The 20 Best Online Coding Interview Tools [Updated for 2023]

Updated to include two additional platforms!

What are the best online coding interview tools?

Today, you learn what the top tools are for hiring developers remotely -- and how to use them.

Want to learn more? Read on!

How do you conduct an online coding interview?

Increasingly, work is moving towards a remote or hybrid model.

According to a survey by Slack of 9,000 workers, 72% prefer a hybrid approach (a mix of remote and office work). And a PWC survey shows that 83% of employers think remote work (during COVID-19) has been successful for their businesses.

According to that same survey, less than one in five executives say that they want to return to the office as it was pre-pandemic. 57% are going either completely or partly remote and 26% are considering it due to talent preferences.

Especially more technical roles are bound to become remote. First, developers can work remotely without becoming less productive. Second, there’s a lot of competition for technical talent.

That means: If you want to continue to attract the best talent, you need to consider offering remote or hybrid positions.

And that’s where online coding interviews come in.

By interviewing candidates online, you tap into several benefits:

• You get a bigger pool of candidates
• You’re not limited to local candidates
• You can automate, streamline, and optimize your hiring processes
• Your hiring process becomes more accessible for people (who work full-time, have a family, or have disabilities)
• You save on hiring costs (the cost of technical recruitment is often five figures and more)

To hire remotely, you need the right tools, though. How do you assess candidates without sitting in the same room with them?

With online coding interview tools.

These are different types of tools with which candidates complete coding tasks.

They include:

• Take-home coding challenges.
• Pair programming.
• Screening tasks.

Take-home challenges are coding challenges that candidates perform on their own, in their own development environment. They get a small task with a time limit (around 3-4 hours) and then send the tasks back once they’ve finished them. Your hiring team then reviews submissions and gives feedback.

Pair programming means that someone on your team works on a coding challenge together with every candidate to get a feel for how they work through their tasks.

Screening tasks are short coding tasks that are scored and evaluated automatically. We only recommend enterprise-level employers to use these tasks because they don’t offer a great candidate experience due to feeling, quite frankly, like time wasters for most developers.

Now you know what coding interview tests there are. But what are the best online technical interview tools? Here’s what you need to know.

The 20 best online coding interview tools

If you’re looking for the best coding interview tools, look no further. Here are the top tools to use right now:

1. CodeSubmit

CodeSubmit is our own coding assessment tool. We founded the company in 2019 with the goal to create the most effective and candidate-friendly online coding interview tool. Today, hundreds of companies, such as Apple and Netflix, use CodeSubmit to improve their technical hiring processes. You can use take-home challenges, pair programming, or CodeBytes (screening tasks).

We focus heavily on two things: user-friendliness and identifying the right candidates for your team. That’s why this tool offers a great candidate experience (as our clients say: “The feedback that we received from the candidates about their experience was overwhelmingly positive.”) CodeSubmit can be used for hiring frontend, backend, and mobile teams.

Features

• Supports 60+ languages, frameworks, and technologies
• Suitable for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as enterprises
• Assessments are customizable and can be tailored for the open role at hand
• Integrates seamlessly with your ATS and Slack
• Identifies plagiarism and misuse
• Flexible monthly and annual pricing

Pricing

CodeSubmit offers a free trial. Prices range from $99/month to $349/month (as well as custom pricing for enterprises).

2. CoderPad

CoderPad offers live, pair-programming interviews and take-home challenges. The tool supports CoderPad’s own challenges and hiring teams can also upload their own tasks. CoderPad supports some integrations.

Update: In 2021, CoderPad acquired CodinGame, but it appears that they still operate somewhat autonomously.

Features

• 30+ supported programming languages
• Video, audio, and drawing mode for interviews

Pricing

CoderPad’s pricing starts at $50 (1 user, 5 interviews) to $750 (50 seats, 90 interviews) with custom pricing plans for enterprise businesses.

3. Codeshare

Codeshare doesn’t focus primarily on interviews, as this is a code-sharing tool that can be used for educational purposes, too. You can instantly share code on Codeshare by sending a link. To save your code-sharing sessions, you need to sign up on the website.

Features

• A free tool with instant code sharing capabilities
• Only one mode: code sharing
• Can be used for sharing code with coworkers, students, and candidates

Pricing

The tool is free, which means that you can’t expect any support or customization features. There’s no plagiarism tracking or data security options.

4. HackerRank

HackerRank is a coding interview tool that offers pair-programming sessions, take-home challenges, and online technical assessments, as well as skill development tools for developers. It operates on a single, integrated development environment (IDE) (for instance, CodeSubmit allows candidates to use their own IDEs, which sometimes is the more candidate-friendly option).

