Toloka is a real company, and its worker app has moved to Mindrift. If you searched "Toloka" or found an old forum post, you will end up on Mindrift to sign in or apply.
Toloka AI BV runs both brands. This guide covers what is specific to Toloka: who owns it, whether you can join from Korea, how payouts work, and what the older reviews say. For current projects, pay, and the waitlist, read Is Mindrift Legit?.
What happened to Toloka
The page toloka.ai/tolokers now redirects to Mindrift. Mindrift's banner there reads: "The tasks and projects from Toloka and Toloka Annotators have moved to Mindrift."
Mindrift's help center explains the move in an article titled "Toloka is joining Mindrift." It says your account, history, and earnings move with you. It also says: "Don't create a new account. Each contributor is allowed only one account."
The article says the change starts in "early July." It does not print a year, so this guide does not give one. If you used Toloka before, sign in and check what carried over. Do not create a new account.
If you still have the old Toloka app on your phone, go to Mindrift to sign in instead.
Who runs Toloka
Mindrift's terms name Toloka AI BV, a Dutch company, as the operator of mindrift.ai, we.toloka.ai, and toloka.ai. Toloka's About page says its headquarters is in Amsterdam and that it was founded in 2014. It sells data and evaluation work to AI developers.
On ownership, Nebius announced on May 7, 2025 that Bezos Expeditions would lead a strategic investment in Toloka. Nebius said it would keep a significant majority economic stake but would give up majority voting control. The investment amount is not in Toloka's or Nebius's announcements, so this guide does not quote one.
Toloka's own pages describe the number of contributors and domains in marketing terms. Treat those numbers as company claims.
Can you join from Korea?
Toloka's eligibility page, last updated May 27, 2026, lists restricted countries in two groups. One group covers sanctions-related jurisdictions, including China, Russia, and North Korea. The other covers places the company cannot currently support. Neither group on the page includes South Korea.
Toloka's eligibility page bases its country rule on where you live, where you work from, and where your payout account is. It does not list citizenship as a platform-wide rule. The page says you cannot "route payments to or from a payout account located in" a listed country. It also says: "Your identity document must reflect your current country of residence." The page also bars using a VPN to hide your location.
For foreign residents, this means:
- If you live in Korea, Korea itself is not the problem.
- If you are a Chinese or Russian citizen living in Korea, the page does not make nationality a platform-wide rule, but it says a project can require a specific citizenship. A payout account in China or Russia is excluded, so use an account that is not in a listed country. This is our reading of the page. Confirm it with Mindrift support before you start.
- The page says individual projects can add their own rules on country of residence, citizenship, work authorization, and language. The lists can also change, so check the page again when you apply.
Toloka's terms set a minimum age of 18, or a higher age where local law requires it. Mindrift's FAQ says some projects set a higher age, so check the project listing.
Mindrift's help center says identity verification uses a camera photo of your original document, and that you cannot upload photos from your device. It lists as accepted a passport, ID card, or residence permit. It does not say whether a Korean Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증) passes, so be ready to try your passport instead.
How payouts work
Mindrift's help center says most projects now pay on a schedule. Its FAQ and its Rewards help page give the dates: twice a month, on the 5th and the 20th, for accepted tasks.
Not every task follows that schedule. Mindrift's Rewards help page says some tasks pay as soon as they are accepted, and only tasks whose names start with "Mindrift:" follow the scheduled payout dates.
Two withdrawal methods are listed:
- Payoneer. Mindrift's Payoneer help page lists a $20 minimum withdrawal and fees that depend on your route. The page predates the migration, so confirm current fees inside your account.
- Tipalti. Mindrift's Tipalti help page says Tipalti supports bank transfer and PayPal. It says to connect Tipalti only inside your Mindrift account and not to register directly on tipalti.com. It also says your name must match, and that a new or changed payout method has a 7-day waiting period.
The help pages do not say whether Tipalti or Payoneer can pay a Korean bank account. Check the available countries inside your own account before you start work.
PayPal's own Korea help page adds a separate limit. PayPal Korea's help page says you cannot add a bank account that uses a foreigner registration number. It says a business registration number changes this, and that otherwise only a US bank account can be added. If you pick the PayPal route, check that your PayPal account can reach your bank.
The terms add three limits. They say approved task payments become available to request within 30 days after acceptance. They say the company does not guarantee any minimum number of tasks, minimum income, or ongoing availability of work. They also say you are responsible for your own taxes.
What the reviews say
Trustpilot's score for the legacy toloka.ai app is low (October 17, 2026). One-star reviews are the largest group, five-star reviews the next largest, and only a small share of reviews are from the past 12 months.
The common complaints in Trustpilot reviews are:
- Low pay per task.
