A Comprehensive Appen Review: Get the Inside Scoop!
Are you looking to make some extra money working from home? Maybe you’ve heard of Appen and you’re curious about what it’s all about. If so, you’ve come to the right place.
In this comprehensive Appen review, we’ll dive deep into what Appen is and what it offers, Appen reviews from employees, the pros and cons of working for Appen, tips for Appen success, how to get started with Appen, and more.
The following video outlines what gig work is, what is Appen, and why you should consider Appen as one of the gig companies you work for.
Introduction to Appen
Founded in 1996, Appen is an Australian-based tech company that provides data annotation services and data collection for organizations around the world.
They specialize in crowdsourcing work-from-home jobs that allow people to work remotely and make money from the comfort of their own homes. Appen has a wide range of jobs from search engine evaluation, to data entry, to translation, and more.
Appen is one of the most popular companies for work-from-home jobs and is used by many organizations to help them collect and annotate data.
Appen has a great reputation for providing legitimate work-from-home jobs and they offer competitive pay and flexible hours. They also have a wide range of job types and are always looking for new workers.
Appen Job Types and Pay
Appen offers a wide range of job types, including social media labelling, search engine evaluation, linguistics, and data collection. Appen jobs range from entry-level to advanced and they pay competitively.
The pay rate varies depending on the job type, but Appen generally pays between $10 and $25 per hour. The pay is often higher for more advanced jobs, such as search engine evaluation.
Let’s have a look at the four main job categories:
Social Media Labelling is where you act as a mystery shopper online, helping a social media platform evaluate their e-commerce shopping experience by purchasing items and completing surveys related to the experience.
Search engine evaluation is one of the most popular Appen jobs and it pays $13-$15 per hour. The job involves evaluating search engine results for accuracy and relevancy. It’s a great way to make money from home and the job offers flexible hours and competitive pay.
Data collection is another popular Appen job and it pays $10-$25 per hour. The job involves entering data (text, visual or audio). For example you could be training robots to talk to humans in different scenarios, such as making a phone call by providing written utterances as if you were interacting with a virtual assistant. Data entry jobs are often part-time and the pay is competitive.
Linguistics is another popular Appen job and it pays $14-$30 per hour. The job involves translating text from one language to another and it’s a great way to make money from home.
We’ll explore some of these jobs in more details below and provide some examples from Appen.
Step by step guide to getting started with Appen
1. Create your Account
Access the Appen Website and click on “Join Our Crowd”.
Aspen then explains about their Part-time Flexible jobs.
We are looking for people from all over the world to participate in some of our many exciting work-from-home opportunities. These opportunities range from simple surveys that can be completed in less than one hour to on-going projects that last for months or longer. Leverage your social media interest, mobile device savviness, your college degree in linguistics, online research skills, or passion for images, video, or audio. With so many diverse projects, chances are we’ve got something for you.
Enter your email address, password, full name and country of residence. Then click on “Create Account”.
If you have an existing account, of course simply Sign In.
2. Verify your email
You’ll be asked to verify your email.
Once you receive the verification code in your email account, enter it on the verification screen.
Access your email and you will see the verification code from appen:
3. Apply for Jobs and complete your profile
You then have the option of applying for either Projects, Micro Tasks or Survey & Data Collection.
You can click any of the 3 Apply buttons, as they lead to the same page where you need to complete your profile information.
This link will take you to the Projects screen, where you can complete your profile.
Click on “Continue Profile” and enter your personal information.
I’ll let you complete these details yourself:
4. Login to your dashboard
Once you login, you’ll see your dashboard:
5. Explore projects and sort by project type
You can choose from a variety of projects, such as Social Media, Search Evaluation, Linguistics or Data Collection.
Click on the “Project Type” column and you can view the different types of jobs:
Let’s have a closer look at what each type of project entails.
Appen Project Type: Social Media Mystery Shopper
Social Media Mystery Shoppers evaluate the e-commerce shopping experience by purchasing items and completing surveys related to the shopping experience.
Mystery Shoppers complete and review the shopping experience of e-commerce advertisers on well-known social media platforms.
