Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit or another scam?
So in this MTurk 2022 review, I will share with you all the important information and tips you need.
Before you join Amazon Mechanical Turk, you MUST read this in-depth review!
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit: Quick Summary
- Name: Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)
- Website: Mturk.com
- Price: FREE
- Owner: Amazon
- Recommended? No
What is Amazon Mechanical Turk?
Minimum Required Age | 18 Years Old |
Hourly Pay | Depends on the job (Pennies to $10+) |
Payout Method | Gift Cards or Cash |
Minimum Payout | $1 |
Payout Days | Every 3, 7, 14, or 30 days |
Average Requester's Pay | $11 for High Paying Tasks |
Amazon Mechanical Turk is a microtask marketplace created by Amazon back in 2005 because there are some tasks that computers can’t do.
To summarize, these tasks are known as ” HITs” and require human intelligence to be done effectively.
So, examples of tasks that need human intelligence are:
- Translate a phrase or a paragraph from a language to another. ( We all know how bad Google Translate it!)
- Correct spelling mistakes of search terms.
- Put products in the right categories
- Write short descriptions of products.
- Test Websites
Furthermore, there are many microtask sites out there, but not all of them are honest and paying. Microtask sites are places where you can get paid to complete simple tasks that require human intelligence to be done effectively.
However, sites like Amazon Mechanical Turk are usually very low rewarding, on average you earn no more than 5 cents per task. But, when it comes to microtask jobs, Amazon Mechanical Turk is the best out there.
And yes, It’s legit.
However, it’s not as good as it sounds! Keep reading to learn why!
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit: How to Get Started
Sign up on the Amazon Mechanical Turk Website
With Amazon Mechanical Turk, you can't just sign up and start making money immediately.
First, you have to submit your application. After that, you would have to wait for a few days to see if your account will be accepted or not.
On the other hand, some people have claim that they have been accepted in 24 hours. However, there are also people that took several weeks to get approved.
So, from what I read online, most people that have been rejected to join Amazon Mturk where from countries that are not allowed to join.
Sign Up for Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs)
Once approved, you can now apply for HIT tasks. Furthermore, you will need to add more information about your educational background and other technical skills that you might have. Your starting pay rate might be lower; however, this will qualify you for higher-paying tasks. Furthermore, tasks like these can take you from five minutes to an hour to finish.
Submit Your Human Intelligence Tasks for Approval
After you are done with your task, you can now submit it for approval. Requesters have 30 days to approve your submitted tasks. Then, you will get your payment after approval. However, some taskers see this as a problem since some requesters take too long to approve tasks. Plus, the payment is not great for the amount of time you have to wait.
How to Make Money with Amazon MTurk
To start making money with Amazon Mturk, there are only three steps you have to take.
- Find an interesting task that pays well
- Complete the task
- Get Paid
There are thousands of tasks or hits you can choose from; plus, the tasks are usually extremely easy to complete.
However, some tasks may ask for a certain level of experience.
So, HITs can take 1 minute to 60 minutes to be completed.
Here are examples of tasks that Amazon Mechanical Turk offers:
- Data entry and Captcha solving jobs (like 2Captcha & Protypers)
- Transcribing jobs (like on Literably or Transcribe Anywhere)
- Completing surveys
- Playing video games
Plus, here are some tips to make the most out of Amazon Mechanical Turk.
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit: Tips and Tricks
The hits you will see the most are these
So, $0.4 for a 60 minutes task?
Honestly, who would spend an hour to earn $0.4 cents?
If you want to stop wasting time and earn some significant cash from this Amazon Mturk; then, here are some tips you to earn the most out of it.
1- Complete Profile Tasks
Usually, the hits that require a test to qualify are the ones that pay the most.
So, you would want to fill out your profile with all the information that Amazon Mturk will ask you for.
Plus, the information you provide to them will help you to find the hits you qualify for in front of your eyes.
2- Read The Hit Instructions Carefully
Before working on a task, make sure you read the requester’s instructions.
However, if you don’t complete the work according to the requester’s instructions; then, you may not receive your payment.
3- Double Check Before You Accept a Task
If you take a task and for some reason you realize that is not worth it; then, you can return it.
