Writing a resume isn’t easy, but it’s even less easy to choose the ideal resume builder software. With so many solutions on the market you might end up choosing software that is either overpriced or has blocked/useless features. That’s why we are here to help you make the best choice possible with this little guide. Using the comparison table you can easily compare the top resume builder software solutions next to each other.
The guide that follows advises you in comparing and choosing the right service. We take a look at what their features usually are – like spell-checking, pre-written phrases, customizable sections, cover letters etc. – what the different pricing options are and what’s the best buy. We also investigated if there are any options to use this software for free even for a limited time and give recommendations on how you can compare each solution with the help of our reviews, comparison articles and, of course, the nice comparison chart you see here.
Main Features |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
Logo | |||
Rating | |||
Reviews | Reviews | Reviews | Reviews |
Visit | Visit Site | Visit Site | Visit Site |
Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial |
Coupons | Coupons | Coupons | Coupons |
# Templates | 12 | 14 | 18 |
Downloadable Software | |||
Cloud Software | |||
Existing Resume Import | |||
Mobile-Friendly Website | |||
iOS App | |||
Android App | |||
Windows App |
Resume/Letter Editor |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
Spell-Checker | |||
Customizable Sections | |||
Cover Letter | |||
Pre-Written Phrases | |||
Fonts | |||
Media | Links | Links | |
Lists | |||
Auditing |
Export Formats & Hosting |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
(Premium only) | |||
HTML | |||
Word | Via Google Docs | (Premium only) | |
Excel | |||
Text | Via Google Docs | ||
Printing | |||
Social Sharing | |||
Hosted Page |
Pricing |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
Lowest Price | $1.45/14 days | $12/mo | $2.95/7 days |
1 Month Plan | $24.95/mo | $18/mo | $24.95/mo |
3 Months Plan | n/a | $12/mo ($36) | n/a |
6 Months Plan | n/a | $6/mo ($36, PayPal only) | $7.50/mo ($45) |
1 Year Plan | $5.95/mo ($71.40) | n/a | $6.25/mo ($75) |
Lifetime Plan | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Free Trial | |||
Free Plan | |||
Money-Back Guarantee | 14 days | 30 days | 7 days |
Payment Methods |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
Visa | |||
PayPal | |||
Mastercard | |||
American Express | |||
Discover | |||
Wire-Transfer | |||
Liberty Reserve | |||
Bitcoins |
Customer Support |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
Live Chat | |||
Phone | |||
Community | |||
Job Directory | List |
About |
My Perfect Resume |
VisualCV |
Resume.io |
Headquarters | California, U.S. | Canada | Netherlands |
Founded | 2004 | 2007 | 2012 |
Languages | EN, FR, ES, IT | EN, FR, ES, DE, RU, CH | EN |
Comparing Your Options
Thankfully there are plenty of options to create your resume: using a word processor, purchasing downloadable software with their respective apps or subscribing to an online resume builder.
Using a Word Processor
This solution is the most convenient of all, because all computers have some kind of word processor like MS Word or LibreOffice installed. Therefore you already have (free) software capable of creating your resumes and, in many cases, convert them to PDF. However, this is where the advantages stop as a word processor is incapable of arranging your document in a professional manner; you have to do everything by yourself, which, unless you are an expert and/or have templates, will definitely take away precious time.
A MS Word Resume Template
A Resume Created in MS Word with Hloom Template
Using Downloadable Software
Purchasing downloadable software is a better solution than using word processors for various reasons. Not only do you have to pay only once, but it has several magnificent features too: uploading and downloading of resumes and cover letters in various formats, printing, sharing and hosting options, hundreds of samples, pre-written phrases, keywords, audit options, additional support, availability of mobile apps and the list goes on. The problem with this solution is that it will eventually become outdated regardless of regular updates, and, unfortunately, free or Mac versions are usually out of question.
Using Online Resume Builders
The best solution is always going online. The always up-to-date cloud-based resume builders have different pricing plans with various features; therefore, you will only pay for what you need. In fact, you can end up paying less or even nothing for more and better features than those of downloadable software, and you can access your data from any device that has a web browser. However, only a few of these software solutions are truly mobile-friendly and certain features remain blocked until you choose a better subscription.
