Best Online Proofreading Jobs in 2026: 7 Remote Companies Hiring and What They Require

The best online proofreading jobs pay fairly, publish clear requirements, and hire people with your background. Those three things vary a lot from company to company. Some companies hire on test scores alone, while others want a graduate degree and years of experience. This guide compares seven companies that hire remote proofreaders and editors. Pay, requirements, location limits, hiring status, and AI policies come from each company's own careers page.

Pay rates and hiring status change often, and two of these companies have paused applications. Confirm the details on each careers page before you apply.

How We Evaluated These Companies

We compared the seven companies on six criteria. Each one reflects something that changes whether a company is worth your application.

• Pay transparency. Does the company publish its pay, or do you apply without knowing?
• Requirements. Degree level, years of experience, native English, and required software.
• Location limits. Some companies hire anywhere, and some exclude whole countries or US states.
• Screening. Most companies use a timed test or sample edit. Some add a training period.
• Hiring status. Several companies close applications when their rosters fill. Applying to a closed company wastes your time.
• AI policy. Some companies build AI tools. Others state that all editing is done by people. This shapes the kind of work you'll do.

7 Online Proofreading Jobs at a Glance

Full Reviews: 7 Companies Hiring Online Proofreaders

1. Editor World: Best for Editors Who Want Clients to Choose Them

Editor World is a human-only editing marketplace founded in 2010. Unlike most editing companies, it doesn't assign work. Clients browse public editor profiles and choose the editor they want. Editors with strong profiles and good client ratings attract repeat clients over time. The panel includes editors from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and current hiring focuses on the US and Canada.

How pay works. Editors receive 50% of the price the client pays for an editing or proofreading order. For writing and rewriting orders, the share is 60%. Client prices start at $0.021 per word for long documents on turnarounds longer than 7 days, and rise for faster turnarounds. On an order priced at $0.027 per word, for example, the editor earns about $0.0135 per word, or $13.50 per 1,000 words. Rewriting starts at $0.07 per word, so rewriting pays editors from $0.042 per word.

How to apply. Applicants go through four steps. They (1) submit credentials for review, (2) pass an editing test, (3) complete a verification process, and (4) create a public editor profile. Clients use that profile to choose their editor. Start on the Editor World application page, and browse current editor profiles to see how clients view them.

2. ProofreadingServices.com: High Hourly Pay, Open Worldwide

ProofreadingServices.com advertises pay of $19 to $46 an hour. The top of the range is tied to the fastest turnarounds. It hires full-time and part-time proofreaders from any country. The careers page lists no degree requirement. Instead, applicants take a 20-minute preliminary test, and the company hires people who show strong proofreading and editing skills.

3. Scribbr: Best for Degree Holders Who Want Training

Scribbr is an academic editing company that pays editors about €20 to €30 an hour, every two weeks. Applicants need a university degree and must be native English speakers who know US or UK English. The process starts with a 30-minute grammar and style quiz, which the company says only 2% of applicants pass. Next come three short sample edits, then two to three weeks in Scribbr Academy. Editors can work from anywhere in the world.

4. Wordvice: Best for Graduate-Level Editors

Wordvice is an academic and admissions editing company that hires freelance, part-time editors. Applicants must be enrolled in or have completed a graduate program. They also need two years of professional editing experience and native fluency in English. Editors can work from any location with stable internet and Microsoft Word. Wordvice doesn't publish a pay rate. Instead, it asks applicants to state their expected rate and complete an editing sample.

5. Cactus Communications (Editage): Best for Subject Specialists

Cactus Communications runs Editage, a scientific editing service, and recruits freelance academic editors by subject. Current postings ask for a master's degree or PhD in a specific field, such as image processing, with academic editing experience preferred. Openings appear by discipline rather than all year for every field. Cactus also builds Paperpal, an AI academic writing assistant.

6. Scribendi: Steady Volume, but Applications Are Closed

Scribendi is a long-running online editing company, and its jobs page currently says its freelance roster is full. When it reopens, applicants need a relevant university degree (graduate degree preferred). They also need three years of experience in editing, writing, document production, or language teaching. The required average speed is 1,000 to 1,500 words per hour. Applicants can't live in 31 US states or Washington, DC, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Delaware.

