Microtask marketplaces: Clickworker, UHRS, SproutGigs, Microworkers, Toloka and more
Microtask marketplaces list many small paid jobs from businesses and researchers. You pick tasks, follow instructions and get paid per task. Quality matters: good accuracy unlocks better tasks.
11. Clickworker
What it is: A long-running German crowdsourcing platform for text, data and AI tasks.
| Tasks | Writing and editing short texts, categorisation, web research, surveys, AI data tasks; also access to UHRS for qualified workers |
| How you're paid | PayPal or bank transfer (SEPA for some countries), weekly payouts after a minimum |
| Kenya | Accepts workers from many countries; check Kenya at sign-up and in assessments |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium, depending on qualifications |
| Best for | Careful readers with good English |
How to start: Complete the assessments honestly; better scores unlock more jobs. Pros: Reputable; varied work. Cons: Tasks can be scarce; strict quality checks. Watch out: Never pay anyone for “Clickworker UHRS access”: it's free through the platform.
12. UHRS (Universal Human Relevance System)
What it is: Microsoft's task system for search relevance and AI data, reached through partner vendors.
| Tasks | Search relevance judging, image and text tagging, AI data checks |
| How you're paid | Paid by the partner vendor you joined through (e.g. Clickworker), usually PayPal |
| Kenya | Available to qualified workers in many countries through vendors |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Best for | People who passed vendor qualifications |
How to start: Join a legitimate vendor, pass their tests, then request UHRS access through them. Pros: Steady tasks for good workers. Cons: Access isn't guaranteed; tasks come and go. Watch out: UHRS accounts “for sale” or “for rent” are against the rules and often scams.
13. Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk): closed
What it is: Amazon's original microtask marketplace (HITs from requesters worldwide). Amazon closed it on 30 September 2026, after 21 years.
| Tasks | Surveys, data checking, transcription snippets, image tagging |
| How you're paid | Amazon payments and bank transfers in supported countries |
| Kenya | No longer available anywhere: the platform has closed |
| Realistic earnings | Low |
| Best for | Workers in supported countries |
How to start: You can't: use Clickworker, Prolific or the testing platforms instead. Pros: It shaped the whole microtask industry. Cons: Closed. Watch out: Anyone selling “MTurk accounts” or “MTurk tasks” now is a scammer.
14. SproutGigs (formerly Picoworkers)
What it is: A marketplace for very small jobs posted by individuals and businesses. Picoworkers completed its rebrand to SproutGigs in 2025; old accounts moved over automatically.
| Tasks | Sign-ups, app tests, social media tasks, data collection, simple research |
| How you're paid | PayPal, crypto and other options; payouts after a minimum, with withdrawal fees (check the current rate) |
| Kenya | Open to Kenya and many countries |
| Realistic earnings | Low |
| Best for | Beginners with spare minutes |
How to start: Pick tasks with clear proof requirements; avoid anything that breaks other platforms' rules (fake reviews, fake accounts). Pros: Easy to start. Cons: Very low pay; some tasks are ethically grey. Watch out: Refuse tasks asking for fake reviews or votes: they break laws and platform rules.
15. Microworkers
What it is: A long-running global microjob platform with basic and hire-group jobs.
| Tasks | Searches, sign-ups, data tasks, surveys, content moderation for good workers |
| How you're paid | PayPal, Skrill and other options |
| Kenya | Open to many countries including Kenya |
| Realistic earnings | Low |
| Best for | People who build a good success rate |
How to start: Keep your rating high; it unlocks hire-group jobs that pay better. Pros: Steady small jobs. Cons: Low pay per job. Watch out: Same ethical rule: no fake reviews or fake engagement.
16. Toloka
What it is: A crowdsourcing platform for AI data labelling and evaluation. Toloka has been shifting towards expert AI work (see Mindrift in the next lesson), and reports in 2026 conflict on whether its open crowd tasks continue.
| Tasks | Image and text labelling, search evaluation, field and survey tasks |
| How you're paid | Payment methods offered in your account (vary by country) |
| Kenya | Check the official site for whether open tasks are still offered in your country |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Best for | Careful workers who pass training tasks |
How to start: Do the training pools properly; accuracy unlocks more tasks. Pros: Lots of AI-related tasks when available. Cons: Supply varies; policy changes. Watch out: Only use the official app or website.
17. Neevo (by Defined.ai)
What it is: A platform for AI data tasks, especially voice and language.
| Tasks | Recording speech, transcribing, rating text and audio |
| How you're paid | PayPal |
| Kenya | Open to many countries; projects depend on language and location |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Best for | People who speak Kiswahili or other languages well |
How to start: Look for language projects that match you (Kiswahili, Sheng, regional languages). Pros: Language skills are valued. Cons: Projects are irregular. Watch out: Never use someone else's voice or fake recordings.
18. RapidWorkers
What it is: A simple microjob site similar to SproutGigs.
| Tasks | Short online tasks, sign-ups, social tasks |
| How you're paid | PayPal and other options |
| Kenya | Open to many countries |
| Realistic earnings | Very low |
| Best for | Absolute beginners |
How to start: Try a few tasks; move on to better-paid platforms quickly. Pros: Simple. Cons: Very low pay. Watch out: Avoid tasks that require breaking other sites' rules.
Summary
- Clickworker and UHRS (through vendors) are the best-known legitimate marketplaces open to many countries; Amazon Mechanical Turk closed in September 2026.
- SproutGigs, Microworkers and RapidWorkers are easy to start but pay very little.
- Refuse fake reviews, fake votes and fake accounts; never buy or rent accounts.
Check yourself
Which Microsoft task system is reached through vendors like Clickworker? (acronym)
Show answer
uhrs
What was SproutGigs formerly called? (one word)
Show answer
picoworkers
Should you accept tasks that ask for fake reviews? (yes or no)
Show answer
no