Interviewing.io is a popular mock interview website for engineers who want to land a job at FAANG and other top tech companies. If you want a mock interview with an expert on a technical topic - computer science fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, or system design - it's a decent option, as long as you don't mind paying a premium.
Below, we give an overview of what you should know about interviewing.io, how much its mock interviews cost, and whether people seem to think they're worth it.
Here's an overview:
1. Interviewing.io review (pros and cons)
2. Interviewing.io pricing
3. Interviewing.io alternatives (Top 3)
4. More Interviewing.io alternatives (by category)
Let's go!
1. Interviewing.io review
The first thing to say is that Interviewing.io is completely legitimate and credible, and from our research in forums such as Reddit and Blind, the majority of customer experiences seem to be positive. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the right option for you, or value for money for your specific situation.
Let's run through a few pros and cons about the service.
1.1 Interviewing.io pros
- Coaches. Like many top mock interview websites, it has a roster of expert coaches from the most prestigious tech companies. It only accepts coaches who've run at least 20 interviews at FAANG/similar companies, and it asks them to do 2 trial interviews to ensure they reach the required standards.
- Anonymity. What makes it different from other mock interview websites is that it’s completely anonymous. Many find this feature comfortable, especially candidates who worry about their colleagues finding out they’re in an interview process.The anonymity also serves another purpose: aside from offering mock interviews, Interviewing.io is also a platform for companies that want to reduce bias during their hiring process and thereby increase diversity in engineering teams.
- ROI. Doing mock interviews with an expert from your target company helps you improve your interview performance in a way that just knocking out problems on Leetcode can not. And if you're going for a job at the likes of Google, Meta, or Amazon, spending a few hundred dollars on mock interviews is small change when put against the salary gains you stand to make.
- Free guides. Interviewing.io doesn't have a lot of content on its blog, but the resources it does have are first-class. Its system design interview guide, for example, is a simply outstanding resource.
Overall, Interviewing.io is a solid option for experienced engineers looking to improve their interviewing skills and get scouted. But there are some drawbacks that mean it’s not right for everyone. Let's take a look.
1.2 Interviewing.io cons
- Pricing: Mock interviews start at $225 making it significantly more expensive than many of its competitors. The price can increase depending on the subject matter and whether you want an interviewer from a specific company.
- Waitlists for sign-ups: When you sign up, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get its services right away. At the time of writing, signing up for an Interviewing.io account puts you on a waitlist. So if you need interview coaching in the next day or two, this is not a good option for you.
- No option to choose a mentor: Interviewing.io doesn’t list its coaches, nor does it let you choose your own. You can request a coach from a specific company, and Interviewing.io will take care of the match.
- Not for beginners: If you’ve yet to experience technical interviews, we don’t recommend Interviewing.io for you. It’s best for users who have some technical interview experience and are already familiar with the format.
- Technical only. The site focuses on coding and system design interviews. If you want other types of mock interviews, like behavioral, SQL, product, etc, you'll want to try elsewhere.
Browse over 300 coaches and mentors on IGotAnOffer
2. Interviewing.io pricing
Unlike some other sites that clearly show the pricing upfront, Interviewing.io isn't super clear about the cost of doing mock interviews. Prices start at $225 per mock interview, but that could go up depending on the coach you request. Presumably, the more experienced the coach (and the more prestigious their resume), the more you pay.
$225 is on the expensive side, when you consider that on a site like IGotAnOffer you can book coaches who've worked at Meta or Google for 10+ years for $119-149 per hour. However, Interviewing.io does give you some nice bonus features, like recording and storing your interviews so you can watch them back at your leisure.
3. Interviewing.io alternatives (Top 3)
With these Interviewing.io limitations in mind, we’ve drawn up a shortlist of what we think are the three best tech interviewing coaching services available right now for candidates who want to improve their interviewing skills.
