Amazon Mechanical Turk Review: Here’s My Experience as a Worker & Requester!

I’ve been using this site for a long time now. In this post, I’ll go over how Amazon Mechanical Turk works, what you should expect, and provide a complete MTurk review. You’ll get all the details on how you can make money on Amazon Mechanical Turk, so you can decide whether MTurk or other sites like MTurk are worth your time.

What is Amazon Mechanical Turk?

Ok, before we get started with the review, for those of us not that familiar with it, let’s talk about what MTurk actually is and how it works.

Amazon Mechanical Turk (commonly referred to as MTurk) is one of the most popular crowdsourcing marketplaces. And yes, it is actually owned by THAT Amazon.

On MTurk, companies and individuals who need small tasks, also known as HITs (Human Intelligence Tasks), create listings explaining what the task is and how much it pays.

These tasks, while simple, are the kind that machines or automated software cannot do. Only a human can do them, hence the name HIT!

To give you an idea of the kind of tasks you can find on MTurk, here are a few examples:

• Identifying objects in pictures
• Transcribing audio clips
• Testing websites or apps
• Tagging sentiment in social media posts
• Proofreading and editing
• Generating captions for images or videos
• Sorting products into categories
• Participating in surveys
• Data entry
• Data mining

As a freelancer (referred to as “worker” on the platform), you can browse these tasks and choose the ones you want to complete.

Once a task is finished, the requester (the person or company who posted the task) reviews it and approves or rejects the work.

If your work is accepted, you get paid directly into your Amazon account, which you can then transfer to your bank or use for shopping on Amazon.

MTurk Lingo

MTurk has its own unique terms for some words and phrases, and knowing them will help you get going faster.

Here are a few major ones:

• HIT – A task/gig that you get paid to complete.
• Requester – The client/employer who posts a job and pays you to do it.
• Worker – The freelancer who works on HITs.

How Does Amazon Mechanical Turk Work?

It’s very simple, really. Here’s how the process works, step by step:

1. Requesters post tasks (HITs)

First, businesses or individuals post their tasks (HITs).

2. Workers accept & complete tasks

You (the worker) browse available tasks and choose which ones to complete. Follow the instructions, complete the tasks, and submit the end result for approval.

3. Requesters approve or reject work

Once you submit your work, the requester will review it. If they are happy with the work, they mark it as “approved” and make the payment.

If it’s rejected, you won’t be paid. Sometimes you will have the option to edit your work to meet the requirements, and sometimes they move on.

4. You (the worker) get paid

Once the work is approved, the payment is credited to your Amazon account.

How to Get Started on Amazon Mechanical Turk

To start using Amazon Mechanical Turk, you first need to sign up.

Follow these easy steps to sign up for an Amazon Turk account:

1. Go to the official Amazon Mechanical Turk website at https://www.mturk.com. Look for “Sign in as a worker” in the top right corner of the screen.
2. Once logged in, complete your profile. Make sure to add your payment details so you can get paid the way you want to.
3. Now you’re set to browse available HITs and pick tasks you’d like to complete.

By the way, if you already have an Amazon account (for shopping online), you can use that account to log in.

How Much Does Amazon Mechanical Turk Pay?

It’s hard to put an average number on what you can make on MTurk.

It really depends on the task, how difficult it is, how long it takes, etc.

Some tasks may pay only a few cents, while others can offer significantly higher pay for more specialized work.

Want an idea of just how much a typical task pays on MTurk?

Here’s what you can expect:

• Small tasks (e.g., tagging images or testing websites): $0.01 – $0.30
• Writing tasks (e.g., article writing): Up to $100 for longer, high-quality content
• Surveys: $0.10 – $1.00 per survey

Bonus Pay: A lot of requesters also pay bonuses for jobs well done. So, by making sure you do the job as it was requested, you can earn more than the actual rate stated for completing the HIT. Depending on how much the HIT pays, the bonus can range from a few cents to as high as $20-$30 (although bonuses above $20 are rare).

How to Maximize Your Earnings on MTurk

So, from the numbers above, you may think that doesn’t sound like a lot of money. And you would be right for thinking that.

But it’s not that bad of a deal considering that most tasks take only 10-30 seconds to complete.

Think about this…

Let’s say you get a HIT that pays $0.10, but that HIT will only take you roughly 20 seconds to finish.

So, working for an hour will fetch you about $18.

$18/hour isn’t that bad, considering that the average federal minimum wage in America is $7.25 (I know, I know. Don’t even get me started on that!)

