Scale AI review

Based out of San Francisco, Scale AI sells labeled data and model evaluation to AI labs, governments and large companies; it was founded in 2016.

scale.com ↗

Where it's based: San Francisco, California
File types: Rating AI chatbot answers, Satellite and map images, Video, Text, 3D laser scans (LiDAR) and photos
Security audits by outside parties: SOC 2 Type II
The way it sets prices: Each job gets its own price
First steps to take: Schedule a 1:1 intro call from the pricing page; Each job gets its own price

Our sources: docs.scale.com home · en.wikipedia.org, Scale AI entry · scale.com, about · scale.com, data engine · scale.com, pricing · scale.com, security

How to get three quotes for work like this

Is Scale AI a good fit?

It fits big programs whose security reviews matter when the work is driving data, satellite imagery or model feedback.

Well suited if

The data you have is photos, text, video, satellite and map images, 3D laser scans (LiDAR) or chatbot answers needing a rating.
The company you choose needs to name SOC 2 Type II on its own site.

Check with Scale AI first if

If a free test is your first step, get pilot terms from Scale AI (providers posting one).
If you need the quote first, before any sales call, Scale AI sets every job's price after seeing a sample.
If you handle patient records, ask how Scale AI would handle them, since its pages do not name HIPAA.

City street seen from a car with colored boxes around each car, cyclist and pedestrian

More about Scale AI

Checks on quality: First, software labels the data; then people review it, using more than one level and more than one kind of check
The way it works: Online workers who sign up through its job websites, paired with its own software
Team: 1,200 employees in 2025; crowd sites located in Southeast Asia and Africa

What this kind of work costs on the market

Every object gets a box., per box: Non-US team.:$0.02 to $0.12Our estimate for a US team.:$0.04 to $0.48
Tracking objects across frames., per tracked object per frame: Team based outside the US: from$0.05 up to $0.25Our estimate for a US team:$0.10 to $1.00
Marked names, places or amounts., per document: Team based outside the US: from$0.04 up to $0.30Our estimate, US team.:$0.08 to $1.20
3D boxes drawn around cars and people., per 3D box: Teams based outside the US.:$0.10 to $0.50Our estimate for US teams.:$0.20 to $2.00

Other labeling companies publish prices for the jobs Scale AI lists; beside them sits our estimate for a team in the US, two times the low end and four times the high end, the markup range Habile Data reports for teams in the US. Market rates shown here are not a Scale AI quote.

Estimate work like this The source for each price

Two things to know about Scale AI

For 49% of Scale AI with no voting rights, Meta agreed to pay $14.8 billion.
Scale says it was the first AI company to put Donovan, a language model it owns, on a classified network.

What Scale AI offers for data annotation

Model evaluation, data generation, attack testing (red teaming) and Rating chatbot answers (RLHF)
Image work (regular and heat cameras), video, text and 3D laser scans (LiDAR) with camera footage
Defense and government work
Satellite and geospatial imagery for identifying damage in Ukraine

Scale AI alternatives

Firms that label similar files appear beside Scale AI; two publish a test free of charge.
Company	Where it's based	File types	Security audits by outside parties	Price and free test
Scale AIThis page	San Francisco, California	Satellite photos and Rating chatbot answers, plus Photos, Video, Text, 3D laser scans	SOC 2 Type II	A sample comes before the quote.The first step is a call by phone.
CloudFactory	Reading, England	Photos, Video, Text, Satellite photos	ISO 27001, SOC 2 (the type isn't stated)	The yearly budget is up to you, and payment covers finished work only.As a test, a few of your files are labeled free.
Label Your Data	Wilmington, Delaware	Photos, Text, Audio, 3D laser scans, Satellite photos	ISO 27001	Costs start at $0.02 for a box, or at $6 for an hour.The trial job is free; starting costs nothing.
Innodata	Ridgefield Park, New Jersey	Photos, Video, Text, Audio, 3D laser scans, Satellite photos, Medical scans, Rating chatbot answers	ISO 27001	A sample comes before the quote.
Appen	Sydney, Australia and Kirkland, Washington	Photos, Video, Text, Audio, 3D laser scans, Rating chatbot answers, Medical scans	SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001	A sample comes before the quote.

All of them side by side

Side by side: Scale AI vs Appen · Scale AI vs Surge AI

Prices and companies for the files Scale AI labels

What to ask Scale AI before you sign

Which of your teams would label our data, and where are your teams based?
What share of labels gets a second-person check, and how is accuracy measured?
Could we start with a pilot, and would that be free?
Before our files reach you, can we see your SOC 2 Type II report?
How do you charge for work like this: per project, per hour or per label?

Quotes for work like this: how to get them

Describe your job once: data type, labels and item count.
We pick up to three companies that label that kind of data, and email you their names before we pass the brief on.
Each one requests a few sample files, then sends you a price.

Prefer a free test up front? CloudFactory and Label Your Data publish one.

Comparing Scale AI with others? Describe the job once, and three annotation companies that label your kind of data reply with prices.

Get quotes from companies like Scale AI

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.