Amazon MTurk has closed
Amazon MTurk closed permanently on September 30, 2026, so you can no longer join or do tasks there. I keep my review below as a record. The sites I would pick instead are further down.
Amazon MTurk was Amazon’s marketplace for small online tasks and paid surveys. It has now closed. I tried it myself before that. Below is what I found, and which sites I would pick instead.
Tested by Mikael (EarnWithMike)Founder and lead testerMikael founded PaidFromSurveys in 2016 and has personally tested hundreds of survey and GPT sites since then. He shows his tests and payment proof to 555K+ subscribers on his YouTube channel, EarnWithMike. He tried Amazon MTurk himself and does not earn a commission from it.Learn more about Mikael
Amazon MTurk has closed
Amazon MTurk has closed, so you can no longer earn on it. When it was running, it was legit, but most tasks paid little.
On this page
The short answer
Amazon MTurk has closed. It closed permanently on September 30, 2026. You can no longer join or do tasks there.
When it was running, it was legit. Amazon was behind it, and it had hundreds of small tasks and many paid surveys. But most tasks paid little, there was a daily limit on tasks, and the payout options were only good in the US and India.
- Had a reliable company behind it
- Big amount of tasks and surveys
- Master Worker status could get you better tasks
- Amazon MTurk has closed
- Relatively low rewards for most tasks and surveys
- Only good payout methods for certain countries
- Limitations on how many tasks you can do per day
- No information about who can join or not
My experience with Amazon MTurk
I applied to MTurk, looked through the tasks and searched for surveys in my account. This is what I did myself, and what I did not test.
- First tested
- December 2017Review first published Dec 22, 2017
- Status
- ClosedClosed permanently on Sep 30, 2026
- Survey search
- 374 resultsFor “survey” on the day I wrote the review. “surveys” gave only 2.
- Survey pay
- $0.05 to $0.50What most surveys I saw paid
- Application
- RejectedThe email did not say why
- Applying to become a member, and the rejection email
- Browsing the list of tasks (HITs) in my account
- Searching for surveys with the search bar
- Checking what surveys and other tasks pay
- A payout from MTurk.
- Master Worker status. You cannot apply for it.
- Support. I did not need help on the site myself.
Amazon MTurk at a glance
| What it was | Amazon Mechanical Turk, a marketplace for small online tasks that need human intelligence |
|---|---|
| Status | Closed permanently on September 30, 2026 |
| Company | Part of Amazon |
| Cost to join | Free |
| Ways to earn | Small tasks (HITs), mostly data entry, and paid surveys |
| Survey pay | Most surveys I saw paid $0.05 to $0.50 |
| Daily limit | There was a limit to how many HITs you could do a day |
| Payout methods | US: Amazon Payments, then your bank account, or Amazon.com gift cards. India: bank account or Amazon.com gift card. Everyone else: Amazon.com gift cards only. |
| Payout rules | No payout in your first 10 days as a member. After that, at most once a day. |
| Who could join | Anyone could apply. It took a few days to find out if you were accepted. |
| Support | FAQ section and contact info |
Was Amazon MTurk legit and safe?
Amazon MTurk has closed, so you can no longer join or earn on it. When it was running, it was legit. Amazon was behind it, and you could earn a bit of cash. These were the catches.
- It has closed
Amazon MTurk closed permanently on September 30, 2026. Before that, members had to withdraw their earnings. To get paid after it closed, they had to log in to the dashboard and verify their payment preference.
- Low rewards
Most surveys I saw paid between $0.05 and $0.50. Compared to the top survey sites, MTurk did not pay very well. There were also no extra chances to win prizes, bonus earnings or free contests.
- A daily limit on tasks
Even with many tasks, you could not do as many as you wanted every day. The limit was there to ensure high quality and to stop cheating with bots.
- No clear rules on who could join
You had to apply, and it took a few days to find out if you were accepted. There was no information about who got in. When I was rejected, the email did not say why.
- Good payout options only in the US and India
Everyone else could only get Amazon.com gift cards. In some countries, that can mean extra taxes and a long wait, because the gift card comes from another part of the world.
My takeAmazon MTurk has closed, so it is no longer an option. Even when it was running, I preferred other sites, mainly because the payout methods were not very good for most countries. Many other sites pay more and have better opportunities, in my experience. See the alternatives below.
Amazon MTurk has closed. The top sites in your country are still open, and many of them pay more.
See the best sites in your countryHow you earned on Amazon MTurk
There were 2 ways to earn, and a status that got you better tasks. Tap one to read more.
Small tasks (HITs)Most paid little
MTurk was a marketplace for small tasks that needed to be done online, but could not be done by a computer. The tasks needed human intelligence. That is why a task was called a HIT (Human Intelligence Task).
What you could find depended on what the people hiring through MTurk needed that day. Examples were finding contact information on a website, looking through a website for inappropriate content, extracting info from pictures and transcribing data. Most tasks were data entry jobs.
Paid surveys$0.05 to $0.50 for most
MTurk also had a lot of paid surveys. To find them quickly, you typed “survey” in the search bar at the top. The singular mattered. On the day I wrote this review, “survey” gave 374 results, and “surveys” only 2.
Many surveys had very specific demands, for example on where you live. So you could not qualify for all of them, and it took some patience to find the ones you could take. Longer surveys usually paid more.
Master Worker statusBetter tasks
You could get offered better tasks by becoming a Mechanical Turk Master Worker. You could not apply for it. You got there by taking HITs consistently and doing them well.
Then you could qualify for tasks that required master qualifications. It took patience, but it was a way to get more out of MTurk.
