Final Round AI vs LockedIn AI vs Parakeet AI (2026): prices, plans and who each one suits
Quick answer: Final Round AI is the cheapest way to get unlimited live sessions (from 25 $ a month) but has no free live trial. LockedIn AI costs more (from 54.99 $ a month) and offers the widest choice of plans, including a lifetime licence. Parakeet AI is the best fit when your interviews are spread over months, because you can pay per hour (33 €, or less in packs) instead of per month.
| Final Round AI | LockedIn AI | Parakeet AI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free live help | None: free plan is preparation only, no free trial | “Free to start”, no card; limits not published | One 10-minute session, no card |
| Cheapest unlimited plan, monthly billing | From 25 $ / month (Pro) | 54.99 $ / month (General) | 129.90 € / month |
| Longer commitment | “Save up to 40%”; prices not published | 39.99 $ / month billed every 3 months (General) | 519.90 € / year, or 67 € for one week |
| Pay-as-you-go | Not published | 69.99 $ / month for 400 copilot minutes | 33 € per hour; packs down to 10.20 € per hour |
| One-time purchase | Not published | Lifetime Pro: 999.50 $ | Credit packs (no subscription) |
| Desktop platforms | macOS 14.4+, Windows | macOS, Windows; mobile app | macOS, Windows; Chrome browser |
| Linux | Not published | Not published | Through desktop Chrome, per its page |
| Main extras | Practice interviews, AI debriefs, prep checklist | Unlimited mock interviews, reports; remote assist on Professional | Mock interviews, resume maker, headshots, question bank |
Final Round AI: cheapest unlimited subscription, nothing free to test
Final Round AI is the most established of the three and the cheapest if you want unlimited sessions. Pro starts at 25 $ a month and includes unlimited live Interview CoPilot sessions, practice interviews, automatic AI debriefs and screen help with auto-capture. It runs as a desktop app on macOS 14.4 or later and on Windows.
Its weak point is testing before you buy. The free plan includes goals, resume and materials, job description parsing and a prep checklist, but not live sessions, and the pricing page says there is no free trial. The page also says “save up to 40%” on longer plans and the 25 $ price carries a “+”, but neither the longer-plan prices nor what the plus means are printed. Budget for 25 $ a month as the floor, not a guaranteed price. A list of alternatives is in Final Round AI alternatives.
LockedIn AI: most plan types, highest monthly price
LockedIn AI has the most complex pricing page of the three: Unlimited, Credits and Lifetime tabs, and General and Professional tiers inside Unlimited. On 13 October 2026:
- General: 54.99 $ a month, or 39.99 $ a month billed every three months, with unlimited interview sessions and unlimited mock interviews, up to two hours per interview.
- Professional: 119.99 $ a month, or 79.99 $ a month billed quarterly. Adds LockedIn Duo remote assist and Stealth Mode, which LockedIn describes as keeping the app out of view while you share your screen.
- Credits: 69.99 $ a month for 400 copilot minutes. Credits never expire, according to the page.
- Lifetime Pro: 999.50 $ one-time.
The refund policy is strict on short plans: monthly and quarterly plans are non-refundable once started, while annual plans can get a partial refund within seven days. LockedIn positions itself around technical interviews and online assessments, and it has a mobile app as well as the desktop one. More options in LockedIn AI alternatives.
Parakeet AI: pay by the hour
Parakeet AI is the only one of the three that lets you pay for interview time without a monthly plan. One credit costs 33 € and covers an hour of calls, since half a credit pays for a 30-minute session. Packs lower that to 17 € per credit (three credits) and 10.20 € per credit (nine credits plus six free). Unlimited is 129.90 € a month, 519.90 € a year, or 67 € for a single week, which is useful for a short burst of final rounds.
The free tier is one 10-minute session and a free first mock interview. Parakeet runs as a desktop app on Windows and macOS, and it runs live sessions in desktop Chrome, which its page says works on Linux too. It also bundles preparation tools: a resume maker, AI headshots and a question bank of questions candidates were asked at specific companies. More in Parakeet AI alternatives.
Who should pick which
- A few interviews scattered over several months: Parakeet AI. A credit pack covers them without paying for the empty months in between, and there is no subscription to cancel.
