Skip to content
AI Data Payout

Updated November 2026

micro1 vs Mode: which fits a company your size?

Independent and sourced. We feature companies that pay us a referral fee. Our scores and reviews don't change for it. How we earn

A law firm with 6 staff, or an accounting, finance or medical practice with 10, clears Mode's minimum but not micro1's, which is 30+ full-time employees in every industry. In every other industry the bar is 30+ at both, and the gap moves to the deal. micro1 licenses the data on public terms, with tiers from $100K-500K up to $2M+. Mode buys an agreed copy, shows an indicative $100K-$5M, and expects about three months from first conversation through payment.1,2,3,4,5,6,7

Match my companyWhat is it worth?

Side by side

micro1 and Mode, row by row

micro1

9.7/10

#1 in our seller ranking

Visit micro1

We're in micro1's referral program, so we may earn a fee if you work with them. It doesn't change our score or review. How we earn

Read our micro1 review

Mode

7.3/10

#9 in our seller ranking

Visit Mode

We're in Mode's referral program, so we may earn a fee if you work with them. It doesn't change our score or review. How we earn

Read our Mode review

Most cells are what each company says about itself. The numbers link to the sources.

micro1 compared with Mode
Topicmicro1Mode
Staff minimum30+ full-time employees in every industry26+ for legal; 10+ for accounting, finance and medical; 30+ for all others1
Where it wants youUS first, then other Western markets; primarily English data2Teams primarily in the US are the strongest fit; outside the US, case by case1
Stated priceTiers of $100K-500K, $500K-2M and $2M+; headline says $200K to $2M+4,8$100K-$5M, indicative only and subject to full review6
What you signA public license: nonexclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, and can be passed on; you keep ownership3,9An agreement to buy an agreed, filtered copy; you keep your originals, and it sets scope and any exclusivity5
When you are paidWithin 30 days of acceptance; its FAQ says 30 days to approve, then 30 days from invoice10About three months from first conversation through payment7
Fees you payNot publishedNo broker fee, Mode says5
Removing namesRemoved or transformed before sharing with third parties; its FAQ says "when relevant"; you review a sample11,12Names and contact details removed or transformed in a secure workspace; staff sign in, no passwords handed over13
Deals it has reportedMore than 50 in 45 days, per its Spirit Airlines court filing; sellers and prices not named14Not published
Who stands behind itmicro1 Inc., founded 2022; $4B valuation and a $1B commitment to buy company data15,16,17Mode.Inc, a consumer app company reported as founded in 2019; SEC filing dates Mode Mobile, Inc. to 2015 and flags a going-concern doubt management says its plans alleviated; data program launched October 13, 202618,19,20,21

Size first

Small law, accounting, finance and medical firms have Mode, and not micro1

Mode's minimums are 6+ for legal, 10+ for accounting, finance and medical, and 30+ for all other businesses or nonprofits. Mode's referral page asks referrers for bigger companies, at 10+, 15+ and 50+, which in our view hints at where its appetite is strongest, so a firm near the low end should ask how it would be priced.1,22

micro1 asks for 30+ full-time employees with mature operations and substantial historical data. A 30+ company in any field can ask both. Mode's calculator treats full-time desk staff and non-desk staff as separate inputs, so a business with crews should check how it counts them, and micro1's word is full-time.2,1

Reading the numbers

Neither micro1's nor Mode's top number is a quote

Mode's $100K-$5M has the higher ceiling, and Mode labels its calculator illustrative, with a fixed offer only after it reviews your systems, history, ownership and available data. micro1's tiers run to $2M+ for highly unique data, and its own pages disagree at the bottom: $100K in the tier list, $200K in the headline, $150K in the process text. In our view neither ceiling tells you what your company would get, so compare written offers.6,4,8

micro1 has more on the record. It said in its Spirit Airlines court filing that it completed more than 50 data transactions in the preceding 45 days, without naming sellers or prices, and it says it is financing a $1 billion data commitment with capital from Citi and Hercules Capital. Meta also removed some micro1 ads for not following its Advertising Standards, and Meta does not show why. Mode's data program only launched in October 2026, and we found no deals on its page, though its background is consumer apps that pay users for activity.14,23,24,18,19

Mode says it buys your copy directly, so we would ask first about its money. Mode Mobile, Inc.'s SEC report covers the six months to June 30, 2026 and does not mention buying company records. In it, Mode cites recurring losses and a $5,118,471 note installment due December 1, 2026 as raising substantial doubt about continuing as a going concern, and says management concluded its plans alleviated that doubt.5,20,21,25

