10 Best Pre-Employment Testing Software of 2026

TestGorilla ranks first because it covers most screening needs for non-specialist roles and lets a team start without paying. The free Assessments plan gives 10 credits a month, five essential tests with unlimited use (problem solving, communication, time management, a Big 5 personality test and motivation), resume scoring and qualifying questions that filter candidates before they start. Core, from $215 per month per account on annual billing, opens the full library of 350+ tests, video questions and custom questions from a shared credit pool. Plus, from $520 per month, adds the AI interview library, job simulations, custom tests and coding challenges, ID verification, removal of TestGorilla branding and ATS and API integrations with Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, BambooHR and Ashby. Anti-cheating tools such as webcam snapshots, disabled copy and paste and full-screen mode are listed across plans. The main limit is that integrations sit on the higher tier, so connected hiring workflows cost more than the entry price suggests.

Testlify ranks second because its entry plan bundles more assessment types than most rivals charge extra for. The Starter plan costs $139 per month billed at $1,668 a year and includes 100 credits, which works out to $16.68 per candidate, and a credit is only used when a candidate starts. That plan covers unlimited assessments, a library of 3,500+ tests, custom tests and coding challenges, role-based simulations in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, and AI video, audio and phone interviews, with phone time billed at $0.18 per minute. The proctoring list is long and included: face detection, tab and mouse tracking, multiple monitor restriction, session recording and AI assistance detection. The costs come from add-ons. ATS integrations and white labeling are $2,388 a year each, photo ID checks are $0.50 per attempt and live video proctoring is $5 per attempt. Teams that only need Greenhouse can use its free AI resume scoring integration.

Adaface ranks third on value. It is the cheapest paid way into skills testing on this list, and every plan price is on the page. The Individual plan costs $180 a year for 12 credits, Starter is $500 for 50 credits and Pro is $900 for 100. Credits are spent in a simple way: 5 to set up a ready-to-use test, 10 for a custom test and 1 per candidate invite, and the invite credit comes back if the candidate never takes the test. The library spans programming languages, IT platforms such as SAP, Salesforce and Power BI, machine learning, cognitive ability, the Big 5 personality model, languages, typing and finance, so one account can cover technical and business roles. Proctoring options and ATS integrations are listed as features. The small plans fill up fast once setup credits are counted, so a team testing more than a few dozen candidates should start at Pro or Scale.

HackerRank is the strongest coding test pick for small teams on price. Starter costs $79 per month on annual billing, $948 a year, and includes unlimited users, 60 candidate attempts a year, the Screen take-home assessments, the Chakra AI interviewer, pair programming interviews and 2,000+ library questions. Every plan includes the agentic IDE, where candidates can work alongside Claude, Gemini or GPT models in a full IDE with a terminal, and hiring teams can run tests in guarded or unguarded mode. Integrity tools on all tiers include AI-powered plagiarism detection, session replay, device and object detection and standardized integrity reports. Pro, at $419 per month billed annually, raises the allowance to 360 attempts and adds Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby integrations and 4,000+ questions. The limits show at volume: extra attempts cost $20 each, and SSO, API and MCP access and leaked question protection need an Enterprise contract. It also only tests technical roles.

Canditech fits small teams that want job-like tests rather than generic quizzes. The Team plan costs $150 per month billed yearly at the 100-candidate level and includes two assessments, eight users, 500+ pre-built tests that can be fully customized, the AI Assessment Builder and question types for open text, multiple choice, video, Excel and file uploads. Cheating prevention and employer branding packages are included, with question timers, copy and paste detection and IP and location tracking. Pro, at $200 per month billed yearly, removes the limits on assessments and users and adds ATS integration, coding questions in languages from Python and Java to React and SQL, and embedded Google Sheets questions. Enterprise adds AI auto scoring agents, monitored ChatGPT and Google Search, webcam snapshots, SSO and API access. Prices on the page scale with the number of candidates a year, so check the slider for your volume. The two-assessment cap on Team means most growing companies will land on Pro.

