The 4 Best Free Video Interview Software of 2025
A detailed guide on the best free video interview platforms, with insights into their key features, UI, integrations, pros & cons, pricing, and best use cases.
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Free video interview platforms offer organizations an affordable and practical way to conduct virtual interviews with job candidates. This technology is especially beneficial for small businesses and startups that want to enhance their hiring processes without breaking the bank.
As someone who has had a fair share of interviewing candidates virtually using almost every interview tool on the market, I wanted to share my candid review of the best video interview software options available. Whether you're in search of your first tool ever or looking to replace your existing (and disappointing) one, these four options provide a satisfying experience for both recruiters and candidates for less than $30 per month—some are even completely free.
To find the best free video interview software, we attended vendor demos, tested each solution, studied user reviews, and sought input from industry experts. Drawing on all of these resources, we pinpointed four key factors that distinguish the top options: easy opt-in, user-friendliness, multiple-question support, and customization.
- Easy opt-in: The chosen platforms offer a hassle-free onboarding experience. They don't burden users with credit card requests or endless phone calls. A simple process, like providing your work email or LinkedIn profile, is all it takes to get started.
- User-friendliness: Good free video interview software should cater to both recruiting teams and interviewees, ensuring a positive experience for both parties. We assessed this factor by setting up and conducting a video interview, then joining the interview as candidates to see things for ourselves. We also noted down if a platform supports multiple languages for diverse hiring practices.
- Multiple question support: The top solution includes various question types beyond video, such as audio, text, file upload, multiple choice, and single choice. This ensures recruiters don't need to juggle multiple platforms to assess candidates, while candidates encounter a straightforward talent assessment process.
- Simple yet useful customization: Though extensive customization may not be expected from free video interview software, basic and practical customization options are still essential. We evaluated features like the ability for recruiters to personalize job postings, one-way video interview questions, live ones, as well as candidate communication (invitations and rejection emails or messages).
For more insights into our vetting process, refer to this article on our HR Tech evaluation standards.
Hireflix
Hireflix doesn't have a forever-free plan, but it offers a lengthy free trial with all the good stuff: unlimited jobs, users, and themes, customizable candidate communication, and automatic video transcriptions. These features are rare finds in the one-way video interviewing software market.
PROS
- Easy sign-up with just an email address required.
- Unlimited jobs, team members, and interview themes.
- Clear onboarding instructions. Responsive customer support.
- User-friendly interface and easy navigation.
- Robust branding options with customizable elements.
- Pre-built templates for emails, SMS, and Whatsapp messages, with the ability to create custom templates.
- Multilingual support for over 20 languages.
- Customizable automatic candidate notification flow.
- Quick search functionality for candidates and positions.
- No app download is required.
- Allows interviewees to test their tech before the actual interview.
- Downloadable interview videos with automatic transcriptions, rating, and commenting features.
- Hireflix is simple and frictionless. Candidates can take the interview from any country, at any time, and from any device or browser. No application, log-in, or registration is required.
- According to users, Hireflix is super easy to implement, can be deployed immediately, requires no technical knowledge, and provides excellent customer support.
- Hireflix provides a multi-language candidate experience. It supports more than twenty languages including English, Spanish, French, Polish, German and more.
- Excellent set of features for one-way video interviewing (think time, answer time, retakes, multi-branding, transcriptions, customizable notifications, shareable links, an open API, native integrations with the top ATS's, and more.)
- One of the longest free trials for a product in its category.
CONS
- Limited to one-way video interviews.
- It only supports video question types; no other formats are available.
- No post-interview feedback option.
- No free-forever plan; trial limited to 300 candidate invites.
- Lack of online interview instructions for candidates.
- If you are looking for AI or ML or live (two-way) video interviews, Hireflix will not be helpful for you since they focus exclusively in one-way video interviewing.
Getting started with Hireflix’s trial was a breeze — you create your account with your name, company name, your email, and that’s good to go. The trial comes with a lot of flexibility right off the bat: unlimited jobs, team members, and interview themes. Plus, they support over 20 languages, catering to a diverse user base.
What stood out most to us was the branding options. We could customize brand colors, logos, and intro/outro videos. This touch of personalization is perfect for recruiting agencies and other teams handling multiple brands.
