Updated September 12, 2024.
Textbroker was, for quite a long time, one of my TOP at-home income earners. It's always been fairly easy to get accepted and once you're in, there are tons of articles you can pick and choose from to write.
For today's post, I'm going to share with you exactly how Textbroker works and how you can use it to earn income every single week from home.
What is Textbroker?
If you aren't already familiar, Textbroker is a site you can apply to and submit unique written content to their clients.
Textbroker is the middle man here — they provide a list of work their clients submit, and you pick and choose from the open order board what assignments you can do.
The client pays Textbroker and then Textbroker takes part of that money and sends you the rest. The site has been in existence since 2008 and is extremely reputable. They are known for paying and paying on time. They've certainly paid me many times.
Do you have to be a professional writer to get hired by Textbroker?
No, and this is one of the most attractive things about the site.
Even if your writing is at high school level with no previous professional writing experience, you still have a shot at getting on with Textbroker. They take writers at all different skill levels.
When you apply, you'll have to write a really short writing sample for them on a topic of their choosing.
Then, if they accept you as a writer, you're allowed to accept article requests from the order board at different levels. The levels are 3, 4, and 5. Level 3 pays the least and level 5 pays the most.
Don't quote me on it, but I don't believe that anyone gets hired in at level 5. This is a level that must be attained after submitting perfect quality articles over a long period of time (and passing their mega-difficult proofreading test).
No matter what level you are hired in at, there is room for advancement.
So if you apply and are accepted at level 2, don't despair because you'll have a shot at advancing by doing good work for them.
I usually direct people who are new to freelancing to Textbroker to get their feet wet because it's always been a great site for that.
How much does Textbroker pay per word?
This depends on your quality level. The least you would earn is 1.1 cents per word, and the most is 5.5 cents per word.
How does the accept/reject process work?
You can claim one article at a time from their pool of titles that are submitted by their clients. Write it for the client. If the client likes it and accepts it, the money goes into your account.
If the client doesn't like it, they have to give you one chance to make a revision. You can either choose to do the revision or let the title go back to the open order board.
If you attempt the revision and the client still isn't happy, he can reject it. If the client neither accepts nor rejects your article within three days, you'll automatically get paid for it anyway.
Clients you write for through Textbroker can choose to rate you and leave comments after you've written something for them.
In turn, you can also rate the instructions given by clients.
What determines your rating?
After you're initially hired in, every article you write for a client will be looked over by Textbroker's team of editors. They will rate each article you do and leave comments on improvements that could have been made.
Please note that the client will get the article before the Textbroker editors, and the client has the only say as to whether or not your content goes through.
The Textbroker editors just look over what you write in order to help you improve and so they can advance you in level if they think you're doing a good job.
What if a client loves your writing and only your writing?
Well, then you might just get a direct order from him (or her)!
You can set your direct order rate per word to absolutely anything you want (although you should be reasonable with it you want to get orders) and then clients can send orders directly to you if they just happen to really like your writing.
If you get a direct order and don't want to do it, you can of course decline it.
Twice Weekly Pay
Textbroker processes payouts twice per week, and you can request a payout at any time during the week.
However, you do need to have a minimum of $10 in your account to request a payment.
Proofreading Test
I've taken this darned test twice now and can't pass it. I am not perfect at spelling/grammar, but I think it would be challenging for a person even if they were.
They let their writers attempt this ridiculously hard test so they can take on some proofreading work if they want.
Also, you cannot be promoted to level 5 unless you can pass this test. You have to be pretty familiar with AP style if you want to do well on it. You have to score 90 percent to pass.
If you fail, you have to wait three whole months before being allowed to take it again.
Forum
Textbroker now has a forum so their writers can all get together and complain about the strange obsession with comma usage the editors there seem to have.
Team Orders
You can apply to be on different teams of writers through Textbroker and take orders given to a certain team. This quote comes directly from Textbroker regarding team orders:
A TeamOrder is available to all members of a team. Like an OpenOrder, the first team member to claim the article locks it for writing. If the team member does not complete the order within the processing time, it returns to the team for another member to complete.
