Is Appen a good company to work for?

Appen has an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5, based on over 6,234 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 61% of employees would recommend working at Appen to a friend and 49% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Appen have been left by employees working as Linguist , Social Media and Appen Social Media Evaluator .

Does Appen pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Appen employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Appen. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Appen?

61% of Appen employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Appen 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 3.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Appen?

Social Media Evaluator (684) , Search Engine Evaluator (599) , Independent Contractor (283) , Web Search Evaluator (238) , Freelancer (193) , Transcriptionist (91) , Avaliador De Mídia Social (90) , Appen Social Media Evaluator (80) , Project Manager (61) , Avaliador De Anúncios (59) , Ads Quality Rater (58) , Transcriber (54) , Contributor (49) , Independent Consultant (48) , Internet Analyst (43)

What are the pros of working at Appen according to real employee reviews?

"flexible and perfectly work from home" ((in 590 reviews)); "Remote and flexible hours for FTEs (many reviews seem like they come from ICs but this is true for FTEs as well)" ((in 304 reviews)); "Great for a little bit of extra money but not a sole source of income." ((in 100 reviews)); "home office and flexible time" ((in 78 reviews)); "Flexibility was great and remote" ((in 46 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Appen according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay (depending on project); subject to termination without notice or sufficient explanation" ((in 374 reviews)); "Communication is poor" ((in 110 reviews)); "Low salary and help tickets are rarely reviewed." ((in 92 reviews)); "Lots of unpaid training and not much employee support or feedback" ((in 66 reviews)); "Poor management and extremely high employee attrition." ((in 54 reviews))

What are employees saying about Appen layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Appen layoffs and their outlook for job security at Appen in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Appen locations?

New York , San Francisco , Remote , Los Angeles , Atlanta , Miami , Seattle , Chicago , Dallas , Kirkland , Houston , Charlotte , Austin , Orlando , Jacksonville , Tampa , Detroit , Washington , Columbus , Bellevue , San Antonio , Bothell , Indianapolis , Baltimore , Sunnyvale , Birmingham , Virginia Beach , Raleigh , San Jose , Colorado Springs

Appen reviews

3.5

61% would recommend to a friend

(2,200 total reviews)

Ryan Kolln

48% approve of CEO

49% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.6

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

3.0

Senior management

3.0

Compensation and benefits

3.0

Career opportunities

Appen has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 2,200 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Appen employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

2.0

Dec 4, 2016

Payroll is an Absolute Nightmare

Social media evaluator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work from home, set your own hours.

Cons

Lack of personal communication, everything is email and you don't get the answers you are seeking. You cannot reach a live human being via their phone number either. Contracts are terminated without notice. The work is extremely tedious, repetitive and stressful. PAYROLL is a nightmare. If you ask for paper check, you will receive it approximately 10 days AFTER payday. If you use direct deposit or pay card, who knows how long it will take. The company has just turned over their payroll deposits to a company called Payoneer who sends the money to ACHDirect for processing. When the direct deposit doesn't show up in your bank account, Payoneer is full of excuses, their customer service is rude and Appen payroll is completely checked out and will not respond to your emails. Payoneer will tell you that it takes up to 5 business days to receive a direct deposit, then they will tell you 1-3 business days. Either way, your money is out in cyberspace, ACHDirect does have a tracking number to trace the funds and without that, your bank can't find your money.

Appen Response

9y

Thank you for your feedback. We acknowledge and apologize that the transition to a new payment provider has caused you to feel as though we are not providing the service you deserve. The decision to move to a new payment provider was made to better service the needs of our independent contractors worldwide. We understand that with the change there has been some confusion around timing of payments. Please refer to the documents we distributed prior to the transition which explain the payment disbursement timeline depending on your choice of payment method. We appreciate your patience during this process and encourage you to email us with any additional concerns at feedback @appen.com.

1.0

Dec 8, 2014

Idiotic Company with Intense and Ridiculous Expectations and Protocols.

Web search evaluator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-If you really must have a stressful work from home job, then this is a great job. -If you love stress and want to be in constant fear of losing your job, then this is a great job. -If you love the feeling of being dispensable and don't mind being let go at any given time, then this is a great job. -If you love the feeling of being made out to be an incompetent idiot, then this is a great job. -If you love your intelligence to be insulted by a low paying job disguised as "good pay" as you're expected to produce at robotic speed, then this is a great job. *This is an awesome job if you agree to all the above and then some.

Cons

-Work is tedious, very subjective, and frustrating and other senior judges subjective opinions always wins. -Unrealistic goals, as a web search evaluator to produce hits in very short amount of time like a robot. -Don't be fooled...for the work you do and constant aggravation, the pay is not that good (low). -Guidelines and auditors are always conflicting and inconsistent. -Always technical problems and glitches with toolbars and system. -Faulty outdated portal system that works only when it is in the mood. - Constant stressful audits. -You're constantly getting evaluated. -Management Constantly breathing down your neck. -You're ALWAYS at fear for losing your job as you can be terminated at any time (NO stability). -Hours are not always available. *You will regret this job as I have since I thought these reviews were over dramatic an over exaggerated. (But I have learned otherwise as I have repented and now I sing the same tunes as many others before me).

Appen Response

10y

We’re very sorry to hear about your experience with Appen! Please feel free to contact us at feedback@appen.com. We would like to hear more information about your situation in hopes that it will help us improve our processes. Thank you.

2.0

Feb 8, 2022

Appen Keeps Disregarding Employee Needs

Program manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Lots of good people who share the same frustrations (not sure if that's a 'pros') - It gives you a great introduction of AI and the world of human-in-the-loop work - You get to make a difference to thousands of people around the world by offering work (although Appen often cuts pay that are extreme and seem unfair for the Independent Contractors they hire) - You get exposed to the inner workings of some of the top tech companies in the world which you can leverage to get a much better job in the future

Cons

- You're a number whether you're a rater or a full-time employee - Pay gaps are huge internally as most people are underpaid and a few get large increases because they try to escape the company for better opportunities - Leadership is...incredibly...weak and out of touch with the org - Leadership does not take employee suggestions seriously. Fair, competitive pay was always an issue and when addressed they would beat around the bush and make it sounds like all of a sudden Appen is not a tech company and therefore should not pay tech salaries. - Expect to lose your job when you are no longer needed OR you suddenly make too much money - I didn't know a single person on my level or below that was happy and felt appreciated

Viewing 19 - 21 of 2,200 Reviews

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Appen

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Reviews by job title

Payroll is an Absolute Nightmare

Idiotic Company with Intense and Ridiculous Expectations and Protocols.

Appen Keeps Disregarding Employee Needs

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