Jobscan vs roasted.cv: it scores, we rewrite
Jobscan scores keyword match. roasted.cv tells you why you get ignored and rewrites it.
Jobscan is the original ATS match-rate tool. ATS is the applicant tracking software that screens resumes before a human sees them. You paste your resume and a job description, and Jobscan gives you a percentage and a list of missing keywords. It works, a million-plus job seekers use it, and it does one thing cleanly: tell you which keywords you are missing.
But a match-rate score tells you that something is wrong. It rarely tells you why, and it never rewrites the thing for you. roasted.cv was built for the next step: a blunt, specific roast of your resume in plain language, plus an AI editor that fixes the problems while you watch.
If you already know your resume is weak and you want it diagnosed and rewritten, not just scored, this page is for you.
What Jobscan does well
- Keyword match rate. Paste resume plus job description, get a 0 to 100% match and a list of hard and soft skills you are missing. This is the feature that made Jobscan famous, and it is useful.
- Recruiter and ATS findings. Flags formatting, section headings, date formats, and measurable-results gaps that can trip applicant tracking systems.
- Scale and trust. Used at scale, cited in a lot of career advice, and integrated with a Chrome extension and LinkedIn optimization.
- Cover letter and templates. Premium adds an AI cover letter generator and ATS-friendly templates.
If your only question is whether your resume contains the keywords from this job ad, Jobscan answers it cleanly.
Where Jobscan falls short
- It scores, it does not rewrite. Jobscan tells you that you are missing stakeholder management and SQL. You still have to figure out how to work those in without keyword stuffing. roasted.cv writes the fixed bullet for you.
- Keyword matching is shallow feedback. A high match rate does not mean a recruiter will be impressed. Match rate measures overlap with one job ad, not whether your achievements land. roasted.cv judges the resume the way a recruiter reads it.
- The free tier is thin. 5 scans a month, then you hit the wall.
- Premium is expensive, and the headline price is not what most people pay. The cheap plan is $29.98/month only because it bills as $89.95 every 3 months. Month-to-month is $49.95.
- Some AI features are desktop-first. Reviewers note that several premium AI optimizations are not available on mobile.
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.
Surprise auto-renewal
The most common critical theme: reviewers report being charged within hours of a seven-day free trial, billed the quarterly plan with no warning, and still charged for months after cancelling.
Generic output, weak scoring
Some say the suggestions turned a resume into word salad and that the match score stayed stuck low over trivial formatting issues.
Refunds refused
Refund requests turned down with canned replies that pointed users to make the manual edits themselves.
roasted.cv never requires a subscription: a real free tier, credit packs that never expire, or a one-time $13 fix.
How roasted.cv is different
roasted.cv starts where Jobscan stops.
- 1The roast, not just the score. You get a score and the actual reasons: the lines a recruiter would skim past, the achievements with no numbers, the summary that says nothing. It reads like feedback from someone who has screened a thousand resumes.
- 2An AI editor that fixes it. Say add Python or make the impact stronger and the editor rewrites the bullet in place. You are not exporting a report and editing somewhere else. The fix happens in the resume.
- 3ATS focus baked in, not bolted on. Templates are tested against the ATS systems recruiters use, and the roast flags the same structural problems Jobscan does, but in the same place you fix them.
- 4Apply Kit for tailoring. Drop in a job description and roasted.cv produces a resume tailored to that role plus a matching cover letter. This is Jobscan's match-rate idea, but it delivers the finished tailored document instead of a percentage.
- 5A model that does not lock you in. Free forever with 30 credits, credit packs that never expire, or a one-time $13 fix. No subscription required to get the full roast.
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 | Jobscan | roasted.cv |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | ATS keyword match score | Brutal roast plus rewrite |
| Tells you what is wrong | Yes (keywords, formatting) | Yes, in recruiter language |
| Rewrites it for you | No | Yes, AI editor in place |
| Job-description tailoring | Match rate % | Full tailored resume plus cover letter |
| Resume builder / editor | Limited | Full AI editor |
| LinkedIn profile optimization | Yes | No |
| ATS-tested templates | Premium | Free |
| PDF export | Premium | Free |
| Free tier | 5 scans/month | 30 credits, editor, templates, export |
| Entry paid price | $29.98/mo (billed $89.95/quarter) | $13 one-time fix, or 100 credits for $10 |
| Subscription required | Yes for anything serious | No, credits never expire |
Pricing, side by side
Jobscan (2026)
- Free: 5 resume scans/month
- Quarterly: $29.98/month, billed $89.95 every 3 months (after a 7-day trial)
- Monthly: $49.95/month
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.
A single roast costs 5 credits. With 30 free credits you can roast and re-roast before paying anything. Jobscan's first real feature sits behind a trial that auto-bills to a quarterly plan.
Pricing checked June 2026. Vendors change tiers often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Who should pick Jobscan
- You specifically want a match-rate percentage against one job ad and trust that metric.
- You are applying through a large-company ATS and want keyword coverage confirmed.
- You like the LinkedIn optimization and recruiter-findings reports as standalone tools.
Jobscan is a good scanner. If scan and score is all you want, it does that job.
Who should pick roasted.cv
- You want to know why your resume gets ignored, not just a number.
- You want the fix written for you, in the resume, not a to-do list.
- You would rather pay once or use free credits than sign up for another subscription.
- You are tailoring to specific jobs and want the finished resume plus a cover letter, not a percentage.
When not to pick roasted.cv
If you only care about a literal keyword-overlap percentage for a single posting and never want a rewrite, Jobscan's match rate is more granular for that one narrow task. roasted.cv optimizes for the whole resume reading well to a recruiter and passing ATS, not for maximizing one match-rate number.
FAQ
- Is Jobscan worth it?
- For a one-off keyword check, the free 5 scans are enough for most people. Paying $49.95/month for unlimited scans only makes sense during an intense search, and even then you are paying for scoring, not rewriting. If you want the rewrite included, roasted.cv's one-time $13 fix or free credits cover more ground.
- What is the best free Jobscan alternative?
- roasted.cv's free tier gives you a full resume roast (score plus the actual problems), an AI editor, ATS-tested templates, and PDF export with 30 credits and no card. Jobscan's free tier is limited to 5 scans.
- Does roasted.cv check for ATS compatibility like Jobscan?
- Yes. The roast flags the structural issues that break ATS parsing, and the templates are tested against the ATS systems recruiters use. The difference is you fix the problems in the same place you find them.
- Jobscan vs roasted.cv for tailoring to a job description?
- Jobscan gives a match rate. roasted.cv's Apply Kit produces the actual tailored resume and a matching cover letter for that job. One is a measurement, the other is the finished document.
Ready to see what your resume looks like to a recruiter?