TeamOrder prices are set by the client and are valid for all orders for that team, regardless of any DirectOrder pricing you may have with that client.
Open to Other Countries
Textbroker is no longer just for U.S. residents. Check out these:
The Bottom Line
I've always been a huge fan of Textbroker. In the past, there was pretty consistent work at all levels.
I think it would be pretty scary to depend on this site to pay your bills.
My advice is to spread your writing work around as much as you can!
Textbroker is still a decent writing gig to have access to, but don't depend on them alone.
If you're looking for other content sites, check out the this list with 60 options.
How to Apply at Textbroker
Just use this link to get started if you are in the US. Note they may or may not be accepting writers at this time.
Looking For Even More Legit Remote Jobs?
FlexJobs is one of my favorite sites to use for finding remote jobs and learning about new companies that hire remotely.
Most of what I see there when I check the listings pays well above minimum wage and are known companies.
The great thing about FlexJobs is that they guarantee ALL listings are scam-free. They list hundreds of jobs — all of which are either remote or flexible in nature — five days per week.
There are also no ads on the site!
Because there are no ads, they do charge a membership fee since that is the only way they can see a return on their job-searching efforts.
But it's cheap — you can get access for a few weeks for just $2.95 for 14 full days!
If you sign up and don't like it, it's very easy to cancel right away so you are not billed again. You can do it any point during your 14 days of checking things out.
Go here to check out FlexJobs.
Good luck to you!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 13 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.
Is Textbroker also open to Canadian Writers?
According to their website, they do accept Canadian writers on the UK version of their site – https://www.textbroker.co.uk/authors-payments-conditions
I have a blog and since I’m not yet being paid for it yet I have decided to try freelancing. I hope to earn extra money at Textbroker. I sent in my sample and am waiting to hear back from them. I’m very optimistic that I will do well with freelancing and Textbroker is just the beginning for me. Thanks for writing this article to give me something to read about them until I hear back from them!
I have written for Textbroker for a few years now. I just write for Textbroker when i am bored and out of work at my desk job. I find it difficult to stay focused on the topics given. I finally started to invest my time in myself and started a lifestyle blog. Its only one month old and still a work in progress. Textbroker is not for everyone. You have to be super focused and fast to make decent pay.
P.S Kudos on your posting. It had tons of useful info
http://hustleversusstruggle.com/textbroker-rip-off-content-farm-or-lucrative-venture/
Can Indian writers work for Textbroker?
Unfortunately, I do not think it is open to India at this time.
I started with TextBroker in 2010, and it was good just to have the opportunity to write. In 2013, when I was about to be unemployed, I buckled down to see if I could make $150 in a day. The work was there, but I was pretty tapped out at $80.
Usually, there’s little work because I’m a Level 3. The clients love my writing, but the editors don’t. Many times they give the work an “N” instead of a 3 or 4 because they are being shitty lay-abouts, but it’s their way.
In late 2014 I was having a tough time financially, and there was a release of Level 4 pieces that were 1500 words each ($21) about homeowner’s insurance – 1 for each state. I picked up maybe half of them, and it got me through the month.
That’s terrible that they don’t appreciate quality work when they see it but I guess you just keep burning the money you can at the level you’re at till they move me up!! you get enough good ratings from customers eventually the bound to see well whatever they’re doing customers like it and you should be serving the customer first anyways then maybe they moved it up a bit!!
I like the fact that you can work at your own pace, but the pay is insulting for the work to be done. Textbroker is like a “sweatshop” of the digital age. You have to do some significant amounts of research at times, and can take some time to complete the article (under the pressure of time sensitivity) for a very low pay. It’s too aggravating for the pay I get. I am sure there are better freelance writing opportunities out there. Textbroker is the “had to start somewhere” type, but cannot stay in it long-term.
