TestDome vs Codility: Proctoring Cost, Anti-Cheating, and Compliance Compared

In one line: for developer hiring at most small and mid-sized companies, pick TestDome: pay-per-candidate at a public price, with AI-grade proctoring included on every pack, while Codility gates AI-grade proctoring behind a contact-sales quote. Pick Codility if your procurement needs SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications, formal ID verification, or psychologist-designed assessments.

Key points

  • Cost, matched on AI-grade proctoring: TestDome includes AI-grade proctoring on every pack, from $100 for 5 candidates, and packs never expire. Codility's self-serve plans ($1,200/yr Starter, $6,000/yr Scale) include only basic snapshot proctoring. What Codility calls premium video proctoring, plus ID verification, is gated to a contact-sales Custom plan with no published price.
  • Overlay defense is near parity: both run the test inside an OS-level app built to counter overlay assistants like Cluely. TestDome's app blocks them from running and comes with every pack. Codility's flags them for a human reviewer, still in Preview (early access), on the contact-sales Custom plan.
  • Compliance is Codility's clear lead: it publishes SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, and WCAG 2.2 AA. TestDome is GDPR-compliant and deletes proctoring images after 60 days, but holds neither SOC 2 nor ISO 27001.
  • Two different approaches to library quality: TestDome's library holds 2,000+ job-relevant work-sample questions across 130+ skills, spanning coding and non-coding roles. Codility's tasks are designed by in-house occupational psychologists for developer roles.

On this page

How to read this comparison

This page is a decision guide for a 2026 developer-hiring team, and TestDome wrote it. Every competitor fact on this page cites Codility's own published pages, and we link them so you can check each one. Where Codility is the better choice, we say so. This page compares the needs that decide the purchase, in depth, and is not a complete feature inventory. Features outside those needs are deliberately out of scope. Each vendor's own site lists its full feature set. We weigh three must-haves first, the things a developer screening fails without:

  • It has to stop a candidate using an invisible overlay assistant, the hidden AI window only the candidate can see.
  • It has to predict real performance through job-relevant tasks that cover your roles.
  • Its cost and commitment terms have to fit how you buy.

After the must-haves come the nice-to-haves that separate these two vendors: how each measures AI skill, compliance certifications and formal ID verification, and who designs the tasks.

Two rules keep this comparison honest. For cost, we take each vendor's cheapest option that includes AI-grade proctoring and compare at equal candidate volumes. And every price here is the vendor's own published figure, so you can confirm each one on the TestDome and Codility pricing pages. Where a vendor does not publish a number, as with Codility's Custom plan, we say so rather than guess.

What does AI-grade proctoring cost on each?

Compare the two at the proctoring level a 2026 hire needs, and TestDome has a public per-candidate price. It starts at $100 for 5 candidates, with AI-grade proctoring (AI-analysed monitoring plus a locked-down test environment) included. Codility sells that level of proctoring only on a contact-sales Custom plan with no published number. Codility's self-serve plans ($1,200/yr Starter, $6,000/yr Scale) include only basic snapshot proctoring.

Here is why that level is the bar. The threat a proctor has to stop is the invisible overlay assistant, which feeds the candidate answers while they appear to work unaided. On TestDome, the defense is on from the first candidate, on every pack:

  • Safe Exam Browser locks the test machine and shuts down disallowed processes. That blocks a local AI assistant from running on it.
  • AI-analysed screen recording watches how the candidate works in the tools they are allowed to use, and flags things like ChatGPT or DevTools.
  • AI-analysed webcam proctoring looks for outside help on a single camera. The webcam catches a phone used off to the side, though not a device held fully out of frame.

Codility offers integrity tooling too. Its self-serve plans, Starter and Scale, include candidate snapshots and plagiarism checks. Those checks are a real deterrent, but a lower bar than AI-analysed monitoring and lockdown. A determined candidate with an overlay assistant can beat them. Codility's own overlay defenses are on its Custom plan, which is contact-sales only and has no public price. So the comparison at the higher bar sets any TestDome pack against a Custom quote you request.

Candidates tested/year Roughly the hiring of (varies by funnel) TestDome (AI-grade proctoring included) Codility (self-serve plan, and where AI-grade proctoring is sold)
25 a startup filling a role or two $400 Starter $1,200/yr (snapshots only). Custom quote for AI-grade proctoring
100 a small team $1,000 Starter $1,200/yr (snapshots only). Custom quote for AI-grade proctoring
300 a growing company $2,400 Scale $6,000/yr (snapshots only). Custom quote for AI-grade proctoring
600 a large team $4,200 beyond self-serve credits. Custom quote only
2,000 high-volume hiring $12,000 beyond self-serve credits. Custom quote only

A Codility credit is spent per candidate, like a TestDome invite, so the table rows line up candidate for candidate. The expiry rules differ, though. Codility's credits are annual and reset at year-end, while TestDome's packs never expire. TestDome's per-candidate rate also falls as you buy more: $8 by 300 candidates, $7 by 600, $6 by 1,200, and lower on the custom packs above that. The rate you reach applies to the whole order, so 2,000 candidates cost $12,000.

