The verification loop
Each platform page lists every source we used, labeled official (the platform's own signup, payout, or policy pages) or third-party (established review communities), each with the date we checked it. If a fact cannot be sourced, we print Not published — we never guess rates, thresholds, or country availability.
- Monthly sweeps: every tracked platform is re-checked on a rolling schedule; the sweep date is printed on this page and in every footer.
- Dead-link handling: two consecutive failed checks mark a platform defunct and strip it from listings.
- Worker-reported data: where official pages omit rates, we cite third-party sources and label them as such.
How our statistics are computed
Aggregate numbers are computed at build time from the tracked set — no manual arithmetic. The current sweep covers 245 platforms across five categories with 895 cited sources.
PayPal count — 185 platforms
Platforms whose verified payout-method list includes PayPal. Counted directly from payout-method facts, not marketing claims. Every platform in the count links PayPal on its page.
Expert-tier count — 22 platforms
Platforms that maintain a distinct expert pay tier (domain-qualified work at $15+/hr). A platform with both generalist and expert work counts only once.
Median transcription rate — $0.45 per audio hour
The median advertised per-audio-hour rate across transcription platforms with published rates. Advertised rates are the platforms' own "up to" figures; real effective pay is usually lower and every platform page says so.
What we don't include
- Pay-to-join platforms. Legitimate paid-task work never charges an application fee.
- MLM and referral-first schemes. If the primary earnings path is recruiting, it's not a task platform.
- Platforms with undisclosed fees — monthly charges, withdrawal fees above cost, or forfeited balances.
- Undisclosed data harvesting. Panels that sell your data without saying so in plain terms.
When a listed platform fails one of these tests later, we mark it defunct and keep the page up — the warning is more valuable than the deletion.
Affiliate links & independence
Some outbound links may carry affiliate tags. These are always marked with a visible disclosure where they appear, and no platform's rating, verdict, or listing position is affected by the presence or absence of an affiliate relationship. Platforms without affiliate programs receive exactly the same treatment.