Use both, for different jobs: AI for volume, a human for one or two calibrated reads near the end. A professional human mock interview costs roughly $100 to $250 or more a session, with interviewing.io starting at $179; unlimited AI mock interviews start at $19.99 a month on DevInterview.AI, with the first one free. A full year of unlimited AI interviews costs less than one interviewing.io session, so the question is never which one, but how to split the budget.
Disclosure: we build DevInterview.AI, one of the AI tools below. Every price comes from the vendor's own pages, checked between October 8 and October 13, 2026, with sources at the bottom. Where a human is the better choice, we say so.
What each option costs in 2026
| Option | Example | Price as billed |
|---|---|---|
| Professional human, interview platform | interviewing.io, anonymous mocks with experienced engineers | From $179 a session; varies by subject and company |
| Professional human, coach | IGotAnOffer coaches, a 45-minute mock plus 15 minutes of feedback | $50 per credit, 2 to 5 credits a session |
| Professional human, system design | DesignGurus, 60 minutes with a FAANG+ engineer | $159 (list $199); $215 for a target-company interviewer (list $269) |
| Peer, free | Aced (formerly Exponent), where Pramp's sessions moved | Free, 5 peer mocks a month |
| AI, unlimited | DevInterview.AI: live voice coding, system design and behavioral interviews | $19.99/mo, $49.99/qtr, $99.99/yr; first interview free |
| AI, other paid | Final Round AI practice interviews, inside its Interview CoPilot; Aced (formerly Exponent) Expert, audio mocks of 10 to 20 minutes on behavioral and product management questions | Final Round AI $150/mo, $250/qtr, $300/yr (shown as $25/mo); Aced Expert $99/mo |
| AI, free | interviewing.io's AI Interviewer, coding and system design | Free |
Hello Interview no longer offers human mocks; it ended its mock interview and mentorship programs on May 31, 2026.
What a human gives you that AI can't
Calibrated judgment. An engineer who runs real hiring loops reads signals no rubric fully captures: whether your seniority shows, whether you would pass their actual bar, what a borderline performance feels like from the other chair. When the verdict is "you're ready" or "you're not", a credible human saying it lands differently, and near an onsite that read is worth real money.
The costs come with the format: roughly $100 to $250 or more per repetition, calendars and time zones, and often a different interviewer with a different mental rubric each session, so progress from one session to the next is hard to measure.
What AI gives you that a human can't
Repetition without friction, and consistency. Interviewing is a performance skill, and only an unlimited, on-demand format makes enough realistic spoken reps affordable: a session at 11 p.m. the night nerves spike, the same scoring rubric every time so week-over-week change means something, and no part of the session spent interviewing someone else. On DevInterview.AI that means a 30-minute coding round with code that runs and a 45-minute system design round on a canvas, both set to your target company and level, and a 30-minute behavioral round at your level with follow-ups, each ending in a scored report and a hire verdict.
What AI does not give you is the thing the human sells: a hiring-calibrated read from someone whose judgment companies trust. We build one of these tools and will still say it: an AI's hire verdict is a training signal, not a hiring decision.
Where peers fit
Free, human and mutual. Peer mock interviews on Aced (formerly Exponent) are the right zero-budget answer and good practice for live human nerves, and you and your partner trade notes using realistic rubrics after each session. Their limits mirror their price: your interviewer is another candidate, every session needs scheduling, and part of every session goes to interviewing them.
How many mock interviews before a big tech onsite?
One session is never enough, because the first few are spent getting used to the format itself. We would plan on a full spoken mock most days in the final two to three weeks, so ten or more in total, stopping once your reports plateau and the format feels boring, with one or two human sessions in the final week. Volume is the whole case for doing most of them on something unlimited.
The sequence that uses each for what it is
- Weeks out: volume on AI, a full interview most days, until your reports plateau and the format is boring.
- Add peers if your budget is zero or you want live human nerves in the mix.
- Final week: one or two professional human sessions for calibration, while their feedback can still change your prep.
Spending $179 a session to build a skill that takes many reps is the one split that reliably wastes money.
Which should you try first?
- Your interviews are weeks away: start with DevInterview.AI's free interview, set to your target company and level, and build volume from there. Every rating we have ever received is public on our reviews page.
- Your budget is zero: interviewing.io's free AI Interviewer and the 5 free peer mocks a month on Aced (formerly Exponent).
- Your onsite is next week: one human session, through interviewing.io, an IGotAnOffer coach, or a DesignGurus system design mock.
- You want the whole plan, not one tool: our 8-week study plan gives one tool per step: NeetCode for patterns, Hello Interview for system design, DevInterview.AI to practice out loud, and an optional interviewing.io session.
How we evaluated
We checked each vendor's own site between October 8 and October 13, 2026 and recorded only what it states. We build DevInterview.AI, so where a human interviewer is the better choice, we said so, and the advice on how many mocks to do is our view, not a vendor's claim.
FAQ
Are AI mock interviews as good as human ones?
For building interview skill, AI mock interviews are better per dollar by a wide margin, because reps are what build it. For judging readiness, a senior human interviewer is still the ceiling. The strongest prep buys each for its own job: AI for volume, one or two human sessions near the end.
What does a human mock interview cost in 2026?
Paid sessions run roughly $100 to $250 or more, and peer mocks with another candidate are free. Professional sessions start at $179 at interviewing.io, per its FAQ, and the price varies with the subject and whether you want an interviewer from a specific company. IGotAnOffer's coaches charge $50 a credit at 2 to 5 credits a session, roughly $100 to $250, and DesignGurus sells a 60-minute system design mock for $159 (list $199).
How many mock interviews should I do before a big tech onsite?
One or two mock interviews are never enough, because the first few are spent getting used to the format. Plan on a full spoken mock most days in the last two to three weeks, ten or more in total, until your scores plateau, with one or two human sessions in the final week.
Are there free mock interview options?
Yes, human and AI: peer mocks on Aced (formerly Exponent) are free, 5 a month; interviewing.io's AI Interviewer is free; and the first full interview on DevInterview.AI is free, with no card.