Best Human Data Companies

ComparisonChecked Nov 8, 2026

Prolific vs Toloka

Both give AI teams access to people for evaluation and data, but they are bought differently. Prolific is primarily a self-serve participant platform with published pay-as-you-go pricing, plus managed services. Toloka focuses on managed post-training, RL environment, evaluation, and safety data, and also offers a self-service platform.

What differs

  • Buying model: Prolific is primarily self-serve with managed services available; Toloka is primarily managed with a self-service platform.
  • Public pricing: Prolific publishes a 42.8% corporate platform fee on participant rewards; Toloka: contact vendor for managed work.
  • Published security: Prolific lists ISO 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials, with SOC 2 Type 2 planned; Toloka lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701.
  • Ownership notes: Toloka’s May 2025 investment led by Bezos Expeditions changed its governance; Nebius retains a significant majority economic stake without voting control.

Who each tends to fit

Prolific tends to fit teams running their own studies and representative samples. Toloka tends to fit teams wanting delivered datasets and environments.

Last checked: . No winner declared.

Side by side

FactProlificToloka
StatusActive, privately held.Active. May 2025 investment led by Bezos Expeditions; Nebius retains significant majority economic stake but no longer controls voting.
OwnershipPrivately heldPrivately held
Buying modelManaged service, Self-serve platformManaged service, Self-serve platform, Off-the-shelf datasets
CategoriesSelf-serve participant platform; Human evaluation & preference data; Managed data collectionManaged post-training data; RL environments & agent data; Evaluation & red teaming; Off-the-shelf datasets; Self-service platform
PricingPublic: pay-as-you-go platform fee usually 42.8% of participant rewards for corporate customers (33.3% academic/non-profit); recommended participant pay at least $12/hr, minimum $8/hr. Managed services: custom quote.Contact vendor (managed); self-service platform terms published, prices not captured
CertificationsISO 27001:2022; Cyber Essentials; SOC 2 Type 2 stated as planned (not yet held per security page)SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; ISO 27701; GDPR (stated)
LimitationsSelf-serve model means you design tasks and QA unless you buy managed services; SOC 2 Type 2 not yet obtained per its security pageOwnership changed in 2025; include governance in vendor diligence
How to buyprolific.comtoloka.ai
Sources[1] [2] [3] Checked 2026-11-08[1] [2] [3] [4] Checked 2026-11-08

Facts come from each vendor’s profile sources. Run a paid pilot before choosing.