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Hi! I’ve just used 10 different resume builders to create 10 different versions of my resume. Why?

I wanted to test each of them so you don’t have to waste your precious time.

Speaking of which, let’s do this fast: I'm Martin, I'm the lead writer at Kickresume, and these are the ten most popular resume builders I could find. I'm going to tell you what makes each of them great.

Yes, I do work at Kickresume. Because of that, I don't want to review Kickresume myself.

Instead, I’m going to show you what other people had to say about Kickresume.

“Quite honestly one of the best and most useful products I have come across. The resume templates are amazing! Too good :). I created a new version and within 3 days, I had interviews with GitLab, Salesforce, Heroku, Red Hat and IBM!” —Brandon Stephan

“This is one of the best companies ever. They charge around 700 percent less for a resume rewrite over Monster, Indeed etc… $4 a month, I am one happy customer.” — Cody Noyes (Although, technically, it’s not really a rewrite. We prefer to call it “proofreading”.)

“Honestly, I don’t review things, ever. But this site is next level. I actually have been raving to my friends about it. So simple, so intuitive, so well designed, tons of options, zero messing around with spacing and alignment. Made the best resume I’ve ever had, took me half an hour. Just info in, gorgeous resume out. Worth the price hands down.” — Keith Allan

Also, this is what our direct competitors had to say about pros and cons of Kickresume. We’re in the same market. We fight over the same customer. Yet, they had to admit this (thank you guys):

What others liked about Kickresume:

“[Large] number of templates” (Source: Zety)

“Website maker” (Source: Zety)

“A lot of strong features, resume and cover letter templates available for the freemium version.” (Source: Novoresume)

“Pre-written phrases to help you out in case you’re not sure how to phrase your achievements.” (Source: Novoresume)

“Grammar correction proofreading services available, if needed.” (Source: Novoresume)

What they didn’t like about Kickresume:

“Very basic pre-written content.”(Source: Zety)

“Limited options when making a free resume.” (Source: Zety)

“Most templates are creative and sometimes too vibrant — can be a bad thing depending on where you’re applying.” (Source: Novoresume)

“Can be hard to turn your resume into a website, if you don’t know what you’re doing.” (Source: Novoresume)

Kickresume’s Pricing

Freemium: available

6 Months Free Premium for students and teachers

1 Month Premium: $19 per month

3 Months Premium: $12 per month

12 Months Premium: $8 per month + 1 free proofreading included ($96 per year)

Also, if you subscribe for more than a month, 1–5 of your friends get a month of Kickresume Premium for free.

Kickresume’s Templates

4 free templates

34 premium templates

What I liked about this resume builder:

Impressive auto-suggestion feature which is really useful when writing the work experience and skills sections.

feature which is really useful when writing the work experience and skills sections. Very good guides and resume content (It’s available to anyone. You don’t have to sign up for that).

and resume content (It’s available to anyone. You don’t have to sign up for that). Clean templates. Well-constructed and no-nonsense.

Well-constructed and no-nonsense. Resume score. Once you’re done, Zety will score your resume and tell you how you can make it better. (From my experience, this is a bit hit or miss.)

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

Clunky copy&paste. The rich text editor started acting up on me when I tried to copy-paste my information into it.

The rich text editor started acting up on me when I tried to copy-paste my information into it. Confusing UI. It’s easy to get lost in the interface sometimes.

It’s easy to get lost in the interface sometimes. Not-so-smart editor. The editor was sometimes trying to be too clever but ended up being stupid (e.g. forced capitalization in “University Of Amsterdam”).

The editor was sometimes trying to be too clever but ended up being stupid (e.g. forced capitalization in “University Of Amsterdam”). No page breaks. In the preview, the resume page seems to continue indefinitely, not giving you a proper idea of what it is going to look like when printed out.

In the preview, the resume page seems to continue indefinitely, not giving you a proper idea of what it is going to look like when printed out. Unsuitable for creatives. All templates have a very similar, conservative vibe. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. On the other hand, if you’re looking to create a resume that’s a bit more “out there”, you should probably look elsewhere.

All templates have a very similar, conservative vibe. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. On the other hand, if you’re looking to create a resume that’s a bit more “out there”, you should probably look elsewhere. Poor customization options. In most cases, you can only change the color of some parts of your resume.

Zety’s Pricing

First 14 days Full Access: $2.70

After first 14 days Full Access: $24.70 per 4 weeks

12 Months Full Access: $5.95 per month ($71.40 paid upfront)

Zety’s Templates

0 free templates

13 paid templates. They say they offer “20+ best resume templates”. I couldn’t find more than 13.

All templates customizable

Finally, you should know that I didn’t pay for their Full Access. Because of that, there may be some features that I forgot to mention.

What I liked about this resume builder:

Live preview. You can edit your resume directly in live preview if you want.

You can edit your resume directly in live preview if you want. Rich text copy/paste works flawlessly.

works flawlessly. Varied templates. A nice, varied collection of templates.

A nice, varied collection of templates. Customization options. Templates were customizable. I could even change paragraph margins, which is quite rare.

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

Sometimes confusing. It wasn’t always clear what some of the buttons do. Because of that, I accidentally deleted my content twice. But that could just be me.

VisualCV pricing

Pro Monthly: $18/month (billed monthly)

Pro Quarterly: $12/month (billed $36 every three months)

VisualCV Templates

3 free templates

15 PRO templates

What I liked about this resume builder:

I liked how it encourages you to mention your extracurricular activities, GPA, and awards when filling in the Education section.

MS Word download. Some people may like the option to download their resume in the MS Word format.

Some people may like the option to download their resume in the MS Word format. 1 on 1 help. They offer “1 on 1 help from an experienced career consultant”. That’s something that no other resume builder offers. On the other hand, I'm not sure how expensive it is.

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

Step-by-step editor. Instead of allowing me to enter all my information at once, it required me to fill it in step-by-step. This has quickly become time-consuming, as I had to go through every single possible section, whether I wanted to include it or not. And it made me do it every time I wanted to make changes to my resume.

Instead of allowing me to enter all my information at once, it required me to fill it in step-by-step. This has quickly become time-consuming, as I had to go through every single possible section, whether I wanted to include it or not. And it made me do it every time I wanted to make changes to my resume. Preview possible only at the end. I was able to see a preview of my resume only AFTER I had given them all my information. I hate this.

I was able to see a preview of my resume only AFTER I had given them all my information. I hate this. Couldn't leave any fields blank. Why can’t I leave the “State/Province” field blank? It just wouldn’t let me. Not every country is divided into states or provinces. Also, it required me to enter my home address despite the fact that I really wanted to leave that field blank. Fortunately, it didn’t check if the address was real.

Why can’t I leave the “State/Province” field blank? It just wouldn’t let me. Not every country is divided into states or provinces. Also, it required me to enter my home address despite the fact that I really wanted to leave that field blank. Fortunately, it didn’t check if the address was real. No rich text formatting. Okay, I’m going to say it one more time and more clearly: I really really really hated this editor. It’s clunky and doesn’t support rich text editing.

ResumeGenius Pricing

14-Day Trial Plan: $1.95 (you have to cancel this before 14 days, otherwise…)

1 Month Plan: $39.95 per month (auto-renews)

12 Months Plan: $95.40

Resume Genius Templates

0 free templates

17 Pro Resume Templates

What I liked about this resume builder:

Classic look. Classic templates that make a great use of basic typography.

Classic templates that make a great use of basic typography. Emphasis on content. The templates put more emphasis on how your information is organized, instead of being visually stunning. This might not be for everybody, but I like them for trying something fresh. The templates are organized into four categories: Experience, Education, Skill, and Personality, depending on which one do you want to emphasize.

The templates put more emphasis on how your information is organized, instead of being visually stunning. This might not be for everybody, but I like them for trying something fresh. The templates are organized into four categories: Experience, Education, Skill, and Personality, depending on which one do you want to emphasize. It's free.

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

Color of interface. Oh man, that purple-ish color. I almost got a headache just looking at it. On the other hand, that’s a matter of personal taste.

Oh man, that purple-ish color. I almost got a headache just looking at it. On the other hand, that’s a matter of personal taste. Broken copy&paste. The rich text editor started acting up when I tried to copy/paste text from my text editor.

The rich text editor started acting up when I tried to copy/paste text from my text editor. No page break. The preview screen doesn’t really show you what your resume is going to look like after you print it out.

The preview screen doesn’t really show you what your resume is going to look like after you print it out. Step-by-step editor. Yet another resume builder with a step-by-step editor. As soon as you become a bit more familiar with the app, the editor becomes a hindrance. I would prefer being able to edit all parts of my resume in a single screen.

Yet another resume builder with a step-by-step editor. As soon as you become a bit more familiar with the app, the editor becomes a hindrance. I would prefer being able to edit all parts of my resume in a single screen. Not visually appealing. The resume templates are not what you’d expect them to be. They don’t have much to offer in terms of visuals. Instead, they focus more on how your resume is organized into sections.