#IGotAnOffer
Okay, we may be biased here, but a 4.95 average star rating from over 10k reviews is hard to ignore.
IGotAnOffer is a coaching platform where you can book mock interview sessions. It also offers career mentoring, leadership coaching, resume review, and salary negotiation coaching sessions.
There are over 300 coaches on the platform and they’ve all worked at the very top companies in tech (e.g. Google, Meta, Amazon, etc.). Most of the coaches specialize in product management or engineering interviews, so they will be well-equipped with real-world insights to guide you through the interview process in your chosen role and target company.
Click on a coach’s profile and you can instantly see their hourly availability, something that you can’t do on Interviewing.io. Prices are clearly displayed before you book and if you’re not satisfied with your session, you get a full refund.
#TryExponent
TryExponent is one of the leading platforms for tech candidates looking to land their dream job. The site is packed full of resources and while it’s mainly known for its courses, it also does interview coaching. You’ll find a good range of software engineer or PM coaches with experience at top FAANG companies.
However, the price is a bit high, almost comparable to Interviewing.io sessions. In fact, if you go to IGotAnOffer instead you can often book a session with the exact same coach for $60 less!
If you’re committed to improving your interviewing skills and have the budget for it, you can get the Ace the Interview Program which includes a readiness assessment, 5 mock sessions, 1-year access to courses, and 20% off for other coaching services at $1499. You can also join its scheduled mocks with other candidates in their Peer Mocks section for free practice.
#Tech Mock Interview
Tech Mock Interview offers mock interviews for tech candidates, among other job application services. Browsing their mock interviews page, you’ll find that interview coaches offer different rates based on their years of experience, expertise, and session duration, so there’s a price range for every budget.
The Tech Mock Interview coach page itself is very straightforward. You can immediately filter your coach options based on the coaching service you need. You can also filter based on the subject matter expertise that you need coaching for: coding, system design, software development manager, technical program manager, behavioral, machine learning, and data science. However, its selection of coaches is small. You will find a wider selection of experts who can coach you on the same subjects on IGotAnOffer.
4. More Interviewing.io alternatives (categorized)
4.1 If you’re looking for budget-friendly options
#Pramp
Pramp is a free website where you can schedule mock interviews with peers. Its interface and customer service get good reviews from users, though the actual mocks vary from great to not-so-great. It’s a good place to start your interview prep before investing in a mock with an expert on a platform like IGotAnOffer.
Just like Interviewing.io, you can’t choose who you’ll be having your peer mock session with. Based on the information you give at sign-up, Pramp will match you with the best peer. You can, however, use the “invite session” feature if you want to use its platform to practice with a friend.
#TechInterviewCoaching
TechInterviewCoaching is a relatively small company and judging from the reviews it seems that there is a good chance that Andrea, the founder, will be your coach.
We’ve included it as one of our alternatives to Interviewing.io because Andrea has a strong coaching profile and the pricing is hard to beat. But be prepared to sacrifice some of the immediacy and easy booking features you get on other platforms, as well as choice of coaches. It does offer a 100% money-back guarantee, so if you’re not satisfied, you can get a refund, no questions asked.
4.2 If you’re looking for a wider range of coaches
#IGotAnOffer
If you want to have the option of choosing your mock interview coach, IGotAnOffer is an excellent option. It has hundreds of coaches from top companies including Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google, and many more. They represent many roles, from software engineers to data scientists to product managers.
These experts can give you inside insights into how to get and then ace your interviews at these companies. They’ll help you familiarize yourself with the format of interviews so there won’t be surprises on your actual interview.
The pricing is considerably lower compared to Interviewing.io, but the choice is much wider. Plus, you get to choose your coach instead of having the match made for you. When you purchase multiple sessions, you can choose to spend them all with one coach, or divide them between coaches to get different perspectives.
#TryExponent
TryExponent is one of the leading platforms for tech candidates looking to land their dream job. The site is packed full of resources and while it’s mainly known for its courses, it also does interview coaching. You’ll find a good range of software engineer or PM coaches with experience at top FAANG companies.