I think your best bet is to write some articles and hope that the customers like it and give you a custom orders then you can get paid a lot more for what you write!! Set your own rate at three or four cents per word minimum for custom orders or maybe join a couple teams that are already established if they let you on! Getting repeat orders like that is where the real money would come from it seems!! Best of luck!!!
I started out as a 3 about a week ago, when I signed up. Today I was promoted to a 4. I like that the pay seems to be a little bit higher but so many of the topics don’t interest me so it’s hard to sit down and research/write. I might just stick with it because I’m so desperate for the money, but even so, it’s not steady income and won’t help pay my rent by very much.
I’ve also been writing for Textbroker because I’m in a financial crunch. it doesn’t even pay for gas for my car. I can only do an article (sometimes 2) a day because I already work a full-time job, so that’s just a little pocket change. it doesn’t cover any of my expenses.
Thanks for this Anna! I just signed up with TB last week and was accepted in at a level 4. This will be my first writing gig, so I hope it works out. I know you initially wrote this a while ago, but it helped me out a great deal. Hopefully, not much has changed since. Are you still writing for them?
No problem! I haven’t written for them this year yet, but I did write for them a lot last year and up to that point I had been writing for them regularly since 2010. I’m not sure if much has changed since I wrote that. Congrats on getting in at a 4! That is wonderful!
I have been writing for Textbroker at level 3 for six months now. As you said in your blog Anna, they do like the use of commas when reviewing work.
I noticed a marked drop off in work for all levels before Christmas. At the time I thought it was the usual Christmas slow down but since then things seem to have got decidedly worse with all levels affected.
They did email to say rates have been increased but what use is that if there is little or no work available.
I am wondering if they are very short of work or thinking of closing up shop. There’s a lot of competition out there.
I have spent the last day or so reviewing and signing up with a few of your other recommended Pay-per-Article sites.
Slightly off topic, I am considering submitting some work to Writedge but do I have to sign up with Google first?
Never having been involved with anything like Adsense it’s all a bit of a mystery.
With Writedge I think you do have to sign up with Google first. I don’t believe they pay directly. The way that works is if Google gives you a publisher account for Adsense, they’ll pay you monthly IF you have made at least $100. And with rev-share sites like Writedge, it can take quite a bit longer than one month to make the $100 minimum, so that’s something else to keep in mind.
This company (Ezdia) continues to advertise looking for writers, so if you can get in here, there’s a chance they may have work to keep you busy –
http://www.ezdia.com/desk/FindWork.htm I have not researched them thoroughly yet, so do your due diligence. Let me know how it goes for you if you try it.
Thanks Anna I will give them a look in a day or so. I have been accepted by two sites you had previously reviewed on your “Where to Get Freelance Writing Experience & Make Money” article and have been accepted onto the “waiting” list of two others.
Your always my first stop for new writing sites, thanks for a great site, I will keep you up to speed.
So glad you got accepted by a few sites! And thank you so much for the kind words. 🙂
I have pretty much given up on Textbroker. I can’t seem to make them happy with commas no matter what I do, and I have been bumped from a level 5 to a 4, and lately got several 3 ratings. Not worth the frustration for so little money. It was my main source of income for almost a year, but it was making me nuts.
The proofreading test on Textbroker made me rethink my knowledge of AP style. I also have taken it twice and of course, failed. I have a star rating of four but don’t have the motivation to keep waiting for three months in order to re-take the test and hope to get a five star rating.
I recently wrote a review on Textbroker giving my opinions and experience with the site. Overall, it’s not up my alley but can see it working for others seeking work from home opportunities.
Thanks for your input Natalie and for sharing the link. Great article! I’ve been doing some writing at Textbroker this week. My other egg dried up and so I’ve been using it for some Friday money 🙂 But I still have that fear of being dropped down to a level three. If that happens, it goes without saying I won’t have much work to do.