The top benefits of being a mystery shopper include:
- Mystery Shoppers get to keep their purchases
- Mystery Shoppers are reimbursed for their purchases
If getting free stuff sounds like something you’d like to do, this may be your ideal work-at-home side hustle.
Requirements to be a Social Media Mystery Shopper at Appen
To qualify as a mystery shopper, it is essential for you to possess a sharp eye for detail and have a good understanding of what they read. In other words, you need to have very good reading comprehension.
There are some specific requirements that Appen lists as well:
- Mystery Shoppers should have some disposable income to make purchases upfront
- Mystery Shoppers should be able to complete purchases with a short 1-week timeline
Appen Social Media Mystery Shopper Pay
The Mystery Shopper jobs are currently listed at $8/task. A task would take anywhere from a few minutes to 15 minutes to complete, depending on complexity and how thorough you are in your evaluation.
Below are some example tasks currently on offer. Keep an eye out for Mystery Shopper gigs that interest you.
Appen Project Type: Search Engine Evaluator
Evaluators of search engines are responsible for assessing and polishing the outcomes and search results of search engine queries.
There are a variety of tasks that evaluators are expected to do, such as scrutinizing web search, video analysis, checking map accuracy, verify automation projects, and much more.
As we all know,the main search engines use secret and proprietary algorithms to generate their results. However, human input is also essential to ensure that the most relevant results are presented in response to any search query.
In this context, search engine evaluators are a crucial part of the puzzle, and their efforts are fundamental for providing the best possible search results!
Requirements to be a Search Engine Evaluator at Appen
To qualify as a search engine evaluator, you have to have a knack for web-based research, be very good at analysis, and have a comprehensive understanding of the internet. It is beneficial to be tech-savvy and pay attention to detail.
It’s helpful if you have a college degree, but not all businesses seeking search engine evaluators demand one. Appen, for example, used to require a diploma, but that is no longer the case.
On the equipment side, it is essential to have a fast internet connection and, in some cases, a smartphone. You must have your own laptop or desktop, as freelancing companies such as Appen do not provide computer equipment.
Appen Search Engine Evaluator Pay
Search engine evaluation is one of the most popular Appen jobs and it pays $16-$25 per hour. The job involves evaluating search engine results for accuracy and relevancy. It’s a great way to make money from home and the job offers flexible hours and competitive pay.
A task would take anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes to complete, depending on complexity and how detailed you are in your responses. If you are quick, accurate and thorough in your job, and have relevant experience, you can easily complete the task in under half the time, hence doubling your hourly salary.
Below are some example tasks currently on offer. Keep an eye out for Search Evaluator work-at-home jobs that interest you.
Appen Project Type: Linguistics and Translating
Linguistics and translator workers would be engaged in work that improves and expands translation resources and access to information for people from all walks of life.
You will likely be involved in various tasks with varying levels of technicalities and engagements. The tasks would range from short one-off projects, to longer term engagements.
The top benefits of being a linguistics expert or translator include:
- Working with varied people from travellers to teachers, students and minority communities.
- Challenging tasks and sense of purpose in helping people
If linguistics sounds like something you’d like to do, this may be your ideal line of work from home.
Requirements to be a Linguistics Translator at Appen
To qualify for a linguistics job, it is essential for you to have some translation and/or linguistic experience, and in most cases near native fluency in English.
Other linguistic projects may require fluency in other languages, both oral and written. If the project involves work with AI, you may need some technical experience, or at least be comfortable working with leading-edge technology.
Appen Linguistics Translator Pay
The Linguistics jobs are currently listed at $20 to $44.55 per hour and per task. A task would take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to complete, depending on complexity and how thorough and accurate you are in your analysis, writing and translating..
Below are some example tasks currently on offer. Keep an eye out for Linguistics jobs that interest you.
Appen Project Type: Data Collecting
Data Collectors would be engaged in work that requires gathering data from various devices or situations. For example a project may involve video and audio recorded user-testing, verbalizing your feedback and filling out surveys.
You will be involved in various tasks with varying levels of technical difficulty and requirements. The tasks would range from short one-off projects, to longer term engagements where multiple submissions of data are required.
For example a recent project required recording 3 videos containing fun activities such as dancing, walking around, yoga, cooking, or exercising. Each video will take you up to 15 to 30 seconds. The whole task should not take more than 15-30 minutes. The task paid $15/task.