However, if you do this often you will build a bad reputation as a worker and requesters may ignore you if you have a low-quality worker score.
So, make sure the task is for you before you accept it this way you will have a good score which may unlock more profitable hits.
4- Use The Hits Search Bar
In the HITs page at the top, you will see the following search bar.
Use the search bar to find HITs that you want; furthermore, you can type a keyword there.
So as you can see in the picture, you have three filters that will make the process easier.
5- Use Reddit to Find the Highest Paying Hits
There is a subreddit on Reddit called Hits Worth Turking for. So, this is basically a place where Reddit members share with each other only the highest paying Mturk hits that require less effort and time.
However, while this is a good place to find better-paying HITs, it does not mean you will make a lot of money.
So, keep reading to learn how much you can earn using Amazon Mturk.
6- Find Hits You Qualify for with HitsScraper
If you're a Mturk member; then, you know how hard and slow is to search for hits manually.
There are so many hits within Amazon Mechanical Turk; however, the challenge is to find as many hits you qualify for as possible.
So, as an Mturk, you need to find many hits every single day in order to make your journey with this site worth the efforts.
That's why I recommend anyone that wants to make good cash from this site to download this handy browser extension called HIT scraper.
In conclusion, this cool tool allows you to EASILY find hits that are worth your time and more importantly that you actually qualify for.
I heard about HIT scraper on Reddit when a member of the r/hitsworthturkingfor Reddit community talked about it in a post.
7- Improve Your Amazon MTurk Quality Score
To summarize, each Amazon Mturk worker has a specific quality score. Plus, the quality score is VERY important in Amazon Mechanical Mturk.
So, as a worker, you want to do the best you can to raise your quality score.
This score allows you to get more hits and at the same time; plus, you will rarely get rejected if you have a solid profile.
So, in order to have a high score, you need to complete the hits available to you and offer good work so the requesters will leave good feedback for your work.
Furthermore, as you complete more hits and get positive feedback from different requesters your quality score will improve in no time and so will your earnings!
8 - Learn More Technical Skills
Having a variety of technical skills will make you eligible for more jobs. Furthermore, technical skills related to data science and content moderation will be a big plus.
How Much Can You Make on Amazon Mechanical Turk?
Amazon Mechanical Turk, in my opinion, is NOT a good way to make money.
The pay is terrible; plus, you have to work many hours to earn any considerable cash. In conclusion, it’s not worth it.
There are people that ask if they can earn something like $50 a day from Amazon Mechanical Turk; however, I can assure you there is no way to earn that unless you go for the hits that require specific skills.
At the end of the day, you’re only doing some easy tasks and HITs that don’t add value. So, it makes sense to earn pennies.
Trust me there are many Mturk HITs that give you 2 pennies for 1 hour of work!
So, for me, that’s a waste of time!
Furthermore, there are even some hits that won’t pay you even, if you complete the work!
If you want to earn some extra cash; then, read this article that I have made for my most recommended program! Plus, this can actually make you some EXTRA CASH without losing your hair!
Mturk Earnings in One Month
I see a lot of people wondering how much one can make in one month with Amazon Mechanical turk.
So, that's why I decided to dig into the internet and look how much people are making per month with Mturk.
Well, here's what I found.
$100 in 30 days with Amazon Mturk
Micheal from Clark.com says that he managed to earn $100 in 30 days with Amazon Mechanical Turk. Furthermore, he even published a post where he shares with you his journey.
So, here are some of the HITs that Micheal did to earn that $100 in one month.
In conclusion, you definitely want to do the same if you're not able to earn anything near $100 in a month with Amazon Mturk.
- Surveys about shopping habits ($3.90 in 3 hours)
- Write Descriptions about Online retailers ($3.50 in one day)
- Transcription jobs ($4.90 in two hours)
- Other transcription jobs ($38 in 7.5 hours)
Plus, you can read Micheal's post I linked to above to learn about the HITs he did in 30 days to see where you can put your efforts in to make your hard work worth it.
Is Amazon Mturk Safe? Tips to Stay Safe!
Amazon Mturk is a marketplace that connects requesters with workers.
