Find AI datasets+Order premium data annotation
Appen has three decades of speech and language data behind it, and sells its own datasets alongside custom work. Dataset Finder catalogues existing datasets, analyses each on 30+ criteria and sends you to the source, then lets you order custom data from a managed team when nothing fits.
Facts about Appen come from its own website and other public sources (see sources).
Appen produces data for you, and so does Dataset Finder. The difference is the step before: Dataset Finder first shows you which existing datasets already fit, then you order premium annotation for the gaps.
Describe your use case in plain language and get a ranked shortlist from tens of thousands of curated datasets.
When nothing fits, order custom annotation in the same app. Your data is labelled by trained annotators and domain specialists managed by Innovatiana, not an open crowd.
Both live in one workspace: what you found, what you ordered and which model it trained are recorded per project.
| Criterion | Dataset FinderFind + annotate | Appen |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One place to find and order AI training data: dataset search over a curated catalogue, dataset cards with automated analysis, premium data annotation and labelling services, and a project workspace | Data company: custom collection, annotation and evaluation, an off-the-shelf dataset catalogue and the ADAP platform |
| Where you start | Search what already exists: natural-language search across tens of thousands of curated datasets (metadata only; you download from the source) | Commission custom data, or license a dataset from Appen's off-the-shelf catalogue |
| Who does the labelling | Trained annotators and domain specialists managed by Innovatiana, not an open crowd, with a dedicated Data Labeling Manager | Global crowd of over 1 million contractors in 170+ countries (Appen says) |
| Pricing | Free €0 · Startup €9.90/mo · Pro €29.90/mo (or €99 / €299 a year). Custom data paid in credits, no set-up fee | Not published |
| Data types | Image, video, audio, text, multimodal and medical data; 3D point clouds; LLM fine-tuning, agent and coding data | Text and LLM data, speech and audio, image, video, LiDAR and 3D, robotics trajectories, code |
| Company | Built by Innovatiana, a data-labelling company with its own trained annotation teams | Sydney · founded 1996 · listed on the ASX (APX) |
| Built for | AI teams that want to check what already exists before paying for data, then order the gaps self-serve | Large multilingual, speech, search-relevance and LLM programmes, and buyers who prefer a listed vendor |
Appen sells off-the-shelf datasets. Dataset Finder catalogues existing datasets, adds a licence check to each card and links to the source, so you use each dataset on its original terms.
Appen works through a global crowd of over a million contractors (Appen says). Dataset Finder's custom data comes from trained annotators managed by Innovatiana, not an open crowd.
Dataset Finder publishes its plans and prices custom data in credits. Appen's pricing isn't published.
Dataset Finder keeps projects, AI recipes and a training-data inventory with lineage alongside search and ordering, aimed at GDPR and EU AI Act documentation.
Talk to Enterprise Sales. Innovatiana scopes high-volume and long-running annotation programmes, with custom SLAs and NDAs, delivered by the same managed teams under a dedicated Data Labeling Manager.
No. Dataset Finder catalogues and analyses existing datasets and links you to the source. It only delivers data directly when you order custom data.
No. Its custom data is produced by annotators and domain specialists recruited, trained and supervised by Innovatiana. Appen works through a global contractor crowd of over a million people, Appen says.
No, not as of 26 October 2026. Dataset Finder's plans are €0, €9.90 and €29.90 a month, with custom data paid in credits.
Yes. Alongside dataset search, Dataset Finder sells premium custom data annotation and labelling. Innovatiana's trained annotators and domain specialists, not an open crowd, produce and label the data, supervised by a dedicated Data Labeling Manager, with a calibration round, sampling reviews, inter-annotator agreement and gold-standard checks. It covers image, video, audio, text, multimodal and medical data, 3D point clouds, and LLM fine-tuning, agent and coding data. You order self-serve with credits, with no set-up fee, or through Enterprise Sales for larger projects.
No. Dataset Finder keeps each dataset's metadata and its own analysis, and sends you to the original source (Hugging Face, an academic page, a government portal) under that source's licence. The exception is custom data you order, which the team delivers to you directly.
Or read what makes Dataset Finder different.
This page compares public information as of 26 October 2026. Figures a company reports about itself are marked as such ("Appen says"). Appen is a trademark of its owner; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Appen. Spotted something out of date? Email sales@innovatiana.com.
Discover tens of thousands of curated AI datasets, order custom training data, and turn fragmented data pipelines into production-ready AI assets, all in one workspace.