Compare/Head to head

HackerRank vs HackerRank Chakra

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

HackerRank

$79/mo

Coding screens, pair interviews, and an AI interviewer. Starter is $79/mo billed annually ($948/year) for 60 attempts.

Where HackerRank fits

  • Small teams making first technical hires on Starter
  • Growing teams that need Greenhouse, Lever, or Ashby on Pro
  • Orgs that want an agentic IDE and AI-assisted scoring
  • Enterprises that need certified assessments, SSO, and MCP

HackerRank Chakra

$79/mo Free trial

HackerRank's AI interviewer for technical roles. It opens a real codebase in a live canvas with an AI coding assistant, watches how the candidate plans and builds, then asks follow-up questions to see whether they can defend what they shipped. Chakra comes with HackerRank plans, which start at $79/mo billed annually for 60 candidate attempts.

Where HackerRank Chakra fits

  • Engineering teams that want one AI round instead of a recruiter screen plus a take-home
  • Hiring AI engineers, forward deployed engineers and AI product managers
  • Teams already on HackerRank that want to test how candidates work with AI tools
  • Companies worried about candidates using interview cheating tools

At a glance

DetailHackerRankHackerRank Chakra
Starting price$79/mo$79/mo
Free tier–No–No
Free trialNot on recordYes
MCP server✓Yes✓Yes
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underAssessmentsAI interviewing, Assessments, Interviewing

Where they pull apart

HackerRank

Stands out: Chakra AI interviewer, Screen, and live Interview on every plan, with MCP and API on Enterprise.

Watch out: Starter and Pro do not include API or MCP. Extra attempts are $20 each. ATS hooks start on Pro.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that need API or MCP on a self-serve plan
  • Buyers who only want a free developer practice site

HackerRank Chakra

Stands out: Most AI interviewers only talk. Chakra hands the candidate a real repository and an AI assistant, judges how well they use it, and ties every score to a moment in the transcript or the code. HackerRank says one Chakra session can replace the recruiter screen, take-home and engineer follow-up, and that candidates rated its 500,000+ beta interviews 4.8 out of 5.

Watch out: There is no Chakra-only price: it comes inside HackerRank plans that cap candidate attempts, with extras at $20 each. Its sample interviews are all engineering and AI product roles, so it is not built for non-technical hiring. On HackerRank's plans, ATS integrations start on Pro and the API and MCP are Enterprise only.

Not the right fit for

  • Non-technical or high-volume hourly hiring
  • Teams that want a standalone AI interviewer without a HackerRank plan

Pros and cons

HackerRank

  • Public Starter and Pro prices with annual 20% off
  • Chakra AI interviewer included from Starter
  • Hosted MCP plus REST API on Enterprise
  • API and MCP are Enterprise-only
  • ATS integrations start on Pro, not Starter
  • Overage attempts cost $20 each

HackerRank Chakra

  • Tests real work in a codebase with AI tools, not algorithm puzzles
  • Every score is linked to evidence in the transcript or code
  • Flags cheating apps, second devices and extra faces on camera
  • No standalone price; it comes inside HackerRank plans
  • Built for technical and AI roles only
  • ATS integrations start on Pro; API and MCP are Enterprise only

What each one costs

HackerRank

$79/mo

Starter is $79/mo billed annually ($948/year) with 60 candidate attempts. Pro is $419/mo billed annually ($5,028/year) with 360 attempts. Extra attempts are $20 each; Enterprise is sales-quoted. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

HackerRank Chakra

$79/mo

Chakra is included in HackerRank plans rather than sold on its own. Starter is $79/mo billed annually ($948/year) with 60 candidate attempts. Pro is $419/mo billed annually ($5,028/year) with 360 attempts and adds ATS integrations. Extra attempts are $20 each; Enterprise is sales-quoted. A free trial is offered. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Is HackerRank cheaper than HackerRank Chakra?
HackerRank starts lower, at $79/mo against $79/mo for HackerRank Chakra. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try HackerRank or HackerRank Chakra for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. HackerRank Chakra offers a free trial.
Does HackerRank or HackerRank Chakra have an MCP server?
HackerRank and HackerRank Chakra ship a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?