Flash Interview vs Willo: One-Time Fee vs Pay-Per-Month-Per-Role
Willo is a well-established one-way video interview platform, mostly known for its Enterprise plan (from £2,999/year, annual contract). Less well known: Willo also has a "Lite" plan aimed at exactly the occasional-hiring use case Flash Interview targets — no annual contract, pay only for the roles you use. The two look similar on the surface, but the billing period underneath is different in a way that matters if a role stays open for more than a few weeks.
What Willo's Lite plan is
Willo's Lite plan removes the annual commitment: no contract, up to 5 active roles at once, up to 150 assessed candidates per role, up to 5 team seats. Per Willo's own pricing page, it costs £49 (about $59) per live role, per month — "pay only for the live roles you use each month." That last part is the detail worth reading twice: it's not a one-time fee for the role, it's a recurring monthly charge for as long as that role stays marked active. Add-on ID/right-to-work/background checks are available on top.
What Flash Interview is
Flash Interview charges $39 per role, once — covering your entire shortlist for that role, however many candidates respond, however long the role stays open. There's no monthly clock running on an open req and nothing charged in a month with no active hiring.
The real difference: what happens when a role runs long
For a role that closes fast — candidates screened and a decision made inside a few weeks — the two are close on price ($39 vs. ~$59 for that one month). The gap opens up the longer a role stays open, since Willo's Lite plan re-bills every month it's still live:
| Role stays open for | Willo Lite (~$59/mo per live role) | Flash Interview ($39/role, once) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 weeks (1 billing month) | ~$59 | $39 |
| 6 weeks (2 billing months) | ~$118 | $39 |
| 3 months (3 billing months) | ~$177 | $39 |
Hiring rarely finishes in a single tidy month — a slow trickle of applicants, a hiring-manager delay, a re-opened req — and every extra month a role sits open on Willo's Lite plan is another ~$59, while Flash Interview's fee doesn't change no matter how long the role stays active.
Where Willo still wins
Willo's Lite plan includes team seats (up to 5) and optional ID/right-to-work/background checks as paid add-ons — features Flash Interview doesn't offer. If you need those specific checks bundled into the same tool, or the role genuinely closes inside a few weeks every time, Willo's Lite plan is a reasonable, contract-free option and the price gap barely matters.
Which one to pick
- Choose Willo Lite if you need background/right-to-work checks in the same platform, hire with multiple teammates reviewing, and your roles close fast and predictably.
- Choose Flash Interview if you want the total cost fixed the moment you post the role, regardless of how long it stays open, and don't need bundled background checks.
The takeaway
Willo's Lite plan is real, self-serve, and contract-free — a closer comparison to Flash Interview than Willo's enterprise-only reputation suggests. But "no contract" isn't the same as "no recurring charge": Willo still bills monthly for as long as a role stays live, while Flash Interview's $39 is the whole bill, set once, regardless of how long hiring takes. See Flash Interview's $39-per-role pricing →
Flash Interview is async, one-way video screening: one prompt, one 50-second answer per candidate, $39 per role — charged once, however long the role stays open. Start screening a role →
Frequently asked questions
Is Willo cheaper than Flash Interview?
For a role that closes within one billing month, Willo's Lite plan (~$59) and Flash Interview ($39) are close, with Flash Interview slightly cheaper. The longer a role stays open, the more Willo's monthly re-billing adds up, since Flash Interview's $39 doesn't change.
Does Willo require an annual contract?
Not on the Lite plan — that's specifically what it removes. Willo's Enterprise plan (from £2,999/year) does require an annual commitment; the Lite plan is pay-as-you-go, billed monthly per active role instead.
Does Flash Interview charge every month a role stays open?
No. Flash Interview's $39 fee is charged once per role, covering your whole shortlist for that role for as long as it takes to fill — no recurring monthly charge tied to how long the role stays active.
Does Willo's Lite plan include background checks?
ID checks, right-to-work checks, and background checks are available as paid add-ons on the Lite plan (included in Enterprise plans). Flash Interview doesn't offer these checks.