So, you are dealing with requesters and not Amazon.
A Quick Update!
I have just read a blog post from the Verge.com where they talk about how Amazon Mechanical Turk does share their workers' profiles with some companies.
The Verge says that Amazon Mturk needs to be be more clear about this with their workers or they will lose their credibility.
Of course not every requester is honest; however, there are a couple of things you can do to stay safe and sound.
So, here are some Amazon Mechanical Turk tips to stay safe.
- Never click on emails that ask you for credit cards details, tax id or any personal information; but, instead go directly to your Amazon account and check if there are any notices.
- Ignore hits that pay big bucks for a 2 minute work these are usually scammers.
- Join Mturk Reddit communities & forums like Turker Nation where you can interact with other workers; Plus, experienced workers know what the best hits are and what are the ones to avoid.
- Before accepting a task, make sure you read the reviews and the rating given to the requester. Furthermore, you can use a toolbar called Turk Opticon to see the reviews.
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit: Payment Method
The minimum payout limit is $1.
You can get a direct deposit to your bank account or have the funds added to your Amazon gift card balance.
However, note that you have to provide a social security number for tax purposes.
A Quick Note About the Payments!
Amazon Mturk workers from the US & India can receive payments in cash while all the workers from other countries can only get paid via Amazon gift cards.
Is Amazon MTurk Available Worldwide?
Amazon Mechanical turk have just updated their official blog and announced that Mturk is available in 43 countries
So, here's a screenshot I took from their blog where they show you which countries are accepted to join Mturk.
In the past this was only available in the US, it's great that it has expanded to many different countries.
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit: Pros and Cons
Here, you will find some complaints and good things about Mturk.
Pros
- A legit way to earn online
- Lots of jobs to choose from.
- You can work whenever you want.
- Does not need a lot of qualifications.
Cons
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit: Reviews
I have read the Amazon Mturk reviews from different people online and I have decided to share with you all the reviews below!
1) Less than Minimum Wage Pay
Forbes has published a post about Amazon Mechanical Turk where they talk about how this micro tasks site is underpaying workers by offering them $1 to $5 per hour without any benefits.
Furthermore, this pay is clearly less than the minimum wage in the US and many other countries!
Plus, Lana a contributor at theatlantic.com literally says that Amazon Mturk is a new kind of poorly paid hell.
2) Amazon MTurk is Legal Slave Labour
Trustpilot is flooded with negatives reviews about Amazon Mturk. So, most people complain about the low payments and the tedious work available at this site.
You can read these complaints below:
Amazon Mechanical Turk Alternatives
If you're looking for some similar sites to Amazon Mechanical where you can earn a bit better; then, I've got you covered!
Here are 8 Amazon Mturk Alternatives!
Quick Note!
Some of the alternatives I mention below (in bold) have affiliate links.
I just like to be open and clear with my readers! 😀
If you want to earn doing surveys; then, check out these 5 High-Paying Surveys.
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk Legit?
Amazon Mturk is legit, it’s nothing like the usual scams I review like:
With that said, I don’t think Amazon Mturk is worth it unless you are fine with getting paid cents for hours of hard work!
In conclusion, you can earn some extra cash but it will take lots of time and it’s REALLY not worth it.
Furthermore, there are better ways to make money.
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This is the exact training that allowed me to earn commissions like these!
My November affiliate commissions thanks to Wealthy Affiliate!
Have you ever tried Amazon MTurk? Do You have any thoughts you could share with us here?
Is there anything I have missed in this review?
Don’t forget to drop a comment if you have any questions.
I guess if you lived in a third world country then making $3 USD per hour is doing alright, but for people in western countries it’s a waste of time. But the biggest problem for me as a Canadian is that even though I’m able to work on MTurk there are no cash payments, only Amazon gift cards. I don’t shop online so what am I gonna do with gift cards? I need to earn cash so I can pay for my gas, phone bill, groceries, etc.
But for those in countries that can make cash withdrawals via bank transfer, it’s a great safety net in case you lose your job or something, it’s good to know there’s always a way to make some income online while you search for another job.