- Tasks rejected without feedback or payment.
- Accounts under review or closed with little explanation.
- Identity checks that fail with no appeal.
- Work running out before a payout threshold.
A smaller group of reviewers calls the platform legitimate and praises earlier payouts. Trustpilot notes the company has not recently invited reviews and has not replied to negative ones.
These reviews mostly describe the older microtask app and mostly predate the move. They are not ratings of Mindrift expert projects. Trustpilot does not fact-check reviews. For Mindrift's own complaint pattern, which is long waits for a first project, see the Mindrift review.
Spotting scams that use the name
Mindrift states that an offer asking you for money is not Mindrift, and that you should never be asked to pay a fee. It says real communication comes from official channels and the mindrift.ai domain. Do not pay anyone for access, and do not register a payout account outside your Mindrift account.
Visa and tax in Korea
The visa rules are the same as in our other platform guides. This is a general overview, not legal advice.
- F-2, F-4, F-5, F-6: You can generally do this work freely.
- E-series visas: Work outside your visa status needs an activity-outside-status permit (체류자격외활동허가) from Immigration before you start. Remote work for a foreign company is a grey area. The cautious read is that it counts as activity outside your status under the Immigration Act (출입국관리법).
- D-2 and D-4 student visas: You need an activity-outside-status permit (체류자격 외 활동허가) before any paid work. The weekly hour limit depends on your situation, so confirm it.
- D-10, D-8, and others: Call 1345 and describe the work.
Mindrift's terms call contributors independent contractors. That is the platform's statement, not a visa ruling.
For tax, Korea's Income Tax Act (소득세법) Article 3 says a foreign resident with 5 years or less of domicile in Korea over the past 10 years is taxed on foreign-source income only when it is paid in Korea or remitted into Korea. After that window, worldwide income can be taxable. For most people, the filing period for comprehensive income tax (종합소득세) is May. If you do this work while you are in Korea, ask the National Tax Service or a tax professional whether the offshore-income rule applies to you before you rely on it.
A Korean payer withholds 3.3% from freelance pay. Toloka AI BV is Dutch, so check your payment statements to see whether anything was withheld. Read the 3.3% withholding refund guide and the foreign resident income tax guide for the May filing steps.
Should you sign up?
Go to Mindrift if you have a specialist degree or strong Korean and English skills and can wait for a project. Do not plan your income around it. Compare other options in the AI training jobs directory, and see Is OneForma Legit? for a platform with different risks.
Before you spend time on assessments, confirm four things: your country is not on the restricted list, your payout route works from Korea, your visa allows the work, and you understand the tax rule above.
FAQ
Is Toloka legit?
Yes, Toloka is a real company. Toloka AI BV is based in Amsterdam and sells data to AI developers. For workers, though, the Toloka platform has moved to Mindrift, so most of the practical questions are Mindrift questions.
Is Toloka the same as Mindrift?
For contributors, yes. Both are run by Toloka AI BV, and the page toloka.ai/tolokers redirects to Mindrift. Mindrift's help center says it is bringing Toloka, Toloka Annotators, and Mindrift together into one place.
Can I join Toloka from South Korea?
Probably. South Korea is not on either restricted-country list on Toloka's eligibility page (last updated May 27, 2026). The same page says individual projects can still set their own rules on country of residence, citizenship, work authorization, and language, so check each project when you apply.
Can a Chinese or Russian citizen living in Korea join?
The eligibility page restricts people who live in, work from, or take payouts in a listed country. It does not make citizenship a platform-wide rule, but it says individual projects can require a specific citizenship. Read that way, a Chinese or Russian citizen who lives and works in Korea is not excluded from the platform by nationality, but a payout account in China or Russia is, and some projects may still be closed to you. Confirm with Mindrift support before you spend time on assessments.
How does Toloka pay, and can I get paid in Korea?
Mindrift's help center lists Payoneer and Tipalti. It says Tipalti supports bank transfer and PayPal. The help pages do not say whether Tipalti or Payoneer can pay a Korean bank account, so check inside your account before you rely on one route.
Why do Toloka reviews look so bad?
Most Trustpilot reviews describe the older microtask app. Common complaints are low pay per task, rejected tasks without feedback, accounts closed with little explanation, and work running out before a payout threshold. Trustpilot reviews are self-selected, so read them as a pattern of complaints, not a final rating of the company.
Do I owe Korean tax on Toloka or Mindrift income?
If you have lived in Korea for 5 years or less in the past 10 years, foreign-source income is taxed in Korea only when it is paid in Korea or remitted into Korea. After that, worldwide income can be taxable. Confirm your own dates with the National Tax Service or a tax professional.