Updated October 2026
Mercor vs Polyshares: speed against a stated price
You want to know two things: how much, and when. Mercor answers the second, with a wire 2-4 weeks after signing, but names no price. Polyshares answers the first, typically $100K-$2M+, with an offer 1-2 weeks after intake and payment Net 30-60 once the data is approved, scrubbed and delivered. Both say they charge sellers no fees, and one is a $10B company while the other names two partners.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Side by side
Mercor and Polyshares, row by row
| Topic | Mercor | Polyshares |
|---|---|---|
| Price shown | None4 | Typically $100K-$2M+5 |
| When you are paid | By wire, 2-4 weeks after signing3 | Net 30-60 after approval, scrubbing and delivery6 |
| Fees | No fees1 | Charges sellers no fee2 |
| Data taken | Slack, Teams, Gmail, Outlook, Confluence, Salesforce, GitHub, Drive, Notion, 100+ tools9 | Slack, email, Drive, CRM, tickets, design files, calls and ERP10 |
| Personal data | SOC 2 Type II; method not published11 | Third-party partner strips personal details; client-held data excluded12,13 |
| Record | Confirmed a 2026 cyberattack; class actions filed14,15 | Domain hosted an unrelated crypto site in 202316 |
The trade-off
Knowing the price versus knowing the date
With Polyshares you know roughly what to expect before you start, so you can judge whether it is worth the effort. With Mercor you know when the money arrives but not how much until it makes an offer. If cash timing matters, say for a company in transition or one being sold, Mercor's 2-4 week wire is one of the clearest payment promises published.5,3
Mercor also has form in deals around transactions: it approached Warmly about its archives after HubSpot bought the company, and it was the backup bidder for Spirit Airlines' data at $7.5M.17,18
Trust
What each has on the record
Mercor's record is large and public, both ways: a $10B valuation and a confirmed cyberattack with class actions. Polyshares' record is thin: four deals it lists itself, two named partners, no terms or privacy policy, and a domain that once hosted an unrelated crypto investment site. Neither fact settles the choice, but both are worth asking about.7,14,19,8,16
Polyshares is one of the buyers we work with and Mercor is not. The quiz checks whether your company fits Polyshares and the others we work with, and a written offer from any of them gives you a number to hold against Mercor's.
FAQ
Questions, answered with sources
Before you sign
Questions to talk through with your buyer
Every business is different, so these are best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over them with you before anything is signed.
Questions for this kind of business
- How do CCPA, GDPR, UK GDPR and state privacy laws apply, and is de-identified data still personal information?
- Do customer, vendor or platform contracts, NDAs or API terms restrict this?
Questions for any buyer
- Is the license exclusive, and for how long?
- Can you sublicense the data, and to whom?
- Which AI labs will receive it, and will you tell us?
- How long do you keep it, and how is it deleted?
- What is your liability cap, and who indemnifies whom?
- Will the contract ban re-identification of people in the data?
- Who removes personal data, by what method, and do we approve it first?