Good point Son, I think Amazon Mturk is good for countries like India where the minimum wage is similar to the one offered by Mturk and it’s a bummer that payments are made via gift cards in most countries!
Thanks for your comment Son and have a great day!
Hello Anis,
I have read your amazon mechanical turk review, you have given me a clear idea about this and you said that it is very a poor earning site and it costs our valuable time, you have helped us by giving your thoughts. i appreciate your good work and i am going to share this review with my friends. thank you so much.
Thanks for your support Tawhid, Amazon Mturk as many people said is a new kind of poorly paying hell!
This is really cool review. thumbs up to you for taking your time to write such educating review like this. The truth is, the first time i heard about this Amazon Mechanical Turk, I doubted it legitimacy because of the way and mode they accepts peoples application.Finding a task, Completing it and get paid for is actually cool considering the fact that they are offering humongous fees for it. This review has really given me the truth I have been searching for about Amazon Mechanical Turk
Hi Kehinde, I’m happy to hear my Amazon Mturk review was useful for you!
Hello,Amazon m Turk is definitely legit. I have earned from Amazon mturk in the past. Its a really good program for anyone looking to earn money online.However, I have my reservations for the Amazon mturk program because a lot of work is done for little pay. I think it’s much better creating and building an online business of your own.
Hi Louis, I’m glad to hear you have earned some money with Amazon Mturk! But I agree starting an online business is a lot better thing to do!
I know I’m coming late to this party but I just wanted to note that I use MTurk for supplemental income and have made over 100 dollars in a day. Yes, I worked 10 hours that day but hey, I wasn’t doing anything else. In the slow season (summer) I usually make about 20 dollars a day for a few hours worth of work. I had a 60.00 dollar day the other day (again, summer is the slow season). I have scripts that alert me when a 1.00 or more task goes up. It’s low effort. I started in February of 2017 and I have just under 3600 HITs approved and just over 3200 dollars made. All while goofing around on Facebook, reading articles, cooking dinners, cleaning the house, working out, etc. I’d’ve made more but I’ve spent the summer focused on increasing my outdoor time and taking some web coding classes.
I don’t take HITs I don’t like, like transcription or high effort surveys. Right now I’m saving up money for a small road trip to see the solar eclipse and a birthday party for my son. I average about 400 a month, and have made 900 in a month, and if I actually worked at it during busy season (when the universities are in) I could definitely make 1000 – 1200 a month. Rich? No way, but definitely some extra pocket cash. I could make more money on Upwork or Fivver but MTurk is pretty low effort if you approach it the right way.
thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us! Looks like you’re making some good money from Mechanical turk! Kudos 🙂
good reviews sir, I’m from ph.
can i ask if nucdengi.top is a scam? I am currently working on that site.
Never heard of it Jayson
Oh don’t get me started with mTurk! It’s a digital sweatshop, that’s al’ that it is! No really! i’m serious!
You have people slaving away at just a few cents per hours when the people hiring them can afford much more than that. Just because it’s digital site means it should be legal? I say outlaw mTurk.
Hi, Ben, I was actually wondering that paying cents for the human intelligence is not good enough, you are right there are established websites that pay cents to workers and can afford much more.
Thanks for your input!
Accurate and honest review. Good job.
Thank you Micheal! 🙂
Another great article Anis. You certainly seem to know your stuff regarding these niche areas. Well done again.
Thank you Francis! 🙂
Great review. I like the fact you’ve managed to give an honest and balanced review. The star rating at the bottom also helps with the final assessment of the product.
Are there any products in particular that you favor or would recommend?
Hi there glad to hear you liked the review When it comes to making money online Wealthy Affiliate is the best!
Thanks for visiting! 🙂
I have used MTurk, and I personally didn’t like it. But you are right, it is a legitimate way to make money even if it is small. I bet if I had read your article first, I wouldn’t have gotten scammed as many times as I did. I absolutely agree with your rating on MTurk, and I think you covered most of the basis. Has anyone actually earned good money from MTurk? I think the most I have made is something like $0.32. Seriously.
Hi Roxana thanks for the input, I don’t like Mturk either because of the low earnings.
Sorry to hear that you got scammed.