The pre-built templates for email, SMS, and WhatsApp were handy. We could easily utilize them or create our own templates (except for WhatsApp, where we had to contact the Hireflix team).
Here's a differentiating feature: whenever a new position was created, Hireflix would automatically communicate with candidates. From invitations to reminders and post-interview communications, they had all the bases covered.
The search bar made finding candidates and positions easy, and the support was top-notch. Besides the pre-built help documentation, the live chat support was managed by real people who were quick to lend a helping hand.
As evaluators, we could rate, comment, and review candidate answers at different speeds and access automatic transcriptions and downloadable videos.
However, Hireflix only supports video questions. We couldn't use other question formats like file uploads, text, audio, or multiple choice. There are no online interview instructions for candidates or the option to gather post-interview candidate feedback.
It’s also worth mentioning that Hireflix only offers one-way video interviews, and the above robust features are only free for 30 days, not forever.
FIFA, SeaWorld, Franklin Covey, World Vision International and UC Berkeley.
Hireflix offers a 1-month free trial and three pricing plans. All plans include one-way interviews, inviting candidates at scale, and reviewing responses as a team, unlimited users, unlimited active jobs, integrations, and support. When billed annually:
- Small: Priced at $75/month, this plan is ideal for businesses with less than 50 employees.
- Medium: This plan costs $150 per month and is geared towards mid-sized companies with 50-250 employees.
- Custom: Hireflix offers a custom quote for corporates, recruitment agencies, and other use cases.
Best For
Hireflix’s free trial is the best free video interview platform option for teams looking to explore whether one-way video interviewing is right for them.
I used Hireflix daily to pre-screen potential candidates for technical roles that had a high volume of applicants. It allowed me to initiate communication with candidates I wanted to advance to the phone screen stage. It also helped me source candidates who were a good fit for specific roles. Additionally, it provided applicants with clear expectations regarding the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the role. Finally, it gave me insight into candidates' personalities and communication skills, allowing me to determine if they would be a good fit within the organization’s culture.
The first advantage of Hireflix is the ability to pre-screen candidates before inviting them to a phone screen.
Second, it helped me identify which candidates were genuinely interested in the role, as they were the ones who completed the Hireflix videos.
Third, it allowed me to engage with candidates in a more personable way because I could humanize them before speaking with them.
The organization that purchased Hireflix did so to automate as much of the recruiting process as possible. Hireflix helps save time screening candidates to assess their qualifications, communication style, skills, and personality fit for roles that need to be filled. The roles they were hiring for were technical positions requiring very specific knowledge and skills. It also allowed us to track candidates who had or had not completed the screening video and automatically notify those who had not. I personally used it for two months while working for the client.
One downside of Hireflix is that it doesn’t allow automatic reminders for candidates who did not complete their videos. Additionally, the system doesn’t detect incomplete videos, so I sometimes received videos where candidates were just staring at the screen without saying anything. Lastly, Hireflix doesn’t automatically archive invitations for candidates who hadn’t completed their videos or older videos that have already been viewed and saved.
Hireflix is the first automated video screening platform I’ve used as a recruiter, so I don’t have any direct comparisons to other tools.
When purchasing a tool like Hireflix, I recommend considering the comfort level of candidates completing a video interview. Since this technology is relatively new, not everyone will be comfortable with or understand how to use the platform, so it’s helpful to mention in the job posting that this platform will be utilized.
While I used Hireflix, there were no changes or updates made to the platform.
Organizations with a high volume of applicants would benefit from tools like Hireflix, as it saves time and effort in the sourcing and screening process. Additionally, organizations without a recruiter could use it to help filter through candidates who may or may not be a good fit. For tech-savvy users, Hireflix would be highly beneficial because they would be able to maximize its potential.
Hireflix wouldn’t be suitable for users who struggle with new technology, as the tool requires manual input for information and settings, which could prevent them from using it to its fullest potential. I also wouldn’t recommend it for organizations with only a few roles to fill, as the cost might outweigh the benefits.
Willo
Willo specializes in asynchronous video interviews with a free tier that can be up and running right away. The UI looks lovely and works nicely, while features like customization and collaboration are simple yet effective. Plus, they’re known for regularly introducing new features based on customer input.
