Google Interview Warmup Alternatives (2026): 8 Options Compared

Google Interview Warmup was retired in 2026. Its old address now opens a Grow with Google article, “How to Prepare for an Interview,” which suggests practicing with Gemini Live instead. The closest alternatives today are Gemini Live itself (free, but unstructured), Himalayas and Yoodli for free starts, Aced for tech and product roles, and voice-first AI mock interview apps such as Offermic.

Disclosure: We make Offermic. We’ve tried to describe every tool fairly, using each vendor’s own website (checked on 2026-09-23) as the source for prices and features. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor’s site before paying.

What happened to Google Interview Warmup?

Interview Warmup launched in May 2022 as part of Grow with Google. According to 9to5Google’s launch coverage, it offered practice across job fields such as data analytics, e-commerce, IT support, project management and UX design, plus general questions. You answered out loud, it transcribed your answers in real time, and it showed insights such as your most-used words and the talking points you covered. Google stressed that “your responses aren’t graded or judged.”

In 2026 the tool was retired. Google didn’t publish a detailed explanation; Final Round AI, which covered the shutdown, reports that Google’s only public note described it as “spring cleaning.” Four-Leaf, which documented the shutdown, notes that the Internet Archive’s last capture of the live tool is from March 2026 and that the address now redirects to the general interview-preparation article. We checked that article on 2026-09-23: it says Gemini Live can “simulate a real-time, conversational interview” and also mentions Career Dreamer and practicing with a friend, mentor or career counselor.

What made Interview Warmup useful?

Before picking a replacement, it helps to know which part of Warmup you valued:

• Free, no pressure. No cost and, in Google’s words, no grading or judging.
• Speaking out loud. Real practice, not typing.
• Pattern insights. Your most-used words and the topics you covered.
• Job-field question sets. Especially for Google Career Certificate fields.

What it didn’t do: score your answers or tailor questions to your resume or a specific job posting. Several of the alternatives below fill those gaps, usually at a price.

Interview Warmup alternatives at a glance

Tool	Free option	Paid price (checked 2026-09-23)	Spoken practice	Best for
Gemini Live	Yes, in the Gemini app	Not needed for basic use	Yes, conversational	Free, flexible practice if you write good prompts
Himalayas AI Interview	First mock interview free	Plus $9/mo; Max $29/mo	Text, voice or real-time conversation	Cheap, resume- and job-based practice
Yoodli	5 lifetime sessions	Pro $8/mo, Advanced $20/mo (billed annually)	Yes, AI roleplays	Delivery feedback: pacing, conciseness
Aced (formerly Exponent)	Monthly practice credits; free peer mocks	Membership for unlimited access	Yes	Tech, product and data roles
Interviews by AI	3 questions a month	Pro $9/mo	Audio or text	Quick practice from a job description
Huru	Free trial	$24.99/mo or $99/yr	Yes, with recording	Job-post import, large question library
Big Interview	None listed	$39/30 days; $99/3 months; $299 lifetime	Video recording with AI feedback	Structured video lessons plus practice
Offermic (ours)	Limited free practice	$7.99/week or $17.99/month, 3-day free trial	Yes, real-time voice interviews	Realistic voice mock interviews with follow-ups, multiple accents and languages

The 8 alternatives in detail

1. Gemini Live: Google’s own suggestion

Gemini Live is the voice mode of the Gemini app, which Google describes as “a feature that lets you talk with AI from Google using just your voice.” It’s free in the Gemini app on Android and iOS.

• Good: Free, natural conversation, can play any interviewer you describe.
• Limits: It’s a general assistant, not an interview tool. There’s no built-in question bank, scoring or progress history, and the quality depends on your instructions.
• Tip: Tell it the role, the company type, that you want one question at a time with a follow-up, and what feedback you want at the end (for example “check whether my answers follow STAR”).

2. Himalayas AI Interview

Himalayas, a job board, offers an AI mock interview that combines “your resume, and a job description” to generate questions. You can answer in text, voice or a real-time conversation mode, and you get feedback plus “an improved answer” using techniques like STAR. Your first mock interview is free with no credit card; Himalayas Plus is $9/month (unlimited standard interviews, 30 minutes/month of conversational mode) and Max is $29/month (4 hours/month of conversational mode).

• Best for: Low-cost practice tailored to a specific job.

3. Yoodli

Yoodli is an AI roleplay platform for communication skills, including interviews. It gives feedback on content and delivery, with metrics such as “pacing, conciseness, and sentence starters.” The free Starter plan includes 5 lifetime sessions; Pro is $8/month and Advanced $20/month, both billed annually.

• Best for: Delivery coaching, which is closest to Warmup’s “most-used words” insight.