7. ProofreadingPal: Best for US Graduate Students

ProofreadingPal hires through two paths. The first is for graduate students or employees at an accredited US college or university, with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The second is for people with a graduate degree and at least five years of professional proofreading and editing experience. Editors typically earn $500 to $3,000 a month. Applications are closed now, with a reopening expected in late fall 2026.

Where to Find More Remote Proofreading Jobs

Editing companies aren't the only source of remote proofreading work. Freelance marketplaces and job boards list thousands of openings, but they work differently. On a marketplace, you find your own clients and set your own rates. On a job board, you apply to individual employers.

• Upwork: An open freelance marketplace where anyone can create a profile and bid on proofreading projects. You set your rate, and Upwork takes a service fee from your earnings, so check the current fee before you price your work.
• Reedsy: A marketplace that connects publishing professionals with authors, mostly independent authors. Freelancers set their own fees per hour, per word, or per project, and the platform suits editors with a book editing track record.
• Job boards: Indeed, LinkedIn, and FlexJobs list remote proofreader roles at publishers, agencies, and companies. FlexJobs charges job seekers a subscription, while Indeed and LinkedIn are free to search.

Marketplaces give you more control over rates but no steady stream of orders at the start. Editing companies supply the clients but set the pay. Many proofreaders use both while they build a client base.

How to Become an Online Proofreader and Get Hired

Most of these companies follow the same hiring pattern: check your credentials, test your skills, then train or verify you. Five steps improve your chances at every stage.

1. Match your credentials to the right companies

Apply only where you meet the minimum requirements. Wordvice needs graduate study and two years of editing. Scribendi wants three years of relevant experience. ProofreadingServices.com lists no degree and judges you on its test. Start with the companies whose bar matches your actual background.

2. Prepare for the skills test

The test is the biggest filter at almost every company. Scribbr's 30-minute quiz screens out most applicants, and ProofreadingServices.com uses a 20-minute preliminary test. Practice on real texts in your target field. If you're unsure of a style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, or AP), study it before you test.

3. Check location and software rules first

Some rules disqualify strong applicants before anyone reads their CV. Scribendi excludes residents of 31 US states and Washington, DC. Scribbr accepts only US or UK English. Most companies require Microsoft Word, usually the 2016 version or later. Read these rules before you spend an hour on an application.

4. Decide how much the AI question matters to you

Companies take different approaches to AI. Some build their own AI tools, and most don't publish a policy for their editors. If you want to do human editing rather than review machine output, ask about the workflow during hiring. Then choose a company whose stated policy matches what you want.

5. Apply to several companies at once

Hiring is uneven, and two companies on this list are closed right now. Apply to several open companies in parallel instead of waiting on one decision. Most freelance roles let you work for more than one company, so a second offer rarely creates a conflict.

Proofreading Jobs vs. Editing Jobs: Which Should You Apply For?

A proofreading job is a final check for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. An editing job goes further: the editor also improves clarity, word choice, flow, and structure. Many companies on this list hire for both under one title, and editing orders usually pay more because they take longer. If you can explain why a sentence is unclear, not just mark the typo, apply for editing roles too. Our guide to what an editor does explains the different levels of editing in more detail.

How to Spot a Proofreading Job Scam

Legitimate proofreading companies pay you. They don't charge you to apply. Watch for these warning signs before you share personal details or money.

• Application or "starter kit" fees. No legitimate employer charges you to apply or to see job listings.
• Required paid courses. Training can be useful, but a course sold as the only way to get hired is a sales pitch, not a job.
• Unrealistic earnings. Promises of high pay for a few hours of easy work don't match published industry rates.
• Overpayment checks. A "client" who overpays and asks you to send back the difference is running a known check scam.
• No company details. A real employer has a website, a careers page, and a way to contact it beyond a chat app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by the Editor World editorial team under the direction of Patti Fisher, PhD, founder. Editor World has provided 100% human editing by native English editors since 2010. About Editor World