Even at snapshot level, TestDome tends to cost less than Codility's self-serve plans. Codility's plans are flat fees you pay whether you use a few of the credits or all of them. TestDome bills only for candidates tested. A team screening 50 candidates pays $800, compared with Starter's $1,200. A team screening 300 pays $2,400, compared with Scale's $6,000. Codility's Starter is cheaper only in the stretch just above 100 candidates, where TestDome needs a second pack, and even there by only about $200. Once you require AI-analysed monitoring and lockdown, Codility's price is no longer public at all. It becomes a Custom quote you request. That quote may be competitively priced for your volume. You just cannot confirm it before a sales call, while TestDome's price stays public all the way up.

TestDome does not gate features by pack. Every pack includes the proctoring, ATS integrations, API, SSO, and multi-user access. A cheap pack is the full product.

How does each stop a hidden AI assistant?

Both run the test inside an OS-level app built to counter overlay assistants like Cluely and Interview Coder. TestDome's Safe Exam Browser locks the machine so such tools cannot run, and is included on every pack. Codility's Desktop App flags named tools for a human reviewer, in Preview on its contact-sales Custom plan.

The attack both vendors are built to stop is the invisible overlay assistant, a tool like Cluely or Interview Coder that floats AI answers over the candidate's screen while staying hidden from screen sharing. Countering that class at all takes OS-level access, which is why each vendor built a desktop app.

Codility's Desktop App asks the candidate to close or uninstall interfering software before starting. During the session, it flags named overlay assistants and presents the evidence to a human reviewer, without failing anyone automatically. Codility is the only vendor among those we compare in depth that names specific tools like this. TestDome's Safe Exam Browser also has the candidate work in a controlled environment. It shuts down disallowed processes, so a local AI assistant cannot run on the test machine. TestDome pairs that lockdown with AI-analysed screen recording and webcam proctoring, which summarize any flags for review.

The difference is one of degree and detail. Codility relies on naming specific tools and a human verdict, while TestDome relies on machine lockdown plus automated review. Which is more effective against a given tool is hard to judge from the outside. The clearer, checkable difference is availability. TestDome's controls are on for every candidate on every pack. Codility's are Custom-gated and still in Preview.

Neither vendor fully closes the risk. An overlay fed from a separate device, including a fully offline model running on that device, can get past a lockdown, because it runs outside the test machine's control. Both raise the difficulty without removing the risk. Whichever you pick, it is also worth measuring unaided skill separately.

How does each measure AI skill?

Both measure AI skill, and they do it differently. TestDome scores unaided domain skill separately from AI skill and ships dedicated AI-skills tests. Codility folds AI skill into AI-Native Tasks, where the candidate builds with an AI assistant or judges AI output inside one combined task.

Working with AI is part of the job now, so how a candidate uses AI belongs in your screening. The two vendors approach the measurement in opposite ways. Codility markets AI-Native Tasks in two styles: "Build AI," where the candidate builds with an AI assistant, and "Work with AI," where a seeded AI assistant is sometimes wrong on purpose so the candidate has to judge its output. The assistant is included in the plan rather than sold as a paid add-on. Codility's stance is that AI is how engineers work, so a test should measure AI collaboration inside one combined, AI-present task.

TestDome splits the two measurements apart. It ships dedicated AI-skills tests (AI Literacy, Prompt Engineering, LLM Engineering, Machine Learning, an AI Engineer composite, and more) and scores unaided domain skill separately from AI skill. Its reasoning is a first-party view, not a proven claim. A single AI-allowed test cannot show whether the candidate checked a correct AI answer or simply trusted it. So the two skills have to be measured apart. This choice is a real either/or. Some buyers want one blended signal of how a candidate works with AI. Others want unaided skill isolated from it. We lay out the reasoning in our guide to assessing developers in the AI era. We compare the same split with HackerRank and TestGorilla if those vendors are also on your shortlist.

How do the two compare on compliance?

Codility leads here. It publishes SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications plus GDPR and WCAG 2.2 AA compliance. TestDome is GDPR-compliant and deletes proctoring images after 60 days, but holds neither SOC 2 nor ISO 27001.

