If you've been researching AI-powered coding interview tools, you've almost certainly come across Interview Coder — the app built by Columbia University student Roy Lee that went viral on GitHub and Reddit. It promises to solve coding problems during live technical interviews using AI, running invisibly in the background.
If you've spent any time searching for a coding interview assistant, you've probably found Interview Coder — the AI tool created by Roy Lee, a Columbia University student, that went viral on GitHub and Reddit. The idea is simple: an invisible AI app that solves coding problems during live technical interviews. But here's what the marketing doesn't tell you: AI interview assistants like Interview Coder have a fundamental flaw. They hallucinate. They lag. They get detected. And when they fail, you're the one who gets blacklisted — not the tool. In this review, we'll break down exactly why Interview Coder falls short, what makes it detectable on platforms like CoderPad, HackerRank, and CodeSignal, and why Codex Interview has become the go-to Interview Coder alternative for developers targeting roles at Google, Meta, Amazon, and other top tech companies.
ViewI believe this is a question on everyone’s mind. The Codex team even asked it at the very start of the product: “Why not use AI interview tools?” This article explains what Codex Interview is and why we decided to build it.
ViewAs a Software Development Engineer (SDE), you're no stranger to challenging coding interviews. However, when it comes to the tech giant Meta (formerly Facebook), the interview process can be particularly daunting. In this article, we'll delve into the world of Meta interviews, providing you with valuable insights, tips, and strategies to help you prepare and succeed.
ViewAfter months of real-world usage and user feedback flooding Reddit, Blind, and Quora, a clearer picture has emerged: Interview Coder has some serious problems. In this article, we'll break down those issues and explain why Codex Interview (codexinterview.com) is quickly becoming the go-to alternative for developers preparing for technical interviews at Google, Meta, Amazon, and other top companies.
Interview Coder is a desktop application that captures your screen during a coding interview, sends the problem to an AI model, and returns a generated solution. It was created by Roy Lee and gained attention through its open-source GitHub repository and social media marketing.
The pitch sounds great on paper: invisible AI assistance during live coding interviews. But the reality has been far more complicated for users who actually relied on it during high-stakes interviews.
This is the most critical flaw. Multiple independent reviews report that Interview Coder's AI-generated solutions fail the majority of test cases. For easy to medium LeetCode problems, results are inconsistent. For system design questions and complex algorithmic challenges, the tool is largely unreliable — likely because the underlying AI model wasn't specifically trained for these scenarios.
When you're in a live interview with an Amazon or Google engineer watching your screen, a wrong answer is worse than no answer at all.
Despite claims of being "undetectable," Interview Coder has been flagged by major interview platforms. Enterprise-level CoderPad now includes Interview Coder-specific detection, and multiple hiring managers on Blind have confirmed they've caught candidates using the tool. Those candidates were permanently blacklisted.
HackerRank and CodeSignal also employ browser activity monitoring, tab-switching detection, and proctoring tools that can flag suspicious behavior associated with Interview Coder's workflow.
Interview Coder charges $899 for a one-time purchase or $299 per month. For context, most coding interview preparation tools cost $20–$50/month, and annual plans rarely exceed $500. If you're a student or early-career developer preparing for your first round of interviews, that price is hard to justify — especially given the accuracy issues.
Speed matters in a live interview. Users report that Interview Coder can take 20+ seconds to generate a response, even for medium-difficulty problems. That kind of delay is noticeable and suspicious to interviewers, especially when you suddenly pause for an extended period before typing out a complete solution.
Interview Coder does not disclose which AI model it uses. This lack of transparency means users can't evaluate the quality of the underlying technology or compare it against known benchmarks. Other tools in this space let users choose from multiple AI models depending on the type of problem — Interview Coder does not.
The app requires users to manually click "Start Interview," "Pause," and "Finish" buttons — each interaction adding cognitive load during what is already a high-pressure situation. The rigid workflow breaks the natural flow of a conversation-style interview.