The top benefits of being a data collector include:
- Working with various technical devices on interesting, fun and challenging tasks
- Sense of purpose from completing tasks that have a positive impact on people’s lives
If data collecting sounds like something you’d like to do, this may be your ideal side hustle.
Requirements to be a Data Collector at Appen
To qualify for a data collecting task, it would depend on the specific requirements of the task. The requirements could be technical, social, or time based.
As an example, here the requirements for one data collection project:
- Have a Mac or Windows computer/laptop
- Have a working Internet connection
- Have a webcam, built-in laptop camera or can borrow one
Appen Data Collector Pay
The Data Collector jobs are currently listed at $20 to $44.55 per hour and per task. A task would take anywhere from a few to 30 to 60 minutes to complete, depending on complexity and what exactly is required.
Below are some example tasks currently on offer. Keep an eye out for Data Collection jobs that interest you.
Unlocking Long-Term Appen Projects
Long-term projects pay a higher rate, and will be better tailored to your experience and qualifications. In order to access these projects, it is necessary to finish your profile, answer all questions, and wait for Appen to screen you.
If you are approved, you will need to sign consent documents, before being shown available projects.
Pros and Cons of Working with Appen
Like most jobs and side hustles, there are advantages and disadvantages. And working for Appen as a data collector, search engine evaluator, social media mystery shopper or linguistics translator is no different.
Below I’ll list some of these advantages and disadvantages, so you can decide for yourself if this is something you want to pursue.
The Pros
The Cons
Tips for Appen success
Now that we’ve considered the pros and cons of freelancing at Appen, let’s have a look at the key points to ensure success.
Bottom Line: How much money can you make?
It is really hard to estimate how much you can make from tasks on Appen over the short or long term. It depends on your effort and what tasks and projects are available.
Generally, though, don’t expect to be able to make a living from working only on Appen. You need to join a modest number of remote working platforms, and pick and choose the best projects when they become available.
To make the largest amount of money, there are a few things to remember.
First, the platform you take the jobs through can make a difference, since some provide really generous bonuses for high priority tasks. Some platforms will have tasks that pay better than others, and some tasks that will be more suited for your interests and experience.
Second, you also have to complete the tasks correctly and be patient at first. As you complete tasks correctly and do more jobs, you will start to build trust and your rank will rise, which can significantly influence your earning potential.
At the start, you’re probably only going to get a few, low-paying jobs. But if you do them properly, your rank will rapidly increase, and you’ll get more, higher-paying assignments.
Eventually, you can become a skilled contributor, which will open up a lot more tasks.
If you take your time, spread your work across multiple freelancing platforms, and build your experience and time across a number of them, you’ll be very well placed to seriously supplement, or even replace, your 9 to 5 job.
Frequently Asked Questions about working on Appen gigs
General Onboarding Questions
As an Appen Independent Rater, you must use the Google Chrome web browser. If you do not have Chrome installed on your device, or the version that you have is outdated, click the link below to get the latest edition or upgrade your Chrome web browser. You can do so without incurring any cost.
HINT: To confirm your version of Chrome, open Chrome and choose ‘Customize and Control Google Chrome’ from the button located on the top right corner. Then, pick ‘About Google Chrome’. The installed version will be shown in the screen that opens.
Get Chrome: Download Chrome
NOTE: In case you already have Chrome on your machine, please make sure to delete ALL third-party extensions from your Chrome installation. These extensions can sometimes cause compatibility issues. You will need to start with a BRAND-NEW Chrome installation that does not contain any third-party extensions.
After configuring your computer with the right version of Google Chrome, you can go to the All Projects menu on the main navigation bar to observe the projects that are currently available.
If you do not find any projects listed there, it is because the available projects change depending on the requirements of our customers, which can change rapidly.
It is essential to read through all of the project pages before starting work on a task or project. This is so you will be knowledgeable about the policies specific to each project.
The amount of time that should be put into each task is determined by the task’s completion rate, as posted on the task page. Some projects may have further regulations and instructions that contain the amount of time that should be dedicated to the task, which will be found on special project pages on our website.
