Last updated June 2026. These are editorial rankings based on hands-on use, public pricing and feature analysis, and our own side-by-side comparisons. Pricing checked June 2026; vendors change tiers often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
If you have ever asked ChatGPT or a friend "what is the best AI resume builder," you already know the problem: everyone has an answer and most of them are selling something. We took the seven AI resume tools people ask about most in 2026, including our own, and compared them on the only things that matter when you are job hunting: does it get you past the applicant tracking system (ATS), does it make the writing better, and is the price honest. We build one of these tools, Roasted.cv, so we say plainly where we rank it and why.
Here is the short version. If you want to fix the resume you already have, with a blunt review and a rewrite done for you, Roasted.cv is our top pick. If you want to build a new resume from scratch around an ATS score, Rezi and Kickresume are the strongest. If you are tracking dozens of applications, Teal's free tier is the most generous. The full reasoning, scores and pricing are below.
We did not run these tools through a lab, and we are not going to pretend we did. These are editorial rankings, and here is exactly what they are based on:
- Hands-on familiarity. We have used these tools and built resumes in them, so the verdicts come from real screens rather than marketing pages.
- Public pricing and feature analysis. We read the current plans, free tiers and feature lists as of June 2026 and stripped away the weekly and quarterly framing to find the real monthly cost.
- An ATS-and-recruiter lens. We judge every tool by the two things that decide replies: can an applicant tracking system (ATS) read the output, and would a recruiter actually be impressed by the writing.
- Our own side-by-side comparisons. We maintain detailed head-to-head comparisons of each tool against Roasted.cv, and those breakdowns feed these rankings.
The scores below are our editorial ratings against those criteria, out of 5. They are judgement calls, not lab measurements. We include our own tool, Roasted.cv, in the ranking rather than reviewing around it, and we tell you exactly why it sits where it does.
| Tool |
Score |
Free Plan |
Paid Price (from) |
Best For |
Standout Feature |
| Roasted.cv |
4.6/5 |
Yes (free roast + ATS score, 30 credits) |
$13 one-time fix |
Honest review + ATS fix of your current resume |
Recruiter-voice red-flag roast with the rewrite in the editor |
| Rezi |
4.3/5 |
Yes (limited AI, 1 review/mo) |
$29/mo (or $149 lifetime) |
Building an ATS-optimized resume |
Real-time Rezi Score |
| Jobscan |
4.3/5 |
Yes (5 scans/mo) |
$29.98/mo (billed quarterly) |
Matching one job description |
ATS keyword match score |
| Kickresume |
4.3/5 |
Yes (unlimited downloads, 4 templates) |
$8/mo (billed annually) |
Templates and value |
Large template library + AI writer |
| Teal |
4.2/5 |
Yes (unlimited + tracker) |
$39/mo (billed weekly) |
Organizing a big job search |
Chrome job tracker |
| Resume Worded |
4.2/5 |
Yes (a couple of scans) |
$19/mo (billed annually) |
Line-by-line content scoring |
Score My Resume |
| Enhancv |
4.1/5 |
Yes (time-limited) |
$14/mo (billed semiannually) |
Design-forward resumes |
Visual templates + content checker |
Before the individual reviews, here is the buyer's guide we wish more roundups led with.
- Content first, layout second. Most resumes get rejected for what they say, not how they look. A beautiful template full of vague bullet points still loses. Prioritise tools that improve the writing.
- A real ATS score, not a vanity score. Some tools score your resume against their own rules and call it an ATS score. The useful version tells you whether a real applicant tracking system can read your name, dates and sections, and whether you match the job's keywords.
- Watch the billing period. A "$9 per week" plan is roughly $39 per month. An "$8 per month" plan that bills $96 up front for a year is not month-to-month. The honest comparison is the real monthly cost.
- Free that stays free. A free tier that expires in 7 days or blocks your PDF download is a trial, not a free plan.
- Your voice, not the model's. The best tools push you toward specific, quantified achievements. The worst ones fill the page with confident-sounding filler that every recruiter has read a thousand times.
1. Roasted.cv
Best for: anyone who wants an honest read on the resume they already have, plus the fix done for them.
Roasted.cv takes a different angle from every other tool on this list. Instead of walking you through a template, it reads your resume the way a tired recruiter would and tells you, bluntly, what is weak: the vague bullet points, the missing numbers, the buzzwords, the red flags that get you skipped. Then it gives you an ATS score and rewrites the weak lines in an editor so you leave with a fixed resume, not a checklist.
That recruiter-voice "roast" is the differentiator. It is the part most builders keep gentle because honesty does not sell upgrades, and it is exactly the feedback that moves a resume from ignored to interviewed.