PROS
- Easy setup with a work email.
- User-friendly and visually appealing interface.
- Robust asynchronous video interviewing features, including branding, media support, customizable communication, and templates.
- Supports 13 languages for recruiters and candidates.
- No app downloads are required.
- Ability to share specific candidate answers.
- Candidate rating and feedback options.
- Flexible video playback for evaluators.
- Downloadable candidate answers.
- Regular feature updates.
- Tech support and troubleshooting are available via help doc and live chat.
- Asynchronous video interviews (one of the main benefits of video interviewing) that save your recruiting team time while allowing them to see candidates for who they are beyond a resume
- Extremely simple to get started, powerful enough for larger companies
- Transparent and affordable pricing, including a free tier
- Willo calculates the time your recruiting team saves each month so you know you’re getting value
CONS
- Limited to one user, one active job, and 10 monthly responses.
- No automated follow-ups for non-responsive candidates.
- Job end date options are restricted to no end date or within one month.
- All integrations and Digital Identity Check are paid features.
- No live video interviewing capabilities.
- Restricted user and note capabilities (paid plans only).
- Interview media automatically removed after six months.
- Doesn’t have the breadth of features that products have who have been in this space for 10+ years
- They don’t have a mobile app, but do have a mobile-optimized experience
- Native ATS integrations are limited to <10 ATS’s at this point
- They do not have real time 1:1 video interviews
Willo's free tier offers one of the most user-friendly interfaces and visually appealing designs. The platform can now support recruiters and candidates in 13 languages. We also found the branding features basic yet praiseworthy: you can customize the job post's header, footer, button, and logo with your brand colors.
Willo’s questions can be in video, audio, text, and file forms. And we love the current shape of the platform’s customization. Compared to Recright’s free plan, Willo users can personalize emails sent to candidates with variables, text formatting, and styles. They can even utilize pre-existing templates or create their own.
Candidates using Willo are not required to download any apps and can quickly test their tech and practice before real interviews. At the end of the interview, they can provide feedback and share their availability, simplifying scheduling for recruiters.
Regarding collaboration, while adding users and leaving notes on candidates’ answers are only for paid plans, free users can generate shareable links and even share specific questions — a feature that sets Willo apart from its competitors. The video playback options, ranging from 0.5x to 2x speed, are also on the house.
However, as a free user, you are capped at one job and ten monthly interviews without access to the Identity Check feature and integrations. You can only set the job to last forever or no more than one month. Lastly, Willo's lifecycle policy automatically removes interview media after six months, but thankfully, candidates' answers can be downloaded for safekeeping.
Danone, NHS Scotland, 7 Eleven, Samsung, University of Pennsylvania
Willo has a free tier where you can interview up to 10 people per month. This is great for small companies that want to try video interviewing, or larger companies that want to get a deeper feel for the product before moving to a paid tier.
Otherwise, the product is priced based on the number of users your team has.
- 0-5 users is $336/yr
- 5-20 users is $1,800/yr
- Their enterprise tier is $3,300/yr up to 1,000 employees
- If your company is over 1,000 employees, you’ll have to get a custom quote
We appreciate Willo has transparent pricing that is also accessible to SMBs. In addition to the annual pricing quoted above, they do have month to month plans (annual plans get a 50% discount).
Best For
Willo's free tier suits small teams seeking to fill one position at a time. It caters to office-based, remote, or diverse hiring with its multilingual capabilities. Larger businesses can try the free plan to evaluate its one-way interview capabilities. Still, they should not expect it to be their sole solution to screen candidates at scale unless they opt for the software’s paid plans.
We use it every day. We've put the Willo interview link in our automated thank you emails that go out to all our applicants. That way everyone gets the chance to record their interviews. We also send the interview links to applicants via text & email blast.
It speeds up the hiring process, minimizes ghosting and reviewing video interviews as opposed to resumes has proven to yield better hires.
We wanted to speed up the hiring process, give our applicants additional options/ways to interview and minimize the amount of ghosting that happened when scheduling interviews. It has helped in all 3 areas and we've been using it now for about 7 months.
The publishing section where Willo interviews are shared was not built well initially but they have since fixed it.