The paperwork

micro1's contract is public, and Mode's is written for each deal

You can read micro1's master terms today. The license is perpetual and can be passed on, your data is deleted within 120 days of final delivery, and models already trained on it stay. Either side can end the agreement on 30 days' notice, so ask what that means for a license described as irrevocable. We found no public contract from Mode, which says your written agreement sets the amount, payment schedule, scope and any exclusivity before export. In our view that means you know less up front, and may have more room to shape the deal.3,26,5

Timing is hard to compare because the clocks differ. Mode gives about three months from first conversation through payment. micro1 says in full within 30 days of acceptance, and its FAQ adds 30 days to review the data first, and it gives no time for the steps before delivery. We work with both, and the quiz will show which of them fits your size and industry.7,10

FAQ

Questions, answered with sources

  • Mode's page lists 6+ for legal as its minimum, and says it reviews your systems, history, ownership and data before any offer. Clearing the minimum gets a review, not an offer.1

  • micro1's page lists tiers of $100K-500K, $500K-2M and $2M+, with a headline of $200K to $2M+ and a line saying payments typically run from $150K to over $2M. Its referral page still says $100K-$2M+, so ask which figure applies to you.4,8

  • Neither micro1 nor Mode promises an amount. Mode's indicative range reaches $5M and micro1's top tier is $2M+ for highly unique data, and neither ceiling is a quote. Written offers are the only comparison that counts.6,4

  • micro1's terms grant a license and say you keep your rights in the data. Mode says it buys an agreed, filtered copy and that you keep your original records and systems. Both leave you holding your originals, so ask what each one can do with its copy.3,9,5

  • Mode says a few hours from your team, signing in to approved systems with no passwords handed over. micro1 has said 1-3 hours for a data manifest and up to 10 engineering hours for the transfer, a figure from a video about its program and not its site.27,13,28

  • micro1 and Mode are both open to a 40-person company, since each asks for 30+ outside the fields where Mode goes lower. Each also calls several years of records a stronger fit.2,1

  • Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.

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

  • Which of our client files are we able to include, and who decides what stays out?
  • Could the data include privileged material or trade secrets?
  • Do professional rules apply (AICPA, IRC 7216, HIPAA, ABA Model Rule 1.17, insurance agency contracts, adviser rules, state boards)?

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?

How this page was made

Figures come from the published sources listed below, and what a buyer says about itself is its own claim. Anything marked as our estimate is ours, not a buyer quote. Drafted with AI help from our research, then checked against each source. Updated October 2026.

We feature companies that pay us a referral fee. Our scores and reviews don't change for it. See how we earn and how we rank. This site does not give legal, tax or financial advice.

Sources (28)

  1. 1.Mode company data site. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  2. 2.micro1 data partnerships page. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  3. 3.micro1 Data License Master Terms, published 7 Oct 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  4. 4.micro1 data partnerships page. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  5. 5.Mode company data site. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  6. 6.Mode company data site. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  7. 7.Mode company data site. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  8. 8.micro1 data partnerships page. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  9. 9.beri.net, published 10 Oct 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026.
  10. 10.micro1 data partnerships page. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  11. 11.micro1 data partnerships page. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  12. 12.micro1 data partnerships page. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  13. 13.Mode company data site. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  14. 14.Fortune, published 14 Sep 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  15. 15.Fortune, published 14 Sep 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026.
  16. 16.Forbes, published 22 Sep 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026.
  17. 17.The Next Web, published 9 Oct 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026.
  18. 18.Mode.Inc website. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  19. 19.Business Insider, published 16 Jun 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026.
  20. 20.SEC EDGAR, Form 1-SA, published 9 Oct 2026. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  21. 21.SEC EDGAR, Form 1-SA, published 9 Oct 2026. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  22. 22.Mode referral program page. Accessed 30 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  23. 23.micro1 blog, published 9 Oct 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  24. 24.Meta Ad Library, micro1 page. Accessed 14 Oct 2026.
  25. 25.SEC EDGAR, Form 1-SA. Accessed 30 Oct 2026.
  26. 26.micro1 Data License Master Terms, published 7 Oct 2026. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  27. 27.Mode company data site. Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.
  28. 28.Summary of micro1's video "How to earn up to $2M training AI models with anonymized company data". Accessed 14 Oct 2026. Company's own claim.