Most people compare interview copilots on features. Latency, stealth, which models they use. Fair enough. But the complaints I keep reading on Trustpilot and G2 are almost never about features. They are about money: renewals people forgot about, refund requests that went nowhere, and paying for a tool that never opened during the actual interview.
So I read the refund policies of three popular tools, Final Round AI, LockedIn AI and Parakeet AI, on November 6, 2026. Here is what each one actually says, in plain words, plus a short checklist to run before you pay for any of them.
Disclosure up front: I work on LastRound AI, which is in the same category. I've put our own policy at the end, held to the same standard.
Final Round AI: 3 days, and "substantial use" decides it
Final Round AI's policy (last updated October 8, 2026) offers a 3-day (72-hour) money-back guarantee on initial and renewal charges, for monthly, quarterly and annual plans.
The catch is the definition of use. You are not eligible if the current billing period shows "substantial use", which they define as at least 2 interview sessions, each lasting more than 30 minutes. The guarantee is also once per customer, across all accounts and plans.
Two other things worth knowing from their pricing page: there is no free trial, and live sessions need an active Pro subscription. So the 72-hour window is effectively your trial.
What this means for you: if you buy it the night before an interview and use it for two long rounds, assume that money is spent. If you want to test it, do it inside the first 72 hours with short sessions.
LockedIn AI: monthly and quarterly are non-refundable once started
LockedIn AI's policy is the strictest of the three. It says its subscriptions are digital and non-returnable, and:
- Monthly and quarterly: non-refundable once started. Cancelling keeps access until the cycle ends, with no refunds or prorated credits.
- Annual: eligible for a partial refund if cancelled within 7 days of purchase.
- Purchases through the Apple App Store follow Apple's refund rules instead.
They point people to their free trial before buying. Also note the pricing page runs heavy promo pricing (a 50% off code was showing when I checked), so compare the price you will pay at renewal, not just the first charge.
What this means for you: treat a monthly or quarterly LockedIn purchase as final. Use the free trial properly first.
Parakeet AI: 7 days if unused, 28 days for an unused renewal
Parakeet AI has the most detailed policy of the three:
- 7-day refund window for accidental or unused purchases.
- 28 days for a subscription renewal you haven't used since it renewed. This one is genuinely useful if you forgot to cancel.
- "Unused" is strict: a call session, a mock interview, a resume download and so on all count as use. There are small exceptions, for example a plan session that ran under 5 minutes.
What this means for you: the renewal rule is the friendliest of the three if you forget to cancel. But one real session counts as use, so you can't try it and then ask for your money back.
The pattern across all three
Put side by side, the rules point the same way:
| Refund window | What kills eligibility | Free way to try first | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Round AI | 72 hours, once per customer | 2+ sessions over 30 min | No free trial |
| LockedIn AI | None on monthly/quarterly; partial on annual within 7 days | Starting the subscription | Free trial |
| Parakeet AI | 7 days; 28 days for an unused renewal | Any session, mock or download | Free tier / first mock free |
None of them refund you because an interview went badly. That's normal for usage-based AI tools, since every live minute costs them transcription and model calls. It does mean the free trial matters more than the feature list.
A 5-minute checklist before you pay for any interview copilot
- Find the refund page and read the "use" definition. That one sentence decides whether you can get your money back.
- Test on a real call setup before the real interview. Use a call with a friend on Zoom, Meet or Teams with screen share on. Check audio capture, answer delay and whether the window shows up in the shared screen.
- Check the renewal price, not the promo price. Several tools show a discounted first period.
- Put a calendar reminder 2 days before renewal. Most "I was charged again" complaints are forgotten renewals.
- Check your interview's rules. Some companies ban AI assistance outright. A tool can't help you if using it gets your candidacy cancelled.
Our policy, held to the same standard
LastRound AI's refund policy (updated September 13, 2026):
- New accounts get free credits, so you can test on a real call before paying.
- Refunds are possible within 7 days of payment, only if nothing was used since that payment (no credits and no copilot or mock minutes).
- Double charges, or charges after a cancellation we already processed, are refunded.
- You can cancel any time. Access continues to the end of the period.
So we're in the same family as Parakeet: strict about use, but with a free way to try first. If you want the full side-by-side on features and price, we keep a comparison here: Final Round AI vs LastRound AI.
Whichever tool you pick, spend your free minutes on a mock call with screen share on, not on the real interview. That's the cheapest way to avoid a refund fight.
Policies quoted from each company's own refund page, read on November 6, 2026. They change often, so check the live page before you buy.