Pros: blunt, specific feedback in recruiter language; ATS score plus a content rewrite in one pass; a genuine free tier (free roast, free ATS score, 30 credits that never expire); no subscription required, a one-time fix from $13; PDF export without a card.
Cons: it is built to fix and improve an existing resume, so if you are starting from a blank page you may want to draft a rough version first. It is newer than the household names, even if the output is sharper.
2. Rezi
Best for: building a clean, parseable resume around a live ATS score.
Rezi is the most ATS-focused builder here. The whole product revolves around the Rezi Score, a real-time analysis that grades your resume on keywords, action verbs, formatting and measurable results as you write. The templates are single-column and built to pass applicant tracking systems, and the AI can generate and rewrite bullet points inside the builder.
Pros: excellent real-time ATS scoring; clean parseable templates; a Pro Lifetime option (around $149) if you hate subscriptions.
Cons: it optimises toward a number, which can nudge you to game the score rather than write for a human. The free tier gives limited AI and one resume review a month. See our full Rezi vs Roasted.cv comparison.
3. Jobscan
Best for: tailoring one resume to one specific job description.
Jobscan's core job is the match report: paste your resume and a job posting, and it scores how well they align on keywords and skills, then tells you what to add. If your problem is "I keep applying and never hear back," Jobscan shows you, posting by posting, where you are missing the language recruiters search for.
Pros: the best keyword-match report for a specific job; clear, actionable gaps; a real free tier with five scans a month.
Cons: it tells you what is missing but does not write the fix for you, and the cheapest plan is $29.98 a month only because it bills every three months; month-to-month is $49.95. See our full Jobscan vs Roasted.cv comparison.
4. Kickresume
Best for: people who want lots of templates and the best overall value.
Kickresume pairs a large library of designed templates with an AI writer that drafts summaries and bullet points. It is one of the cheapest premium options if you are happy to pay annually, which makes it a strong pick for a first resume or a quick refresh.
Pros: big template selection; AI writing assistant; low annual price ($8/month billed yearly, $96 up front).
Cons: the attractive price requires paying for a full year up front, and the free tier limits you to four templates and light customisation. See our full Kickresume vs Roasted.cv comparison.
5. Teal
Best for: running a large job search with a lot of applications to track.
Teal is really a job-search command centre. Its free tier is genuinely generous: a Chrome extension that saves jobs, an application tracker that handles dozens of roles across stages, and a resume builder attached. If your problem is organisation rather than the resume itself, Teal is excellent.
Pros: outstanding free tracker and Chrome extension; unlimited resumes; great for managing volume.
Cons: the AI resume features sit behind Teal+, which is marketed as a weekly price (around $9 to $13 per week) that works out to roughly $39 or more per month. See our full Teal vs Roasted.cv comparison.
6. Resume Worded
Best for: a detailed, line-by-line content score.
Resume Worded's Score My Resume grades your resume against dozens of recruiter-style checks and returns a numbered list of improvements, plus a LinkedIn review tool. It is strong at telling you, in detail, what is weak.
Pros: thorough line-by-line scoring; useful LinkedIn feedback; a limited free tier.
Cons: it hands you a graded checklist rather than rewriting the lines for you, and the cheapest rate ($19/month) means paying $229 up front for a year; month-to-month is $49. See our full Resume Worded vs Roasted.cv comparison.
7. Enhancv
Best for: a design-forward resume that still passes ATS.
Enhancv is the most visual builder here, with distinctive templates and a content checker that flags issues as you go. If standing out visually matters in your field, Enhancv does it well while keeping a single-column, ATS-safe option.
Pros: standout designs; built-in content checker; good balance of looks and parseability.
Cons: the free access is time-limited, and the strongest designs can tempt you into layouts that some ATS still struggle with. See our full Enhancv vs Roasted.cv comparison.
- "My resume gets ignored and I don't know why." Start with Roasted.cv. The roast tells you exactly what is weak and the ATS score shows whether you are even getting parsed.
- "I'm starting from a blank page." Rezi or Kickresume to build, then run the result through an honest review.
- "I'm tailoring to one specific job." Jobscan for the keyword match.
- "I'm applying to 40 roles and losing track." Teal's free tracker.
- "I need it to look impressive." Enhancv, but check it against an ATS score before you send it.
The Verdict
There is no single best tool for everyone, but there is a best order of operations: fix the content, confirm it parses, then make it look good. Most roundups sell you the last step first.
For the job most people actually have, an existing resume that is not getting replies, Roasted.cv is our top pick for 2026 because it does the hardest part, telling you the truth about your resume and rewriting the weak lines, and lets you try the roast and ATS score for free. If you are building from scratch or chasing a specific posting, pair it with Rezi, Kickresume or Jobscan from the list above.
