Handshake AI vs micro1: which pays more for company data?

How do Handshake AI and micro1 differ in what they buy?

Both license internal records that show how decisions get made: documents, communications, process records and project histories. Handshake says records showing real decision-making, such as hiring logic, process flows and document-level communications, hold the most value, and it lists financial models, procurement and dispatch records and production quality reports among what it takes (Handshake AI data partnerships page, October 2026). micro1 focuses on SOPs, CRM and sales records, support tickets and engineering docs, and also licenses agent task trajectories (micro1 data partnerships page, October 2026).

Handshake offers remote, in-person and physical data transfer. micro1 takes data through its APIs or other approved methods.

How is the price set?

Handshake's published top is higher: it advertises $100K to $4M+ and says payments to date have ranged from $100K to $4M. micro1's top tier is $2M+. Neither number tells you what your company would get.

Handshake gives initial pricing within 12 to 24 hours once it has your details. Its own estimator shows up to $100,000 at its starting position of 20 employees, 5 tools and 3 years, the bottom of its headline range, so ask where a company your size falls. micro1 tailors an offer after discovery, and its pages show three entry figures ($100K, $150K and $200K). For context, see how much company data is worth.

micro1 announced in October 2026 that it would spend $1 billion over 12 months acquiring enterprise data. Handshake's referral page says it has paid $250M to partners, without saying how much went to data partners.

When do you get paid, and on what terms?

Handshake ties payment to delivery milestones and says the amounts, milestones and schedule are put in writing before any data moves. It says its team handles the transfer at no cost to the company. micro1 has 30 days to review and approve data, then pays within 30 days of your invoice, and does not publish a fee policy. Its master terms give 30 business days to reject data, so ask which window applies.

On use, Handshake says it is contractually restricted to AI training and evaluation, and that no de-identification process removes re-identification risk entirely. micro1 says data goes only to labs and enterprises in the US and allied countries and is deleted on an agreed schedule. micro1's published master terms grant a non-exclusive, perpetual license. Handshake does not publish whether its license is exclusive.

Which one suits your company?

Handshake suits companies with 20 or more staff and 3 or more years of history that want a quick quote and a short close. micro1 suits larger, established companies with several years of records across many systems, with US, UK and Canadian companies favored.

What should you ask both?

• What written figure do you offer for my scope, and how does it compare with your estimator?
• How much is paid at each milestone, or how long from transfer to funds received?
• Is the license exclusive, and for how long?
• Which labs receive the data? Handshake does not name them publicly.
• How long is raw data kept?

Read the full profiles of Handshake AI and micro1, see every player in the buyer index, and check terms with the data licensing agreement guide.