Alex (Apriora) alternatives, compared fairly.

Alex, which used to be called Apriora, is an AI recruiter that interviews candidates by phone, video, text message (SMS) or WhatsApp, with scheduling and identity checks built in. It’s well funded, supports many languages and suits larger teams and staffing agencies. But you have to go through its sales team, and there’s no public price. If you want to try an AI interviewer this week, most of these alternatives let you sign up on your own.

Facts last checked 24 September 2026 · Published by the LessRounds team

A note on fairness. We make LessRounds, so we’re not neutral. We’ve checked every fact about other tools against their own websites or the sources listed at the bottom, and we say where they’re the better choice. Prices and features change often. If something here is out of date, email hello@lessrounds.ai and we’ll fix it.

Alex (formerly Apriora)

What Alex does well, and why teams look elsewhere.

An AI recruiter that runs live first interviews by phone, video, text message (SMS) or WhatsApp, with scheduling and identity checks.

apriora.ai now redirects to alex.com; the company trades as Alex.

Where it’s strong

Many ways to reach candidates, including phone calls and WhatsApp
Built-in scheduling, fraud checks and identity checks
Supports many languages
Well funded (Y Combinator, Peak XV-led Series A)

Trade-offs

No public price, no free plan or trial
A demo and contract are required to start

Why people look for alternatives

No public pricing. Third-party estimates run from $10,000 to $35,000 a year.
No free plan or trial. You have to book a demo first.
Built for bigger hiring programs than many teams need.

At a glance

The alternatives side by side.

Tool	How it interviews	AI interviewer	Free to try	Sign up on your own
LessRounds	Live AI interview (voice or video)	Yes. It can ask its own follow-up questions, or read your questions word for word	100 free credits when you sign up (about 20 interviews). They don’t expire	Yes. Sign up with an email code
Ribbon	Live AI interview (voice or video)	Yes. Its questions adapt to each answer	7-day trial	Yes
HeyMilo	Live AI interview (voice, video, SMS)	Yes	None published	No. You start with their sales team
Interviewer.AI	Recorded video + AI avatar	Yes, on the Professional plan and above	14-day trial	Yes

LessRounds

AI interviews by link that you can set up on your own, with public pricing: LessRounds starts you with 100 free credits (about 20 interviews), then costs $5 per finished interview of up to 30 minutes.

Best for: Small and mid-sized teams, agencies and founders who want AI first interviews without signing a contract
How it interviews: Live AI interview (voice or video)
AI interviewer: Yes. It can ask its own follow-up questions, or read your questions word for word
Pricing: 100 free credits to start, then $5 per interview of up to 30 minutes, or $10 for up to 60 minutes. Only finished interviews are charged
Free to try: 100 free credits when you sign up (about 20 interviews). They don’t expire
Applicant tracking systems: None built in. You can send results to other tools with webhooks and an API, or export a CSV spreadsheet
Languages: English and Hindi

Where it’s strong

Free to start: 100 credits (about 20 AI interviews) that don’t expire
Pay per finished interview. No subscription, no per-user fee and no fee per job opening
Every skill score comes with a quote from the answer it was based on
Candidates need no app or account

Trade-offs

No built-in connections to applicant tracking systems (ATS). You connect yours with webhooks and the API, or a CSV file
English and Hindi only
No single sign-on (SSO), custom branding or phone-call interviews yet
No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 security certification yet

Start free Book a demo

Ribbon

An AI interviewer you can sign up for yourself, with published plans and connections to 60+ applicant tracking systems.

Best for: Teams hiring in large numbers or hiring frontline staff who need to connect an applicant tracking system from day one
How it interviews: Live AI interview (voice or video)
AI interviewer: Yes. Its questions adapt to each answer
Pricing: From $499 a month for 100 interviews (billed yearly), then $4 per extra interview. Larger plans: $999 for 400 and $1,999 for 1,000
Free to try: 7-day trial
Applicant tracking systems: 60+ applicant tracking systems, on every plan
Languages: 12, including Hindi

Where it’s strong

Connects to 60+ applicant tracking systems on every plan
Works on any phone without an app
Published prices, with bigger plans for more interviews
12 languages

Trade-offs

No permanent free plan
The cheapest plan is about $6,000 a year, billed yearly
The cheapest plan limits how many job openings can be active

LessRounds vs Ribbon in detail

HeyMilo

Another AI recruiter sold through a sales team, for staffing agencies and teams hiring in large numbers, with interviews by text message (SMS).

Best for: Staffing agencies, outsourcing companies (BPOs) and corporate teams hiring in large numbers
How it interviews: Live AI interview (voice, video, SMS)
AI interviewer: Yes
Pricing: Not published (you must book a demo)
Free to try: None published
Applicant tracking systems: Workday, Greenhouse, Bullhorn, iCIMS and others
Languages: 14–20+, including Hindi

Where it’s strong

Built for hiring in large numbers
Interviews by voice, video and text message
Fraud checks and connections to applicant tracking systems, including Bullhorn for staffing agencies

Trade-offs

No public pricing
No published free plan or trial

Interviewer.AI

Published pricing and a 14-day trial, with an AI avatar that holds a conversation.

Best for: Teams and universities that want both recorded and conversational formats with public pricing
How it interviews: Recorded video + AI avatar
AI interviewer: Yes, on the Professional plan and above
Pricing: Essential plan $199 a month (50 credits). Professional plan $399 a month (120 credits). One avatar interview uses 2 credits
Free to try: 14-day trial
Applicant tracking systems: About 34 applicant tracking systems, on the yearly Professional plan or Enterprise
Languages: 10+

Where it’s strong

Public pricing, and you can sign up on your own
Both recorded and conversational interview formats
Used for admissions as well as hiring

Trade-offs

No free plan
The AI interviewer isn’t on the entry plan
You commit to a monthly plan with a set number of credits

LessRounds vs Interviewer.AI in detail

How to choose

Pick the tool that fits what you need.

Choose Alex if phone-call or WhatsApp interviews are essential.
Choose LessRounds or Ribbon if you want to start without a sales call.

Questions

Are Alex and Apriora the same company?

Yes. apriora.ai redirects to alex.com, and the company now operates under the name Alex.

Can LessRounds interview candidates by phone call?

No. LessRounds interviews run in the browser, on a laptop or a phone. If you need the AI to dial candidates, Alex does that.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026.

More comparisons

Try LessRounds free today.

Start with 100 free credits, enough for about 20 interviews. No credit card or sales call needed.

Start free Book a demo