Online Resume Builder Features
So many resume builders, so many features. However, there are some attributes of this software that are basically the same no matter which builder you choose. For instance, all online resume builders are capable of creating new resumes from scratch, they let you customize and even rename the sections in your document, offer you different templates and sometimes even fonts. Online resume services present you with various options for getting your documents – printing, downloading, sharing, emailing, hosting etc. – and they are available for free, on a risk-free trial, or for a subscription fee. If you decide to subscribe for a paid version of the software, you pay only for the time that you’re actually using the service.
Differences start with the cover letter as some online resume builders cannot create letters, not even from scratch. However, if this option is in the software, you can actually get pre-written letters which only need to be completed with your own phrases. Speaking of pre-written phrases, this is another feature present in only some of the resume builders, which is also true for hints & tips and the built-in spell-checker. Certain resume builders like LiveCareer and Resunate can check your resume from the point of view of a hiring manager without paying an additional fee, thus allowing you to work further on your document before sending to make it exceptional. Very rarely you can add (media) files to your resumes – see VisualCV – but usually it only works with hosted CVs.
Hosting your resumes online is another feature not always available with traditional resume builders. This is also true for creating it in different formats (like MS Word and PDF), sharing your documents via social media or even emailing your CVs to your future employers. These employers can be searched using a job search engine, but none of the resume builders actually allow you to apply for a job via the software itself.
And we haven’t even talked about the pricing policies…
Best Resume Builders of 2024
Rank | Company | Info | Visit |
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Pricing of Online Resume Makers
With great features come different prices – and online resume builders are not an exception. In order to fully unblock all the features a decent resume builder should have by default, you have to choose a subscription. The shortest subscription term typically lasts for a month, but you can choose the annual plan, which is always cheaper despite having to pay the price in one lump sum. Online resume builders also have 3-month, 6-month and rarely lifetime pricing plans, but most of the time you can only choose from a monthly or an annual subscription.
Using such software for free has different prices: you have the option to use most of this software free forever, but they either limit the number of documents or features, or they are so useless that you have to subscribe. This is why short-term trials exist: they let you use the software with all of its features for a limited time and for a symbolic price. Trials always offer a money back guarantee, which is also true for certain premium subscriptions with longer terms, therefore you can always cancel your account and get a full refund within the trial period or, in the case of real subscriptions, 7–30 days.
However, be careful with paid trials: if you don’t cancel your temporary subscription by the end of the trial, your subscription is automatically renewed on a monthly or sometimes even annual basis. Furthermore, cancelling a subscription always takes effect after the end of the current payment term.
Free Resume Creators
Let’s be honest: (hopefully) most of the time we don’t need the services of an online resume builder, or in other words, we don’t want to spend money each month on something we rarely need. This is why you should consider the options we have thoroughly discussed in this article: using a software for free forever, purchasing the short-term trial for a very cost-friendly price or going for the money back guarantee.
The best option is obviously the free pricing plan. However, in this case you have to choose your software very wisely. The reasons are simple: in better cases free plans only limit the number of documents you can create, the templates/fonts/font colors you can use or special features like resume checking. But most of the time free plans don’t allow you to even get your resume without payment. The worst scenario is when the company straight out lies to you and advertizes its product as free.
To avoid this, either use the payable short-term trial or choose a regular subscription with money back guarantee – but only if they are available. This way you can use the software with all of its features turned on for a limited time and, in the case of the trial, you only have to pay a very symbolic price. However, like we mentioned many times before, you always have to cancel your subscription by the end of the initial/trial period or you commence a new payment term.
Side-by-Side Comparisons
Now that you know the basics of online resume builders, what their features are and what to expect when you become a subscriber, it is time to choose the best resume builder. We know that choosing the fitting software is far from easy, but that’s why we are here to help you.
- Enhancv vs My Perfect Resume Comparison
- Enhancv vs Resume Companion Comparison
- LiveCareer vs Speedy Resume Comparison
- My Perfect Resume vs Resume.io Comparison
- Pongo vs LiveCareer Comparison
- Resume Companion vs Resumonk Comparison
- ResumeBuilder.org vs Super-Resume Comparison
- Speedy Resume vs VisualCV Comparison
- VisualCV vs Resunate Comparison
When you have selected a promising online resume builder, simply read our reviews thereof to find out more about its main features and our overall impressions. Then you can study our comparison chart of the best online resume builders where you can see all features of the selected resume builders and compare them. However, you can always read our comparison articles where a similar or completely different resume builder competes against the chosen one: in these articles you can read a brief summary of both software’s pros and cons, and decide which one is better.