picked.
Log inPost a role
Category positioning
HireVue records.
We conduct.
HireVue pioneered async video interviewing in the 2010s. Candidates stare into a webcam, the recording goes into a queue, someone watches it back, the score arrives later. We do not believe in this format. The AI can conduct a real conversation now; the candidate gets a back-and-forth instead of a monologue.
Post a role →Read the interview page
Two formats. Two philosophies.
Recorded monologue, or real conversation.

HireVue's core unit is a recorded video answer. The candidate sees a question, records up to two minutes, hits submit. Two minutes per question, six to eight questions, all sequential, all one-way. AI scoring runs on the recordings; humans review the result. This format exists because in 2014 it was the fastest way to get more candidates through the pipeline. It is no longer the best one.

Picked conducts a live interview. The AI asks the question, listens to the answer, asks a follow-up that depends on what the candidate just said, probes deeper where the answer is interesting, moves on where it is not. Same time budget (about 30 minutes), substantially more signal, a candidate experience that feels like a conversation rather than a stare-into-the-lens audition.

Lines we will not cross
Four scoring practices we refuse.
01
No facial analysis.
We do not infer emotion, attention, honesty, or anything else from the candidate's face. Video interviews are not part of V1.
02
No tone scoring.
We do not score on accent, fluency, vocabulary, or speech-rate variability. We score on what the candidate said, not how they said it.
03
No micro-expression detection.
Sensors and the research underneath them have well-documented validity problems. We use neither.
04
No silent recording.
Voice screens and interviews are consented per session. The candidate sees a counter, can pause, can stop.
Capability table
Per capability, per tool.
 
HireVue
picked.
Format
Recorded video (async)
Live conversation (voice)
AI asks the questions
Read from script
Conducts adaptively
Adaptive follow-up questions
✗
✓
Facial / emotion analysis
Historically yes, varying by tier
✗
Tone / paralinguistic scoring
Yes
✗
Live transcription
Post-recording
Real-time
Candidate can pause / resume mid-question
Limited
✓
Human alternative on request
Often requires re-scheduling
One click, same questions
Pricing
Annual contract, $35k to $200k+
$0.99 per AI-vetted candidate
Buyer
Talent acquisition / HR
Hiring manager
On the science
Validity needs different evidence.

Recorded-video AI scoring has been challenged repeatedly on bias and validity grounds. We are not piling on; the research is public, and HireVue has responded by retiring facial analysis in 2021. The structural issue with the format remains: scoring a recorded monologue against a rubric is a fundamentally different signal than scoring a live conversation. We are building on the second.

  • ●Picked's voice scoring runs on what the candidate said, transcribed by OpenAI Whisper, scored by Anthropic Claude. No paralinguistic features.
  • ●Per-role adverse-impact monitoring at the 4/5ths floor. See /trust/fairness.
  • ●Annual independent bias audit by Holistic AI, summary published.
  • ●Construct validity grounded in the Neuroworx item bank (eight years of validation data).
When to use each
Rarely both, in practice.
Use HireVue when...
  • ●You have an existing HireVue contract you are mid-renewal on.
  • ●Your hiring volume is in the tens of thousands per year and you need the async one-way format to clear it.
  • ●You are using HireVue for skills assessments rather than interviews (a different product line).
Use Picked when...
  • ●You want the candidate to have a real conversation, not a recording session.
  • ●You want adaptive questioning that probes deeper into interesting answers.
  • ●You want a per-vetted-candidate cost rather than a six-figure annual contract.
See other comparisons
vs an ATS·vs LinkedIn Recruiter·vs Workable·vs Greenhouse·vs Ashby·vs Paradox·vs HackerRank·vs recruitment agencies·vs Workday
Stop reading. Try a real conversation.
Post a role. We conduct the interview.
Post a role →Read the synthesis
picked.
The AI-native replacement for inbound hiring. For the hiring manager, not HR.
© 2026 Picked · Made in London · Three finalists in forty-eight hours.
Picked vs HireVue · Picked.ai