Comparison

System Design Refresher vs Hello Interview

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

System Design Refresher

Features
Read full description

System Design Refresher is a free study companion for software engineers preparing for system design interviews. WHAT'S INSIDE • 30+ system design articles covering distributed systems, databases, caching, and more • Engineering blogs from top tech companies (Google, Meta, Stripe, Airbnb, and more) aggregated in one place • AI-powered flashcards with spaced repetition • Ask AI to summarize or explain any article in plain language • Favorites, reading progress tracking, and custom RSS feeds FEATURES • Works offline — articles download for reading without internet • Dark mode, font customization, and text size controls • Face ID / Touch ID lock for privacy • Sign in with Google or Apple, or use as a guest with no account required

About

Hello Interview

Prepare for software engineering interviews with structured learning paths, practical guides, and interactive quizzes. Gain confidence in system design, data structures, algorithms, and behavioral questions. Access real interview experiences and community insights.

Highlights
  • Structured learning paths
  • Practical interview guides
  • Interactive quizzes
  • Real interview questions
  • Community discussions
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Prepare for your software engineering interviews with focused learning paths, practical guides, interactive quizzes, and insights from real interview experiences. Hello Interview helps you build the knowledge and confidence you need for technical interviews across system design, data structures and algorithms, low-level design, behavioral interviews, and more. With the app, you can: • Follow structured learning paths and track your progress • Read clear, practical interview guides • Explore real interview questions shared by candidates • Test your knowledge with interactive quizzes • Learn from community discussions and candidate success stories • Search across articles, guides, and interview questions • Continue learning wherever you are Sign in to sync your progress and access the content available to your Hello Interview account.

Screenshots

System Design Refresher4 screens
Hello Interview4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: System Design Refresher at none against Hello Interview's 3. Hello Interview's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.2). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hello Interview sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. System Design Refresher asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

System Design Refresher ships an update monthly, Hello Interview every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
System Design Refresher versus Hello Interview: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSystem Design RefresherHello Interview
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—33 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.216.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB53 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSaurabh SharmaOptick Labs Inc. dba Hello Interview

In-app purchases

None

System Design Refresher

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Hello Interview

One-time3
  • Hello Interview Premium – 1 Month$47.99
  • Hello Interview Premium – 1 Year$89.99
  • Hello Interview Premium – Lifetime$299.99

Questions

Is System Design Refresher free?
System Design Refresher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hello Interview free?
Hello Interview is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do System Design Refresher or Hello Interview have ads?
Neither System Design Refresher nor Hello Interview shows ads.
Which is updated more often, System Design Refresher or Hello Interview?
System Design Refresher ships an update monthly, and Hello Interview every 6 days. Most recently, System Design Refresher was updated on October 25, 2026 and Hello Interview on October 26, 2026.

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