If certified security and documented fairness are a hard requirement for you, Codility leads clearly. Its assessments are designed by occupational psychologists, and it markets EEOC-aligned adverse-impact analysis. TestDome is GDPR-compliant with configurable data retention, and it auto-deletes proctoring images after 60 days. But TestDome holds no SOC 2, no ISO 27001, no independent third-party security certification, and no independent bias audit. Instead, it completes the security questionnaires its enterprise customers send during procurement. If your procurement process requires those certificates, TestDome does not have them today.

One nuance is worth keeping in mind, though it should not argue you out of a real requirement. A certification attests that a vendor follows documented security processes for a defined scope. An attestation is not the same as a guarantee that a given feature is secure. If your actual need is a specific data-handling or security commitment rather than the certificate itself, ask any vendor to show how it meets that need directly. We work through how to separate the certificate from the commitment in our guide to compliance and defensibility in technical hiring.

Which has the better assessment library?

The two vendors build library quality by different routes. TestDome offers 2,000+ job-relevant work-sample questions across 130+ skills, spanning coding and non-coding roles. Codility's tasks are designed by in-house occupational psychologists, with a focus on developer roles.

The comparison is more about fit than size. TestDome's approach is job realism. Its questions are built as work-sample tasks that mirror the actual work, with no trick questions and no algorithmic-puzzle gotchas. The library spans coding and non-coding: reasoning, attention to detail, teamwork and communication, MS Excel and Office, and business and finance roles. You can combine questions from different skills into one test. Coverage is deep on mainstream developer stacks. If you hire for a niche technology or a less-common framework, check that the catalog lists your exact role before committing.

Codility's approach is assessment science. Its tasks are built and reviewed by an in-house team of occupational psychologists, and its Custom plan adds assessments designed for your specific roles. Codility does not publish a task count, which fits a positioning built on the rigor of each task rather than on volume. Its self-serve focus is developer and coding roles.

When is Codility the better choice?

  • Your procurement or security review requires SOC 2, ISO 27001, or an independent bias audit. TestDome does not have them today.
  • You want assessments designed for your roles by occupational psychologists, and you are buying at a scale where a Custom contract makes sense.
  • You need formal government-ID verification as a hard requirement. TestDome runs a webcam presence check on every pack, without a government-ID document check. If a formal ID step is non-negotiable, Codility's Custom plan is the fit.
  • You want the integrity approach that names and flags specific overlay assistants for a human to review, and you accept that, as above, the app is still in Preview and Custom-gated.

If you are leaning toward TestDome instead, it asks for very little up front. TestDome is self-serve. You build a test and run it on real candidates for the cost of a small pack. There is no sales call, and there is no annual contract to cancel if TestDome turns out not to fit. Beyond the certifications, there is a caveat. TestDome hands you a work-sample library to assemble yourself. If you want tasks commissioned for your roles by a dedicated team, that service is Codility's model.

TestDome vs Codility FAQ

Is TestDome a good Codility alternative?

For most teams, yes. TestDome includes the proctoring built to stop a hidden AI assistant on every pack, at a public price, and it is pay-per-candidate rather than an annual commitment. Codility puts AI-grade proctoring behind a contact-sales Custom quote. Codility stays the stronger fit if you need SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certificates, formal ID verification, or assessments designed by occupational psychologists. Those needs matter most to a large or regulated buyer.

Which is cheaper, TestDome or Codility?

TestDome, in most cases. Codility's self-serve plans are flat annual fees ($1,200 for Starter, $6,000 for Scale) that you pay in full regardless of how many candidates you test. TestDome bills per candidate, so at typical volumes it costs less than both plans. And once you require AI-analysed monitoring and lockdown, only TestDome has a public price at all. It includes that proctoring on every pack from $100 for 5 candidates. Codility gates AI-grade proctoring behind a contact-sales Custom quote you cannot check in advance.

Do TestDome and Codility stop AI cheating tools like Cluely or Interview Coder?

Both are built to stop these tools. Codility's app (in Preview, on its Custom plan) asks the candidate to close interfering software. It then names and flags tools like Cluely and Interview Coder for a human to review. TestDome's Safe Exam Browser locks the test machine so such tools cannot run on it, and Safe Exam Browser is included on every pack. The checkable difference is availability. TestDome's control ships with every pack, while Codility's does not.

Does TestDome have SOC 2 and ISO 27001 like Codility?

No. Codility publishes SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, and WCAG 2.2 AA. TestDome does not hold SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and it instead completes the security questionnaires its enterprise customers send during procurement. If certificates are a hard procurement requirement, Codility leads. If what you need is a specific data-handling or security commitment, ask any vendor to show how it meets that requirement directly, by whatever means.

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