HotShard
Plans

Everything is free until 1 September 2026.

The whole site, for the launch month. The plans below start on 1 September.

Free until 1 September

Nothing on the site is locked right now. All 57 simulations, all 12 interview questions, every scenario, unlimited review cards.

No plan, no card, no sign-up to run anything. On 1 September 2026 the plans below start and the free tier becomes the one described in the first card.

Free
₹0
forever
Until 1 September this plan includes everything in the two plans beside it.
  • Foundation simulations — client-server to LSM trees
  • Two full interview rooms: URL shortener & rate limiter
  • The learning path & glossary
  • 10 review cards a day
  • Advanced simulations (distributed systems & beyond)
  • The other 10 interview rooms
Start free
no card required
ONE FULL PREP CYCLE
Quarterly
₹999 · ₹333/mo
every 3 months · cancel anytime
Starts 1 September. Everything here is free until then.
  • Everything on the site, unlocked
  • All 12 interview rooms, every scenario
  • All 57 simulations, including distributed systems
  • Unlimited review cards
  • Covers a full interview-prep cycle
Payments launching soon
UPI · UPI Autopay · cards
Monthly
₹399
per month · cancel anytime
Starts 1 September. Everything here is free until then.
  • Everything on the site, unlocked
  • All 12 interview rooms, every scenario
  • All 57 simulations, including distributed systems
  • Unlimited review cards
  • Good for a final-week sprint
Payments launching soon
UPI · UPI Autopay · cards

Prices in INR, inclusive of taxes. Cancel in one click — access runs to the end of the period.

What’s free, what’s paid

This is the split from 1 September 2026. Until then, everything in the paid column is free as well.

On the siteFreePaid
Foundation simulations (bytes → storage engines)
URL shortener & rate limiter interview rooms
Learning path & glossary
Review cards10 / dayunlimited
Advanced simulations — consistent hashing, Raft, quorums, gossip…
The other 10 interview rooms — chat, news feed, ride-share, video…
Every scenario & epoch in every room

Questions

Is the whole site really free right now?

Yes. Every simulation and every interview question is open until 1 September 2026, with nothing to pay and no card to enter. You can run the simulations without an account at all.

What happens on 1 September?

The plans above start. The free tier stays free and keeps the foundation simulations, two full interview questions, the learning path and the glossary — the first card lists it exactly. Nothing you have already worked through disappears.

Can I pay with UPI?

Yes — UPI and UPI Autopay for subscriptions, plus all major cards. Powered by Razorpay.

What’s the difference between monthly and quarterly?

Nothing but the length. Both unlock the entire site. Quarterly covers a typical interview-prep cycle and works out to ₹333 a month.

Can I cancel?

Anytime, in one click. You keep access until the end of what you’ve paid for.

Refunds?

If the first week doesn’t work out, write to us within 7 days and we’ll refund it — no questions asked. See the refund policy.