11 Best Sites Like Appen – Find Flexible, Part-Time Online Gigs That Pay!
Appen, a site that offers flexible part-time and microtask jobs, is a popular way to begin making money online.
However, Appen is just the tip of the iceberg for these sorts of side gigs. And it always helps to have a few options at your disposal.
Today, we’re going to be talking about sites like Appen that can open the doors to new jobs and give you a few more options to look through.
Want other flexible, easy ways to make extra cash? Checkout:
- Branded Surveys – Get paid with gift cards and PayPal cash for sharing your opinion!
- Freecash – Another way to share your opinion for cash and rewards!
The Best Sites Like Appen
1. Lionbridge
Founded in 1996, Lionbridge is an American company that specializes in translation and localized solutions for other companies.
In order to provide those solutions, they hire individuals who can perform tests or complete jobs to improve their site and collect data.
These are the types of jobs offered on Lionbridge:
- Corporate Associate – These are larger roles at Lionbridge, like working in sales or marketing.
- Raters, Annotaters, and Testers – Help AI companies train and develop better systems by assisting with their machine learning projects.
- Translators and Agencies – Complete translation and transcription tasks for a variety of languages.
- Interpreters – Provide phone and email support to help bridge communication gaps between Lionbridge clients and foreign clients of a different language.
- Gaming – Get paid to test games.
If all of these jobs sound a little random, this is actually the sort of work you'll find in the world of online micro tasks.
These jobs are flexible, completely remote, and also let you work with some pretty interesting companies (especially in the AI space).
Again, the smaller tasks such as testing and providing gaming feedback are not going to replace your day job. Try mixing a few different tasks from different websites to grow your income further.
2. Branded Surveys
Another popular app and website like Appen you can use to get free PayPal cash and gift cards in your spare time is Branded Surveys.
This leading market research website pays you to share your opinion and complete online surveys. It's free to sign up and is available in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK.
I like using Branded Surveys since it only takes $5 to cash out, and many surveys pay a dollar or two.
Plus, if you answer enough surveys per month, you qualify for the Branded Elite Program. This loyalty program pays you with free money the more surveys you answer, which is a nice bonus to look forward to each month.
Overall, Branded Surveys is a very easy online side hustle to try. And it pays out faster than many Appen alternatives.
Get started with Branded Surveys!
3. Focus Group By Schleinger
If you want another U.S. based company like Appen that provides numerous ways to earn rewards, you need to check out Focus Group By Schleinger.
This paid focus group platform lets you earn rewards for completing a variety of testing sessions and sharing your opinion. Examples of common tasks you can complete include:
- Answering paid surveys
- Participating in webcam focus groups
- Participating in in-person focus groups
- Having phone calls with researchers
- Completing product tests
You earn points for every task you complete, and 100 points equals $1. Tasks can pay a few dollars but also $50 or more depending on how much involvement there is.
You can cash out your points once you earn $5, and rewards include prepaid Visa cards, free Amazon gift cards, and other popular gift card rewards as well.
4. iSoftStone
Founded in 2001, iSoftStone is a global consulting and IT outsourcing firm based in China. They have headquarters located in America as well.
Overall, iSoftStone is quite similar to Appen and have several of the same job categories.
Here's a list of the primary jobs offered at iSoftStone:
- Online Crowd Worker
- Ad Evaluator
- Project Coordinator
- Data Collection
- Research Assistant
- Field Data Collector
- Global Recruiter
- Search Engine Analyst
As you can see, a lot of these jobs are a mix between part-time and one off gigs. There are tons of jobs you can apply for, especially in the technology field.
You can sign up by hitting the “join us” button at the top right of their site. You’ll see all the job offers that you can apply for, based on your location.
5. Swagbucks
Another one of the best sites like Appen you can use to earn quick cash in a day is Swagbucks.
Tom and I have both used this rewards website since college to make extra money. And it lets you cash out dozens of different gift cards and PayPal cash prizes.
I also like Swagbucks since it offers numerous ways to earn, including:
- Downloading apps for money
- Answering paid surveys
- Playing trivia games for cash
- Shopping online
- Watching ads
Swagbucks is also available in numerous countries. And it even has a nice sign up bonus to get new members up and running.
Start making money with Swagbucks!
6. Premise Data
Premise Data is another popular alternative to Appen where you can make money by completing short tasks like:
- Taking pictures of things in your city
- Answering short surveys
- Sharing your opinion
Tasks on the Premise app can be similar to apps like Gigwalk, involving taking photos or sharing information about things happening nearby in your city.
For example, a task might be to verify if a store sells a particular product, or if construction is going on in a certain area.
There are also short online surveys and tasks, and overall, Premise Data is a very robust Appen competitor you can use.
The platform has contributors in over 120 countries and supports 35+ languages. You access Premise Data through its free Android or iOS app.
For payments, Premise Data pays contributors with PayPal cash, Payoneer, or Bitcoin.
Sign up for Premise data and start making money!
7. Amazon MTurk
Out of all the sites like Appen, Amazon MTurk, or Mechanical Turk, is probably one of the most well known seeing as it's run by Amazon.
Amazon MTurk is another crowdsourcing marketplace that makes it easy for individuals and businesses to outsource their jobs to people who can perform them virtually.
Their mission is to provide opportunities for experts in their respective fields to complete microtasks for other companies who need a one-time job.
Really, the point of websites like MTurk is to connect microworkers with AI, tech, and research companies that need human workers for quality assurance testing, market research, and simple labor.
The workforce on MTurk is working 24/7, so you can almost always find any opportunity to land a job or project.