Coderbyte stands out for pricing that does not count candidates. Pro costs $1,999 a year and covers unlimited candidates and admins, with screening, assessments and interviews, the full question library, custom questions, a native IDE and VS Code, automated grading, cheating detection and AI features with unlimited credits. Coderbyte says the Pro price stays locked for as long as you auto-renew. Teams that hire in bursts can use the Monthly plan at $99 for 20 invites, with $20 per extra invite and rollover of unused invites, or buy 60 invites for $799. Assessments can include algorithmic challenges, multi-file projects and take-home work. The cost rises with add-ons: API, ATS and MCP integrations, SSO and SCIM, branding, premium analytics and proctoring, and personality testing are each $1,499 a year, or $4,496 for the bundle. A team that needs an ATS connection should price Pro plus that add-on against HackerRank Pro.

Codility is built for teams that want to see how engineers work with AI, not only whether they can solve a puzzle alone. Online plans start at $4,800 a year, or $800 a month for 25 invites, and include Screen and Interview, five platform users with unlimited collaborators, one standard ATS integration and integrity tools such as plagiarism detection, proctoring with snapshots and task leakage protection. Every plan includes Claude Code and Codex set up in the terminal and an AI Assistant on models up to Sonnet class, and each prompt, command and code change is saved with the result. Hiring teams can turn AI off for a task when they want to see unaided work. The task library grows with the plan and reaches the full 1,300+ validated tasks at 1,000 invites a year. Enterprise adds AI skills tasks for sales, marketing and finance roles, ID verification, video proctoring, SSO and every ATS integration, including Workday and SAP. The entry price is high for a team hiring a few engineers a year.

Criteria is the pick for employers who want to measure how candidates think and work, not just what they know. Its Criteria Assess package includes all of its assessments, covering cognitive aptitude, personality, emotional intelligence, risk and skills, plus game-based tests, the TestMaker tool and template library, non-AI proctoring, a branded candidate experience, standard ATS integrations and SSO. Criteria Interview adds async and real-time video interviews with transcripts and summaries, and Criteria Hire combines both. Upgrades add AI proctoring, AI scoring and an AI interview agent, and the Develop add-on extends the platform to post-hire coaching. Criteria describes its pricing as a flat-fee subscription, which means candidates can be tested at any stage of the funnel without per-test charges. The trade-off is that no prices appear on the site, so it is hard to compare with self-serve rivals, and smaller teams must book a call to learn the cost.

Vervoe suits employers that want candidates to do a sample of the actual job and have the answers graded consistently at scale. Its assessments are built on real job tasks, and the AI Assessment Builder generates role-specific tests that the hiring team can adjust. Responses are graded by AI that Vervoe describes as explainable and auditable, and the platform includes advanced generative AI detection to flag answers written by tools. On the governance side, Vervoe lists SSO, regional data storage, an uptime SLA, GDPR compliance, ISO/IEC 27001 certification and an independent bias audit by Holistic AI, which matters for regulated or large employers. Enterprise customers can use the API and white-label workflows to run assessments inside their own systems, and the same tools can assess current staff for internal moves. The drawback for smaller teams is clear: there is no published price or self-serve plan, so buying starts with a demo.

eSkill is a long-running skills testing platform aimed at organizations that hire consistently through the year. Its library holds more than 70,000 questions across 600+ subjects, verified by subject matter experts, and recruiters can use standardized tests or mix questions from different subjects into a custom test, or write their own. The Growth plan screens up to 500 candidates a year and includes the full library, behavioral tests, ATS integrations with more than 100 providers and custom branding. Scale, the most popular tier, covers up to 1,000 candidates and adds one-way interviews, custom questions, test uploads and team grading. Custom adds white glove help, test analysis and assessment consulting. There is no limit on users. eSkill requires an annual subscription and publishes no prices, and AI-powered proctoring is an add-on even on the top plan, so teams should ask for the full quote with proctoring included.