Easy of use, simplicity and customer service is great
Who you are recruiting for; what your main challenges are in your hiring process; do you have a recruiting problem or a retention problem?
They have fixed some bugs and made some updates.
Any and all.
I can't think of one.
Recright
Recright's free trial offers a seamless experience. You can access job postings, customizable workflow, video interview creation, and candidate invites. To improve the user experience, the platform supports multiple languages and devices, allowing candidates to leave anonymous feedback.
PROS
- Recright's free trial requires no credit card information for access.
- The platform offers easy navigation, with helpful instructions through help docs, videos, and onboarding emails.
- Introduce feature enables users to introduce candidates to colleagues or customers.
- Candidates can rate their experience at the end of each recruitment process.
- Job posts allow customizable head banner images, language, logo, and question types (short/long text, multi/single selection).
- Built-in test ensures proper network connection and hardware functionality before candidates join the interview.
- Supports 26 languages for candidates and 10+ languages for recruiters.
- Recright video interviewing tool is easy to use for both recruiters and candidates.
- Helps recruiters save time and enhance the recruiting process by recording questions one time and sharing them with candidates instead of meeting all candidates one-on-one.
- Provides information on which candidates make sense to meet for a personal interview.
- Ability to have multiple users, allowing recruiters to share video information with hiring managers and other team members.
- Transparent pricing structure. A 14-day free trial is also available.
- Great customer support.
CONS
- The email to activate your account is in Finnish; some sections on the platform are in Finnish despite the English language selection.
- No recent pieces of training since April 2022.
- No pause button in the video recorder.
- Inability to resend invitations to non-responsive candidates.
- Additional cost for branding features, live video interviews, scheduler, and integrations.
- Limited customization options for message forms (no text toolbar).
- Native ATS doesn't connect directly with job boards, requiring separate integrations at an extra cost.
- Some technical issues have been reported, but they are typically resolved quickly by the support team.
- No pause button in the Recright video recorder.
- Not possible to resend an invitation to candidates who have not opened or answered the first invitation.
- Live video interviewing and interview scheduling are offered as add-ons.
- Message forms when sending invites to candidates are not very customizable.
- Third-party and ATS integrations cost extra. The integration with Visma is not working as fluently as it should.
Recright doesn’t have a free-forever plan, but their free trial (no credit card required) is worth a try.
Recright’s instructions provided through help docs, videos, and onboarding emails made navigation easy. We also found the "Introduce" helpful: we can invite one or multiple recipients to assess one or multiple candidates within a few minutes. The only drawback is its email customization capabilities. You either have to send each email to each candidate for email personalization (as there are no variables to use) or send bulk emails without mentioning their names. You can’t style or format your text either.
Customization options are available but pretty basic. You can adjust the head banner image, language, logo, and question types. But for more advanced customization, you'll need to purchase the Enterprise plan.
Recright caters to candidates in 26 languages and recruiters in 10+ languages. And we were relieved to see that they hold certifications like ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and comply with WCAG and GDPR standards, ensuring data security and accessibility.
However, the activation email and some platform sections were in Finnish, even though we selected English as the UI’s language. We also found that they haven’t provided online training since April 2022. And it's a bit surprising that there's no pause button in the video recorder, which can be a limitation during interviews. Lastly, it costs extra for features like live video interviews, scheduler, and integrations.
Uber, Netflix, Volvo, ABB, KPMG.
After the free trial, Recright has three pricing plans.
- Easy: Starting at €265/month for teams with 10 - 20 positions per year
- Pro: Starting at €475/month for teams with 30 - 50 positions per year
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for teams with over 60 positions per year
- Features like Live Video interviews, Timed Interviews, Interviews Scheduling, or Custom integrations are available at 39.75€/month/feature.
Best For
Recright is a top free video interview platform for SMBs looking for a collaborative hiring solution to pre-screen candidates through video interviews. The free trial offers a great opportunity to evaluate how the software functions before making further decisions.
We are always looking for new talent, particularly for roles on our ships. We often use RecRight, especially during peak hiring seasons (Summer & Fall). It's perfect for conducting video interviews with candidates globally, making the initial screening process flexible for us and the applicants. Candidates can record their responses at their convenience, and our hiring teams can review them independently. This system saves us time and helps us manage candidate information and communications efficiently, ensuring we don't miss out on potential hires.
