Interview Signal vs tl;dv: video clips and EU storage, or an interview guide?

tl;dv is a meeting recorder that joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams as a visible bot by default, can record without a bot through its Windows and Mac desktop app, makes shareable video clips, stores data primarily in the EU and pushes summaries to Greenhouse, from €18 a seat a month billed yearly as of October 2026. Interview Signal is a desktop app built only for interviews: it never joins the call, runs a question guide from the job description while you talk, and writes a scorecard with the candidate's quotes and a client submittal, but it records no video and has no ATS integration. Choose tl;dv if your hiring team decides from video highlights and you use Greenhouse; choose Interview Signal if you want help running the interview and a written, evidence-checked result.

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

How do Interview Signal and tl;dv compare at a glance?

tl;dv cells link to their source. "Not described" means we did not find it on tl;dv's own pages.

Does tl;dv join the call as a bot?

By default, yes, and tl;dv says so plainly. Its own review of its product states: "The default is a visible bot. When tl;dv joins a meeting it appears as a participant," and that it joins scheduled Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls automatically once your calendar is connected. The same page says tl;dv can email attendees beforehand to flag that the meeting will be recorded, which is a thoughtful touch for candidates.

The bot-free route is the desktop app for Windows and Mac, which "records directly from your system audio, with no meeting bot required." According to tl;dv's review, audio-only recordings get a transcript and summary but no video, and speakers show as numbers unless the recording matches a calendar event. tl;dv also has iOS and Android apps for in-person conversations on every plan, including Free.

Interview Signal has no bot mode at all. It runs on Windows 10/11 or macOS 13 or newer and labels the microphone as the interviewer and the meeting's sound as the candidate, so the transcript separates the two speakers. It cannot attend a meeting for you, and it has no mobile app.

Which one handles phone screens?

tl;dv's desktop app page names Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams and does not mention phone calls; the mobile app is described for in-person conversations. If phone screens are a large share of your week, test a softphone call through tl;dv's desktop app before you rely on it.

Interview Signal captures a phone screen the same way as a video call, provided the call runs through the computer's audio. A call on your mobile handset is out of reach, because there is no mobile app. Our guide to recording a phone screen covers the setups that work.

What do you get during the interview, and after it?

tl;dv is built around the recording. Its recruiting page says it "turns applicant interviews into skimmable recordings, AI transcripts and shareable video snippets", with team tagging and timestamps for feedback. Clips are where tl;dv is genuinely better than Interview Signal, which does not record video at all: a hiring manager who missed the call can watch the two minutes that matter. We did not find a scorecard, a question guide from the job description, or a client submittal described on tl;dv's pages.

Interview Signal is built around the interview. During the call it shows a question guide from the job description with must-ask questions pinned 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 suggests a question to try, without touching the score or the submittal. After the call, each score carries the candidate's own quotes checked against the transcript, and the client submittal follows your agency's template.

Where does the interview data go?

This is a real strength for tl;dv with European candidates. Its privacy policy says personal data is "primarily processed and stored in facilities located in the European Economic Area", naming Google Cloud, Wasabi and Hetzner with data centers in Germany and Finland. It adds that limited portions of transcripts may be processed in the United States for AI features, depending on the AI hosting location you select, and that tl;dv does not use customer content to train its models. On the free plan, recordings are stored for three months.

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). For the UK and EU rules that apply either way, see recording interviews under UK GDPR.

Which one connects to your ATS?

tl;dv names one ATS. Its Greenhouse page says it "pushes summaries, feedback, and recording links into Greenhouse," and its Google Meet workflow page adds transcripts. Anything else goes through Zapier, which tl;dv's integrations page says reaches more than 5,000 apps. For a Greenhouse team, that is a clear point in tl;dv's favor.

Interview Signal 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, which you paste in yourself. Greenhouse users comparing options should also read Greenhouse Notetaker alternatives.

How much does each one cost?

tl;dv prices are from its pricing page, in euros; Interview Signal's are from ours, in US dollars, both as of October 2026. We have not converted currencies. Totals are our arithmetic.

tl;dv costs less per seat even before currency is considered. Interview Signal's pay-as-you-go hours ($29 for five, never expiring) suit someone who interviews occasionally and wants no subscription.

Should you choose tl;dv or Interview Signal?

Choose tl;dv if:

• Your hiring managers decide from video, and clips save them from attending every round.
• You use Greenhouse and want summaries and recording links on the candidate record.
• EU data residency matters, or you need a mobile app for in-person interviews.
• You want a bot that records meetings you cannot attend.

Choose Interview Signal if:

• You want no bot in the call, every time, without changing settings.
• You want the question guide, follow-ups and scorecard in front of you while you interview.
• Your output is a written scorecard or client submittal with quotes you can check.
• You can accept no video, no ATS integration, desktop only, and a newer product with few public reviews.

Best for, in one line: tl;dv is best for in-house teams who share interview video and use Greenhouse; Interview Signal is best for recruiters who need structured, evidence-checked write-ups.

What should you test before you decide?

1. Record one interview with the tl;dv bot, one with its desktop
   app, and one with Interview Signal. Ask the candidate what
   they noticed.
2. Send a hiring manager a tl;dv clip and an Interview Signal
   scorecard for the same candidate. Which one do they use?
3. If you are on Greenhouse, push one test candidate through
   tl;dv's integration.
4. Run one phone screen through each tool.
5. Check where data is stored against your own privacy notice.

Interview Signal's 20 free minutes cover one real screen, and the walkthrough shows the full flow. With any tool, tell candidates a note-taker is running; our consent script has wording you can read aloud.