Features

• Offers an online interviewing tool, as well as tests
• Enterprise-level features

Pricing

HackerRank starts at $25/month (billed annually) for interviewing tools. Tests start at $249/month for 1 user license and 30 candidates. The next level is $599/month (2 user licenses and 100 candidates).

5. Coderbyte

Coderbyte offers a platform with screening, interviewing, and take-home challenge functionalities. The platform comes with several integration and customization options. It also functions as a platform for developers who want to learn to code better.

Features

• An interviewing platform, which includes live interviews
• Recording of live interviews so that they can be reviewed again

Pricing

Coderbyte costs $199/month with add-ons, like integrations and live support chat. You can also choose a per-candidate pricing option, in which case 50 candidates cost $500. The platform offers a free trial.

6. Filtered

Filtered is the end-to-end platform hiring platform for emerging technology. The platform includes video interview tools, a hiring workspace, and code challenges. It also comes with ATS integrations and reporting tools.

Features

• Fraud detection and candidate authentication features
• Recordings of candidates solving coding challenges

Pricing

Filtered has two options: Starter, which is free, and Enterprise with custom pricing. The free version doesn’t include custom challenges; only auto-scored ones.

7. CodeBunk

CodeBunk is a platform that works for online coding interviews and for learning to code. The platform includes a real-time editor, question banks, compilers, a central repository, and more. CodeBunk is similar to Codeshare in its capabilities. The features are rather limited, but if you don’t need a lot more than simple code sharing, this tool could be something for you.

Features

• Live chat and live video
• Code teaching capabilities

Pricing

Starts at $9/month for 4 seats and 20 interviews with one month for free on any plan. The next levels are $48/month, $129/month, and custom pricing for enterprise companies.

8. CodeInterview

CodeInterview is a pair-programming platform for online interviews and it also offers functionalities like take-home tests, tools to conduct interviews, and screening tests.

Features

• Supports 25+ languages
• Audio/video capabilities
• Features to replay past interviews

Pricing

You can try CodeInterview for free. CodeInterview also offers a pay-as-you-go option, which costs $5/interview, or a $55/month package (includes 20 interviews/month and 3 seats), as well as enterprise-level pricing.

9. Codility

Codility’s coding interview tools include: CodeLive, a virtual whiteboard tool, CodeCheck, a screening tool, and CodeChallenge, an online code challenge tool. You can upload your own custom coding challenges or use Codility’s library challenges.

Features

• Three different coding interview tools
• Supports 40+ languages and technologies

Pricing

No public pricing details. You have to request a pricing quote.

10. Devskiller

Devskiller is a tech sourcing, skill mapping, and screening tool for interviewing and screening candidates. It offers two programs: TalentScore, which is a screening and interviewing tool for developers, and TalentBoost, which is used to hire, upskill, and design career paths for your employees.

Features

• Hackathon support for online talent sourcing events
• Includes library tasks and supports custom tasks

Pricing

TalentScore costs from $499/month (billed annually) and TalentBoost $999.

11. CodinGame

CodinGame Assessment, CodinGame’s platform, includes tools for sourcing, screening, and retaining talent. You can use your own challenges and include game-based challenges. The game-based tests take around 60 seconds to set up.

Update: In 2021, CoderPad acquired CodinGame, but it appears that they still operate somewhat autonomously.

Features

• Integrates with your ATS
• 60+ technologies and frameworks

Pricing

CodinGame offers a 14-day free trial. Its plans start at $249/month (billed annually) and the next level is enterprise-level custom pricing.

12. Mettl

Mettl is a platform that offers different solutions for technical hiring teams, such as an online coding interview platform, an online hackathon platform, and a role-based simulator. The tool brands itself as an all-in-one tool with features ranging from invitations to screening, reviewing, and more.

Features

• 20+ languages supported
• 20,000+ technical questions

Pricing

Mettl offers a free trial. For pricing information, you’ll need to ask for a quote from the company.

13. CodeSignal

CodeSignal is a cloud-based interview solution for hiring at scale. It comes with interviewing, testing, and certification capabilities. It also has advanced compliance, security, and privacy features, as well as offering capabilities like debugging mistakes and running unit tests.

Features

• Offers its own IDE
• In-house content team to partner with for customized tests

Pricing

CodeSignal doesn’t provide any pricing information on its website.

14. TestDome

TestDome is a technical skill assessment platform that caters to different industries, such as programming, accounting, and customer service. TestDome doesn’t, in other words, just offer online coding interview tests.

