CodeSignal vs Karat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CodeSignal and Karat share a 1.6 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick CodeSignal if
- Fits if you screen a few technical hires a year
- Works for teams that want AI interviewers next to coding assessments
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you screen often: Build has only 60 credits a year, or 5 a month
- Pricey if you outgrow it, since Grow is $479 a month billed annually and Pro has no listed price
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, with no free plan or trial listed
- Watch out: enterprise ATS links, fraud prevention and role-based access are on Pro
- Watch out: monthly billing is $99 for Build and $599 for Grow, against $79 and $479 yearly
Pick Karat if
- Fits if you hire many engineers and don't want your own staff doing every first interview
- Works for firms that vet contractors or IT vendors as well
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a self-serve test library, because this is a delivered service
- Not for you if you want a price: the site asks you to request a consult
- Watch out: the pricing path on the site returns an error
- Tight if you want a trial, as no free plan or trial is mentioned
How we grade them
| 1.6GPACodeSignalWeak | 1.6GPAKaratWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBuild is $79 a month billed annually ($99 monthly), about the middle of hiring tools ($83). Grow jumps to $479 and Pro has no published price. | CNo price is published, so we can't set it against the $74 to $149 a month this category charges. That leaves it at C. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on the listing. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed; the site routes you to a demo. A demo request isn't a trial. |
| Features | CTechnical and business assessments, AI interviewers, proctoring and ID checks, all paid for in credits. Build's 60 credits a year and the ATS links on higher plans are limits. | CInterviews by Karat's engineers, plus contractor vetting and AI-skill evaluation. It's a service rather than a test library, so it covers a smaller job than a full platform. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You choose assessments, spend credits and link it to your hiring process. | CNo store rating on record, and the listing shows a service you arrange through a consult. That puts it at C. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. Basic ATS links come with Grow. | CWeb only, with no separate app on record. One kind of device, so C. |
| Best for | coding and skills assessments with AI interviewers | technical interviews run by outside engineers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CodeSignal and Karat. How we grade
Where they differ
- CodeSignal also covers applicant tracking.
At a glance
| CodeSignal | Karat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $79 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CodeSignal, Inc. | Karat |
| Price read from | codesignal.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CodeSignal
- Build includes 60 credits a year, so heavy screening needs Grow or Pro.
- Enterprise ATS integrations, SSO-level controls and the full library are on Pro, which has no published price.
- The pricing page lists plans for hiring, learning and education; only the hiring plans are covered here.
- Monthly billing costs $99 for Build and $599 for Grow, against $79 and $479 billed annually.
Karat
- No prices are published: the site directs buyers to request a consult, and its pricing path returns an error.
- It is a service delivered by Karat's interviewers, not a self-serve test library.
- Product pages are built for enterprise buyers; no free plan or trial is mentioned.
Key features
CodeSignal
- Technical assessments
- A library of core technical assessments with a bank of 2,000 questions on Build, and a larger library on Grow and Pro.
- Agentic assessments
- Assessments where candidates work with Claude and Codex, with more of them on Grow and the full set on Pro.
- AI interviewers
- Product, design and engineering interviewers on Build, adding sales, customer success and marketing on Grow.
- Proctoring and ID checks
- AI proctoring and ID verification are listed on every plan, with advanced fraud prevention and role-based access on Pro.
- Credits
- Each plan carries a pool of credits that are spent on assessments and interviews.
Karat
- Interview Engineers
- Trained interviewers assess every candidate the same way, so hiring data is comparable across teams and locations.
- Direct Hiring
- Technical interviews for a company's own engineering hires, applying a consistent technical bar everywhere.
- Partner Talent
- The same evaluation applied to contractors and IT service providers before they join projects.
- AI Readiness
- Live AI-native scenarios used to assess whether incoming or current engineers work well with AI tools.
- Hiring Insights
- Benchmarks drawn from the vendor's pool of more than 600,000 technical interviews it says it has run.
Plans
CodeSignal
Build$79
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
60 credits a year (5 a month) for assessments and interviews, for small teams making first technical hires.
Grow$479
per month, billed annually ($599 billed monthly)
420 credits a year (35 a month), go-to-market assessments, sales and marketing AI interviewers, basic ATS integrations.
ProCustom
Custom credits, all assessments and AI interviewers, fraud prevention, role-based access and enterprise ATS integrations.
Karat
Pricing could not be confirmed. See karat.com.
Ways to pay less
CodeSignal
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The pricing page shows an annual toggle that saves 20%: Build is $79 a month billed annually against $99 billed monthly.
Karat
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CodeSignal or Karat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CodeSignal starts at $79 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly), and Karat has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, CodeSignal or Karat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither CodeSignal nor Karat has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.