data, founded in 1996 in Australia. The contributor experience is fragmented across three domains (appen.com, crowdgen.com, crowd.appen.com) and the company has had multiple rounds of layoffs and revenue decline since 2023. Pay is modest and the UX feels its age.
Recurring complaints in public reviews: Project ended; weeks without a new task assignment. Account marked inactive after a brief gap; had to re-qualify from scratch. Pay is too low to justify the time spent on qualification.
| Criterion | Crowtado | Appen |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | Shown on each task before you start | $8–$15/hr |
| Payout speed | Depends on the payout method | 1–2 weeks |
| Payment methods | PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, debit card, Wise, or bank transfer | PayPal, Payoneer, bank transfer |
| Modalities | audio, video | text, audio, expertise |
| Audience | Depends on the task and your country | Global |
| Languages supported | Listed on each task | — |
| Trustpilot | — | 3.4 / 5 |
Sources: Appen's public site, Trustpilot, public Reddit threads.
How to switch without losing momentum
Switching difficulty: easy
What needs to be redone
- Create a free Crowtado account and complete your contributor profile.
- Check each task's language, location and equipment requirements before you start.
- Choose a payout method available in your country.
Switching from Appen — what to know first.
Why are people leaving Appen?
The most common reasons in public reviews: Project ended; weeks without a new task assignment. Account marked inactive after a brief gap; had to re-qualify from scratch. On Crowtado, each task shows its rate and requirements before you start, and the trust page explains how reviews and withdrawals work.
What does Appen do better than Crowtado?
Long history — many contributors trust the brand purely because it's been around. Globally available; supports many language and locale combinations. If those are decisive for you, Appen may still be the right fit; this page exists for the contributors for whom they're not.
How long does it take to switch to Crowtado?
It depends on the task. Creating an account is free: sign up, complete your contributor profile, then pick a task that's open to you. Each task lists what it needs before you start.
Will Crowtado credit my Appen experience?
Not automatically. Experience on other platforms doesn't carry over, and each Crowtado task lists what it needs before you start.
See which tasks are open to you
Tasks depend on your language, country and equipment. Create a free account to see the ones you can do.