The Best Platforms for Live Coding Interviews in 2020
[🚨🚨🚨 Read the 2023 updated version of this article here]
By 2020, remote work was already on an upward trend. Given the widespread sheltering in place due to Covid-19, virtually all work and communication is now remote. It’s more important than ever for technical recruiters to have an excellent application stack in place to interview, hire, and onboard developers.
If you’re a technical recruiting or engineering hiring manager, here are the latest reviews and comparisons of 2020’s top platforms for real-time, 1:1 coding interviews with developer candidates. Make sure to also check out our reviews of code assessment platforms.
Beyond coding interviews, check out our other reviews:
1. CoderPad
Helpful links: Website | G2 Reviews | Pricing
CoderPad is a pioneer of online IDE’s with one of the first and most popular coding interview platforms. They provide a simple dashboard to track candidates and start new interviews called “pads”. The online IDE they built works well for most languages and it can execute code fairly quickly which makes it easy for the candidate to debug their code as they are writing it.
Pros
- Easy to setup and provides different pricing tiers for all company sizes.
- The online editor works very well for most languages.
- Acquisition of CodinGame so you can also run code assessments within the platform.
Cons
- Limited support for full-stack, multi-file applications.
- No support for data science (Jupyter Notebook) or analyst (spreadsheet) interviews.
- After being acquired by a PE firm, prices skyrocketed.
Recommended for:
- Companies that need a simple and affordable tool to interview candidates online. Great for savvy engineers who can set up their own interviews from scratch.
2. Coderbyte Interviews
Helpful links: Website | G2 Reviews | Capterra Reviews | Pricing
In recent years, Coderbyte’s interview product has become the most powerful and feature-rich in the industry. You can conduct video/audio interviews across multiple experiences, including a full-stack IDE, Jupyter Notebook, spreadsheet, and whiteboard. On Coderbyte you’re able to invite an unlimited number of candidates on any plan so you never have to worry about hitting a limit per month.
Aside from testing algorithmic and basic programming skills, you’re also able to collaborate with candidates on front-end, back-end, DevOps, and database challenges. You can create your own challenges with test cases or load in a challenge from Coderbyte’s library directly into the session. You can also customize a scorecard that interviews fill out afterward.
Pros
- Plans begin at $199/month and all plans include unlimited candidates.
- All plans also include code assessments and take-home projects so you can manage your entire interview process within one platform.
- Massive library of challenges with the ability to create and customize your own.
Cons
- Coderbyte doesn’t offer a professional service to conduct the interview on your behalf like Karat or Byteboard.
Recommended for:
- Tech recruiters and engineering teams that care deeply about the candidate experience and want maximum flexibility to test a wide variety of skills.
3. HackerRank CodePair
Helpful links: Website | G2 Reviews | Capterra Reviews | Pricing
The CodePair product by HackerRank enables an interviewer and candidate to collaborate in an online environment to solve coding problems together and sketch diagrams. They provide an easy way to share challenge descriptions with a candidate along with providing them an online IDE to write and execute their code.
Their online editor supports over 35 languages, can be customized by candidates, and comes with built in audio/video capabilities. Their platform also allows recruiters to easily leave feedback about the candidate after the session for the rest of their team to see later on.
Pros
- Supports 35+ languages and the editor is customizable by candidates.
- Built-in audio/video capabilities.
- Freehand diagrams.
Cons
- Monthly limit on number of sessions you can run on most plans and on number of admins you can have on the account.
- Only supports algorithm challenges and simple programming problems — you cannot test front-end and back-end technologies, e.g. React, Python/Django, Ruby on Rails, etc.
Recommended for:
- Large corporations that require enterprise features like SSO, GDPR compliance, and advanced privacy features.
4. CodeSignal Interview
Helpful links: Website | G2 Reviews | Capterra Reviews | Pricing
CodeSignal’s Interview tool is another suitable option for companies looking to streamline their technical interviewing process. Their platform makes it easy to track and create new sessions, and their online editor makes it easy to collaborate and code with candidates.