Of course, there are also bigger tasks that pay much more. For example, there are writing tasks that can pay as much as $100 for a 700-word article.

However, remember that competition for high-paying HITs can be quite stiff. So, you have to be really fast in grabbing these HITs. Consider refreshing your browser when searching for tasks to help you get those high-paying HITs.

Having said all of that, there are a few things you can do to increase how much you earn on MTurk.

Tips for earning more

Here are a few Amazon MTurk tips & tricks to increase your earnings.

Find higher-paying tasks

Look for tasks that require specialized skills, such as writing or data analysis, which typically pay better (you can actually narrow your search by pay rate, from high to low and vice versa).

Be quick

As I said earlier, competition for high-paying tasks is fierce. Everybody wants bigger-paying HITs (Pro tip: Refresh your browser to grab tasks as soon as they become available.)

Focus on efficiency

Completing simple tasks quickly can add up, so time yourself and aim to work efficiently to maximize hourly earnings.

Maintain good ratings

Requesters rate workers and their jobs. So, keeping your ratings good (by doing good work and being timely) means you get to qualify for more high-paying tasks in the future.

And that’s not all. If your rating is high, requesters will directly assign tasks to you. It’s a great way to not only get repeat customers but also new ones as well.

Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit?

Yes, Amazon Mechanical Turk is a legitimate micro-freelancing job site backed by one of the biggest companies in the world.

But like with many other online money-making methods, some people think Mechanical Turk is a scam, but it is absolutely not a scam.

Sure, you may find sketchy requesters here and there that refuse to approve and pay you for crazy reasons, but 99.9% are legit business owners that pay people.

I used to use MTurk as a Worker a lot back in the day (these days I use it as a Requester to hire freelancers to do small tasks for my company). And while as a Requester I have had a lot of bad work done by workers, I haven’t had any problems as a Worker myself. I have always gotten paid for my work.

That said, there are hundreds of thousands of individuals and companies that use the site. So, you never know who you’re dealing with. But these are (mostly) real, legit companies. So, if you do actually follow their directions and give them what they ask, you’ll get paid.

I never experienced any scams myself but have heard of a few folks who didn’t get paid despite doing everything right. But those are far and few in between.

If you think your submission was wrongfully rejected, you can always report it to MTurk. They’ll look at it and determine the outcome.

Pros and Cons of Amazon Mechanical Turk

Here are what I personally think are the pros and cons of using MTurk to make money as a freelancer.

Pros of using MTurk

• You have the flexibility to work from anywhere, anytime.
• There are tons of different kinds of tasks, so you can always find something you’re interested in.
• You don’t need special skills for most tasks.
• You don’t need any investment or experience to get started.

Cons of using MTurk

• Pay is a bit low for some tasks, especially if you’re just getting started and have low to no rating yet.
• There is high competition for better-paying tasks.
• Most workers can’t rely on it as a way to make a living, but it’s great for making extra cash.

Is MTurk Available Globally?

Yes, Amazon Mechanical Turk is available to workers in many countries around the world. However, certain tasks may be restricted based on your location or the requester’s preferences.

Most of the money-making sites and apps we mention on MP only accept members from the U.S. and a few other Western countries (namely Canada, the U.K., and Australia).

But a lot of our readers live outside the U.S. So, we get a lot of questions from our readers about whether or not a particular site or app we feature on MoneyPantry is available in their country so they can use it to make money.

And it always bothers me that I have to tell them that they can’t use these sites and apps to make money because they don’t accept members from their country.

So, I’m happy to say that you can use MTurk to make money no matter where you live.

According to the Amazon corporation, Mechanical Turk is available in 190 countries around the world. In fact, at the time of writing this review, over 500,000 Workers across the world use MTurk as a way to make money.

The Bottom Line: Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Worth It?

From my experience, both as a Requester and Worker, I’d say yes, Amazon Mechanical Turk is definitely worth it for both Requesters and Workers.

As a Requester, you can get small and repetitive tasks done quickly and without breaking the bank, especially tasks that cannot be automated using tools and software.

As a Worker, it’s a flexible and easy way to earn extra money on the side.

Obviously, if you’re looking for a full-time income, MTurk might not be the best option, as the earnings typically won’t replace a traditional job. But for anyone seeking a flexible side hustle that allows you to earn some extra cash in your spare time, Amazon Mechanical Turk is a legit choice.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you’re looking for. If you’re just starting out and want a way to make some extra money, I’d highly recommend Amazon Mechanical Turk as one platform to use.

I hope this Amazon Mechanical Turk review has made the decision of whether or not to use it a little easier for you!