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What is OnlineInterview.io?
OnlineInterview.io is a browser-based platform for running live technical interviews. It combines a collaborative code editor, embedded video chat and a shared drawing canvas in a single room, so an interviewer and candidate can talk, write code and sketch ideas without switching between separate meeting and coding tools. The site describes it as free, with rooms created in one click and shared by link.
What you can do in a session
- Write and run code together: the editor supports multiple languages (the page lists C, C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Julia, Kotlin, Lua, Python, Ruby, Rust and TypeScript) with syntax highlighting, and you can supply input and check the output in the browser.
- Talk face to face: video chat is built into the room, so no separate call software is needed.
- Explain visually: a shared drawing board is available for diagrams and algorithm sketches.
- Keep a record: you can download the code and the canvas image at the end of the session.
- Fit the room to the task: dark and light modes are available, and rooms support up to three participants—typically one candidate and two interviewers.
Who it suits
It is aimed at companies, agencies and universities screening technical candidates, and at anyone who needs an ad-hoc coding session with a small group. A typical use: a hiring manager creates a room, sends the link to a candidate and a second interviewer, sets a short algorithm problem, and watches the candidate run test inputs while one interviewer draws on the canvas to probe their reasoning.
Trade-offs to weigh
The three-person cap keeps things simple but rules out panel interviews with more than two interviewers. Because everything happens in the browser, session quality depends on each participant's connection and device. If you need recorded playback, structured question banks or detailed candidate reports, check whether those exist before committing; the page emphasizes the live room rather than post-interview analytics.
As a next step, create a free room and run a five-minute dry run with a colleague—test the language you plan to use, confirm the video and audio work, and try downloading the session—before scheduling a real candidate. For alternatives, compare CoderPad and HackerRank, which focus more on structured assessments.
How do I set up and share a room for a live coding interview?
Create a room with the one-click Create Free Room button on OnlineInterview.io, then send the room link to your candidate and any co-interviewer. The page describes shared rooms as supporting up to three users at once, so a typical setup is one candidate plus two interviewers. Everyone joins in the browser; the room combines a code editor, embedded video chat and a shared drawing canvas, so no separate meeting tool is needed.
A practical setup sequence
- Create the room from the site's main page and copy the link.
- Decide who joins first. For most interviews, have the interviewers enter a few minutes early to check video, audio and the editor.
- Share the link only with the intended participants. The page describes link-based sharing; it does not describe passwords or waiting rooms, so treat the link as the access key.
- Agree on the language before the session. The editor lists C, C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Julia, Kotlin, Lua, Python, Ruby, Rust and TypeScript. Asking the candidate in advance avoids fiddling at the start.
- Prepare a small input/output example if you plan to run code, since the page describes supplying program input and checking the output in the browser.
- Save the session at the end using the download option, which the page says exports the code and the drawing canvas image.
Example scenario
A two-person panel interviews a backend candidate for a Python role. One interviewer shares the link, the candidate joins, and the second interviewer joins as the third participant. The panel pastes a short problem, the candidate writes and runs code in the editor, and when a data-structure question comes up, an interviewer sketches it on the canvas instead of describing it verbally. Afterwards they download the code and canvas image for their notes.
Decision criteria
- Choose a shared-room tool like this when you want coding, talking and sketching in one place and a small panel is enough.
- Choose a separate video platform plus editor if you need more than three participants, recording, or formal scheduling and identity checks. The page does not describe those capabilities, so verify them elsewhere before relying on them.
- Keep a backup plan for connectivity problems: have the candidate ready to paste code into a plain document, and keep your problem statement somewhere you can share by text.
For candidates, the practical tip is to test your microphone and camera before the link is shared and to ask which language the editor will use, so the first five minutes go to the problem rather than setup.
Which programming languages can candidates run in the browser editor?
The browser editor lists eleven runnable languages: C, C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Julia, Kotlin, Lua, Python, Ruby, Rust and TypeScript. The editor includes syntax highlighting and works as a REPL, so a candidate can supply program input, run the code and check the output without installing anything locally.
What this means for an interview
- Language coverage is broad enough for most standard interview tracks. Python, Java, JavaScript and C++ cover the common algorithm and data-structure rounds; Go, Rust, Kotlin and TypeScript suit backend, systems or mobile roles; Lua and Julia are useful for scripting or numerical work.