It is essential to accurately monitor the amount of time spent providing evaluation services. All personnel must independently document the time spent on evaluation duties with great precision in order to create accurate invoices.
It is necessary to record the exact project you worked on and the duration of your activity, as this information will be included in the invoice. There are lots of free resources available online that can be used to track the time spent.
Because of the type of work Appen do, there will be periods of time when no tasks are available. New projects can be added at any moment, so make sure you keep checking the website.
The types of assignments available are dependent on the current requirements and can modify from one hour to the next. It is possible that there are no openings that fit your location, language, or previous experience at the moment.
It should be noted that the parameters of certain positions may alter from one period to the next, consequently making you ineligible for a job you had already worked in.
Certain of Appen assignments necessitate the viewing of extra pages because of the task-specific data that must be looked over before you start working on it.
This information might be concerning guidelines or it could include other extra instructions for you to be successful in the job. If a project has extra pages, please make sure to read through all the details thoroughly prior to beginning the task.
It is not permitted for Appen Contributors to undertake any work outside the country in which they are living.
Project Questions
Before Appen Contributors can begin working on some particular kinds of projects, they have to be certified. To become certified you would either take an exam, or review guidelines.
It is not necessary to be qualified for participating; it is an optional choice. But, only those Contributors who have been qualified can be allowed to work on tasks that require qualification.
If a project necessitates supplementary qualification steps, a “Qualify” button will be visible in the list of projects. This will start the qualification procedure.
Certain tasks and projects necessitate that you be certified before you are able to participate in them. Therefore, if you want to be involved in those projects, you must finish the qualification procedure.
You are not allowed to include in your invoice any time taken for qualification related activities.
This includes tasks such as going through the qualification guidelines, practising, or completing any qualifications. Any time taken to accomplish these tasks is not to be billed.
Generally, you will get a single chance to be accepted onto a project. If you don’t pass the qualification procedure for the project, it will be removed from your list of projects and you will not be able to work on it.
Nonetheless, we suggest that you try to qualify for other projects that may be available periodically.
Appen Reviews
Appen reviews on Indeed.com
Let’s start by looking at the overall ratings. At 3.4, Appen is not bad among similar companies. Ratings by category indicate a 4.1 on work and life balance, and a 2.3 on job security and advancement.
These results are not surprising. Freelancing by its very nature offers great work and life balance, and a complete lack of job security.
Social Media Evaluator job reviews
If we search for Social Media Evaluator tasks, we find many reviews. I have picked the top 3 that the search results show me on here. It appears one person enjoyed their freelancing work at Appen highlighting the benefits of work at home and being free to choose which projects to work on.
One person with the 4 star review stated the pay is low and there is a lack of job security, but this is offset with the ability to choose which work you do.
The last person who rated it as a 1 star appears to have trouble passing the qualification quizzes, as they complain of taking many quizzes but not being assigned to a project.
Translator and Linguistics job review
Let’s have a look at a Translator/Linguistics and SEO Checker review. This person was not happy at all freelancing at Appen. The main grievances are the low pay and the exams the person had to undertake to qualify for a project. Of coure the time taken to prepare and do the qualification exams is not paid for.
The person who did the Fact Checker task was quite happy, indicating good work and life balance.
Web Search Evaluator job reviews
For Web Search Evaluator jobs at Appen, reviews were quite negative, but they were not specific to the web search evaluator, but more about the company structure and the nature of the work.
Appen reviews on Sitejabber.com
All Appen reviews here are 1 star and negative. It appears that all reviewers found fault with their work for Appen.
If we read through the individual reviews, and I have posted all six here, we can see some common threads emerge.
The main issues were the time spent getting approved for projects, with many emails needing to be sent, and the time to get onboarded onto projects not being paid for.
Another main issue was either not getting paid, or the low pay. There were also complaints about emails not being replied to, and having problems dealing with support.
Some of these complaints may be coming from the fact that people do not have the correct expectations of what freelancer work is. Freelancing is very different to a traditional 8 to 4 or 9 to 5 job. There is no direct manager to report to, and the work is simply task based.
Hence one can not freelance at companies like Appen with an employee mindset. This will lead to frustration and disappointment, and intimately your lack of interest in working.