4. Aced (formerly Exponent)

Aced, the new name for Exponent, offers an AI interviewer with feedback for members and free peer mock interviews where you “take turns as both the interviewee and interviewer.” Its practice page says the tool is free with monthly credits, with unlimited access for members. It focuses on product management, system design, data science, behavioral and similar interviews.

• Best for: Tech, product and data roles, and practicing with real people.

5. Interviews by AI

A simple tool that generates questions from a job description you paste. You can “answer out loud or in writing,” and feedback uses frameworks like STAR. The free plan gives 3 questions a month; Pro is $9/month for unlimited questions and resume upload. It says audio recordings are deleted after transcription.

• Best for: A quick, cheap check of answers for a specific posting.

6. Huru

Huru offers AI interview practice with feedback on answer content and delivery, a question library it says has over 50,000 questions, a Chrome extension that creates a practice interview from a job post, and an iOS app. Pricing on its site: $24.99/month or $99/year, with a free trial.

• Best for: Importing job posts and practicing across many roles.

7. Big Interview

Big Interview combines a structured course (it lists 170 video lessons) with video practice and AI feedback on “delivery, clarity, and more.” It sells to job seekers, universities and workforce agencies. Plans on its pricing page: $39 for 30 days, $99 for 3 months, or $299 for lifetime access. No free plan is listed, but it offers a 30-day refund.

• Best for: People who want a full curriculum, and students whose university provides access.

8. Offermic (ours)

Offermic is the AI mock interview app we make. You talk to one of four AI interviewers (Sarah, Emily, Michael and Raj, with American, British and Indian English accents) in a real-time voice conversation that follows up on your answers. Interviews can be tailored to your resume and a job posting, across 17 industries and 13 languages. Each session ends with a 0–100 score, strengths, improvements and an improved STAR version of your answers. It’s available as an iOS app and on the web.

• Honest limits: No video or body-language analysis, no live coding interviews, no human coaches, and no Android app yet. The free tier is limited; full mock interviews need Premium ($7.99/week or $17.99/month, with a 3-day free trial).
• Best for: Realistic spoken interviews with follow-ups, especially if you want practice with different English accents or in another language.

A Gemini Live prompt you can copy

If you go with Google’s suggestion, the prompt does most of the work. Something like this gives Gemini Live the structure Warmup had, plus follow-ups:

“Act as a friendly but professional interviewer for an entry-level project coordinator role. Ask me one interview question at a time. After each answer, ask one follow-up question. After five questions, stop and give me feedback: which answers had a clear example and result, which words I repeated most, and one thing to improve in each answer.”

Change the role, level and tone to match your interview. Ask for a mix of behavioral questions (“Tell me about a time…”) and situational questions (“What would you do if…”). Keep in mind that a general assistant can be inconsistent from session to session, so compare its feedback with a checklist such as the one in our STAR method guide.

What should a Warmup replacement do?

When you compare tools, check these five things:

1. Spoken answers. Typing answers is useful, but it doesn’t train you to speak under pressure.
2. Follow-up questions. Real interviewers rarely move on after one answer. A tool that follows up is closer to the real thing.
3. Specific feedback. “Good answer” doesn’t help. Look for feedback on structure, examples and results.
4. Relevant questions. Questions tailored to your target role, and ideally your resume or the job posting.
5. Transparent pricing. A clear free option and prices on the website, not only after sign-up.

No tool is best on all five. Use the table above to decide which trade-offs suit you.

How to choose an Interview Warmup alternative

• You want free and flexible: Start with Gemini Live and a good prompt.
• You want free with structured feedback: Try Himalayas’ free interview or Yoodli’s free sessions.
• You want delivery insights like Warmup’s word analysis: Yoodli.
• You’re preparing for tech or product interviews: Aced.
• You want realistic voice interviews with follow-ups and scoring: a dedicated voice mock interview app, such as Offermic.
• You want lessons as well as practice: Big Interview.

Were the Warmup job fields covered elsewhere?

If you used Warmup for a specific Google Career Certificate field, such as data analytics, project management, UX design or IT support, look for tools that generate questions from a job posting (Himalayas, Interviews by AI, Huru, Offermic) and paste in a real posting from that field. You’ll get questions closer to what an employer will actually ask than a generic list. Our role pages, such as data analyst, project manager and UX designer questions, are free starting points too.

Can you replicate Interview Warmup for free?

Mostly, yes. Record yourself answering five questions on your phone, then transcribe the recording (many phones do this automatically) and review it: highlight repeated words, check whether each answer has a clear example and result, and note which topics you covered. That’s essentially what Warmup showed you. Our how to practice for an interview guide turns this into a 7-day plan.

Good questions to start with: Tell me about yourself, What is your greatest weakness? and Why this role?. For structure, use the STAR method.

Related comparisons

• Best AI mock interview apps: a broader comparison with our method.
• Final Round AI alternatives: practice-first options.
• Offermic vs Yoodli and Offermic vs Big Interview.