I have mixed feelings about writing for TextBroker. Their selection of topics is great, but the pay is not. $7-$11 for 500 words is only half of what DemandMedia pays for the same effort and you are at the mercy of the clients, who are not professional writers or editors and who are many times abusive or don’t know what they want. It’s not unusual for a TextBroker client’s inTextBstructions to start with DO NOT INCLUDE ANY FILLER TO MAKE WORD COUNT OR I WILL REJECT YOUR ARTICLE! Really? Do they think that starting the interaction that way will get them good results?
TextBroker has a new option for when a client rejects an article and requests a revision, allowing the writer to either submit a revision (which may also be rejected without any good process), let the article go and lose their time and effort without compensation, or resubmit the article as is and email TB asking for a review of the client’s refusal. I just had my first ever client refusal after I declined to make revisions from the client statement “Grammar seems whack throught the whole article”, no other information, and can’t even spell…Bordering on abusive. I was surprised, and am waiting to hear back from TB about it. I fully expect to be paid for the article as there is no grammar problem and certainly not throughout the entire article.
I’ve been a level 4 writer from day 1, attempting to get up to level 5, so if they try to bump me down I won’t have any reason to keep writing with them. I don’t really write for the money there because it’s not even close to real freelance rates and they leave you at the mercy of their anonymous clients, but I do like all the different kinds of writing and topics available.
There is rarely any work for level three and under anymore. When they do list a few assignments, I know nothing about the topics. I haven’t made payout in six months.
I’m a level 5 writer at TB but have not written for them in quite some time because I keep getting edited (and warned about demotion to level 4) on my use of commas or numbers or the way I spelled FAX. This is a real hindrance for me, especially when many of the clients want content with a more creative bend. For right now, I’m sticking with my private clients and looking for more.
I was recently demoted from a 4 to a 3 over commas. Some of the comments I’ve seen around the Internet make me wonder if they want a stable of demoted 5 star writers for the 4 star articles and a group of former 4 star writers for the 3 star articles so they can pay less.
I refuse to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to get one of the few assignments for 2 or 3 star writers or spend an hour+ researching and writing articles on topics like the chemistry of concrete to make $3.00. It was nice while it lasted, but I’m disgusted with them now.
ty for the insight. I haven’t wrote for TB in a very long time because I felt like I was doing a lot of work for such little pay. I may try back with them during my off time from my phone gig.
It is hit or miss, you just have to keep tabs on it every day and see what gets dropped. I have noticed that sometimes really good, easy articles get dropped throughout the day and they get snatched up quickly!
Hi — Thanks for for your take on TB. I’ve been back with them a few weeks after being away for a couple years at better pay rates. It’s great they pay weekly. I agree about the forums — I looked in a couple times, but I don’t care for the negativity.
By way of encouragement, once you have the AP style down, there are no issues with the editors. Except for a few compliments, I haven’t heard anything from the TB editors, and everything they’ve rated is at a 4. That’s based on about 100 of them. It’s just practice.
The trick I had to learn with AP commas is to drop the last one in a series: apples, pears and strawberries.
Thanks for all your work on this site. I’m always watching for up-to-date info on opportunities.
You’re welcome! I’m still waiting on my first review after having been gone from there for a year. I’m actually glad that they are taking their time in case I do get bumped down to a 3 and don’t have access to much work anymore.
I also just started with TB about a month ago. I would also like to note that they have been SUPER slow in reviewing work. I started out as a 3 which I’m not sure if that’s now standard. After I wrote my first five, they froze my account so they could rate me. But it took almost 2 weeks, even though they said that the five were always batched and moved to the top of the queue. Out of the five, they only rated three. The other two were 2 star articles because there were no 3* available to write. Out of the three, two got docked for comma usage so I only got rated 3* on those. Now I’m trying to get up to 4* because there is no 3* work at all, but none of the articles I’ve written since have been reviewed, and it’s been 2 weeks.
It seems that 4* work needs to be virtually error free, so I don’t know what 5* needs to be like. Pulitzer prize worthy, maybe!
I also seem to be doing a lot of research on every article. Am I going about this all wrong? I pretty much have to take whatever is available. TB has been great though for beginners.
BTW this site has been INVALUABLE! Many thanks for all of the information.