- Efficiency: The asynchronous interview format lets us screen candidates more quickly than traditional methods.
- Accessibility: It's easy for candidates worldwide to participate, breaking down geographical barriers.
- Organization: All candidate information and communications are neatly stored in one place, aiding coordination.
- Scalability: It can handle our volume needs, whether hiring a few people or scaling up significantly to hire over 20 people at one time.
Liberty Maritime Corporation bought RecRight to help us manage our growing global operations. It was already in place when I joined, so I'm unsure how long it has been in use. The platform is excellent for conducting video interviews that don't need to happen in real-time, which speeds up the process and benefits everyone involved. It integrates smoothly with our HR systems, making it easy to keep track of all our hiring activities. It has significantly improved how we connect with talented individuals worldwide.
- User Interface: The interface can sometimes feel clunky or outdated, complicating navigation.
- Customization Options: I wish there was more flexibility in customizing features to better suit our specific hiring processes.
- Technical Issues: Glitches during video uploads or playback can significantly delay our review process.
RecRight differentiates itself from competitors primarily through its robust asynchronous video interviewing capabilities, which are particularly effective for companies like ours with global recruitment needs. This feature increases flexibility for both candidates and recruiters, widening the talent pool by eliminating scheduling conflicts. I appreciate this aspect because it streamlines our hiring process significantly, allowing us to evaluate candidates more efficiently than traditional methods.
When selecting a video interviewing tool like RecRight, consider its features, ensuring it supports both live and asynchronous interviews and integrates well with existing HR systems. Evaluate the user interface for ease of use, so candidates and recruiters can navigate the platform smoothly. Finally, check the quality of customer support for reliability, especially for resolving technical issues swiftly.
Since I haven't been using RecRight for long, I'm not fully aware of how it has evolved to meet user needs. However, from my experience, the platform seems well-tuned to the demands of modern recruitment processes, suggesting ongoing updates and improvements to stay relevant and effective in the evolving HR landscape.
RecRight is well-suited for organizations that operate in multiple time zones or have a widespread geographical presence. It is ideal for companies that need to conduct many interviews and value the efficiency of asynchronous communication. This tool benefits HR teams looking to streamline their recruitment process while ensuring a broad candidate reach, making it a good fit for companies with high recruitment needs.
It may be less suitable for companies needing in-person interactions during recruitment or those with minimal technological integration in their HR practices. For businesses with a straightforward, localized hiring process, RecRight's sophisticated features, mainly its focus on video interviews and asynchronous communication, may still provide benefits.
Zoom
I can't talk about free video conferencing tools without mentioning Skype. It is among the most popular in the space, very easy to use, and can be accessed on browsers, desktops as well as mobile devices.
PROS
- Free for meetings up to 40 minutes, 100 participants, unlimited one-on-one meetings.
- Very user-friendly.
- Compatible with various apps, including Asana, Slack, AI Notetaker, and Calendars.
- Essential features like whiteboard, recording, screen and doc sharing, virtual background, live chat, and joining Zoom meetings without an account.
CONS
- Not designed as a recruitment interviewing tool, lacks essential features for video interviewing (e.g., one-way video interviews).
- Potential interruptions and inconvenience if the call exceeds the time limit, requiring candidates to rejoin.
- App download needed for Zoom meetings on mobile devices.
Zoom has become a go-to option for family calls, online lessons, conferences, and live interviews, especially during the pandemic. Chances are, most interviewees are already familiar and comfortable with it, making scheduling and conducting interviews a breeze.
One of the best parts about Zoom is its compatibility with various collaboration tools like Asana, Slack, and AI Notetaker, making teamwork much more manageable. Plus, you can access essential features like a whiteboard, recording, screen-sharing, virtual backgrounds, and live chat — all for free. Another nifty perk is that people can join meetings as participants without an account.
With the free version of Zoom, you can have up to 100 participants in your interview, which is usually more than enough. But do keep in mind there's a 40-minute time limit. So, if you need more time for those in-depth interviews, it could be a bit of a drawback.
