Cluely is a commercial AI assistant that listens to your calls and looks at your screen to suggest what to say. People use it for sales calls, meetings and job interviews. It has a limited free tier, and the full features are paid.
If you mainly need help in interviews and don't want another monthly subscription, AI Interview Helper is a free, open-source option built for exactly that.
Cluely vs AI Interview Helper
| Feature | AI Interview Helper | Cluely |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no paid plan | Limited free tier; Pro reported at about $19.99/month, higher tiers cost more |
| Source code | Open source (MIT) on GitHub | Closed source |
| AI model | You choose: 7 providers or any local model | Chosen by the vendor |
| Works offline | Yes, with Ollama | No |
| Account | Not needed | Required |
| Where your data goes | Directly from your computer to the AI provider you pick | Through Cluely's service |
| Main focus | Job and coding interviews | Meetings, sales calls and interviews |
| Platforms | Windows (installer), macOS (from source) | Desktop apps; a separate mobile plan is reported |
Cluely pricing as reported by third-party reviews in October 2026 (for example Toolradar). Prices change often, so check cluely.com for current plans.
Why people look for a Cluely alternative
- Price. A subscription adds up if you only need it during a job search.
- Model choice. Some people want a specific model, like Claude for system design or a fast Groq model for low latency.
- Privacy. With an open-source app and your own key, there is no third-party service between you and the AI.
- Transparency. You can read exactly what the app does with your audio and screenshots.
What you get with AI Interview Helper
- Voice → answer. Whisper transcribes the interviewer in real time, and the answer appears as soon as they stop talking.
- Screenshot → solution.
Ctrl+Shift+Spacesends your screen to a vision model for coding tasks, SQL, diagrams and quizzes. - Speaker separation. System audio is treated as the interviewer and your mic as you, so it only answers the other side.
- 7 AI providers. Groq, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, OpenAI GPT, DeepSeek, Z.ai GLM, or a local model with Ollama. If one hits a rate limit, the request moves to the next.
- Personal answers. Paste your resume and target role, and answers come in first person, based on your experience.
- Any language. It replies in the language of the question: English, Spanish, Russian, German, French and many more.
- Private by design. No account, no backend. Your API keys stay on your computer.
When Cluely might be the better choice
Cluely is a polished commercial product with a team behind it. If you want meeting notes, help on sales calls, a mobile app, or simply zero setup without managing API keys, a paid service like Cluely can make more sense.
Honest limitations
- You need your own AI key. Free tiers from Gemini, Groq and Z.ai are enough for most people, and Ollama needs no key at all.
- There is a ready installer for Windows only. On macOS you run it from source with Node.js.
- There is no mobile app and no hosted cloud version.
- The Windows app isn't code-signed yet, so Windows shows a SmartScreen warning on first launch.
How to switch in 3 steps
- Download the Windows installer (or run it from source on macOS).
- Create a free Gemini key at aistudio.google.com and paste it into the app settings. One key covers chat, voice and screenshots.
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+Lto listen orCtrl+Shift+Spaceto solve what's on screen. The full setup guide covers audio and model choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Cluely?
Yes. AI Interview Helper is a free, open-source AI interview copilot. It listens to the interviewer, reads your screen and suggests answers without a subscription.
Is AI Interview Helper really free?
Yes. There is no paid plan. You use a free-tier AI key (Gemini, Groq or Z.ai) or run a local model with Ollama at zero cost.
Does it work like Cluely in interviews?
The core workflow is the same: transcribe the question, look at the screen, suggest an answer. It focuses on interviews and doesn't include Cluely's meeting-notes or sales features.
Is my data safer than with a cloud service?
Your keys stay on your computer, and requests go straight to the AI provider you choose, with no extra server in between. The provider's own privacy policy still applies.
Try the free Cluely alternative
Download it, paste a free Gemini key, and you're ready in about two minutes.
Cluely is a trademark of its respective owner. AI Interview Helper is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Cluely.