Compose.ly Reviews

3.6

60% would recommend to a friend

(26 total reviews)
avatar

Michael Leonhard

51% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

Compose.ly has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 26 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Compose.ly employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

26 reviews
1.0
7 Mar 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This could be an option for getting into editing if you have no experience and are willing to work for peanuts while you learn. If you just want to make money, you'd be better off working an hourly job for minimum wage.

Cons

There's a lot to go over here, so I'll break this into two main sections: work and scheduling. *Work:* Writer quality is generally middling to poor. Occasionally you'll get a strong writer whose work doesn't require much editing, but it's much more likely that you'll get a bad writer. There is also a good number of non-fluent writers on the platform. While there's nothing wrong with this when wages are increased to compensate for the extra work required, the fact is that you will need to edit their work heavily for flow/fluency and you will not be paid extra for your trouble. Although Compose.ly editors get paid a wage that would typically cover proofing/light editing ($20/1000 words), you will be expected to make substantive edits when writers are bad (this is a frequent occurrence). Factor in the potential for multiple revisions and you could wind up making as little as $5-10 per hour on some projects. *Scheduling:* Another big issue is the scarcity of work. While this is getting slightly better as editors leave the platform for better opportunities, the fact of the matter is that projects are often posted at 5 am EST and claimed a few seconds later by another hungry editor. You'll be notified of project availability via email, so you'll have to be ready to log in and claim the second notifications come in. Turnaround times are another major issue. Projects are typically due at midnight on the day they're claimed. Because project availability is so unpredictable, you have to be ready to drop everything at a moment's notice to get projects turned in the same day you claim them. You also have no way of seeing the author's name or any text preview before claiming a project, so you're rolling the dice on quality/workload every time you claim. *Overall* While I know that 1/5 stars might sound harsh, I can honestly say that this is the worst editing job I have ever worked in terms of pay, quality of life, transparency, and potential for advancement. I urge you to look elsewhere if you have any other options. ***I was not a salaried employee and am only commenting on my experience working for Compose.ly as a freelancer.***

5.0
28 Feb 2021

Growing, diverse company ideal for self-starters

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Diverse team with kind and funny coworkers—teammates are spread across different parts of the U.S. and Taiwan, and represent quite a few nationalities - Management is generally receptive to new ideas - No micro-management

Cons

Compose.ly is in its early stages, so it’s still defining processes and expanding benefits. That said, it’s an exciting time to join and make an impactful difference, especially for anyone who enjoys the startup culture. Thriving at Compose.ly requires keeping an open mind and welcoming challenges head-on rather than taking shortcuts. It’s ideal for people who can work independently and execute without the need for constant feedback. I’m confident in the future of this company as it expands and develops more structure.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 26 Reviews

Glassdoor has 100 Compose.ly reviews submitted anonymously by Compose.ly employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Compose.ly is right for you.