While Zoom is excellent for general video conferencing, it's important to know that it's not specifically designed as a dedicated recruitment interviewing tool. So, some essential features like one-way video interviews, collaborative assessments, and candidate ratings are missing. Also, candidates must download the app on their mobile devices to join meetings, which might cause a little inconvenience.
- 20th Century Fox
- Uber
- Zendesk
Zoom is free for meetings up to 40 minutes with up to 100 participants with unlimited one-on-one meetings. Premium plans start at $150 per license year up to $300 per license per year.
Best For
Zoom is best for small and budget-minded teams seeking an entirely free, basic video interview software option.
We use zoom daily. It's used to schedule meetings, it's integrated with google calendars so it's easy to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Zoom is used for both one-on-one meetings as well as group company meetings. Zoom is also used when we have meetings with our external stakeholders.
- It's integration with Google Calendars makes it easy to schedule meetings
- The new notes feature makes in meeting collaboration very easy
- The recording feature makes it simple for us to go back and review meeting information
We use Zoom so that we can collaborate with our globally diverse team. Since we have team members from around the world it's difficult to communicate some things asynchronously so there is a need to have some form of live group communication. We have been using Zoom for almost 4 years now and it has been an excellent video meeting platform so far since it's easy to use.
- There are times when the Camera feature of Zoom doesn't share well
- Having both Camera on and screen sharing can take a toll on the system's processing power
- The chat feature is limited
Zoom is better than its competitors because it offers a smoother video experience, more tools around collaboration and the ability to schedule meetings in advance
People should think about about how long they want to meet, what type of systems will the participants be using and also the level of control they want to have during the meeting
Zoom has significantly improved with the inclusion of its new AI and collaboration features, which cut the need for other third-party software that would usually be paired with Zoom.
Zoom is good for organizations that have many video meetings
Zoom isn't good for organizations that don't do a lot of video meetings
How We Chose the Best Free Video Interview Platforms
To find the best free video interview software, I attended vendor demos, tested each solution, studied user reviews, and sought input from industry experts. Drawing on all of these resources, I pinpointed four key factors that distinguish the top options: easy opt-in, user-friendliness, multiple-question support, and customization.
- Easy opt-in: The best free video interview platform has to offer a hassle-free onboarding experience, and of course, doesn’t burden users with credit card requests. A simple process, like providing your work email or LinkedIn profile, should be all it takes to get started.
- User-friendliness: Top free video interview software should cater to both recruiting teams and interviewees, ensuring a positive experience for both parties. I assessed this factor by setting up and conducting a video interview and then joining the interview as a candidate to see things for ourselves. I also noted it as a bonus point if a platform supports multiple languages for diverse hiring practices.
- Multiple-question support: For pre-recorded video interview tools, I also tested and made sure the tech supports question types other than just video, including audio, text, file upload, multiple-choice, and single-choice. This ensures recruiters don't need to juggle multiple platforms to assess candidates, while candidates encounter a straightforward talent assessment process.
- Simple yet useful customization: Though extensive customization may not be expected from free video interview software, basic and practical customization options are still essential. Here, I looked for features like the ability for recruiters to personalize job postings, one-way video interview questions, live ones, as well as candidate communication (invitations and rejection emails or messages).
Tap here for more insights into our vetting process at SelectSoftware Reviews.
Pros of Free Video Interview Platforms
In addition to being budget-friendly, free video interview platforms offer numerous compelling and practical advantages for recruiters:
- Budget-friendliness: Free video interview platforms provide a budget-friendly solution for recruiters looking to optimize their hiring process without significant expenses. While they may have limitations compared to paid plans, they offer an excellent starting point.
- Efficient screening: These tools enable recruiters to quickly and effectively screen candidates from anywhere. This eliminates the need for in-person meetings or lengthy phone screenings, saving time and resources while reaching a broader talent pool.
- Flexibility and convenience: Video interviewing benefits both recruiters and candidates by allowing them to schedule interviews at their convenience. This flexibility accommodates the schedules of all parties involved.
- Enhanced candidate assessment: Valuable insights into candidates beyond what can be gleaned from resumes alone are what you can expect from free video interview software. Recruiters can more comprehensively assess candidates' communication skills, behaviors, and overall suitability for the position.