- Several interviews bunched into a month or two: Final Round AI. At 25 $ a month it is the cheapest unlimited plan of the three, cheaper than even one Parakeet credit, and the practice interviews and debriefs help between rounds. Accept that you cannot test a live session for free.
- A long search with lots of technical rounds: LockedIn AI General on quarterly billing, at 39.99 $ a month. It costs more than Final Round AI but includes unlimited mock interviews and sessions up to two hours.
- You want to own it outright: LockedIn AI Lifetime Pro at 999.50 $. It only pays off if you expect to use it across several job searches.
- You work on Linux: Parakeet AI through Chrome is the only one of the three that states Linux support.
- You want to hear the transcription before paying: Parakeet AI, since it is the only one of the three with a stated free live session. Ten minutes is short, so use it on a recording of a real interviewer.
What the table cannot tell you
None of these pricing pages tells you how well the tool hears your interviewer, or how quickly the answer appears after the question ends. Those two decide whether a tool helps or distracts, and both vary with accent, connection quality and the model each vendor uses that month. Before committing, play a recorded interview through your speakers rather than speaking into your microphone, and check that the transcript keeps up at natural speed, that the answer arrives while the question is still relevant, and that you can read it without obviously looking away. Our full checklist is in how to choose an AI interview assistant.
Also check the rules of the round. Some coding platforms now provide their own AI assistant and log every prompt; we cover what HackerRank, CodeSignal and CoderPad allow in AI-assisted interviews on HackerRank and CodeSignal.
How we compared
All three pricing pages were read on 13 October 2026. On LockedIn AI’s page we switched through every tab and tier and recorded each combination. Where a vendor did not print a figure, the table says “not published” rather than borrowing one from a review site. Several third-party reviews still list LockedIn prices that no longer match its page. Parakeet AI displayed euros for our location, so we kept euros. We did not score answer quality, for the reasons above, and we did not sign up for paid plans.
A fourth option: Interview Copilot
We make Interview Copilot, so we left it out of the table above. It differs from all three in billing: 25 $ for 30 days, paid once, with no auto-renewal. It has a native Linux desktop build (beta), a 27-language interface and a free tier with no card, which includes 5 minutes of live recognition and 3 coding-screenshot solutions. It is weaker on preparation: there are no mock interviews, resume tools or question bank, and the free tier is shorter than a real interview. Payments are final, so test the free tier first. See what is free or compare it with more tools in Cluely alternatives and Interview Coder alternatives.
Sources
All checked on 13 October 2026.
FAQ
Which is cheaper: Final Round AI, LockedIn AI or Parakeet AI?
For unlimited monthly use, Final Round AI, from 25 $ a month. LockedIn AI starts at 54.99 $ a month (39.99 $ billed quarterly) and Parakeet AI Unlimited is 129.90 euros a month. For interviews spread over several months, Parakeet AI's credits avoid paying for idle months: 33 euros per hour, or about 10 euros per hour in the largest pack (153 euros for fifteen credits). Prices checked on 13 October 2026.
Which one has a free trial?
Parakeet AI offers one free 10-minute session. LockedIn AI says it is free to start without a card but does not publish the limit. Final Round AI's free plan covers preparation only, and its pricing page says there is no free trial of live sessions.
Is LockedIn AI better than Final Round AI?
They are close in features: both offer live sessions, mock or practice interviews and reports. LockedIn AI has more plan types, including credits and a lifetime licence, and allows sessions up to two hours. Final Round AI is cheaper per month. Neither lets you test a live session with a published free limit.
Can I use any of them on Linux?
Parakeet AI's page says live sessions run in desktop Chrome, including on Linux. Final Round AI and LockedIn AI do not mention Linux on the pages we checked. Interview Copilot has a native Linux desktop build in beta.
Which one is best for coding interviews?
All three support technical interviews. LockedIn AI describes itself as optimized for technical interviews and online assessments, and Parakeet AI lists CoderPad and HackerRank among its verified platforms. Check the round's rules before using any of them, because some coding platforms provide their own logged AI assistant.
Do they offer refunds?
LockedIn AI's policy says monthly and quarterly plans are non-refundable once started, with a partial refund on annual plans within seven days. We did not find refund terms on Final Round AI's or Parakeet AI's pricing pages, so check their policy pages before paying.