As AI-powered solutions become abundant, many businesses rely on AI data services to acquire the necessary data to fuel their AI projects, such as Large Language Models (LLMs) or natural language processing (NLP) systems. Telus International is one such service that helps businesses with their AI data needs. Our analysis identified some drawbacks of working with Telus International.
This article evaluates Telus International based on customer and worker reviews and offers 3 alternatives, detailing their main features and pricing models.
Readers interested in Telus International alternatives fall under 2 categories; select yours to see information that is relevant to you:
- Telus International’s workers: These are workers who wish to work within Telus’s crowd as a participant. If you are a worker, click here.
- Customers (i.e. buyers): These are businesses that are interested in Telus’s services but want to consider its alternatives. If you are a potential customer or buyer, click here.
Table 1. Telus International alternatives comparison (for workers)
| Companies | Worker ratings (out of 5)* | Number of reviews* | Payment schedule** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clickworker | 4.4 | 2454 | Weekly |
| Appen | 1.3 | 257 | Weekly |
| Telus International | 1.7 | 88 | Monthly |
| Amazon Mechanical Turk | 2 | 57 | Weekly |
Notes
- Workers can use the links in the table to reach the sign-up pages of each alternative.
- The companies are ranked based on the number of reviews.
- * Worker ratings data gathered from Trustpilot since it has mostly worker reviews.
- ** Data gathered from analyzing worker reviews. In some cases, workers reported payment delays.
Table 2. Telus International alternatives comparison (for potential buyers)
| Companies | User ratings out of 5 (Avg)* | Number of Reviews* | Mobile Application | ISO 27001 Certification | Code of Conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clickworker | 4.1 | 68 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Appen | 4.2 | 54 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Amazon Mechanical Turk | 4 | 28 | ✖ | N/A | ✖ |
| TELUS International | 4.3 | 10 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Notes
- * The data was gathered from B2B review platforms such as G2, Trustradius, and Capterra.
- The comparison is based on publicly available and verifiable data
- The companies are ranked based on the number of reviews.
Telus International overview
Telus International claims to specialize in digital customer experience (CX), AI data solutions, and digital IT solutions for various brands. The company leverages a crowdsourcing model and claims to operate with a network of over 1 million workers.
Its offerings include:
- Customer experience (CX) solutions: Claims to help businesses manage customer interactions across various channels, such as phone, email, chat, and social media.
- AI data solutions: Claims to offer data collection, generation, and annotation services for AI and ML development.
- Digital IT solutions: Claims to provide digital transformation solutions, including IT lifecycle management, intelligent automation, and data annotation services.
Pros and cons of Telus International (For potential buyers)
Now, let’s discuss the pros and cons of working with Telus International as a potential customer or buyer. The pros and cons are based on the analysis we did from customer reviews from B2B review platforms.
1. Additional services
Telus offers data annotation along with data collection, so customers do not have to look for a separate solution for their annotation needs.
2. Crowd size
The network size of Telus is relatively larger than that of its competitors, such as Amazon Mechanical Turk. However, it is smaller than other competitors such as Clickworker.
Here is a crowd size comparison of all the companies mentioned in this article:
Figure 1. Crowd size comparison of Telus International and its alternatives
3. Data annotation service
Customers are happy regarding its data annotation service but would like more efficiency and speed in the annotation task completion.1
4. Regarding popular services
We did not find any reviews regarding its data collection service. This indicates that either data collection is not its primary focus or it is not a popular service among its customers.2
Detailed alternatives comparison (For potential buyers)
This section provides a detailed comparison of the 3 Telus International alternatives listed in this article.
1. Clickworker
Clickworker is a good alternative to Telus International since it offers various AI services and data solutions through a crowdsourcing platform. The company distributes its projects to its global network of over 4.5 million workers.
Here is a list of Clickworker’s data solutions:
- Datasets collected and generated by humans
- Image & video datasets in different formats and specifications.
- Audio and speech datasets in multiple languages and dialects.
- Text datasets
- Data annotation services
- Research/survey data collection
- Reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) services for AI development
Pros and cons of working with Clickworker:
- A customer review regarding Clickworker’s AI services and its ‘reliable’ crowd.3
- A customer review regarding Clickworker’s data annotation services and its prices.4
2. Appen
Appen is another alternative to Telus and a popular name in the AI data service space. Its offerings include:
- Data collection & generation of different data types (image, video, text, audio, speech)
- Data annotation
- Data validation
Pros and cons of working with Appen:
- Despite its popularity, recent news has highlighted that Appen’s performance is in decline as the company loses customers and goes through financial losses.5
- A customer review regarding Appen’s customer support, pricing, data quality, and platform.6
3. Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)
Amazon Mechanical Turk, or MTurk, is also a popular alternative for Telus International, offering AI services through a marketplace and a crowdsourcing model.
Here is a list of their offerings:
- AI data collection and generation of different data types
- Data annotation and labeling
- Market research & surveys
- Academic research
- Other data services
Pros and cons of working with Amazon Mechanical Turk
- Customers identified that most workers on MTurk’s platform are not fluent English speakers. This can cause issues for clients who require human-generated speech or text data in English.7
- A customer found its data collection service to be efficient. However, various customers found the quality of the work done by the workers to be low.8 .
Learn about Amazon Mechanical Turk alternatives here.
FAQs for Telus International
Why work with an AI data collection service?
Working with an AI data collection service offers significant advantages, particularly for global and disruptive brands seeking to leverage artificial intelligence for digital transformation and to enhance their digital customer experience.
Such services provide comprehensive solutions including data annotation, content moderation, and intelligent automation, tailored to meet the evolving needs of businesses in the fast-paced world of technology.
By partnering with a service that is deeply invested in next-gen digital solutions, companies can ensure the accuracy and relevance of the data feeding their AI models, leading to better business outcomes, increased efficiency, and significant cost savings.
Why consider alternatives to Telus International?
Choosing the right AI data partner is crucial for the success of your projects, given that data stands as a cornerstone in the realm of artificial intelligence, driving both innovation and efficiency.
In seeking a partner that aligns with the needs of global and disruptive brands, it’s essential to evaluate the offerings, such as data annotation, intelligent automation, and digital customer experience solutions, to ensure they contribute to better business outcomes and support digital transformation efforts effectively.
While Telus International is recognized for its commitment to next-gen digital solutions and has a strong presence in providing services to a wide array of businesses, including disruptive brands, it’s prudent to conduct a thorough assessment of any potential partner.
This includes examining their digital strategy, corporate culture, and the extent to which they can offer custom solutions tailored to your specific needs. Exploring alternatives allows you to make an informed decision, ensuring that the chosen partner not only delivers on the promise of cost savings and efficiency but also seamlessly integrates with your team and business vision for the future.
Further reading
- Top 4 Data Collection Methods
- Crowdsourcing Platforms Comparison & Selection Guide
- Crowdsourced AI Data Collection Benefits & Best Practices
- Quick Guide to Datasets for Machine Learning
- Top 3 Amazon Mechanical Turk Alternatives & Their Evaluation
- Appen Evaluation & Top 3 Alternatives
- Top 3 Hive Alternatives & Their Evaluations
External resources
- 1. TELUS Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
- 2. TELUS Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
- 3. Clickworker Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
- 4. Clickworker Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
- 5. Appen, which helps Amazon and Google train AI, is reeling. CNBC
- 6. Appen Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
- 7. Amazon Mechanical Turk Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
- 8. Amazon Mechanical Turk Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
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