HackerRank Chakra
HackerRank's agentic AI interviewer: candidates work in a real codebase with an AI assistant, then defend their decisions in follow-up questions.
From $79/mo Free trial MCP server API
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Bottom line
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.
Stands out for: 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 for: 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.
Overview
Chakra is the agentic AI interviewer from HackerRank, made generally available in October 2026 after about six months in beta. HackerRank says it ran more than 500,000 interviews in that time and that candidates rate the experience 4.8 out of 5 on average.
A Chakra interview opens a canvas that works like a development environment: a real repository, tickets describing the problems to fix, and an AI coding assistant the candidate is allowed to use. Chakra talks the candidate through the task by voice, watches how they plan and build, then asks follow-up questions about the choices they made. The aim is to test judgement, critical thinking and AI fluency rather than puzzle solving.
Afterwards the hiring team gets a score for each competency, a summary of strengths and gaps, and the evidence behind every score from the transcript and the candidate's work. Teams can turn a job description into a tailored interview with their own sections, questions and rubrics, or pick from the Chakra library. HackerRank is clear that Chakra scores candidates and people make the hiring decision.
Chakra allows AI use but flags rule breaking, such as unauthorised apps like Cluely, help from a second device or another person on camera. HackerRank says scores are checked against human expert graders, bias is audited by third parties in line with New York City's Local Law 144, it runs on HackerRank's SOC 2 infrastructure with SSO, and candidate data is never used to train AI models.
Chakra connects to the popular ATS platforms so invites, results and status flow back automatically, and its data can be pulled into other workflows through HackerRank's MCP server. It is included in HackerRank plans: Starter is $79/mo billed annually with 60 candidate attempts, Pro is $419/mo billed annually with 360 attempts, and Enterprise is quoted. A free trial is offered.
Who it's for
Best for
- 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
Not ideal for
- Non-technical or high-volume hourly hiring
- Teams that want a standalone AI interviewer without a HackerRank plan
Key features
Agentic AI interviewer. Chakra talks the candidate through the task by voice, adapts as it goes and asks follow-up questions on the work they did.
Live coding canvas. A development environment with a real repository, tickets and an AI coding assistant, so the interview looks like the job rather than a puzzle.
Evidence-backed scores. A score per competency, a strengths and gaps summary, and the transcript or code behind every score.
Cheating detection. AI use is allowed, but unauthorised apps such as Cluely, a second device or another person on camera are flagged.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Agentic AI interviewer that runs a live coding canvas and asks follow-up questions on the work | Starter |
| Competency scores and a candidate report with evidence behind every score | Starter |
| Turns a job description into a tailored interview with custom sections and rubrics | Starter |
| Flags unauthorised AI apps, second devices and multiple faces on camera | Starter |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
MCP server
https://www.hackerrank.com/work/mcp
Chakra data is available through HackerRank's hosted MCP server at www.hackerrank.com/work/mcp, so invites, results and candidate status can be pulled into other workflows. On HackerRank's plans, MCP and API access are Enterprise only.
Setup steps and live status MCP Directory Check your stack in the MCP readiness checker
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $79/mo | Billed annually, 60 candidate attempts |
| Pro | $419/mo | Billed annually, 360 attempts, ATS integrations |
| Enterprise | Quoted | Extra attempts are $20 each |
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. Vendors change prices without notice.
See current pricing on HackerRank Chakra (opens in a new tab)
Is HackerRank Chakra expensive?
HackerRank Chakra starts at $79/mo. We list 89 AI interviewing tools in total. 14 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $99 a month.
- 39 quote-based
- 14 free tier
- 45 public price
Worked out automatically from every AI interviewing listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 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
Cons
- 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
Integrations
Greenhouse Lever Ashby
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How HackerRank Chakra compares
See all HackerRank Chakra alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HackerRank Chakra (this tool) | – | $79/mo | ✓ | ✓ | |
| HackerRank HackerRank's classic timed coding tests and live pair interviews, on the same plans, if you want algorithm screens alongside or instead of Chakra. | – | $79/mo | ✓ | ✓ | Compare |
 Codeaid AI interviewer and coding tests built for hiring AI and machine-learning engineers, sold on its own from $129/mo with a 14-day trial. | – | $129/mo | – | – | Compare |
| | – | $79/mo | ✓ | ✓ | Compare |
| | – | Sales-quoted | – | ✓ | Compare |
HackerRank$79/mo MCP API
HackerRank's classic timed coding tests and live pair interviews, on the same plans, if you want algorithm screens alongside or instead of Chakra.
Codeaid$129/mo
AI interviewer and coding tests built for hiring AI and machine-learning engineers, sold on its own from $129/mo with a 14-day trial.
$79/mo MCP API
Certified coding assessments plus AI interviewers from $79/mo, if you want role libraries rather than real-repo tasks.
Sales-quoted API
Live technical screens run by trained human interviewers, if you do not want an AI scoring candidates.
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