Compare Annotation Services
See how AI Taggers delivers better quality, faster turnaround, and more value than other annotation providers.
How AI Taggers Compares
A comprehensive feature-by-feature comparison with major annotation providers.
| Feature | AI Taggers | Scale AI | Labelbox | Appen | Offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy Guarantee | 99.5% | 95-98% | 95-98% | 90-95% | 70-85% |
| QA Process | 3-tier human | 2-tier | 2-tier | 1-tier | Inconsistent |
| Annotator Quality | Domain experts | Crowdsourced | Mixed | Crowdsourced | Unknown |
| Medical Expertise | Board-certified | No | Limited | No | No |
| Australian-led | |||||
| Pricing | 30-40% less | Premium | Premium | Competitive | Cheap |
| Turnaround | Fast | Fast | Medium | Medium | Slow |
| Communication | Direct PM | Portal | Portal | Portal | Time zones |
| Custom Workflows | Limited | Limited | No | No | |
| Free Sample | 24-48hr | Paid pilot | Paid pilot | No | Sometimes |
| Min Volume | No minimum | 10K+ images | 5K+ images | High | Varies |
| Contract Terms | Flexible | Annual | Annual | Long-term | Varies |
Head-to-Head Comparisons
AI Taggers vs. Scale AI
Scale AI is the market leader but comes with premium pricing and less flexibility.
When to Choose AI Taggers
- You need better pricing (30-40% savings)
- You want Australian-led quality oversight
- You need domain experts (medical, AV, etc.)
- You want flexible contracts and no minimums
- You need a dedicated project manager
When Scale AI Might Be Better
- •You're a Fortune 500 with unlimited budget
- •You need built-in ML model training (they offer full MLOps)
- •You prefer fully automated platform (we're more hands-on)
"We switched from Scale AI to AI Taggers and saved $45K on a 100K image project while getting better accuracy."
ML Engineer
Autonomous Vehicle Startup
AI Taggers vs. Labelbox
Labelbox offers a powerful platform with good tools, but requires you to manage more of the process.
When to Choose AI Taggers
- You don't want to manage annotators yourself
- You need human expertise, not just software
- You want faster setup (no platform learning curve)
- You need domain experts (not crowdsourced labor)
- You prefer direct communication vs. portal tickets
When Labelbox Might Be Better
- •You want to manage your own annotation team
- •You need their specific software features
- •You prefer platform-based workflows
Key Difference: Labelbox is software + crowdsourced labor. We're expert annotators + Australian QA + platform-agnostic (we work with whatever tools you use).
AI Taggers vs. Appen
Appen is one of the largest annotation companies with a crowdsourced workforce.
When to Choose AI Taggers
- You need consistent quality (not crowd-level)
- You want domain experts, not general crowd workers
- You need faster turnaround
- You want Australian oversight and communication
- You need specialized annotation (medical, safety-critical)
When Appen Might Be Better
- •You need massive scale (millions of images)
- •You're okay with lower accuracy for lower price
- •You need global language coverage (they have 1M+ annotators)
Key Difference: Appen uses crowdsourcing (gig workers). We use vetted specialists with domain expertise and 3-tier QA.
AI Taggers vs. Offshore Vendors
Offshore vendors offer cheap pricing but often poor quality. Here's the hidden cost of "cheap" annotation.
What Offshore Vendors Promise
- •Rock-bottom prices ($0.02-0.05 per image)
- •Fast turnaround
- •"High quality"
The Reality:
- 70-85% accuracy (not 99%+)
- Inconsistent quality batch-to-batch
- Communication challenges (time zones, language)
- No domain expertise
- Zero accountability
- Model retraining costs 10x the savings
Why AI Taggers is Different
- Australian-led quality oversight
- Vetted, trained specialists
- 99.5% accuracy guarantee
- Same time zone communication
- Accountable project management
- We fix errors at no cost
True Cost Analysis: 10,000 Images
Offshore Vendor
AI Taggers
Winner: AI Taggers saves you $1,000 and 2 months
Transparent Pricing Comparison
Per-image pricing ranges for bounding box annotation.
| Complexity | AI Taggers | Scale AI | Labelbox | Appen | Offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (bounding boxes) | $0.10-0.15 | $0.20-0.30 | $0.15-0.25 | $0.12-0.18 | $0.02-0.05 |
| Medium Complexity | $0.20-0.30 | $0.40-0.60 | $0.35-0.50 | $0.25-0.40 | $0.05-0.10 |
| High Complexity | $0.40-0.60 | $0.80-1.20 | $0.70-1.00 | $0.50-0.80 | $0.10-0.20 |
Note: Scale AI and Labelbox often have 10K+ image minimums. Offshore pricing doesn't include rework costs (which average 30-50%).
AI Taggers has no minimums and includes unlimited revisions.
Turnaround Time Comparison
How fast can you get results?
| Item | AI Taggers | Scale AI | Labelbox | Appen | Offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Sample (25-50 images) | 24-48 hours | Paid pilot only | Paid pilot only | N/A | 3-7 days |
| Production (10K images) | 1-2 weeks | 2-3 weeks | 2-4 weeks | 3-4 weeks | 2-3 weeks* |
| Rush Available | ✓ 48-hour | Limited | No | No | No |
*Offshore production times don't account for quality issues that often cause additional delays.
Which Provider is Right for You?
Choose AI Taggers If:
- Need 99.5%+ accuracy
- Want domain experts (medical, AV, etc.)
- Need flexible contracts and no minimums
- Want Australian quality oversight
- Value direct communication
- Need fast turnaround (free 24-48hr samples)
- Want better pricing than Scale AI
Choose Scale AI If:
- •Fortune 500 company with unlimited budget
- •Need full MLOps platform integration
- •Already using their ecosystem
- •Don't mind premium pricing
Choose Labelbox If:
- •Want to manage your own annotation team
- •Need their specific software features
- •Have internal annotation expertise
Choose Appen If:
- •Need massive scale (millions of images)
- •Okay with crowd-level quality
- •Need 180+ languages
Ready to Compare Quality?
Get a free sample with 25-50 annotated images to see the AI Taggers difference. No commitment, no sales pressure—just quality you can measure.