Top 10 HackerEarth alternatives to hire the best developers

HackerEarth Assessments is an excellent choice, if you’re looking to attract and evaluate tech talent. 

It’s one of the few platforms that enables you to build your own hackathons, and candidates can use it to upskill and reskill, too – but it also has its limitations, such as its cost, occasional technical issues, and the like. 

In this article, we’ve analyzed the top HackerEarth alternatives you can use to identify top tech talent and build a bulletproof hiring process.

HackerEarth’s limitations: Why switch to a different tool?

HackerEarth is a popular platform for coding assessments but it might not be the best fit for all businesses. Here are some reasons you might want to consider other options.

1. Occasional technical issues

On G2 and other platforms, users have reported that the platform occasionally lags and glitches during tests, especially in the case of a poor internet connection. 

While this seems to be rare, it can really harm the candidate experience and your employer branding. If you want a more reliable testing platform, it might be worth checking out other options.

2. Narrow focus on coding skills

HackerEarth is great for testing coding skills, but if you want to evaluate candidates’ behavior or soft skills, your hands are tied. 

If you're looking to evaluate a wider range of skills, like problem solving or critical thinking, HackerEarth might fall short. There are other tools out there that offer a variety of assessments to give you a more complete picture of your candidates.

3. Among the more expensive options on the market

HackerEarth is among the pricier skills testing platforms out there, with their basic plan costing $209 a month, while their enterprise plan is at $409 monthly. Plus, if you want to add other options, such as live video interviewing, these cost extra. 

For startups and smaller companies, this might be a deal-breaker. You might find more affordable tools that still offer high-quality assessments without breaking the bank.

1. TestGorilla: Best for its in-depth talent assessments

If you’re looking for a comprehensive testing platform, TestGorilla is your best bet. It enables you to do a full talent assessment for any role and for hundreds of skills; currently, it offers more than 400 tests for skills ranging from Jenkins to Digital Agility and from PostgreSQL to Culture Add.

Use our Digital Agility test to identify candidates who know how to seize new opportunities for digital innovation and grow your business

TestGorilla features a wide range of tests, meaning that you can assess applicants’ hard and soft skills, without focusing only on coding ability. This way, you can hire candidates who not only have the right experience with a specific programming language or technology, but are excellent team players and problem solvers.

Plus, with TestGorilla you get a Free forever plan which includes several of our most popular tests you can use to get started. 

For more details, see how HackerEarth and TestGorilla compare.

G2 rating: 4.5/5

Pros: 

• More than 400 tests for programming skills, soft skills, cognitive ability, language proficiency, behavior, and more

• Strong analytics features for in-depth insights into candidates’ skills

• Asynchronous video interviews

• Free forever plan 

• Strong anti-cheating measures

• Live customer support chat

Cons: 

• No live video interviews

Free trial: Yes, free plan

Pricing: Starting at $499/month; free plan available

2. HackerRank: Best for hiring for tech roles

HackerRank is another top alternative to HackerEarth, if you’re looking to hire software engineers. 

It comes with excellent analytics features, enabling you to gain deep insights into candidates’ coding abilities and make an unbiased hiring decision. Plus, HackerRank is more accessible than HackerEarth Assessments, with its Starter plan costing $100 per month. 

You can use it to hire for many technical positions, but if you’re looking for a more comprehensive solution, TestGorilla (or another HackerRank alternative) might be a better fit.

HackerRank provides you a detailed performance report for each candidate

G2 rating: 4.5/5

Pros: 

• Live coding interviews

• Technical assessments for dozens of tech roles

• Intuitive, easy-to-use interface 

• Questions that mimic real-world problems

Cons: 

• Plagiarism flags require a manual review

Pricing: Starting at $100/month

Free trial: Yes 

3. Codility: Best for its wide selection of coding tests

Codility is another platform that you can use to assess candidates’ technical skills without bias. It offers a large selection of coding assessments and project-based tasks that replicate real-world scenarios as closely as possible. 

Codility also offers video interviewing and an integrated development environment (IDE) you can use to assess candidates’ thought process and practical skills. You can use it to build a standardized hiring process that enables you to zero in on the best candidates – and it won’t break your budget, starting at $1,200 per year. 

