Prolific vs Toloka
Honest head-to-head: pay rates, payout speed, modalities, and what real contributors say. Plus a third option worth knowing about before you commit to either.
What is Prolific?
Prolific is a UK-based platform for paid online research studies. It's the gold standard for academic researchers running surveys and behavioral experiments — but it's not really an AI training platform. Studies are short, predictable, and pay in low double digits per hour.
What is Toloka?
Toloka started as Yandex's crowdsourcing platform, was spun out into Nebius in 2024, and raised $72M from Bezos Expeditions in 2025. The platform is multilingual (15 UI languages), is growing fastest in India, Nigeria, and Mexico, and has a separate premium tier called Mindrift for domain experts.
| Criterion | Prolific | Toloka |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $8–$15/hr | $5–$15/hr |
| Payout speed | 1–2 weeks | 5 days |
| Payment methods | PayPal or bank transfer | PayPal, Payoneer, bank transfer |
| Modalities | text, expertise | text, audio, photo, expertise |
| Audience | Europe-leaning | Global |
| Trustpilot | 4.5 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 |
Sources: Prolific and Toloka's public sites, Trustpilot, public Reddit threads.
Before you pick Prolific or Toloka, read this
Crowtado is a third option for contributors comparing Prolific and Toloka. You record conversations and everyday video, and each task shows its rate before you start.
Compare Crowtado directly to either platform:
We publish this page, which is why Crowtado appears on it.
Prolific vs Toloka — what to know first.
Prolific or Toloka — which pays more?
Prolific and Toloka report similar ranges ($8–$15/hr vs $5–$15/hr). Difference shows up in payout speed, support quality, and modality coverage — see the comparison table.
Which is more reliable, Prolific or Toloka?
Both have public reliability complaints. Prolific: Not enough studies — go days without anything matching my profile.. Toloka: Pay rates are too low for the time required.. Public Trustpilot ratings: Prolific 4.5, Toloka 3.5.
Is there a better option than Prolific or Toloka?
Crowtado is a third option: you record conversations and everyday video, each task shows its rate before you start, and you're paid for accepted work. Which platform fits depends on the work you want and where you live. The links above compare Crowtado with each platform directly.
Can I work on Prolific and Toloka at the same time?
Both Prolific and Toloka allow contributors to work on other platforms — that's standard in the data labeling category. Tax reporting becomes the main complication; track payouts from each platform separately and consult a tax pro for thresholds in your country.
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.