Customer support is only available to paying users. Even then, email responses can take up to 24 hours, and chat support averages around 4 hours. Free users get no support at all.
Codex Interview (codexinterview.com) takes a fundamentally different approach to solving the same problem — and it addresses every major weakness of Interview Coder.
Unlike Interview Coder's AI-only approach, Codex Interview is a collaborative, real-time transparent coding pad. It creates an invisible overlay on your screen where a trusted friend or collaborator can provide you with answers and guidance during a live interview. Your interviewer sees nothing — the pad is invisible during screen sharing.
This means you're getting answers from a real human expert, not an unreliable AI model that hallucinates or produces code that fails test cases.
| Feature | Codex Interview | Interview Coder |
|---|---|---|
| Answer Accuracy | High (human-powered) | Unreliable (AI-generated) |
| Price | Free trial, $60/month Pro | $899 one-time or $299/month |
| Invisible in Dock | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Invisible in System Tray | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Detection Track Record | Not caught | Flagged on CoderPad |
| Platform Support | Zoom, CoderPad, HackerRank, CodeSignal, Google Meet, Teams | Limited |
| Free Trial | ✅ 2 free codepads | Limited free tier |
| Customer Support | 24/7 for all users | Paid users only |
Codex Interview operates at the kernel level, making it invisible to all browser-based meeting platforms. It has been thoroughly tested on:
The app doesn't appear in your dock, menu bar, or task manager. Even if the session is recorded, there is no visible overlay or window trace. Interview Coder, by contrast, has been specifically flagged by enterprise CoderPad detection systems.
This is where the difference is night and day. Interview Coder relies on AI that frequently produces incorrect solutions — an independent review found that 3 out of 5 solutions fail more than 70% of test cases.
Codex Interview sidesteps this entirely. Your collaborator — a friend, tutor, or colleague — provides answers in real time through the transparent coding pad. Human expertise means correct, well-structured solutions that you can actually explain and defend to your interviewer.
Interview Coder's pricing is one of the biggest complaints in the community. At $899 (lifetime) or $299/month, it's among the most expensive tools in the entire interview preparation space.
Codex Interview offers:
That's a fraction of Interview Coder's cost, with better reliability and results.
Codex Interview uses keyboard shortcuts (⌘+B to hide/show, ⌘+Arrow keys to move the window) so you never need to touch the mouse or click awkward buttons during your interview. The overlay moves seamlessly over your code editor, keeping your eye contact natural and your workflow smooth.
Interview Coder's start/pause/finish button workflow creates friction and visible behavioral changes that interviewers can notice.
This is one of the most searched questions about the tool. The honest answer: Interview Coder is a real product created by Roy Lee, and it does function as described at a basic level. However, "legit" depends on what you expect:
Codex Interview offers a more reliable approach at a lower price point, with a free trial so you can verify it works before any financial commitment.
Cluely is another AI-powered interview assistant that's gained attention. Like Interview Coder, it relies on AI models to generate answers — which means it shares many of the same accuracy limitations. Both tools also face the fundamental problem of AI-generated code that you may struggle to explain when the interviewer asks follow-up questions.
Codex Interview's human-collaborative approach means the answers you receive come with context and reasoning that you can understand and relay naturally, making follow-up questions far less risky.
Codex Interview is ideal for:
Over 226 developers have used Codex Interview to land roles at Google, Meta, Amazon, TikTok, and Nvidia.
Interview Coder pioneered the concept of AI-assisted coding interviews, but the execution hasn't lived up to the promise. Between unreliable AI answers, detection on major platforms like CoderPad and HackerRank, a steep $899 price tag, and slow response times, the risks outweigh the benefits for most developers.
Codex Interview offers a smarter, more reliable approach: real human collaboration through an invisible coding pad, kernel-level undetectability, broad platform support, and pricing that starts at free.
If you're serious about landing your next role at a top tech company, try Codex Interview for free and see the difference for yourself.