However, the price is a bit high, almost comparable to Interviewing.io sessions. In fact, you can go to IGotAnOffer and book a session with the exact same coach for $60 less!
4.3. Best Interviewing.io alternatives if you’re looking for next-day mock sessions
#IGotAnOffer
If you need a mock interview session ASAP, IGotAnOffer is an excellent option for you. Booking a session with one of its coaches from FAANG and other top tech companies is so easy and quick.
Unlike Interviewing.io, you won’t be put on a waitlist when you sign up. As soon as you sign up, you can instantly browse the coach options and then filter them based on the role or company you want to apply to. You can see the coaches' hourly availability and book your online session in a couple of clicks, something you often can’t do on Interviewing.io. And if you’re not satisfied, you get a full refund.
#Tech Mock Interview
Another mock interview website that offers quick booking for coaches is Tech Mock Interview.
To book a coach, you need to sign up for an account with Tech Mock Interview. It has an option to sign in with your Google account. Once you’ve set up an account, simply go to their mock interviews page and find interview coaches that match your needs and budget.
Each coach offers different rates based on their years of experience, expertise, and session duration, so there’s a price range for every budget. Click on a coach’s profile and you’ll instantly see a calendar for their available schedules.
4.4. Best Interviewing.io alternatives for engineers
#InterviewKickstart
Interview Kickstart is an online platform that offers comprehensive tech interview prep courses. They offer 18 different courses for key roles in tech, including various domains in engineering, tech management, data, and systems.
Each course program will include a live or self-paced course, mock interview sessions, placement assistance and visa guide, unlimited coaching, and other services. The fastest program is less than 2 months. Before enrolling, you’ll have to join a webinar to learn more about their offerings and the cost.
Interview Kickstart does not offer single mock interview sessions, so they’re a good option only if you have the time and money.
#IGotAnOffer
IGotAnOffer has hundreds of engineering coaches from FAANG and other top tech companies. They represent many engineering roles, from software engineers, data engineers, site reliability engineers, and more. If you’re an engineer transitioning into a managerial role, you’ll find expert coaches who’ve been on that track as well.
These experts can give you inside insights into how to get and then ace your interviews at your target role and companies. They’ll help you familiarize yourself with the format of interviews so there won’t be surprises on your actual interview.
The pricing is considerably lower compared to Interviewing.io, but the choice is much wider. Unlike with Interview Kickstart, you don’t need to pay for a whole interview prep course.
4.5 Best Interviewing.io alternatives for product managers
#RocketBlocks
RocketBlocks is an online interview prep platform for candidates in product management, consulting, product marketing, and strategy & business operations. It is a subscription-based platform. You can opt for a monthly subscription or an annual pass and get access to their drills, 1-on-1 coaching, and concept reviews. To book a 1-on-1 coaching session, you’ll have to pay $200/per hour on top of your subscription fee.
You won’t find too many ratings and reviews of their services, though there are several verified testimonials on their website and they have been recommended on some online forums.
#IGotAnOffer
IGotAnOffer has many expert PM coaches from FAANG and other top tech companies. These coaches are best equipped to give you inside information on how to get and ace your PM interview at your target company. When you book a coach, you can tell them what kind of PM interview questions you want to focus on: product design, product strategy, leadership, etc.
Apart from helping you practice your interview skills, they’ll familiarize you with the format of interviews so there won’t be surprises on your actual interview.
The pricing is considerably lower compared to Interviewing.io, but the choice is much wider. Unlike with RocketBlocks, you don’t need to sign up for a monthly subscription.
4.6 Best Interviewing.io alternatives for fresh graduates
#MeetAPro
MeetAPro is a relatively new mock interview website. Based on its profile, it intends to be a platform for different professional virtual services. But for now, it mainly hosts mock interviews in information technology, finance, and medical industries.