See the Best Survey Sites in Your Country
How much could you make?
Most tasks on Amazon MTurk did not pay very well, in my opinion. That went for both surveys and other tasks. Most surveys I saw paid between $0.05 and $0.50. Longer ones usually paid more.
Some tasks only took a few minutes, others up to 30 to 60 minutes. Over time it could add up. But the rewards were not as high as on other similar sites, in my experience.
There was also a limit to how many HITs you could do a day. And there were no prizes, bonus earnings or free contests to add to your earnings.
How Amazon MTurk paid
How you got paid depended on where you lived. In my opinion, the options were great for people in the US and India, but not so great for everyone else.
| Where you live | Payout options |
|---|---|
| US | Amazon Payments account, then to your bank account, or Amazon.com gift cards |
| India | Bank account or Amazon.com gift card |
| Everyone else | Amazon.com gift cards only |
You could not request a payout in your first 10 days as a member. After that, you could request a payout at most once a day.
You could use Amazon.com gift cards for things that need no shipping, like ebooks. For more sites that pay this way, see the best sites for Amazon gift cards.
Who could join?
In theory, anyone could join MTurk. But you did not become a member automatically, as on most other survey and GPT sites. You had to apply, and it took a few days before you knew if you were accepted.
There was no information about how MTurk decided who got in. When I was rejected, the email only said that they could not disclose why. My best guess is that it had to do with my location, or that they had too many members at the time. But I cannot know for sure.
What readers asked me
This review has 4 comments since December 2017: 2 from readers and 2 replies from me. These are the two things readers asked about.
There was not really anything you could do to qualify for more tasks. To get more, you had to use other platforms as well.
It was very different from task to task. Some took a few minutes, others up to 30 to 60 minutes, and the longer tasks paid more.
“I love Mturk, I have been using it for about 3 years now and, my question is how do i qualify for more tasks…”
Mikael: There is not really anything you can do to qualify for more tasks. If you want more tasks, you need to use other platforms as well.
“I have always wondered about these surveys, I see that the payout is not all that great but how long does it take to actually do the tasks?”
Mikael: Some only takes a few minutes, others up to 30-60 minutes. Of course the longer tasks also pays more. In general, the rewards on MTurk are however not as high as on other similar sites in my experience.
Amazon MTurk alternatives I have tested
| Site | Best for | Min. cashout | My rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| ySense | Surveys, tasks and offers, available in many countries | $10 PayPal | 4.0 / 5 |
| TimeBucks | Many small tasks, no training needed | $3 | 3.9 / 5 |
| JumpTask | Small tasks paid in crypto | $0.50 | 3.4 / 5 |
| ClickWorker | Micro tasks and UHRS tasks in many countries | $10, around €9 | 2.7 / 5 |
For more sites with small tasks, see the top GPT sites. For surveys, see the top survey and GPT sites in your country.
How I scored Amazon MTurk
I use the same 100-point system for every platform. See how I test and rate.
Amazon MTurk scored 60 out of 100 before it closed. To earn today, see these sites.
See the best sites in your countryAmazon MTurk FAQ
Is Amazon MTurk still running?
No. Amazon MTurk closed permanently on September 30, 2026. You can no longer join or do tasks there.
How did members get paid after MTurk closed?
Members had to withdraw their earnings before it closed. To get paid after it closed, they had to log in to the dashboard and verify their payment preference.
Was Amazon MTurk legit?
Yes. MTurk was part of Amazon, and you could earn a bit of cash there. But most tasks and surveys paid little.
What is a HIT?
A HIT is a Human Intelligence Task: a small online task that a computer cannot do. Most HITs on MTurk were data entry jobs.
How much did surveys on MTurk pay?
Most surveys I saw paid between $0.05 and $0.50. Longer surveys usually paid more.
How did Amazon MTurk pay?
In the US, through your Amazon Payments account to your bank account, or Amazon.com gift cards. In India, to your bank account or as an Amazon.com gift card. Everyone else could only get Amazon.com gift cards.
Who could join Amazon MTurk?
No one can join now, because it has closed. When it was running, anyone could apply, but MTurk did not say who it accepted or why it rejected someone.
What are good alternatives to Amazon MTurk?
For small tasks, see ySense, TimeBucks, JumpTask or ClickWorker in the alternatives above. For surveys, see the top survey sites in your country.
Who tested Amazon MTurk for this review
Founder of PaidFromSurveys.com since 2016. Mikael has tested hundreds of survey and GPT sites and shares his tests with 555K+ subscribers on YouTube (October 2026).
If you have any experiences with Amazon MTurk, or any comments or questions, I would love to hear from you below.
I love Mturk, I have been using it for about 3 years now and, my question is how do i qualify for more tasks, also can we have 2 accounts in the same household, as my wife would like to do this as well.
There is not really anything you can do to qualify for more tasks. If you want more tasks, you need to use other platforms as well. You can find links to some great alternatives in the review above.
As for more people from the same household joining, you need to check their terms about this.
I have always wondered about these surveys, I see that the payout is not all that great but how long does it take to actually do the tasks? I would assume if it only takes 2 minutes to do a task that pays you .25 cents or higher. That is $15 and hour give or take.
Great in depth review.
Hi Damo,
The time it takes for each task is very different from taks to task. Some only takes a few minutes, others up to 30-60 minutes. Of course the longer tasks also pays more. In general, the rewards on MTurk are however not as high as on other similar sites in my experience.
But you are very right that over time it still really adds up, and that is also why I think that paid surveys and similar online tasks are great. I do however prefer other sites than MTurk – especially because the payout methods are not very good for most countries.
All the best,
Mikael