If you need a testing platform that evaluates more than coding skills, however, you might need to consider some of Codility’s alternatives.

G2 rating: 4.6/5

Pros: 

• Video interviews and an integrated development environment (IDE)

• Wide range of technical and programming tests

• Ideal for remote-first hiring

• Lots of ATS integrations available

Cons: 

• You cannot use it to test cognitive ability or soft skills

Pricing: Starting from $100/month

Free trial: Yes

4. Coderbyte: Best for its live-interview features

Coderbyte is another good choice, if you’re looking to hire for technical roles. As the name suggests, you can use the platform to assess candidates’ coding skills – but, contrary to HackerRank and some of the other options on this list, such as HackerRank or CodeSignal, it actually offers personality tests. 

So, with Coderbyte, you can evaluate candidates’ coding skills and use assessments like Big 5, DISC, and more. 

But what truly sets Coderbyte apart is its excellent live interviewing features. With a collaborative IDE that features frameworks, video, and a whiteboard, you can evaluate candidates in depth and make sure they have the skills you need. 

It’s one of the pricier options out there, but you also have the option to pay per candidate, which not many platforms offer.

With Coderbyte, you have the option to pay per candidate, for a minimum of 30 candidates

However, some users are reporting that Coderbyte’s anti-cheating measures aren’t as effective as they’d wish them to be. If you’re concerned about that, check out the best Coderbyte alternatives on the market.

G2 rating: 4.4/5

Pros: 

• Over 1000 coding challenges for more than 30 programming languages

• Excellent live coding interview options 

• Programming and personality tests available

• The option to pay per candidate

• Intuitive interface

Cons: 

• Anti-cheating measures could be improved

• Lack of advanced analytics

Free trial: Yes

Pricing: Starting at $199/month or $350 for 30 candidates

5. Qualified.io: Best for providing a great candidate experience

Qualified.io is another top coding assessment tool you can use to hire for tech roles – and according to G2, users love it, giving it 4.8/5 stars overall. Compared to HackerEarth, it meets business requirements better, is easier to set up and use, and offers better customer support. 

Candidates also seem to like the platform and enjoy using it, which is definitely an advantage for any company looking to create a smooth candidate journey. 

Qualified.io enables you to evaluate candidates’ skills across a range of programming languages and frameworks

Similarly to other platforms on this list, however, you won’t be able to assess soft skills with it. For this, TestGorilla might be a better fit.

G2 rating: 4.8/5

Pros: 

• You can assess a wide variety of coding languages and frameworks 

• Candidates find the platform simple and easy to use 

• Project-based coding challenges

• Collaborative coding environment

Cons: 

• Many assessments are long, taking more than one hour to complete

• No transparent pricing information available

Free trial: Yes

Pricing: No information available on the website

6. CodeSignal: Best for its anti-cheating measures

If making sure that candidates won’t cheat is a top priority for you, CodeSignal is a good choice. It provides an automated Suspicion Score that identifies suspicious candidate behavior that might undermine a test’s integrity and flags it for a manual review. 

With CodeSignal, you can create fully customized tests, which not all platforms offer – and add a custom score to each question. 

Similarly to HackerEarth Assessments, CodeSignal is tailored to the needs of tech companies and therefore puts a strong emphasis on technical skills and coding ability. If you’re looking for a platform that offers a larger testing scope, you might be better served by one of CodeSignal’s alternatives.

G2 rating: 4.5/5

Pros:

• AI-powered coding assistant built into the platform’s IDE

• The possibility to create custom tests

• Excellent anti-cheating measures

• Asynchronous and live interviews

Cons:

• Overemphasis on technical assessments

• No pricing information on the website

Pricing: Custom, contact sales for more information

Free trial: Yes

7. iMocha: Best for its large test library

If you’re looking to assess applicants for a range of skills (and not just coding ability), iMocha is a good option. With it, you can evaluate over 3,000 skills for over 1,500 job roles, which is impressive. Users like its user interface and candidates are also reporting an overall positive experience with it. 

It offers excellent customization options and customer support, along with a range of services to help you implement the platform into your hiring process and make the most of it. 

iMocha’s professional services help you integrate the platform into your hiring process easily

One of the common complaints we encountered is that it’s not possible to re-invite candidates and reshare a test, which can slow things down, if a candidate missed your emails or didn’t receive them. Plus, it doesn’t offer question-exposure limits to preserve the integrity of its tests, contrary to some of the iMocha alternatives out there.

