Interview Sidekick and Cluely both put suggested answers on your screen during a live call, which is where the similarity ends. Everything else about them is shaped by a different assumption about why you are there.
Built around the job hunt
Interview Sidekick assumes you are interviewing. Its workflow runs before, during and after: practice with company-specific questions and mock interviews beforehand, live transcript and answers on request during, and transcripts with AI answer feedback afterwards.
The paid tier leans on preparation, with a question bank the vendor sizes at more than ten thousand questions, advanced prep insights and a coding mode called Code Mode. The free Basic tier gives limited prep sessions and limited question-bank access. It publishes a desktop app and states that it works with any video meeting software.
Built around the meeting
Cluely assumes you are in a call, any call. It keeps a live transcript, takes notes, writes a recap afterwards, and lets you query past meetings later. Answers come when you press a shortcut, and you can give it custom instructions and upload files for context.
It publishes macOS and Windows desktop apps plus iOS, has a free Starter tier with limited responses, and sells a paid Pro tier with a higher tier that adds concealment from screen sharing. Nothing in it is interview-specific, which cuts both ways.
The test that settles it
Ask what happens in three months. If you have accepted an offer, Interview Sidekick's question bank and mock interviews have no further use and the subscription should be cancelled. Cluely's meeting memory becomes more useful, not less, because you are now in a new job taking calls you need to remember.
Read the other way: if your search is urgent and interview-shaped, paying for general meeting features is paying for capability you will not touch this month.
Side by side
| Dimension | Interview Sidekick | Cluely |
|---|---|---|
| Assumes you are | Interviewing | In a call of any kind |
| Preparation | Company-specific questions, mock interviews, large question bank | None published |
| Answer trigger | On request, with live transcript | Keyboard shortcut driven |
| Session context | Prep insights and answer feedback | Custom instructions, file upload |
| Meeting record | Interview transcripts | Transcript, notes, recap, query past meetings |
| Coding rounds | Code Mode | Not a published focus |
| Meeting platforms | States any video meeting software | Not enumerated |
| Where it runs | Desktop app | macOS and Windows desktop, plus iOS |
| Free entry | Basic tier: limited prep sessions and question bank | Free Starter tier with limited responses |
| Billing shapes | Monthly or quarterly, quarterly cheaper per month | Paid Pro, plus a higher tier adding screen-share concealment |
| Value after you are hired | Low | High |
Which to pick
Interview Sidekick if
- You are actively interviewing and under-rehearsed.
- You want feedback attached to a transcript you can revisit.
- Your loop includes coding rounds and you will use a coding mode.
Cluely if
- Most of your week is ordinary calls and interviews are occasional.
- A searchable record of past meetings is worth a subscription on its own.
- You prefer to summon help deliberately rather than have it appear.
Where CoPilot Interview fits
Our product, so this is a disclosed pitch. CoPilot Interview is interview-specific like Interview Sidekick, but it answers the cancel-it-later problem differently: the free tier is permanent and needs no card, so an occasional interviewer does not have to hold a paid plan between searches. Native Windows and macOS app, about a four-second answer, model choice per question, and Interviewer Mode if you are on the hiring side.
If what you actually want is a record of every call you take, Cluely builds that and we do not.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for interviews, Interview Sidekick or Cluely?
Interview Sidekick, because it is built for them. It runs practice with company-specific questions and mock interviews beforehand, live answers with a transcript during the call, and answer feedback afterwards, plus a coding mode. Cluely is a general meeting assistant: useful in an interview, but with no interview-specific structure and no published coding-round focus.
What does Cluely do that Interview Sidekick does not?
It remembers. Cluely keeps a transcript, takes notes, produces a recap and lets you query past meetings later, across any call rather than only interviews. That makes it worth keeping after your job search ends, which is not true of a question bank.
Can I try either for free?
Both have free tiers. Interview Sidekick's Basic tier gives limited prep sessions, limited question-bank access and basic insights. Cluely has a free Starter tier with a limited number of responses plus notetaking, custom instructions and file upload. Free-tier limits change often, so check each vendor's own site.
Do both work on Windows?
Cluely publishes macOS and Windows desktop apps plus iOS. Interview Sidekick publishes a desktop app and says it works with any video meeting software, without the same platform detail, so confirm your operating system version before paying.
Which handles a live coding round?
Interview Sidekick has a coding mode it calls Code Mode. Cluely does not market coding rounds as a focus. Neither publishes a detailed coding-platform list, so if your assessment runs on a specific platform, ask the vendor before you rely on it.
I am employed and interview occasionally. What should I do?
Avoid holding a job-search subscription year-round for a handful of rounds. Either buy for the specific month you are interviewing and cancel, or use a tool with a permanent free tier between searches. A general meeting assistant can also make sense if you would use it daily at work regardless.
No subscription to hold between searches
CoPilot Interview's free tier is permanent and needs no card. Upgrade only for the weeks you are interviewing.
Try it free