Interview Signal vs Tactiq: two no-bot tools that capture interviews differently

Tactiq and Interview Signal both transcribe interviews without a bot, but they capture differently. Tactiq is mainly a Chrome extension that turns the meeting platform's live captions into a transcript on Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams in the browser, plus a Mac app that captures audio for desktop Zoom, Teams and Slack huddles; it starts free and costs $8 a user a month billed yearly as of October 2026. Interview Signal is a Windows and Mac desktop app that captures the call's audio directly, beside desktop or browser meetings and computer-based phone screens, and adds a question guide, a scorecard backed by the candidate's quotes and a client submittal, at a higher price. Choose Tactiq for a low-cost transcript of browser meetings; choose Interview Signal if you need it to work regardless of captions and host settings and want interview structure on top.

We make Interview Signal. Every fact about Tactiq below comes from Tactiq's own site or help center, checked in October 2026 and linked. For a fuller review of Tactiq in hiring, see Tactiq for recruiting.

How do Interview Signal and Tactiq compare at a glance?

Tactiq cells link to their source. "Not described" means we did not find it on Tactiq's pages.

How does each one capture the interview?

Neither adds a participant to the meeting, but the mechanisms differ in ways that matter on interview day. Tactiq's browser extension works from the platform's captions. Its Google Meet guide says "Tactiq can only capture speech after live captions are enabled," and speech before that cannot be recovered. Its Zoom guide says automated captions must be enabled in the host's Zoom settings; if someone else hosts and you do not see the captions control, you have to ask them to switch it on. The extension "only works when you join Zoom in Chrome or Edge, not in the Zoom Desktop app."

Tactiq has closed part of that gap on the Mac. Its Mac app "transcribes Zoom Desktop meetings, Slack huddles, and Microsoft Teams calls held in the Teams desktop app," and "captures audio through macOS instead of joining as a participant." For Windows, the same article says "We are exploring a Windows version."

Interview Signal captures audio directly on both Windows 10/11 and macOS 13 or newer, beside Zoom, Teams and Google Meet whether they run in a browser or a desktop app, and whoever hosts. It labels the microphone as the interviewer and the meeting's sound as the candidate. It does not depend on captions or the host's settings. Our guide to recording a Zoom interview without a bot covers the practical differences.

Which one handles phone screens?

Tactiq's pages describe meeting platforms and Slack huddles, not phone calls, and a caption-based extension has nothing to read on a phone call. Interview Signal captures a phone screen whenever the call runs through the computer's audio, such as a softphone; it has no mobile app. See our guide to recording a phone screen.

What do you get from the interview?

Tactiq's recruiters page describes automated transcripts, AI prompts for summaries and action items, follow-up emails, and the line "Generate filled scorecards with one click." Its pricing page lists AI generated insights and Ask Tactiq AI, metered by AI credits on the Free and Pro plans. That is a sensible, low-cost layer on top of a transcript.

Interview Signal goes further during the call. It builds a question guide from the job description, pins must-ask questions until asked, suggests follow-ups with a reason (probe, clarify or evidence), fills the scorecard as you go and scores on demand with Evaluate, with an optional second model (Dual AI). A private answer check flags answers that read as AI-written or read aloud and offers a question to try; it never changes a score or reaches the submittal. Afterward, every score carries the candidate's quotes, checked against the transcript, and any quote not in the transcript is removed. That check is the core of evidence-based interview feedback.

How do candidates find out they are being transcribed?

With no participant in the call, notice is up to you with either tool. Tactiq's help center says it can send "a short message in the meeting chat to let attendees know that transcription is happening" once you turn on the Transcription Notification setting, and its pricing page lists "Disable transcript notification" as a Pro feature. Interview Signal includes a read-aloud consent line, notice text by jurisdiction and a one-click pause for the moment a candidate says no. Our consent script has wording either way.

Where does the data go, and does it reach your ATS?

Tactiq connects to tools such as Google Docs, Notion, Slack, HubSpot and Salesforce, per its integrations page. The recruiters page says you can "send interview summaries to your ATS," but no ATS is named on either page, so ask how before you count on it.

Interview Signal keeps transcripts, quotes, candidate names, notes and submittals on the recruiter's computer. Audio goes to a speech-to-text provider in short chunks during the call and is not retained, and our server keeps only counts and durations (security details). It has no ATS integration: it exports by copy, Markdown, Word, a CSV row, email or Slack, and shapes notes for Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Lever or JobAdder for you to paste.

How much does each one cost?

Tactiq prices are from its pricing page, which showed annual-billing prices, and Interview Signal's from ours, as of October 2026. Totals are our arithmetic.

Tactiq is far cheaper, and its free plan renews monthly. Interview Signal's price covers direct audio capture on Windows and Mac, the in-call guide, the quote-checked scorecard and the submittal.

Should you choose Tactiq or Interview Signal?

Choose Tactiq if:

• You interview in browser meetings where captions are on, or you host and can turn them on.
• You are on a Mac and use desktop Zoom or Teams, which its Mac app covers.
• A transcript and an AI summary are enough, and cost is the deciding factor.
• You want transcripts in Google Docs or Notion.

Choose Interview Signal if:

• You use the Zoom or Teams desktop app on Windows, or join meetings other people host.
• Phone screens through your computer are part of your week.
• You want a question guide, a live scorecard and a client submittal with checked quotes.
• You can accept no ATS integration, desktop only, no video, and a newer product with few public reviews.

Best for, in one line: Tactiq is best for low-cost transcripts of browser meetings; Interview Signal is best for recruiters who need dependable capture on any setup and an interview-ready write-up.

What should you test before you decide?

1. Join one interview hosted by someone else, on your usual app.
   Does Tactiq have captions to read? Does Interview Signal start?
2. Run one phone screen through your computer with each tool.
3. Compare Tactiq's one-click scorecard with Interview Signal's
   scorecard for the same interview. Check every quote.
4. Decide how candidates will be told, with each tool.
5. Count your real interview volume before comparing plans.

For the wider field of bot-free tools, see AI note-takers without a bot. Interview Signal's 20 free minutes cover one real screen, and the walkthrough shows the full flow.