What makes it unique is you can browse the mock interview sessions based on subject matter and level. So if you’re a fresh graduate or intern-level, you can easily find specific sessions tailored to your requirements. Usually, sessions aimed at fresh graduates will be at a lower price point.
#Pramp
Pramp is a free website where you can schedule mock interviews with peers. Unlike Interviewing.io, which is recommended for engineers with some interview experience, Pramp is a great place to start because it’s free. It has a well-reviewed interface and customer service. Even though the actual mocks vary from great to not-so-great, it’s still a great platform to use when you want to boost your interviewing confidence.
Just like Interviewing.io, you can’t choose who you’ll be having your peer mock session with. Based on the information you give at sign-up, Pramp will match you with the best peer. If you want to use its platform to practice with a friend, you can use the “invite session” feature.
5. Interviewing.io FAQs
If we did a good job writing this article, you should have found something in the list above that responds to your specific needs better than Interviewing.io.
If you didn’t, it might be that Interviewing.io is the best fit for you after all. Particularly if you’re looking for a mock interview website that offers anonymity and you can afford to wait to get an invite to sign up.
To help you make your final decision, let’s cover the Interviewing.io basics.
5.1 What is Interviewing.io?
Interviewing.io is an online platform that specializes in offering mock interviews for tech candidates. The quality of its coaches tends to be very high (they will have worked at Google, Amazon, etc.) Interestingly, it offers total anonymity by using voice interviews only (no video), which some users prefer.
Another aspect of Interviewing.io is that if you perform well enough in your mock interviews, you might get invited for other interviews and eventually be referred to interview for an actual position at a top tech company.
5.2 Is Interviewing.io any good?
Yes, Interviewing.io is generally considered to be a good service, judging by reviews and testimonials of users on forums and on the website itself.
5.3 Who is the founder of Interviewing.io?
Interviewing.io was founded by a small group of engineers in San Francisco. One of its co-founders and current CEO, Aline Lerner, was the one to come up with the idea of an anonymous technical interview website. After seeing companies place huge value on pedigree when hiring engineers, she ran an experiment showing anonymous resumes to hiring managers and recruiters. When they couldn’t decide which of the anonymous candidates was a good hire, she realized that her hunch was right: pedigree isn’t a good basis for hiring engineers.
With Interviewing.io, their goal is to help talented engineers from all backgrounds improve their interviewing skills and get noticed by top companies based on their talent and skills, regardless of their pedigree.
5.4 Who are Interviewing.io’s competitors?
Other competitors to Interviewing.io that we haven't included in this article would be:
- DesignGurus.io This platform offers two specialized mock interview sessions for software engineers: coding mock interviews and system design interviews, along with other job-related coaching services.
- Hello Interview: This platform combines AI and expert FAANG staff engineers and managers to help you prepare for interviews. It also offers other coaching services including resume reviews and salary negotiation coaching.
- Prepfully: This platform is an interview prep website that offers mock interviews with expert coaches, interview guides, question banks, and other tools to help you prepare for your tech interview.
If you’re looking specifically for a tech interview prep package or career accelerator program, check out our review on Pathrise and its alternatives.
6. Conclusion
Interviewing.io is a good tech interview coaching platform, relatively well-priced and full of interesting and experienced people offering their expertise.
But is it the best option for you? Only you can decide that, although hopefully in this article we’ve helped you make a more informed decision.
If you want to know more about mock interviews in general, read our deep dive, "What is a Mock Interview?" where you'll find tips, sample questions, and videos to help you maximize your session.
Whichever mock interview platform you do choose, we hope you’ll also consider IGotAnOffer.
You’ll find over 200 mock interview coaches on our platform, and you can search by industry, role, or company to get the right match for you. You can see the coaches' hourly availability and book your online session in a couple of clicks. No monthly commitment, no waiting to get a sign-up invite.