Resume.com Pricing

FREE.

Resume.com Templates

12 free resume templates

What I liked about this resume builder:

UI navigation. The progress bar at the top of the page. It lets you see exactly where you are and what you need to do before you can download your resume.

The progress bar at the top of the page. It lets you see exactly where you are and what you need to do before you can download your resume. Live preview. You can see the changes you make to your resume in real time. Almost no other resume builder has that.

You can see the changes you make to your resume in real time. Almost no other resume builder has that. Excellent editor. It suffered from none of the problems other resume builders did.

It suffered from none of the problems other resume builders did. High level of polish. UI and its high level of polish

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

Forces you to sign up from the get-go. It doesn’t let you create a resume without signing up first. On the other hand, it allows them to save any changes you make to your resume from the get-go.

It doesn’t let you create a resume without signing up first. On the other hand, it allows them to save any changes you make to your resume from the get-go. Limited customization options. The resume builder only lets you change the color of a template and font size.

The resume builder only lets you change the color of a template and font size. Small number of templates. Only has 12 and, as I've already mentioned, you can't even customize them.

Resume.io Pricing

7-Day Trial: €2.95 (then it auto-renews at €19.95 billed every 4 weeks)

6 Months Plan: €44.95 non-recurring payment

12 Months Plan: €74.95 non-recurring

Resume.io Templates

1 free template

11 premium resume templates

What I like about this resume builder:

Template recommendations. They recommended me specific templates based on my years of experience. Also, the templates were organized into categories, such as “traditional”, “modern”, and “creative”.

They recommended me specific templates based on my years of experience. Also, the templates were organized into categories, such as “traditional”, “modern”, and “creative”. PDF import. You can import your resume from a PDF file. It’s not perfect but it works quite well.

You can import your resume from a PDF file. It’s not perfect but it works quite well. Nicer templates than Zety. Although it’s the same resume builder as Zety, this one had nicer resume templates. But that's purely subjective.

What I don’t like about this resume builder:

Almost identical to Zety. There are minor differences but none of them justify separate branding.

There are minor differences but none of them justify separate branding. Just as conservative as Zety. Even creative templates were too conservative for my taste. On the other hand, they really did contain more color.

Even creative templates were too conservative for my taste. On the other hand, they really did contain more color. The same basic editor as Zety. Since it’s the same rich text editor, it’s no wonder that it started acting up as soon as I tried to copy/paste my information.

Since it’s the same rich text editor, it’s no wonder that it started acting up as soon as I tried to copy/paste my information. It's Zety with different templates. I’m not going to include any more upsides or downsides since it’s exactly the same thing as Zety, apart from the templates.

myPerfectresume Pricing

Despite everything, it’s not the same as Zety. The pricing is slighly different!

14-Day Full Access: $2.95 (auto-renews at $24.95)

Monthly Access: $24.95 after 14 days

12 Month Access: $71.40

myPerfectresume Templates

32 premium templates (more than Zety)

What I like about this resume builder:

Really powerful. Canva is not really a resume builder. Instead, it is a tool to design stuff when you don’t want to pay for a graphic designer. What’s more, it’s really powerful.

Canva is not really a resume builder. Instead, it is a tool to design stuff when you don’t want to pay for a graphic designer. What’s more, it’s really powerful. It’s free. That is, unless you decide to pay for a premium subscription. Still, all resume-related features are free.

That is, unless you decide to pay for a premium subscription. Still, all resume-related features are free. Super large number of templates. I tried to count the number of resume templates. I couldn’t. There’s too many.

I tried to count the number of resume templates. I couldn’t. There’s too many. Limitless customization. Canva is great if you already know what you’re doing and only seek to give your already perfect resume a nice visual boost.

What I don’t like about this resume builder:

Not a dedicated resume builder. Sure, it can be used to create nice resumes or cover letters. Still, if you decide to use it, you’d be missing out on many career-specific features like proofreading, career-oriented customer support, pre-written phrases for your resume, guides etc.

Sure, it can be used to create nice resumes or cover letters. Still, if you decide to use it, you’d be missing out on many career-specific features like proofreading, career-oriented customer support, pre-written phrases for your resume, guides etc. Is it ATS-ready? Would a resume created with Canva pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS)? I can’t be sure.

Would a resume created with Canva pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS)? I can’t be sure. No career tools or resume-specific features.

No rich text copy-paste. When I tried to copy&paste my information, it didn’t preserve my formatting.