Some tasks just need to be done manually by a human, so this is where you could potentially come in and complete those tasks.
Now, Amazon MTurk is competitive, and it takes a while to figure out which tasks (known as HITs), are worth doing. However, some side hustlers find serious success with Amazon MTurk as you can see from this thread:
Again, your hourly wage on Amazon MTurk is probably under $10; in fact, while you're learning, I'd expect around $5 to $7 or something like that.
However, the amount of HITs available at a given time is why people like MTurk.
If you have experience in research, technolog, or other insightful projects, then check out Amazon MTurk as one of the best sites like Appen!
Check out my post: is Amazon MTurk Legit?
Extra Reading – How To Make Money With Amazon.
8. Clickworker
Clickworker is a data company that helps companies by providing real user data to help develop AI software and improve their business.
You can sign up for clickworker for free and work on your own time. The independence that you get with them is pretty sweet since you create your own schedule.
Here are a few tasks you can do on Clickworker:
- Text Creation
- Categorization
- Copy Editing
- Proofreading
- Surveys
- Audio Recording
- Video Recording
- App Testing
Overall, Clickworker is a little less techy than sites like Appen or Lionbridge.
The tasks do get mundane rather quickly, but hey, if you want to make extra cash while watching TV or something, Clickworker is a viable platform.
According to a few users, the average pay seems to be around $8 per hour with an average working time of 4 hours a day.
That’s honestly impressive for a small job site that offers individual work. You could be making over $200 per week (not bad compared to a part-time job).
Extra Reading – The Best Sites Like Clickworker.
9. Get-Paid-To Websites
A slightly different alternative to the traditional microtask sites are survey and get-paid-to sites.
Now, paid survey websites and GPT sites don't pay as much as websites like Appen.
However, they do offer a wider range of tasks to complete. Plus, the sheer number of sites out there you can use makes it easy to keep a stream of tasks coming in.
Some popular survey and get-paid-to websites you can consider include:
- Survey Junkie – Answer surveys for extra money and cash out with free PayPal cash or free gift cards when you reach $5.
- Ipsos iSay– Another leading survey site that lets you cash out at just $5.
- Freecash – One of my new favorite sites with 100+ earning options.
- Mistplay – A popular Android gaming app that pays you to play games.
- Kashkick – Another app that lets you answer surveys and play games for PayPal money.
- Prolific – A research-based survey website where you earn a minimum of $7.50 per hour.
- PlaytestCloud – Earn $9 for 15-minute testing sessions where you review new mobile games and provide feedback.
- InboxDollars – Another popular survey site that also has a $5 sign up bonus.
I also have a video on some of the most popular survey sites and gaming apps. And you can actually make decent money with these Appen alternatives.
For example, I used to be a huge UserTesting and Prolific user. After getting my ratings up, I was able to make over $300/month by spending an hour a day at most.
Again, these websites and smartphone jobs won't let you quit your day job anytime soon. However, they're nice Appen alternatives to try if you want more earning options at your disposal.
Extra Reading – How To Make $50 A Day (Online & Offline).
10. Remotasks
Remotasks is a simple work-from-home site that allows you to make money by completing easy tasks at home.
Their site is extremely modern and user-friendly. All you have to do is sign up, learn through easy courses, complete tasks, and get paid!
The tasks you complete are as simple as drawing a circle around objects or categorizing items by color, shape, and size.
Out of all the sites like Appen, I'd say Remotasks and Clickworker have the most straightforward, grinding-out type of work.
However, one pro of making money with Remotasks is that they pay through Paypal every week with no minimum to withdraw your money.
Pro Tip: If you want to earn the most with Remotasks, learn the training course on labeling LiDAR data. It usually pays the most and has a steady supply of work to complete.
This definitely seems like the easiest Appen alternative to use, but it also seems to be a slightly lower paying site compared to some of the other previously mentioned ones.
My post on the best sites like Remotasks shares even more sites you can use to make money. You can also read our Remotasks review for all the details.
11. Microworkers
Microworkers is an international online platform that connects businesses and individuals from all over the world to complete microtasks.
It is very similar to Amazon MTurk in the sense that businesses can just post what type of work they need to be completed and individuals can take on that job.
The Microworkers site is just a huge page of templates that companies can use to create a small job. As a worker, you would need to sign up in order to see the job options.
Here are a few of the jobs offered on Microworkers:
- Surveys
- Image Categorization
- Destination Matching
- Transcribing
- Translating
- Rating Video Quality
- Image Annotation
- Data Collection
Each task displays a set of instructions, the time to complete it, and the amount you will earn for finishing the job.
You need to earn at least $9 in order to withdraw your money. Payments are sent out every 2 weeks, but keep an eye out for Paypal fees (you could be earning less than you think).
Extra Reading – 32 Best Remote Job Websites.
Final Thoughts
So, are these Appen alternatives and part-time jobs sites worth it?
Well, it depends on your situation and your financial goals.
If you want to seriously boost your monthly income, gig economy apps like working for DoorDash or Uber Eats pay much more.
Similarly, if you want to build an asset that has a higher income potential, something like making money on YouTube or starting your own blog have way more potential.
On the flip side, sites like Appen provide a fast, flexible way to make some extra money in your spare time.
If you’re a student, stay-at-home parent, or just want a little extra money to pay off your utilities, these Appen alternatives are definitely worth a try!
Not into that? No problem. You can always go the route of the gig economy and try out a few of those apps!
Just remember that these sites are not going to replace your day job. They are simply a way for individuals to make a little extra cash.
Looking for more ways to make extra cash? Checkout:
