Enhancv vs roasted.cv: looks vs words that land
Enhancv makes it beautiful. roasted.cv makes the words land and keeps it ATS-safe.
Enhancv makes some of the best-looking resumes online. If you want a polished, design-forward, two-column resume with icons and color, Enhancv is one of the strongest builders out there, and it has a free resume checker that drives a lot of its traffic.
roasted.cv cares less about how pretty the resume looks and more about whether the words land and the file survives an ATS, the applicant tracking software that screens resumes. The bet is simple: a beautiful resume full of weak, generic bullets still gets ghosted. roasted.cv roasts the content first and fixes it, then keeps the design clean and parseable.
What Enhancv does well
- Design. Excellent templates, with a level of polish most competitors do not match. Drag-and-drop sections, custom layouts, photo support, color themes.
- Resume checker. A free content analyzer that scores your resume and flags issues, which is the feature most people first meet Enhancv through.
- AI writing help. Content suggestions and AI bullet rewriting inside the builder.
- Guided building. A smooth, beginner-friendly flow that walks you from blank page to finished resume.
If your priority is a visually striking resume and you are applying somewhere design matters, Enhancv is a top choice.
Where Enhancv falls short
- The free plan works like a trial. Enhancv's free access is time-limited, and after the window exporting and most features require Pro.
- Pretty can fight ATS. Two-column layouts, icons, sidebars, and graphics look great to humans but can confuse older or stricter applicant tracking systems that read top to bottom. A gorgeous resume that parses into garbage is a real risk.
- The checker scores and the builder beautifies, but neither is blunt about weak content. Enhancv will happily make a vague bullet look stylish. roasted.cv tells you the bullet is vague.
- Pricing tiers are confusing. Headlines like starting from $14 come from the longer commitment. Pro Quarterly is $59 billed every 3 months (about $19.67/month), and the monthly option is higher.
Common complaints in critical reviews
The complaints that come up again and again in critical reviews on Trustpilot (June 2026). Most reviews are positive; these are the recurring gripes.
Free but not free
The most common critical theme: you build the whole resume, then cannot download it without an expensive subscription, with sections stripped unless you upgrade.
Hard to cancel
Reviewers report being charged for months and struggling to cancel, with some disputing the charges through their bank.
Issues reviewers couldn't find
Some reviewers say the checker flagged problems they could not find in their own document.
roasted.cv's free tier exports a PDF with no card and no countdown, and the roast flags real problems in your own content.
How roasted.cv is different
- 1Content first, decoration second. roasted.cv roasts what your bullets say: weak verbs, missing numbers, responsibilities dressed up as achievements. The design is clean and ATS-safe by default, so you are not trading parseability for looks.
- 2It rewrites, not just scores. Enhancv's checker gives you a score. roasted.cv's editor rewrites the line when you ask it to.
- 3ATS-tested templates. Templates are tested against the ATS systems recruiters use and built to be read top to bottom, which is exactly where flashy two-column designs get risky.
- 4Apply Kit. Tailor the resume to a specific job and get a matching cover letter, included.
- 5A free tier with no countdown. 30 credits that never expire, with the roast, editor, templates, and PDF export available with no card.
What only roasted.cv brings
Industry-specific feedback
Advice that changes by role and field, not one generic checklist for everyone. What lands for a backend engineer is not what lands for a brand manager, and the roast knows the difference.
Signal from private hiring communities
Our recommendations are built on what gets people hired right now, gathered from closed communities of job seekers, recruiters, and hiring managers, not from advice that was true two years ago.
Roast, then rewrite, in one place
You get a blunt, recruiter-voice critique and the fixed line written for you in the same editor, instead of a score and a to-do list you implement somewhere else.
ATS-tested by default
Templates are tested against the ATS systems recruiters use and built to be read top to bottom, so you never trade parseability for a nice layout.
Side by side
| Feature | Enhancv | roasted.cv |
|---|---|---|
| Core strength | Beautiful design | Brutal content roast plus fixes |
| Resume checker / score | Yes | Yes, with recruiter-voice reasons |
| Rewrites your bullets | AI suggestions | Yes, AI editor in place |
| Design polish | Excellent, design-forward | Clean, ATS-first |
| ATS risk from layout | Higher (two-column, icons) | Lower (tested, single-flow) |
| Job-description tailoring | Limited | Apply Kit (tailored resume plus cover letter) |
| Truly free tier | No, time-limited trial | Yes, 30 credits, never expire |
| PDF export | Pro | Free |
| Entry paid price | $59/quarter (~$19.67/mo) | $13 one-time, or 100 credits for $10 |
| Subscription required | Yes | No, credits never expire |
Pricing, side by side
Enhancv (2026)
- Free plan: $0, limited trial window
- Pro Quarterly: $59 billed every 3 months (~$19.67/month, marketed as ~32% off)
- Also Pro Monthly and Pro Semiannual tiers; starting from $14 reflects the longest commitment
roasted.cv (2026)
- Free forever: 30 credits on signup (a roast costs 5 credits, so that is about 6 roasts), never expire, no card. Includes the roast, AI editor, ATS templates, PDF export, and a public link.
- Credit packs (one-time, never expire): 100 for $10, 250 for $22, 500 for $40.
- Fix my resume: $13 one-time, a full rewrite plus a list of every problem and its fix.
- Hunter Pass: $19/month, or $13/month billed quarterly. 200 credits/month, up to 40 roasts/month, autofix, and live job search.
Enhancv's free access is time-limited. roasted.cv's free tier stays free, and the credits never expire.
Pricing checked June 2026. Vendors change tiers often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Who should pick Enhancv
- Design is your top priority and you are applying in fields where a striking resume helps (design, marketing, creative, startups).
- You want a guided, beginner-friendly builder and you are confident your target employers do not use strict ATS parsing.
- You like the rich template library and customization.
Enhancv is the best pick when the resume needs to look exceptional.
Who should pick roasted.cv
- You suspect your content, not your design, is why you get ignored.
- You want ATS safety guaranteed rather than hoping a two-column layout parses.
- You want the bullets rewritten, not just scored and beautified.
- You want a real free tier and no countdown.
When not to pick roasted.cv
If you specifically need a heavily designed, multi-column, visually rich resume for a creative role and you know the employer reads PDFs by hand, Enhancv's design library is deeper and more decorative than roasted.cv's deliberately ATS-clean templates.
FAQ
- Is Enhancv free?
- Enhancv's free plan is time-limited, after which most features and exports require Pro. roasted.cv's free tier has no time limit and includes the roast, editor, and PDF export.
- Is Enhancv ATS-friendly?
- Enhancv offers ATS-friendly templates, but its signature two-column, icon-heavy designs can be parsed inconsistently by stricter systems. roasted.cv's templates are single-flow and tested against the ATS systems recruiters use to reduce that risk.
- What is the best Enhancv alternative for content feedback?
- roasted.cv. Where Enhancv's checker scores and its builder beautifies, roasted.cv roasts the actual content in recruiter language and rewrites the weak lines for you.
- Enhancv vs roasted.cv pricing?
- Enhancv's cheapest practical rate is about $19.67/month billed quarterly, after a limited free window. roasted.cv has a free-forever tier, a $13 one-time fix, and credit packs that never expire.
Beautiful resume still getting ghosted? The problem is probably the words.