Thank you Elaine! No, you are not going about it all wrong. I always look for articles I know I can write without having to do a lot of research, but sometimes I still end up doing more than I really want to. It all just depends on what’s available to grab.
I really despise the research end of things because that just tacks more time onto my hourly rate, but it’s all part of the process. But the more you write about something, the less research you’ll have to do in the future. For example, last year I wrote a ton of articles about payday loans for someone. I had to research it because I really didn’t know much about them. Now I know all about them so I can write those with no research.
Sadly, I don’t think textbroker is the interesting, lucrative site it was a few years ago. I have had to go to other websites, because I just am not making much money on there anymore.
Sadly, I don’t make much either really with textbroker. I primarily use them as a form of extra cash from time to time. What other sites do you write for if you don’t mind me asking?
I never really had much of a comma issue with them. Commas are frequently overused. Thankfully, I have only been dinged once or twice for commas (and rightfully so). Creative writing is much different than article and content writing. For that matter, online writing differs greatly from offline, or print, writing. If TB is your first dive into content writing, give it a chance. It is a great place to learn about writing for the web! Like you Jen, I started as a 3*. I did raise to a 4 after my first 5 articles, but that was three years ago! An advantage the new writers have over those of us who have been there awhile is that you start out with the new editors and can learn what they want. Those of us who have been there awhile and have worked our way up with the previous editors now have to almost learn a new set of rules and risk losing our ranking in the process.
I’m very glad to see I’m not the only one who’s had some trouble with textbroker editors.
I joined textbroker a few weeks ago, and I’ve had a horrible time with it so far. They initially rated me a 3. I thought, “Okay, no big deal. I’ll get my rating up after writing my first batch of articles.” It took me almost two weeks to write my first five because of the horrible selection for us lowly level 3s and 2s. Well, they ended up rating all but one a 3 (including a piece for which I received glowing praise from the client). I received one 4 for what I personally thought was a fact-spewing snooze-fest. I requested payout for the whopping $12 I busted my butt to earn, and now I think I’m done with them. I had to do a fair amount of research for all but one piece, and it was far too much work for far too little payoff.
Maybe it’s because I come from a creative writing background, where the style is different and there isn’t such an obsession with commas (that’s what editors are for, lol).
Sorry you had a bad experience, Jen. I’m extremely nervous about being reviewed since I started writing for them again. I keep hearing how the editors are so much pickier than before. As you said, there’s not much at 2 or 3 so if I lose my 4 ranking, I’ll probably just have to move on to something else.
Hi Anna! I started my online writing career at Textbroker. For that reason, I will always love them. I finally made my way to a 5* two years ago! I can’t tell you how great it felt to receive the email that I had been bumped up! You would think I would dive in and grab up as many articles as I could at that level, but I am currently taking a break from them. They are a great place to start out with content writing and can provide a lucrative income for some. While I had a couple of other “eggs in my basket,” I was largely depending on TB for my income. Once all the changes started taking place, I decided I needed to see if I could make it if I suddeny got demoted to a lower level (the new editors do seem to be making it a little difficult for some. I know a couple of 5s who were dropped to 4s). I have been having great luck at a crowdsourcing site, so I have been spending most of my time there the past couple of months. I still love TB, but I decided I need to take a break from there for awhile and see what else was out there!
I’m not so sure if the forums were a good idea or a bad one! At first, it seemed great. I posted frequently in there. Last summer it started turning into a playground for people to complain about why they should be rated higher, prove others wrong, put each other down, etc., so I made an exit! 🙂
The editors do seem to be pickier…and sometimes I question their corrections. I used the following in a recipe article: “This recipe makes approximately 2 pounds of fudge.” They told me to write out numbers less than 10. However, AP states to always use the numeral when used with weights and dimensions. That is just one example. In another, I was told to use “effect” instead of “affect” when I was using it as a verb! Sorry, but they were clearly wrong on that one! “Effect” is only used as a verb when it means “to bring about” (to effect change). I wasn’t using it that way. There were a couple of other corrections in my last couple of batches that I questioned. It is getting difficult to know what the editors want anymore. I decided to just give it a rest while all the new editors that have been brought on board come into agreement with the others, and they all reach a “happy place.” 🙂
I do love TB, but needed a break for a while!
