# Scale AI alternatives for licensing company data

> Scale AI alternatives for licensing company data: Scale now runs a data partnership, and these firms run similar programs, with the terms each states.

By Matt Burns, Vaultfish. Canonical: https://vaultfish.com/answers/scale-ai-alternatives  
Published: 2026-07-02  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## The short answer

Scale AI sells labeled data and model evaluation to AI labs, and it now runs a data partnership for company records. micro1, Handshake AI and Mercor run similar programs, and Troveo licenses records as a marketplace. SimpleClosure serves startups that are closing. For labeling tools, look at Labelbox.

Most "Scale AI alternatives" lists come from vendors who rank themselves first. That is a funny way to run a comparison. The top results for this query come from CleverX, Ultralytics and similar sellers, so check what each author sells before you trust the ranking.

## What is Scale AI?

Scale AI sells human-labeled data, RLHF and model evaluation to AI labs and big companies. Its Outlier and Remotasks brands recruit the contractors who do the work.

[TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/13/scale-ai-confirms-significant-investment-from-meta-says-ceo-alexandr-wang-is-leaving/) confirmed Meta's 49% [non-voting](https://sacra.com/c/scale-ai/) investment of $14.3 billion on 13 Jun 2025.

> **Scale AI's main business pays people to label examples for AI labs. Its data partnership, which licenses your records, is a separate job.** One is staffing the library desk. The other is lending the library the boxes from your attic.

## What are the alternatives for a company that holds data?

Scale's own [data partnership](https://scale.com/data-partnership) takes de-identified workflow records. It prefers 40+ employees and states an illustrative $10K to $1M+ per partnership. Our [Scale AI profile](/buyers/scale-ai) has the rest.

[micro1](/answers/what-is-micro1), Handshake AI, [Mercor](/answers/mercor-data-licensing), Troveo, Replay and Polyshares run programs for company records too. SimpleClosure also handles data for companies that are shutting down.

**Other programs for company records, the lane Scale AI has joined**

| Buyer or program | Minimum size | Stated range | Pay model | Payment timing | What you keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [micro1](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/micro1) | 30+ employees, US first | Tiers of $100K+, $500K+, $1M+ | Paid under the agreed partnership | Not published | Companies keep ownership |
| [Handshake AI](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/handshake-ai) | 20+ full-time staff, 3+ years | $100K to $4M+ | License fee | 30 to 60 days after dataset acceptance | Not published |
| [Mercor](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/mercor) | None stated | Up to $300K, press report | One wire, no fees to you | 2 to 4 weeks after signing | Not published |
| [Troveo](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/troveo) | None stated, estimator from 20 | Six figures, per its page | Revenue share on each sale | On each sale | You own it, ownership stays |
| [Replay](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/replay) | Bands start at 20 employees | $10K to $1M+ by headcount | Upfront plus revenue share | Upfront, then on each license | License only, nothing transferred |
| [Polyshares](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/polyshares) | None stated | $100K to $2M+ | License fee, no commission | Net 30 to 60 after approval | You keep data, exclusive by default |
| [SimpleClosure Asset Hub](https://vaultfish.com/buyers/simpleclosure) | None stated, closing or operating | $10K to $100K per company, press | A percentage on a sale or license | Not published | Perpetual license to SimpleClosure |

_Every figure is the company's own claim unless marked press. Terms change, so confirm on each company's page._

Before you talk to any of them, read the public record. Our [is Mercor legit](/answers/is-mercor-legit) and [is Handshake AI legit](/answers/is-handshake-ai-legit) pages collect it for two of them. The [guide to licensing company data](/guides/how-to-sell-company-data-to-ai-companies) explains the steps.

## Who are Scale AI's competitors?

For labeled data and expert work, [Sacra](https://sacra.com/research/handshake-indeed-for-data-labelers/) compares Scale AI with Handshake, Mercor, Surge, Turing, micro1 and Invisible. Of those, Handshake AI, Mercor, Turing and micro1 also run programs for company records, as Scale now does. The lanes are sorted in [AI data companies](/answers/ai-data-companies).

## What are the alternatives for labeling software?

Labelbox, SuperAnnotate and Ultralytics sell tools your own team runs, per third-party comparison lists. That lane suits an AI team that labels its own data, and the tools pay nobody for records.

Labelbox and SuperAnnotate also run separate licensing programs, [Labelbox Prism](/buyers/labelbox-prism) and [SuperAnnotate](/buyers/superannotate).

Figure: comparison of Three lanes near Scale AI: Scale AI (Labeled data, plus a data partnership), Company data (emphasized: The lane this site covers, License your records), Labeling tools (Software you run). Company data is the lane where a business licenses its own records. It is the lane we cover.

_Yes, we sell a lane too. Ours is the middle one. Read the list with that in mind._

micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)

Have a lawyer read any contract before you sign. They like that.

[Apply to micro1's data partnership (paid link)](https://req.micro1.ai/post/74520e8b-4673-4da5-b855-53609aaf6710?referralCode=f82e519e-5d64-4e0e-9574-760c84371cf2&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=data_referral) · [micro1's own data-partnerships page](https://www.micro1.ai/data-partnerships)

_Paid link. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)_

_Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one._

## Sources

- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/13/scale-ai-confirms-significant-investment-from-meta-says-ceo-alexandr-wang-is-leaving/)
- [non-voting](https://sacra.com/c/scale-ai/)
- [data partnership](https://scale.com/data-partnership)
- [Sacra](https://sacra.com/research/handshake-indeed-for-data-labelers/)