Similar to HackerRank, their Interview tool also provides the ability to create diagrams and draw freely. Their platform supports over 40 languages and a great part of their tool is that candidates can run test cases that the recruiter setup beforehand.
Pros
- Candidates can run test cases directly in the editor.
- They provide recordings of the interview sessions.
- Freehand diagrams.
Cons
- Pricing plans are more affordable than HackerRank, but you’re still limited in the number of sessions you can run per month.
- Only supports algorithm challenges and simple programming problems — you cannot test front-end and back-end technologies, e.g. React, Python/Django, Ruby on Rails, etc.
Recommended for:
- Recruiters at high-growth tech companies with substantial funding and hiring needs.
5. Codility CodeLive
Helpful links: Website | G2 Reviews | Capterra Reviews | Pricing
CodeLive enables candidates and recruiters to collaborate online using real-life tasks in a shared development environment. Their tool comes with built-in audio/video capabilities and it also has a whiteboard feature called Canvas which allows users in the session to draw flow charts and diagrams.
CodeLive supports over 40 languages and allows candidates to run test cases against their solutions. It also supports templates so interviewers can easily start sessions with predefined tasks and code templates, making the entire experience more efficient.
Pros
- Candidates can create and run their own test cases.
- Built-in audio/video capabilities.
- Templates can be predefined for new sessions.
- Freehand diagram.
Cons
- Pricing is not readily provided but is estimated to begin at around $6,000/year.
- Only supports algorithm challenges and simple programming problems — cannot test front-end and back-end technologies, e.g. React, Python/Django, Ruby on Rails, etc.
Recommended for:
- Similar to HackerRank, Codility is better suited for larger companies that require enterprise features like SSO, GDPR compliance, and advanced privacy features.
6. CodeInterview
Helpful links: Website | G2 Reviews | Pricing
CodeInterview is most similar to CoderPad because of their minimal platform that focuses on making it easy for engineering interviewers to start new sessions and collaborate with candidates. Their online editor supports over 25 languages, and it’s one of the only other platforms aside from Coderbyte where you can interview candidates in technologies like Vue.js, React, Angular, Express, and other front-end languages.
They have a built-in audio/video capability, along with a code playback feature and other enterprise features like SSO and team collaboration.
Pros
- Easy-to-use dashboard with modern editor which provides a good candidate experience.
- They support front-end technologies like React, Vue.js, Angular, and more.
- Advanced features like audio/video, code replay, templates, and SSO.
Cons
- They have monthly pricing options, but it heavily limits the number of candidates you can invite per month.
Recommended for:
- Small companies with limited hiring needs.
Other popular online editors that can be used for live interviews
There are a number of phenomenal high-tech, online IDE’s that are designed primarily for educational and training purposes. However, with enough time, engineers can configure workflows on the two below for live interviewing.
Repl.it
Repl.it is a free, online collaborative IDE that allows people to code in 50+ languages and technologies together. One of the best online IDE’s out there today, you can use multiplayer mode to collate with multiple people at once to code in any language or even build applications together in React, Angular, Node.js, Python/Flask, and more.
Recruiters can potentially use this tool for interviewing candidates, but managing the sessions would have to be done manually on their own since they don’t provide a recruiting dashboard for this. The closest thing is the Teams feature they have which allows engineers to create templates and share sessions with each other.
Codesandbox
Codesandbox.io makes web development in the browser extremely easy. It is an online IDE that enables developers to create applications in 20+ different web technologies and frameworks like React, Angular, Vue.js, Node.js, and more. You’re able to share the session link with someone else, which allows for collaboration between recruiters and potential candidates in an interview.
Like with repl.it, managing user sessions and inviting candidates would have to be managed outside of the platform since they don’t provide a recruiting dashboard for this.