I also got started writing for the web on Textbroker. I think I had actually written a few Ehow articles before that (back when Ehow was just Ehow and not part of Demand).
I agree about the forum … I logged on yesterday to browse. Mostly it was just people fighting/complaining 🙁
Did you appeal the corrections that the editors made? I asked them about one last year that they said was wrong. I felt I was in the right on it because it was something my wiseGEEK editor was really nit-picky about (I think it involved saying “he” instead of “they” when I wasn’t referring to a specific person. Someone from the TB staff responded that they preferred I just say “they” or “them” instead of “he” or “he or she.” I know that’s confusing, but it’s hard to explain, lol.
But ultimately they just explained that really either way was correct, but they preferred I do things their way.
Yeah, the whole “they,” “he,” “she” scenario gets somewhat confusing. “They” is the accepted form now in most writing, but I know WiseGeek preferred we use either “he” or “she” and stick with it throughout the article. (I use past tense because I don’t know where that site is headed). I guess WiseGeek is more “formal” in the fact that it is an encyclopedia-type site.
I think I did write to TB about one of them (the number issue I think), but I never received a response. I wasn’t marked down on the articles, so I don’t draw attention to myself by pointing out that I think they are wrong! After all, even editors make mistakes! 🙂 It just seems the mistakes are more frequent of late. If it resulted in being marked down, I would question them.
Oh, I know what you mean! After I emailed them about the one issue, I sort of wished I hadn’t because I thought about possibly drawing attention to myself. But I’m really bad to just do stuff like that without thinking it through and then kicking myself later. They were really nice about it though.
I’m also really curious about what’s going to become of wiseGEEK. My brother was writing for them up until very recently, and he said they are doing some kind of testing now for these new roles where their writers add video to their existing articles (and maybe some other things in addition to the video).
The test must be really hard because my brother read somewhere that someone who had been writing for them for five years actually failed the test 🙁
Yeah, I haven’t looked into it or logged into WG for quite some time now. I was getting pretty bored there anyway. From what I understand, there won’t be any raise in pay, but more work required…so I am not sure they are worth it anymore. For now, I am stayng content at cS and WoW! I haven’t even done anything at CC for awhile! Maybe I’ll slip back in at TB after a while!
I have personal found it easy to find work there, and I am only a level 3 author. I find it easy and fun when working on their orders and the payout is very fast.
Yes, I do like the fast payout too! That’s why I’m focusing on them so much right now.
I am also a Level 4 auther at Textbroker, but I haven’t submitted articles in a couple of months. Thinking about starting up again. It’s a nice way to pad the PayPal account and bring in some extra grocery money, but I don’t like it full-time. I’m pretty picky about the articles that I do there. I’m not real excited about a lot of the topics…I like to write about things I’m interested in and knowledgeable about, so it feels like I’m “forcing” it sometimes. Other than that, I have had great experiences with Textbroker. I am on a Team, but not many articles get posted there. The weekly payout is great and I’ve never had an article refused. In fact, I think I’ll head over there now and see what’s going on! Great overview of Textbroker! 🙂
Yeah, I do also feel that I’m occasionally “forcing it” as you said because I’m having to write things I’m not at all interested in. But I got lucky today and found several about blogging, so those were really fun to do. I just applied for some teams today, too.
I’m so glad you found some fun articles today! Textbroker is definitely worth it when it’s something you enjoy writing about! 🙂
I was hired in at a Level 3 years ago but never submitted any work because Demand was doing well. I could kick myself now for not diversifying more and working on my profiles on other places. I noticed a few months ago that there is practically NOTHING for a level 3 on Textbroker.
Yep, and I just checked today and there is nothing at 3 or 2. I think there was this morning, but just a little bit.