- Increased collaboration: The ability to easily share interview recordings with team members fosters more holistic hiring and selection practices. This collaborative feature streamlines the decision-making process, leading to better hiring outcomes.
Cons of Free Video Interview Software
Free video interview software platforms can have hidden costs and limitations that may not be immediately evident.
- Intangible costs: Free software may come with limited features, which means your employees must handle some tasks manually. This can result in important tasks being pushed aside, and the time and effort spent on these manual processes may ultimately cost more than investing in paid video interview software that can efficiently manage those tasks.
- Limitations: Free plans from most vendors typically offer either pre-recorded interviews or live meetings, rarely both. Free asynchronous video interview software may limit the number of users, videos, or open positions, which may not be sufficient for every recruitment team. Similarly, free live conference software might not be designed specifically for hiring purposes and may only provide very basic interview functionalities.
- Beware of free trials: Be cautious if you come across free trials requiring payment information upfront. Make sure to cancel on time to avoid unexpected subscription fees. However, you can let your guard down with the options we listed in this guide, as they are genuinely free or offer trials without the need for credit card details.
Key Features of the Best Free Video Interview Software
You can’t expect a free video interview platform to offer all the advanced features a premium one does, but nevertheless, there are several key elements that can improve your hiring process.
- User management: Collaborative hiring becomes efficient with multiple users, role assignments, and permissions control. Some free plans offer limited users and role control, while others might provide full access during trials.
- GDPR compliance: Leading free platforms prioritize candidate data protection, although more advanced security is typically available in higher-tier plans.
- Candidate invitation options: You can invite candidates via email, SMS, and public links right from the software's dashboard.
- Support for candidates: Top free platforms offer candidates support before and during the interview. This includes online instructions, technical assistance, and live chat options.
- Mobile-friendliness: Most free video interview software allows candidates to complete video interviews on their mobile devices without requiring app downloads.
- Customizable invitation and rejection emails: While advanced templates might be reserved for paid subscriptions, most free plans offer simple personalization or advanced customization during trial periods.
- Branding and intro/outro: Interviews can be branded with your company's logo and colors. Some platforms even enable you to include an introductory or closing video message from your CEO to enhance the candidate experience.
- Candidate's recording attempts: This feature allows candidates to have one or multiple recording attempts per question during the pre-recorded interview process.
- Answer length restriction: Most platforms allow you to set maximum answer lengths for candidates' responses.
- Playback and auto-subtitle: Free users can utilize playback features to assess candidate answers and even use auto-subtitles for enhanced evaluation.
- Rate and comment: The ability to rate and provide comments on video answers is available within free user plans as well.
What Should Candidates Expect from Free Video Interview Platforms?
Armed with the best free video interview software, you provide your candidates with:
- Better opportunities to showcase their personality and communication skills beyond their resumes.
- Less time spent on screening and interviewing means candidates can focus more on their overall job search.
- Standardized interviews reduce hiring bias, ensuring a level playing field for all applicants.
- Reduced pressure as multiple retries on video responses means less pressure to get everything perfect on the first try.
Here are some examples and tips on using video interview software the right way:
- Setting clear interview expectations through welcome videos.
- Having hiring managers ask video interview questions.
- Making small gestures like sending interview tips.
- Asking for candidates' feedback on their interview experience.
Demo Questions to Ask Free Video Interview Software Vendors
Consider asking these questions during demos with free video interview software to make an informed decision:
- What features do your free video interview platforms offer?
- Can you show me how the software works? How to set it up? What is the candidate's journey?
- What types of interviews and interview questions does the software support?
- How much can I customize the interview experience?
- Is there a limit on the number of participants or interviews I can conduct?
- What is the video and audio quality like?
- Is the software browser-based or does it require an app download?
- Does the software integrate with these tools of ours? Is the integration free?
- What level of customer support is provided for us and the interviewees?
- How secure is the platform in terms of data privacy and encryption?
- Are there any usage restrictions or limitations for the free version?
- How are the interview recordings stored, and for how long?
Free Video Interview Software FAQs
What Is Free Video Interview Software?
