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Choosing a CV builder: what the main tools do
Online tools now write a CV or resume as well as lay it out. The free versions and the trials are where they differ most.
A resume builder does two jobs. It gives the document a clean layout, and, in most of the tools now, it helps write the words, from the work experience to the summary. Some go further and check the resume against a job posting before you send it.
The ten tools below run from AI resume writers to template builders such as Canva. They look alike at first, but they differ on what the free version lets you download, how the paid plans are billed, and how much they focus on matching a resume to a particular job. Prices are in US dollars.
AI that writes the resume
Most of these tools now write as well as lay out. Kickresume is an online resume and cover letter builder: you pick a template, and its AI resume builder writes, optimizes and polishes the details, from work experience to the summary. It aims at a professional, ATS-friendly resume tailored to every job description. Rezi is an AI resume builder that helps you build, improve and tailor a resume. Teal makes ATS-friendly resumes in minutes, and you can build a new one or improve an existing one.
Resume Genius takes you from a blank page to an expert-written resume in minutes, even if you have no work experience, which makes it one option for a first resume. Zety is an online AI resume builder with more than 18 templates and a matching cover letter builder, meant for a job in any industry. Resume.io is built for job seekers at every level and includes a spell-checker, job tracking, export in several formats and summaries written for you.
Matching a resume to the job ad
Several tools promise an ATS-friendly resume (ATS is short for applicant tracking system, the software used to sort job applications), and some check a resume against a job posting. Jobscan is built around this check. It compares your resume with a job posting and reports what to change, and each scan gives a match rate, the missing keywords, formatting flags and a check of each section. It also has a resume builder and a job tracker. The free plan allows five resume scans a month. Paid access costs $49.95 a month, or $89.95 every three months, which works out at $29.98 a month, and there is a seven-day trial.
Enhancv's AI tailoring reads a job description and updates your resume to match, and its ATS Check compares the resume with the job you are applying for and suggests changes. Enhancv also helps turn a basic resume into a polished PDF, in modern or simple template styles. Resume Genius has an ATS resume checker, Zety offers a resume check and instant job matches, and Teal includes instant job matching, with advanced matching on its paid plan.
What the free versions let you download
Almost every tool here has a free version, but the free download is often the catch. Resume.io's free plan gives one resume and one cover letter, downloadable only as a TXT file. Zety builds unlimited resumes for free, but they download as plain text. Resume Genius's free builder also downloads only in TXT. A plain-text file has no layout; on Resume.io and Resume Genius, PDF downloads come with the paid trial.
Others are more open. Novorésumé's free plan includes a professional template, AI content suggestions and a PDF download, with no credit card, but it is limited to one version of a one-page resume, and any document using Premium features cannot be downloaded on the free account. Rezi's free plan allows one resume, limited AI tools and up to three PDF downloads, also with no credit card. Teal's free version includes the resume builder and the job tracker, while unlimited AI, advanced matching and advanced design controls need Teal+.
Kickresume is free as long as you stick to its free design options. Enhancv's free version includes all templates and design tools, but with Enhancv branding and up to 12 section items, and new accounts get seven days of free access to its Pro features without a card. Canva's free plan works in a similar way: designs that use premium elements must be paid for before they can be downloaded.
Trials that turn into subscriptions
Several of these tools sell a short trial for a few dollars that then renews at a monthly price. Resume.io charges $2.95 for a seven-day trial, which gives unlimited resumes and cover letters, all premium templates and PDF downloads, and then renews at $29.95 every four weeks unless you cancel. Zety's trial is $1.95 for 14 days and renews at $25.95 every four weeks. Resume Genius charges $2.95 for 14 days, with unlimited Word and PDF downloads and a free resume review, and then renews at $23.95 every four weeks.
Anyone using one of these trials to get a single resume out should note the renewal date. Enhancv's subscriptions, which start from $16.50, also renew automatically unless you cancel.
Paying by the month, the year or once
The other tools show their prices more plainly. Rezi Pro costs $29 a month and gives unlimited resumes, full AI features, unlimited downloads and one expert resume review a month, done by a person. Teal+ costs $13 every seven days or $29 every 30 days. Kickresume costs $24 month to month, $18 a month paid quarterly, or $8 a month on the yearly plan, which is $96 a year, and every paid plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Novorésumé is the one tool here that you can pay for once: $23.99 for one month, with no recurring billing. For a job seeker who needs a resume finished this month and nothing after, that removes the risk of a forgotten renewal.
Designing it yourself
Canva comes at the resume from the design side. It lists more than a million professionally designed templates, and its free resume builder lets you edit one with your own experience and change the design as needed. Premium template elements must be paid for before you can download, through Canva Pro at $18 a month or $180 a year, which has a free trial. Canva suits someone who wants to design the resume from a ready-made template.
