# Kendor vs CoderPad

> Facts last reviewed: August 3, 2026. Canonical page: https://kendor.io/vs/coderpad

Kendor is a CoderPad alternative for teams whose screen is a real project, not a shared code pad. Candidates work in a full VS Code-based IDE in the browser — terminal, live dev-server preview, language servers, debugger — and every submission is graded by a verified re-run on Kendor’s infrastructure, so the result cannot be forged. Pricing is per reviewer seat with unlimited candidates; CoderPad meters by the number of interviews or tests you run.
CoderPad earned its reputation as a live interview pad, and it is a good one. The gap appears before and after the call: take-home style screening on realistic codebases, automatic screening on apply, trustworthy asynchronous grading, and a structured team review — that is the part Kendor is built around, with live collaborative review and interview mode in the same workspace.

## At a glance

| | Kendor | CoderPad |
|---|---|---|
| **What candidates do** — The format of the screen itself | Real project challenges (Node/TS, Laravel, Python, Go, SQL), plus single-file and free-form questions | Live pad exercises and library-based screening tests |
| **Environment** — Where the candidate writes code | Full VS Code-based IDE in the browser: terminal, live preview, debugger, language servers | Collaborative editor with language runtimes — not a project workspace |
| **Hiring flow** — Getting applicants into a screen | Hosted careers page + Google-for-Jobs postings; applying can start the screen automatically | Manual invites per interview or test |
| **Trusting the result** — How the final score is produced | Verified re-run: a clean, version-pinned re-execution on Kendor infra — the score cannot be forged | Library auto-score; live sessions rely on interviewer impressions |
| **Integrity signals** — What you learn about how the work happened | Timestamped facts beside the grade: tab switches, pastes, typing timeline, optional consented recording | Session playback |
| **AI policy** — Whether candidates may use AI | Each org decides per assessment; allowed AI use is visible in the work timeline | Limited/controlled |
| **Live interviews** — Pairing with the candidate in real time | Interview mode: pair live inside the candidate’s actual workspace — code, terminal, running app | Its core product — an excellent shared pad |
| **Candidate chat** — Talking to candidates during the process | Built-in chat with candidates on the assessment — no email ping-pong | None — communication happens outside the platform |
| **Team review** — How the hiring team decides | Weighted rubrics with pass marks, multi-reviewer consensus, live collaborative review | Interviewer notes; the decision process is yours |
| **Agent tab** — AI assistance inside the sandbox | (Coming soon) Org-provisioned AI agent inside the workspace, its use logged as evidence | Not offered |
| **Observer app** — Screening in the candidate’s own environment | (Coming soon) Candidates work in their own IDE on their own machine; the work is logged as reviewable evidence | Not offered |
| **Desktop kiosk** — Prevention for high-stakes finals | (Coming soon) Locked-down desktop app: process allowlist, network sealing, multi-monitor block | Not offered |
| **Pricing** — What drives the bill | Per reviewer seat, unlimited candidates — $49/reviewer/mo after beta, free tier included | Per session: ~$80–120/mo for 5 interviews/tests, ~$25 each extra (mid-2026) |
| **Data protection** — Where candidate data lives | EU-hosted (Frankfurt), GDPR-first: signable DPA, export and erasure, no trackers | Standard SaaS terms; varies by plan |

## Pads vs workspaces

A CoderPad session is a collaborative editor with language runtimes — great for watching someone think through a function. It is not a project: no real repository layout, no framework dev server with hot reload, no app to click through.
A Kendor workspace is the codebase itself: full Node/TypeScript, PHP/Laravel, Python, Go, or SQL projects with a terminal, dependencies installed, a running app in a live preview, and a database when the challenge needs one. The candidate works the way they would on the job, and your reviewers see job-shaped evidence.

## Screening before the interview

CoderPad’s screening product runs library-based tests with auto-scoring. Kendor’s screening is project-first and wired into hiring flow: publishing a role gives you a hosted careers page and Google-for-Jobs-eligible postings, and applying can start the screen automatically — no manual invitations, no per-test budget math.
Grading is a verified re-run: a clean, version-pinned re-execution with the network cut, so an emailed solution, a ghost-writer, or an AI cannot forge the result. Integrity signals (tab switches, pastes, typing timeline, optional consented screen recording) appear as timestamped facts beside the grade.

## The interview itself

Kendor’s interview mode runs live pair sessions inside the candidate’s actual workspace — the same code, terminal, and running app the screen produced — so the interview builds on the evidence instead of starting from a blank pad. Reviewers can also walk through a submission together asynchronously with inline comments and a shared timeline.

## Pricing model

CoderPad’s published plans (as of mid-2026, per public listings) meter by session volume: a free tier of about 2 sessions/month, a starter tier around $80–120/month covering roughly 5 interviews or tests with about $25 per additional session, and a team tier around $400/month for about 30 sessions.
Kendor prices per reviewer seat, never per session or candidate: a free plan (5 candidates/month, one reviewer), and a Team plan at $49 per reviewer per month after beta with unlimited candidates. Running more screens never costs more.

## Where CoderPad is the better choice

Honestly: if all you need is a lightweight, reliable pad for live phone-screen coding — no take-homes, no pipeline, a handful of interviews a month — CoderPad’s core product is polished, quick to adopt, and its free tier may be enough. Kendor earns its keep when the screen is a real project and the result has to be trustworthy and reviewable.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kendor a good CoderPad alternative?

Yes, when your screening is project-based. Kendor replaces the pad with a full VS Code-based workspace — terminal, live preview, debugger — adds verified re-run grading that cannot be forged, and includes interview mode for live sessions in the same workspace, all priced per reviewer instead of per interview.

### Does Kendor charge per interview like CoderPad?

No. Kendor is priced per reviewer seat with unlimited candidates and unlimited sessions — a free plan covers 5 candidates/month, and the Team plan is $49 per reviewer per month after beta. CoderPad’s published plans (mid-2026) meter by interview/test volume with overage fees per extra session.

### Can I run live interviews on Kendor?

Yes — interview mode runs live collaborative sessions inside the candidate’s actual project workspace, so the conversation happens in real code with a running app, not a blank pad. Your team can also review submissions together asynchronously with inline comments.

### What stacks does Kendor support compared to a code pad?

Full project workspaces for Node/TypeScript, PHP/Laravel, Python, Go, and SQL — with dependencies, a terminal, live preview with hot reload, and language servers — plus single-file algorithm questions when a quick signal is all you need.

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More: [site overview for LLMs](https://kendor.io/llms.txt) · [full content](https://kendor.io/llms-full.txt) · [kendor.io](https://kendor.io/)