Features

• Library and custom skill tests
• You can mix-and-match skill tests
• ATS integration and API access

Pricing

Testdome’s packages start at $100 for 5 candidates, with the priciest package at $4,200 for 600 candidates. You get a refund of the tests you don’t use, minus a 20% handling fee.

15. HackerEarth

HackerEarth was originally created as a platform for corporate hackathons. Today, it’s used for code screenings and pair programming interviews. Because it’s a screening platform, HackerEarth can be used for screening out candidates for enterprise-level jobs, instead of using it to identify the best candidates.

Features

• Plagiarism-checking features
• Tools for running hackathons

Pricing

HackerEarth’s plans start at $19/month (billed annually) for 5 interviews and 1 seat. The next levels cost $119/month for 20 invites and 1 seat and $149 for 30 users.

16. HireVue

HireVue is one of the leading assessment platforms. It includes assessments, video interviewing, and interview scheduling functions. HireVue is mainly for bigger companies and enterprises -- its smallest package is tailored for 2,500-7,500 candidates. However, the platform isn’t specialized in coding assessments, but rather the full hiring process.

Features

• Includes a video interview process for companies that want to do fewer phone screens
• Video tools and other online interviewing tools

Pricing

Pricing starts at $35,000 for 2,500-7,500 with assessments as add-ons. Enterprise customers can request custom pricing.

17. Qualified

Qualified is a skill assessment platform that lets you test skills with language-specific, multi-file online coding tests that developers complete in their own IDEs. The founders have previously created Codewars, a code challenge platform for skills development. Qualified also includes pair-programming and code playback features.

Features

• Offers blind reviews, which can be beneficial for hiring a more diverse team
• Supports 28 languages

Pricing

You can sign up for a free trial. Qualified doesn’t include any pricing details on its website.

18. Byteboard

Byteboard is a relatively new tool that helps companies create diverse teams. It’s founded by Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator and it’s currently used to assess mobile, web, backend engineering, and data engineering roles.

Features

• Advanced tools for diverse hires, such as data anonymization features
• Supports 9 languages

Pricing

Byteboard doesn’t include prices on its website.

19. Glider

Glider is an "AI-based Talent Quality Platform" providing a variety of hiring solutions including virtual assessments, coding video interviews, and screening chat bots. If you're not sure which questions to ask in your interview, Glider's AI can help you come up with a plan.

Features

• Extremely thorough AI proctoring that eliminates any possibility of cheating.
• Glider automatically ranks talent by fit, competency, skill, and readiness.

Pricing

Glider doesn't disclose pricing on their website, but you can schedule a call with their sales folks to learn more.

20. Toggl Hire

Toggl Hire (formerly Hundred5) offers "smart skills tests" catered to top-of-funnel candidates that are used to screen for marketing, sales, and development roles. Their demo questions focus largely on algorithmic knowledge which may be sufficient earlier in the hiring process. Having said that, the platform isn’t specialized in coding assessments, so these screening tests may only provide a surface-level feel for a candidate's real coding abilities.

Features

• Questions are randomized. No two candidates will receive the same questions. Toggl claims that this makes their screening assessments "cheat-proof".
• Screening assessments are available for a variety of different roles, both technical and non-technical.

Pricing

Toggl Hire offers tiered pricing with varying features in each tier. Their cheapest paid tier starts at $199 a year but only includes 3 tests and up to 20 candidates.

How to use online coding interview tools

Now you know what the best coding interview tools are. But how do you use them? And what should you look for in the tool you choose?

Criteria for choosing your tool

First, the tool you choose should include everything you need, including supported languages and frameworks. Do you need more seats for your team and number of applicants? Take that into consideration. User experience and candidate experience matter, too.

Also, consider how flexible and customizable the tool is, if it improves time to hire, the level of support you get as a customer, scalability, and how well you can detect plagiarism and misuse.

Use the tool

Finally, how do you use the coding interview tool you choose?

Great question. Restrict the time to a few hours instead of sending tasks that candidates have to work on for hours or even days.

Also, don’t use a clunky interface that affects candidates’ performance. Ideally, candidates will be able to use their own IDE for an objective assessment.

Define your hiring criteria before you create your challenge. And choose a task that is based on real-world tasks -- anything else creates a bad candidate experience. Your task should let candidates demonstrate their skills and do their best work.

The right tool will make it easy for you to integrate your coding skill tests into your workflow, so make sure you communicate timely with your candidates. Even if you end up turning someone down, give them feedback on their task! As they’ve invested time in your process, it’s only fair that you invest a bit of time in them.

Over to you!

There you have it! Now you know what the best online coding interview tools are.

Want to get started right away?

Test our coding challenges by starting your free trial now (no credit card required).