G2 rating: 4.4/5 

Pros: 

• Enables you to assess more than 3,000 skills, including programming ability and soft skills

• Professional services for an extra fee

• Customer support for candidates 

• Excellent customization options

Cons: 

• No free plan or free trial

• Limited quality control of tests

Free trial: No

Pricing: No information on iMocha’s website

8. CoderPad: Best for its collaborative integrated development environment (IDE)

If live coding interviews are a part of your hiring process, CoderPad is a good option. It offers an excellent collaborative development environment that enables you to see a candidate’s progress in real time and make sure they have the coding skills necessary for the role. 

With the platform, you can also give candidates take-home projects, similar to HackerEarth Assessments’ challenges. This enables them to show off their skills and gives you a more accurate idea of their true abilities. CoderPad offers a ChatGPT integration for its digital whiteboard, which is somewhat similar to CodeSignal’s AI assistant. 

One of CoderPad’s advantages is the possibility to add unlimited users, which not many platforms offer.

With every plan, you get unlimited users, meaning that you can invite your entire hiring team

G2 rating: 4.4/5

Pros: 

• Live coding interviews with playback features

• A collaborative integrated development environment (IDE)

• Take-home coding challenges

• Unlimited users on the hiring team’s side

• ChatGPT integration

• Free plan

Cons: 

• ATS and API integrations are available for top-tier plans only

Free trial: Yes

Pricing: Starting at $70/month

9. TestDome: Best for its wide range of role-specific tests

TestDome is one of the platforms that doesn’t focus exclusively on technical skills, making it a good fit for any role you need to fill, including admin and sales positions. However, if you want to create your own assessments, you might need to consider one of TestDome’s alternatives.

The platform offers something that we didn’t see often: AI-resistant questions. Although the technology behind this isn’t immediately clear from the platform’s website, this is a welcome innovation for the industry. 

One of the pros of TestDome are its flexible pricing options, enabling you to pay only for the candidates you need to assess, rather than tie your budget to a monthly subscription. Prices start at $100 for five candidates, making the platform a strong choice for startups and small businesses. 

One thing we found was lacking are personality assessments. If you’re looking to evaluate candidates’ behavior and culture-add potential, TestGorilla might be a better choice. See how TestDome and TestGorilla compare for a more accurate idea. 

G2 rating: 4.5/5

Pros: 

• Flexible pricing options and a 90-day money-back guarantee

• Large choice of role-specific tests

• AI-resistant questions

• Live coding interviews

Cons: 

• No bulk candidate invitations

Free trial: Yes

Pricing: $20 per candidate for a minimum of 5 candidates

10. DevSkiller: Best for small and mid-sized companies

DevSkiller is another good choice if you want to assess applicants’ coding skills. According to G2, the two platforms’ ratings are a tight match, but DevSkiller is easier to set up and is a better business partner overall. Its customization and technical screening options are better, too. 

DevSkiller is another strong choice, if you’re looking for an alternative to HackerEarth Assessments

DevSkiller is mostly used by small and mid-sized businesses and is a good fit for those. However, if you’re looking to assess coding ability and soft skills, you might want to try out one of the available DevSkiller alternatives.

G2 rating: 4.7/5

Pros: 

• Talent assessment and talent management features

• Free trial

• Large library of coding tests

• Excellent analytics and reporting features

Cons: 

• Some candidates report technical issues with the platform

Free trial: Yes

Pricing: Starting at $3,600/year 

Find the right HackerEarth alternative for your business

HackerEarth is a reliable platform for coding challenges that enables you to build your own hackathons to attract top talent – but some users report experiencing technical issues with it, and it has a very narrow focus on technical skills. Plus, it’s among the pricier options out there.

If you’re looking for an alternative that’s also cheaper, you might want to consider CoderPad or TestDome. And, if you need a platform that offers more comprehensive talent assessment capabilities and a Forever free plan, TestGorilla is your best bet. Sign up for a free 30-minute live demo to chat with one of our team members and see how TestGorilla can help you revamp your hiring process and hire top talent for any role.