- The candidate's own toolchain is not required. Because execution happens in the browser, you avoid the usual setup call before the session and the risk of environment mismatches.
- Program input is supported. This matters for problems that read from stdin, which are harder to run in editors that only evaluate expressions.
A practical check before the interview
Ask the candidate which language they plan to use, then confirm it appears in the list above. For a Python-focused role, a quick warm-up task such as reading two integers from input and printing their sum verifies that the run-and-check workflow behaves as expected. If a candidate prefers a language outside the list, agree on an alternative in advance rather than discovering the gap mid-session.
For comparison, CoderPad's official site is CoderPad and HackerRank's is HackerRank; both are established alternatives if you need a wider language set or a structured test library.
Can I save or download the code and whiteboard from an interview session?
Yes. OnlineInterview.io provides a session download feature: after a session you can download the code and the drawing canvas image so the work is saved on your own computer. That covers both the code editor content and the whiteboard, which is what most interviewers want for records or later review.
What this means in practice
- Code: download it at the end of the session and keep it with your notes on the candidate, rather than relying on the room staying available.
- Whiteboard: the canvas image is saved as a picture, so diagrams, sketches and architecture notes survive the session.
- Timing: do the download before closing the room, since the page describes it as saving the session to your computer rather than as a permanent archive on the platform.
A concrete scenario
A two-interviewer panel runs a live coding round with one candidate (the room supports up to three users). At the end, one interviewer downloads the code and the canvas image, then attaches both to the candidate's file alongside their scorecard. The second interviewer can stay in the call to debrief while the first saves the material.
Decision criteria for other tools
If download and record-keeping matter to your hiring process, check three things before committing to any platform:
- Can you export code and whiteboard separately, or only as one bundle?
- Is the export a file you control, or a link that may expire?
- Does the export preserve syntax and formatting well enough to review later?
For comparison, other live-coding interview platforms include CoderPad and HackerRank, which are aimed more at structured assessments and enterprise workflows; check their own documentation for export options. OnlineInterview.io's draw is the combination of a browser code runner, embedded video and a shared whiteboard in one free room, with download as the way to retain the output.
How many people can join one interview room at the same time?
Up to three people can join a single room on OnlineInterview.io at the same time. The site presents this as one candidate plus two interviewers, which suits a standard technical screen with a second opinion in the room.
That limit shapes how you should plan a session. For a typical interview, the candidate shares the editor while one interviewer leads the questions and the other watches the code and takes notes. If your hiring process needs a larger panel, a separate observer, or a recruiter sitting in, you would need to split the session or use a different tool for that stage.
A practical next step is to decide the roles before creating the room: who drives the conversation, who reviews the code, and whether the candidate will run tests in the browser. With only three seats, an unplanned extra participant can leave someone unable to join.
Is OnlineInterview.io really free, and are there any limits or paid tiers?
OnlineInterview.io presents itself as a free remote technical-interview platform, and the page evidence supports that there is no paid tier described. The site's own wording repeatedly calls it a "free online tech interview platform" and a "free virtual recruitment tool," and the main call to action is "Create Free Room" with one click. No pricing links, payment methods or upgrade prompts appear in the supplied page content.
What "free" covers here
- Creating a virtual interview room and sharing its link with participants
- A browser-based code editor with syntax highlighting and a REPL, with a language list including C, C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Julia, Kotlin, Lua, Python, Ruby, Rust and TypeScript
- Running code in the browser with program input and visible output
- Embedded video chat, so no separate meeting tool is needed
- A shared drawing canvas for explaining ideas
- Dark/light mode and the ability to download the session's code and canvas image
The limit that is stated
The clearest constraint on the page is participant count: shared rooms allow up to three users at the same time, which the site frames as one candidate plus two interviewers. That is a functional cap rather than a paid-feature boundary — nothing in the page evidence suggests you can pay to raise it. For a typical one-candidate, one-or-two-interviewer screen, the free offering covers the whole workflow.
Practical reading
"Free" here appears to mean free without a published paid tier, not a freemium trial with locked features. The trade-off is scale: panel interviews with three or more interviewers, or sessions where several candidates share a room, fall outside the stated limit. As general advice, confirm the current terms on the site before relying on it for a hiring round, since free platforms can change their model.
For comparison, other established options include CoderPad and HackerRank, which are generally positioned as commercial hiring tools; check their official pages for current terms. If your team routinely runs panels larger than three people, evaluate those before committing to a free room-based tool.
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