Polygon annotation
With a series of points, Polygon annotation follows an object's outline, so odd shapes like leaves, tools or roofs get labeled exactly. Each outline takes longer, so the price is higher than a box.
Estimate the cost of a polygon annotation job
20,000 polygons overall, drawn as squares of 1,000 polygons
That makes 20,000 polygons across 5,000 images. What a team outside the US would charge, roughly:
$1,200 to $16,000
Teams abroad list between $0.06 and $0.80 for each polygon.
Get quotes for this jobThe calculation behind this
The published low and high price for that label type gets multiplied by the label count. Another review adds 20 to 50 percent, while a US team costs two to four times the outside-US range.
Prices for image tags come from Kili Technology for the low end and BasicAI for the high end.
Prices for bounding boxes come from Label Your Data for the low end and Habile Data for the high end.
Prices for polygons come from AnnotationBox for the low end and Habile Data for the high end.
Prices for keypoints come from Label Your Data for the low end and Habile Data for the high end.
Prices for pixel masks come from Habile Data for the low end and GDS Online for the high end.
Boxes or polygons
A box is enough if the model just has to locate the object. Choose a polygon when the shape matters; measuring a roof or guiding a robot arm to pick up a part are examples.
Vendors listing this work
Audit names explained
- SOC 2 a check by an outside auditor of how a company protects its clients' files. Type I checks a single day; Type II checks several months, so it tells you more.
- ISO 27001 a worldwide data-safety standard; an independent auditor confirms the company follows it.
- ISO 27701 adds checks on personal details, such as names and addresses, on top of ISO 27001.
- ISO 9001 checks the steps a company uses to keep its work consistent. It does not cover keeping your files safe.
- HIPAA a US law that protects patients' medical records.
- TISAX a security check that car manufacturers ask their suppliers to pass.
- GDPR the EU's data protection law.
- CCPA a California law on consumer privacy.
| Company | Based in | Kinds of files | Audits and laws it names | How it prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale AIscale.com | San Francisco, California | Photos, Video, Text, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Satellite and map images, Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2 Type II | Per project |
| Appenappen.com | Sydney, Australia and Kirkland, Washington | Photos, Video, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Medical scans, Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR | Per project |
| TELUS Digitaltelusdigital.com | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Photos, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2, TISAX, ISO 27001 | Per project |
| iMeritimerit.ai | San Jose, California | Photos, Video, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Medical scans, Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 9001, HIPAA, GDPR, TISAX | Per project |
| Samasama.com | San Francisco, California | Photos, Video, Text, 3D laser scans (LiDAR) | ISO 9001, ISO 27001, TISAX, GDPR | Per project |
| CloudFactorycloudfactory.com | Reading, England | Photos, Video, Text, Satellite and map images | ISO 9001, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR | You agree a yearly budget with them and pay only for the work they finish; a few of your files labeled free as a test |
| Label Your Datalabelyourdata.com | Wilmington, Delaware | Photos, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Satellite and map images | ISO 27001, GDPR | From $0.02 per box, or from $6 for each hour a labeler works; free trial job; no setup fees |
| Shaipshaip.com | New York, New York | Photos, Video, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Medical scans, Rating AI chatbot answers | ISO 27001, ISO 9001, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA | Per project |
| Cogito Techcogitotech.com | Levittown, New York | Photos, Text, Medical scans, Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 9001, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA | Per project |
| Mindy Supportmindy-support.com | Limassol, Cyprus | Photos, Video, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2, GDPR | Per project; teams start at about 5 people working full time on your files |
| Tolokatoloka.ai | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Photos, Video, Text, Sound, Rating AI chatbot answers | SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 | Per project |
| Innodatainnodata.com | Ridgefield Park, New Jersey | Photos, Video, Text, Sound, 3D laser scans (LiDAR), Medical scans, Satellite and map images, Rating AI chatbot answers | ISO 9001, ISO 27001 | Per project |
| Keymakrkeymakr.com | New York, New York | Photos, Video, 3D laser scans (LiDAR) | ISO 9001, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA | Per project; a few labeled examples you can check first |
| Anolyticsanolytics.ai | Levittown, New York | Photos, Video, Text, Sound | SOC 2 Type I | Per project |
Most companies first look at a sample of your files, then give you one price for the whole job ("per project"). Fill in the short form one time and get prices back from three of them.
Common questions about polygon annotation
What does polygon annotation cost?
Offshore rates that have been published run from $0.06 up to $0.80 for each polygon. When an outline has a lot of points, expect to pay more.
What companies do image labeling?
This work is listed on the companies' own sites: iMerit, Sama, CloudFactory, Scale AI, Appen, TELUS Digital, Shaip, Cogito Tech, Mindy Support, Toloka, Innodata, Label Your Data, Keymakr and Anolytics. Row by row, the vendor table shows where each company is based and the way it charges for the work.
Can I try out a vendor before signing?
Yes. Label Your Data offers a pilot at no charge, CloudFactory analyzes a sample set for free and Keymakr lets you correct a sample batch ahead of the full batches. The others will usually do a small paid trial job, so request one in the brief.
Send one brief, hear from three vendors
Describe your data once and we pass it to three annotation vendors that label that kind of data, so you can compare quotes side by side.
- One short form instead of three sales calls
- Matched on data type, volume and security needs
- You choose who to talk to