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Google Interview Warmup Alternatives (2026): 8 Options Compared

The former Google Interview Warmup address now redirects to interview advice. Compare 8 practice options, their documented features and dated price snapshots.

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The short answer

The former Interview Warmup address now redirects to a Grow with Google interview article that recommends Gemini Live. We have not established an official retirement date. Alternatives include a general conversational assistant, delivery coaching and dedicated interview practice tools. Choose by the feedback you need, and confirm current prices before committing to a subscription.

Key takeaways

  • Google described Interview Warmup in 2022; its former address now redirects. We have not established an official retirement date.
  • Gemini Live is free and conversational but is a general assistant, not a structured interview tool.
  • Himalayas (first mock interview free) and Yoodli (5 free sessions) are the easiest free starts.
  • For structured scoring and follow-ups, look at dedicated AI mock interview apps.
  • Most prices and features are September 23, 2026 snapshots; Big Interview pricing was rechecked on October 9, 2026.
  • Disclosure: we make Offermic, one of the tools listed.

The former Google Interview Warmup address now opens a Grow with Google article, “How to Prepare for an Interview,” which suggests practicing with Gemini Live. We checked the redirect on October 9, 2026; it does not establish when or why the original tool was withdrawn. The options below range from general conversation to delivery coaching and dedicated mock interview practice.

Disclosure: We make Offermic. Most vendor features and prices are September 23, 2026 snapshots. Big Interview pricing and Google’s current redirect were rechecked on October 9, 2026. This is a documentation comparison, not a hands-on test of every alternative. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor’s site before paying.

What happened to Google Interview Warmup?

Google’s June 2, 2022 announcement describes Interview Warmup as spoken practice with real-time transcription and insights about job-related terms, repeated words and talking points. Its questions covered Career Certificate fields and general interview practice. Google described the responses as not graded or judged.

The current destination recommends Gemini Live and practicing with a friend, mentor or career counselor. We did not establish an official retirement date or reason from the Google pages checked for this update, so we do not present a competitor’s shutdown explanation as Google’s statement.

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 (September 23 snapshot; Big Interview October 9) 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/month subscription; $99/3-month subscription; $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 on the web 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. Its pricing page, rechecked on October 9, 2026, lists a $39/month subscription, a $99 three-month subscription and a $299 one-time lifetime offer. Read renewal terms before buying. 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 runs in the web browser, on a computer, phone or tablet.

  • Honest limits: No video or body-language analysis, no live coding interviews and no human coaches. The free tier is limited; full mock interviews need Premium ($7.99/week or $17.99/month, with a 3-day free trial on the web).
  • 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.

Questions people also ask

Is Google Interview Warmup still available?

The former address we checked on October 9, 2026 redirects to a Grow with Google interview-preparation article rather than the original tool. We have not established an official retirement date.

What was Google Interview Warmup?

It was a free practice tool from Grow with Google. You answered interview questions out loud, it transcribed your answers in real time, and it highlighted insights such as job-related terms you used, your most-used words and talking points you covered. Google said answers were not graded or judged.

What is the best free alternative to Interview Warmup?

It depends on what you liked about Warmup. Gemini Live is free and conversational. Himalayas offers a free first mock interview with STAR-based feedback, and Yoodli offers five free sessions with delivery feedback. None is identical to Warmup.

Can I use Gemini Live for interview practice?

Yes. Google's own interview-preparation article suggests Gemini Live for simulating a real-time conversational interview. Because it is a general assistant, you need to tell it the role, the question types and the kind of feedback you want.

Sources

  1. How to Prepare for an Interview (former Interview Warmup address), Grow with Google (2026-10-09)
  2. Helping job seekers prepare for interviews, Google (2022-06-02)
  3. Gemini Live, Google (2026-09-23)
  4. AI Mock Interview, Himalayas (2026-09-23)
  5. Yoodli pricing, Yoodli (2026-09-23)
  6. Mock Interviews: Practice with Peers and AI, Aced (formerly Exponent) (2026-09-23)
  7. Interviews by AI, Interviews by AI (2026-09-23)
  8. Huru, Huru (2026-09-23)
  9. Big Interview pricing, Big Interview (2026-10-09)

Written by, Founder

Ken Garry is the founder and developer of this app. He builds the AI mock interview product and writes its interview preparation guides.

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