Free video interview software is an online tool that enables companies to conduct virtual interviews with job candidates at no cost. It provides a convenient and budget-friendly solution, eliminating the need for travel and saving time on coordination. However, it often lacks the advanced features found in paid video interview software.
What Are the Different Types of Free Video Interview Software?
There are two types of free video interviewing software: Live video interviewing and asynchronous video interviewing.
- Live video interviewing: This type allows real-time, face-to-face interactions between interviewers and candidates. It's like a regular in-person interview, but done online.
- Asynchronous video interviewing (or pre-recorded/one-way video interviews): Here, candidates answer pre-set questions on their own time. They record their responses; later, a recruiter reviews the recorded interviews.
What is RIVS?
RIVS, or Recorded Interview Virtual Screening, is a video interviewing format that lets employers conduct virtual interviews with candidates. Candidates record responses to pre-set questions, allowing employers to review interviews later. It streamlines hiring, saving time and resources, especially for high applicant volumes and remote hiring needs.
Which Features Are Commonly Missing in Free Video Interview Software?
Free video interview platforms often come with limitations or restricted access to certain features, such as:
- User limits: Free versions typically allow only one user. If you need more users, you'll likely need to upgrade to a paid plan.
- Job limits: With a free plan, you can usually have one active job at a time. Alternatively, the vendors will let you have multiple active jobs at once, but that will only last during the trial period.
- Participant limits: Free plans of pre-recorded video interview platforms frequently restrict the number of participants to around 10 responses per job.
- Question types: Free plans may limit question formats to text and video. If available, more diverse options like written and single/multiple-choice questions are only available during trial periods.
- Live video interviewing: There are often two cases here. Scenario one: Some platforms offer both live and one-way video interviews, but the free plan may only allow you to use the pre-recorded tool. And two: Free video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype, while offering free live meetings, is not tailored specifically for recruitment.
- HR tech integrations: Free video interview software typically allows integration with calendar apps at no cost. However, connecting it with other HR tools such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), pre-employment assessment tools, or recruiting software usually requires a subscription upgrade.
Which Video Interview Software Has the Longest Free Trial?
- Hireflix takes the lead, providing a generous one-month free trial accessible directly on its website.
- The runner-up is Willo, offering a 15-day trial to explore all features of their one-way video interview software for free.
- Recright offers 14-day trials.
Do I Need to Provide Credit Card Details for Free Trials?
For all the video interview software options listed in this buyer guide, no, you don’t, as I made sure to only pick options that don't ask for your credit card to keep your privacy and avoid unexpected charges. Just your work email and maybe your phone number are enough.
Is Support Available during Free Trials?
Yes! All the video interview apps I cover here offer support during trials and for free plans (if any), for employers and interviewees, too. You can contact their support team via email, phone, or online help center. Some even have a dedicated account manager to help you get started.
What Has Been Changed Since Our Last Review Update?
In this round, I took a fresh look at all the information on our listed vendors to ensure everything is still accurate. Two major changes are the removal of Skype and Spark Hire from the list, as the former unfortunately has just been shut down, while the latter has discontinued its free trial for video interviewing.
While updating the reviews, I also checked out some other tools on the market. Sadly, there aren’t any new vendors to add to the buyer guide just yet. However, there are a few tools that didn't quite make the cut this time but definitely have potential, so I'll be keeping an eye on them. For example:
- Breezy HR has a nice set of talent attraction and recruiting features, including a video interviewing module, but its free plan doesn’t include video interviews at all.
- Jobsoid offers a complete talent attraction package, from posting jobs to video interviews to sourcing candidates. But, again, video screening is missing from the free plan.
- Interviewstream looks promising, but they don’t have a free plan, and just signing up for a demo doesn’t guarantee access to a free trial, either.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Moving Beyond Free Video Interview Software
Keep in mind that these free solutions are often a temporary fix for your hiring needs. As your company grows, you may want to explore more robust and feature-rich alternatives. When that time arrives, you may benefit more from my review of the best video interview platforms, where I share insights into each option’s pros and cons, pricing, and best use cases to help you make a smart and informed purchasing decision.
Do you have questions or need further assistance with your video interview software selections? Book a free 1:1 with one of my HR software advisor colleagues. Knowing Zach and Annie, I’m certain they would be excited to help you out!
About the Author
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