When I tried to copy&paste my information, it didn’t preserve my formatting. Easy to mess things up. It’s VERY easy to make your resume look bad if you’re not careful. Actually, I sometimes wished I had fewer customization options. I got super confused really quickly and had to start over about four times.

It’s VERY easy to make your resume look bad if you’re not careful. Actually, I sometimes wished I had fewer customization options. I got super confused really quickly and had to start over about four times. Steeper learning curve. That is not to say that Canva is difficult to pick up. Not at all. It’s just more difficult than other options on this list since it’s designed to handle more varied tasks.

Canva’s Pricing

It’s free.

Canva’s Resume Templates

Too many to count.

What I liked about this resume builder:

Live preview. I could edit my resume directly from the live preview screen.

I could edit my resume directly from the live preview screen. Holds your hand. Were this my first time writing a resume, I would have appreciated Novoresume’s “nudges” in the right direction a lot more than I had. If you’re a beginner, they can be very helpful.

Were this my first time writing a resume, I would have appreciated Novoresume’s “nudges” in the right direction a lot more than I had. If you’re a beginner, they can be very helpful. Built-in feedback. I loved Novoresume’s “Content Optimizer”. It analyzed my resume and suggested possible improvements.

I loved Novoresume’s “Content Optimizer”. It analyzed my resume and suggested possible improvements. Resume management. Novoresume also allowed me to save individual parts of my newly created resume in case I’d like to create versions customized for specific employers. In fact, Novoresume had the best resume management tools out of all resume builders in this test.

Novoresume also allowed me to save individual parts of my newly created resume in case I’d like to create versions customized for specific employers. In fact, Novoresume had the best resume management tools out of all resume builders in this test. Labeled premium features. All premium features were clearly labeled and I was able to avoid using them, since I wanted to create a free resume.

All premium features were clearly labeled and I was able to avoid using them, since I wanted to create a free resume. Customization options. There's a lot of them!

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

Sometimes too "helpful". The editor was trying to help me by structuring the work experience section. Unfortunately, that was more of a hindrance than help. Somewhat clunky.

The editor was trying to help me by structuring the work experience section. Unfortunately, that was more of a hindrance than help. Somewhat clunky. No rich text copy-paste. Yet again, the rich text copy&paste didn’t work.

Yet again, the rich text copy&paste didn’t work. Character limit in certain sections. It wouldn’t let me enter as much text as I wanted where I wanted.

It wouldn’t let me enter as much text as I wanted where I wanted. Small number of resume templates. Although, I have to say, this is to some extent mitigated by your ability to customize each of them.

Novoresume’s Pricing

1 Month: 15€

3 Months: 29.99€

12 Months: 89.99€

No auto-renew.

Novoresume’s Templates

12 free templates

You pay for additional customization options.

What I liked about this resume builder:

The personal profile. First you create a “profile” where you enter all your information. Once you’ve done that, you don’t have to do it ever again. It’s somewhat similar to what Novoresume does with its resume management system.

First you create a “profile” where you enter all your information. Once you’ve done that, you don’t have to do it ever again. It’s somewhat similar to what Novoresume does with its resume management system. The editor. CakeResume’s editor is, well, satisfying. You begin with a blank page onto which you drag and drop various resume snippets.

CakeResume’s editor is, well, satisfying. You begin with a blank page onto which you drag and drop various resume snippets. Online resume. You can either download your resume as a PDF file or get a shareable link.

You can either download your resume as a PDF file or get a shareable link. Despite its name, CakeResume is not really a resume builder. Instead, it will help you create an online career profile similar to LinkedIn.

What I didn’t like about this resume builder:

No rich text copy-paste. At this point I consider that the norm but still. Any resume builder that has that rich text copy-paste feature deserves praise and glory!

At this point I consider that the norm but still. Any resume builder that has that rich text copy-paste feature deserves praise and glory! Missing keyboard shortcuts. This is connected to my previous point. Every time I wanted to make a part of text bold, I had to click at an icon at the top of the screen.

This is connected to my previous point. Every time I wanted to make a part of text bold, I had to click at an icon at the top of the screen. Basic in terms of visuals. CakeResume’s default template works well but if you’d like to make your resume a bit more visually appealing, you may want to look elsewhere.

CakeResume Pricing

Advanced Features: $7.95 per month (Remove CakeResume branding, 20+ additional snippets, unlimited number of resumes)

PRO Features: $15.95 (analytics and custom domain names)

CakeResume Templates