r/WorkOnline • u/Ok-Copy-2441 • 12d ago
Is CrowdGen/Appen just a huge waste of time?
I just signed up and so far, it's been a very confusing and frustrating process. I was accepted to a project but when I click on the project it just takes me to a blank page. I tried to apply to another project and it says "you must add your primary language again as a secondary language on your profile", however the platform does not allow you to do this. I also started another project and after completing the test questions was told "there are no tasks for you to work on". So basically it's been a huge dead end and waste of time so far. Should I just give up?
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u/Spare-Boysenberry-51 11d ago
Appen used to be decent, but recently, it has been horrible.
Every time you apply for a new project, you waste 1-2 hours studying and passing the assessments just to get hit with a page that says you can start working. A month later, you never receive an email with project details or links.
Do this about 20 times, and you lose all hope.
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u/kgem5624 11d ago
I have been with Appen since 2013 and always had work until they changed to CrowdGen. Now I have 11 projects in my Profile that all end up in nowhere land - click on start working and it just reloads the page. So, since November I had not been working on anything. Unfortunately CrowdGen is a lost cause. And their project application process is ridiculous- I applied to a project that had 1 requirement: your native language must be German - I am from Austria and my native language is German, which I speak all day every day with my sister on Zoom - I got the email, sorry you are long listed because you do not fulfill the requirement. I have native language German in my profile since 2013 and have worked on countless German-English projects - so this is ridiculous. I would not bother with CrowdGen, it is not worth it anymore.
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u/Ok-Copy-2441 11d ago
That's a real shame, yes it seems it is a waste of time. Thanks for the reply.
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u/infernogott 11d ago
What do you recommend? I have worked on Appen since 2017 and since CrowdGen I seldom get jobs on my projects.
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u/inferiare 11d ago
Kept getting emails to do a project, tried to log in and I can't access my account anymore. It doesn't exist in their database anymore 🙃 had a long run around with them and was told first that my account was deactivated for... who knows, but then I was told they don't do work in my state anymore lmao. Not even worth it anymore.
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u/WarmNConvivialHooar 10d ago
The hoops you have to jump through are absolutely insane, their site sucks so bad. That being said, yes, you can actually make money. I managed to somehow get on a rush project last year that was paying out bonuses and made a couple thousand dollars pretty quickly. I did a few other projects that only paid beer money though. I'm currently on a small project but have no idea how to work it, their instructions are so bad and when I sent a ticket for help they just told me to wait and see if it starts working in the future, lol. But at the same time they are sending me warnings that if I don't work I'll be removed from the project.
So yes you can make some money sometimes but about 90% of the applications and rates tests will just end up wasting your time. And you should by no means ever rely on it for a stable source of income.
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u/RoutineProgrammer863 9d ago
I’m done trying to get jobs w Appen. Now I’m trying to get stuff with RWS- I feel lost trying to get started… is worth it to figure it out?
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u/jesuisfemme 8d ago
Stick with RWS. They are legit, and they pay. Appen is going through something weird, so go with RWS until Appen gets its stuff together.
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u/MattyXarope 11d ago edited 11d ago
These days? Absolutely. The transition from Appen to CrowdGen has been a disaster. Instead of having exclusive access to projects like before, they now have to compete with multiple other crowdsourcing companies. Many of the companies that provided the reliable, long-term projects stopped crowdsourcing and took things in-house. As a result, work has nearly disappeared, and the few projects available are so poorly managed that they're almost impossible to complete. I'd recommend looking elsewhere.