- A labeling vendor uses its workforce to create or annotate data to your specification.
- A broker finds companies that already hold the data you need, vets their rights and arranges a license.
- Licensed real-world data gives scale and realism; commissioned data fills precise gaps.
The difference
| Data labeling vendor | AI data broker | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | New data created or annotated to your spec | Existing data licensed from its holder |
| Examples | Scale AI, Surge AI, Appen, Labelbox | AI Data For Sale (us) |
| Cost driver | People's time | Scarcity and value of the data |
| Realism | Written for the task | Real work, with real messiness |
| Rights | Usually assigned to you | Licensed under negotiated terms |
| Exclusivity | Typically yours | Possible, at a premium |
When to use which
- Labeling vendor: you need a specific behavior demonstrated, preference judgments on your model's outputs, or annotation of data you already have.
- Broker: you need years of real support tickets, code history, recordings or documents from a domain you cannot easily simulate.
- Both: license real data for training, then commission experts to label or evaluate it.
How we work
We do not label data or hold inventory. We find holders, check rights and privacy, arrange samples and help both sides agree terms. Sellers pay a success fee only when a deal completes. The first consultation is free for both sides, and any sourcing fee for AI teams is agreed in writing before work starts. See how it works and fees.
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Questions
Can a broker also label data?
Some do. We do not. If you need annotation, we can tell you which kind of vendor fits.