Google Interview Warmup alternative: what replaces it in 2026
Google retired Interview Warmup in April 2026. Here is what it did, what replaces each part of it for free, and where VirtualInterview.ai fits — including the parts of Warmup nothing replaces.
What happened to Interview Warmup
Interview Warmup launched in 2022 as part of Grow with Google. It was free, ran in the browser, needed no login, and did one thing well: you picked a field, answered five questions out loud, and it transcribed your answers, highlighted the talking points it detected and showed which words you leaned on. It never scored answers or asked a follow-up.
In April 2026 Google quietly shut it down. There was no blog post; the address now redirects to a general interview-preparation article whose replacement advice is to practise with Gemini Live. Retired in April 2026; the URL now redirects to a generic interview-prep article that suggests practising with Gemini Live.
Source: grow.google/certificates/interview-warmup/ , checked 2026-09-20.
Feature by feature
What Warmup did, and what the same step looks like on VirtualInterview.ai.
| Feature | Google Interview Warmup (retired) | VirtualInterview.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Five spoken questions, transcribed | Yes — pick a field, answer five questions out loud | Yes — 5 questions per free interview, spoken or typed, in 50+ languages |
| Talking-point detection | Highlighted experience / skills / lessons in your transcript | Each answer scored for relevance, depth, clarity, with what the score is based on |
| Most-used words | Yes | No word counts; feedback is on content and structure, and video practice comments on delivery |
| Follow-up questions | No — fixed list | Yes — the interviewer follows up on what you said |
| Role and seniority | A handful of fields (data analytics, IT support, UX, etc.) | Any role and level you type, plus a company if there is one |
| Formats | Background, situational and technical questions | general, technical, behavioral, recruiter screen, system design, managerial, case study, technical assessment, leadership, panel, salary negotiation, final / executive |
| Progress between sessions | None — nothing was saved | Reports are saved; a retry plan targets the weakest answers |
| Account | None needed | Free account, no card |
| Price | Free (retired) | Free (2 interviews/mo) · Pro $20/mo or $200/yr · credit packs from $9 |
Two things Warmup had that we do not: no account at all, and no monthly cap. If either matters more to you than follow-ups and scores, the free-tier table below is the honest answer.
Free replacements, by what you need
Competitor pricing verified September 20, 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. It may have changed since.
Best for: Spoken behavioural and role-specific rounds with scored feedback and follow-ups; practice in languages other than English
Best for: Timed coding and system-design rounds for software engineers
Best for: A real person asking the questions, if you can schedule and reciprocate
Best for: Delivery — filler words, pace, eye contact — rather than answer content
Best for: An unstructured conversation partner; no rubric, no score, no memory across sessions
How a Warmup-style session runs here
- Create a free account (no card). Choose a role, level and format — behavioural is the closest match to Warmup — and the language you will be interviewed in.
- Answer 5 questions out loud. Unlike Warmup, the interviewer asks a follow-up when an answer is vague — the part real interviews are made of.
- Read the report: a score for relevance, depth, clarity on every answer, with what it is based on, and a retry plan. Re-answer the weakest two and compare.
Questions people ask
No. Google retired Interview Warmup in April 2026 without a formal announcement; the old URL now redirects to a general Grow with Google article on interview preparation that suggests practising with Gemini Live.
For spoken behavioural practice with feedback on what you said, VirtualInterview.ai's free plan (2 interviews a month, 5 questions each, no card) is the nearest match to Warmup's five-question format and adds follow-up questions and per-answer scores that Warmup never had. A shorter round of 3 questions at /free-ai-mock-interview needs no account. Full interviews still need one. For coding rounds, interviewing.io's AI Interviewer is free.
Only lightly. It transcribed your spoken answer, highlighted talking points it detected (experience, skills, lessons learned), and showed your most-used words. It did not score answers, ask follow-ups, or tell you what was missing.
You can, and Google now suggests Gemini Live. A general chatbot will ask questions and comment on answers, but it is trained to be agreeable, has no rubric for the round, and does not keep score across sessions. A purpose-built practice tool exists to be tougher and more consistent than that.
Partly. The free plan is 2 interviews a month with no card. Warmup was unlimited and needed no account, so if you want unlimited free practice you will be stitching together free tiers (see the table). Pro is $20/month; one-time credit packs start at $9.
Continue
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2 free interviews a month, no card. Follow-ups and scores included.