An AI resume builder writes and formats your resume, then tailors it to each job ad so it reads well to the software employers use to sort applications. Most have a free plan. Paid monthly plans run from US$21.99 (Novorésumé) to US$49.95 (Jobscan), and yearly billing brings the cheapest down to US$8 a month (Kickresume).
The short version: Rezi is the best AI resume builder overall, Teal is the best free one, and Jobscan is the best AI resume checker.
I've compared nine that are worth your time on free plan limits, price, and whether they check your resume against applicant tracking systems (ATS), and checked every price on the vendor's own pricing page. The Rezi links are affiliate links, so I may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
What is the best AI resume builder in 2026?
Rezi is the best AI resume builder in 2026 for most job seekers. It writes your bullet points, tailors the resume to each job ad, and scores it on 23 checks for applicant tracking systems, for US$29 a month or US$149 once for life.
Here's how the nine best AI resume builders compare:
| AI resume builder | Free plan | Paid price (US$) | ATS checker | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rezi | 1 resume, 3 PDF downloads | US$29 a month, or US$149 for life | Yes (Rezi Score) | Best overall |
| Teal | Unlimited resumes and job tracking, 10 AI bullet credits | US$13 a week, US$29 every 30 days, or US$79 every 90 days | Yes (Match Score on Teal+) | Best free |
| Kickresume | 4 templates, unlimited downloads | US$24 a month, or US$8 a month billed yearly | Yes, on Premium | Design on a budget |
| Enhancv | 7-day free plan, plus a free resume checker | US$39 a month, US$69 a quarter, or US$99 every 6 months | Yes | Standing out |
| Jobscan | 5 scans a month, plus a free builder | US$49.95 a month, or US$89.95 a quarter | Yes | Checking a resume against a job ad |
| Resume Worded | Free ATS scan and score | US$49 a month, US$99 a quarter, or US$229 a year | Yes | Feedback on your wording |
| Huntr | 2 tailored resumes, 100 tracked jobs | US$40 a month, US$90 a quarter, or US$160 every 6 months | Yes (basic on free) | Tracking lots of applications |
| Canva | Free AI resume builder app | Canva Pro US$144 a year | No | Visual design |
| Novorésumé | One 1-page resume, 2 AI uses a month | US$21.99 a month, US$39.99 a quarter, or US$149.99 a year | Yes | One-page resumes |
Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page.
The 9 best AI resume builders
1. Rezi
Best for: most job seekers (best overall)
Rezi is an AI resume builder built around getting your resume past applicant tracking systems. Its AI Resume Agent writes, tailors, and scores your resume in one chat. Keyword Targeting compares your resume with a pasted job ad and lists every keyword you're missing.
The Rezi Score grades your resume on 23 checks across content, format, and optimisation. Rezi also writes cover letters and runs AI interview practice based on your resume. It says 4.5 million job seekers have used it.
- Free: one resume, three PDF downloads, one AI interview, a limited Rezi Score, and unlimited cover letters (Rezi pricing).
- Paid: Pro is US$29 a month. Lifetime is US$149 once, with Pro's features but not the monthly expert review.
- The catch: three PDF downloads run out fast if you tailor a resume for every job.
If you job hunt every few years, the US$149 lifetime plan costs about the same as five months of Pro. ResumAI, another builder you'll see recommended, now runs on Rezi too.
2. Teal
Best for: paying nothing (best free)
Teal pairs an AI resume builder with a job tracker, and its free plan is the most generous here. Its Chrome extension saves jobs from over 40 job boards into one list. Teal says it has more than 4 million members.
- Free: unlimited resumes, unlimited job tracking, 10 templates, 10 AI bullet point credits, 2 AI summaries, 2 AI cover letters, and the top 5 keywords from each job ad (Teal pricing).
- Paid: Teal+ is US$13 every 7 days, US$29 every 30 days, or US$79 every 90 days. It unlocks unlimited AI writing, every keyword from the job ad, and a Match Score that shows how well your resume fits the role.
- The catch: the weekly plan works out at US$1.85 a day against US$0.87 a day on the 90-day plan, so only buy a week if you're close to the finish line.
3. Kickresume
Best for: good design on a budget
Kickresume is an AI resume builder with templates designed by recruiters and typographers. It has the cheapest yearly plan of the paid builders on this list.
- Free: 4 resume templates and unlimited downloads, as long as you skip the paid customisation options.
- Paid: Premium is US$24 a month, US$18 a month billed quarterly, or US$8 a month billed yearly (US$96 a year). It adds the AI Writer, the ATS Resume Checker, and 40 premium templates, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- The catch: the AI writing and ATS checker are Premium only.
Verified students and teachers get Kickresume Premium free with an ISIC, ITIC, or UNiDAYS card.
4. Enhancv
Best for: a resume that stands out
Enhancv is an AI resume builder known for modern, design-led templates. Its free resume checker runs 27 checks, covering ATS compatibility, structure, content quality, how well you match a job ad, and recruiter red flags.
- Free: a 7-day free plan with all templates, Enhancv branding, and a maximum of 12 section items.
- Paid: Pro is US$39 a month, US$69 a quarter, or US$99 every 6 months. It adds the ATS check, real-time content suggestions, up to 300 resumes and cover letters, and no branding.
- The catch: the free plan only lasts 7 days, so build your resume in one sitting or plan to pay.
5. Jobscan
Best for: checking a resume against a specific job ad
Jobscan is the best AI resume checker. It compares your resume with a job ad and runs more than 30 checks, from hard and soft skills and job title match to file type, section headings, and measurable achievements.
- Free: 5 resume scans a month (Jobscan), plus a free resume builder with unlimited resumes, PDF downloads, and 9 ATS templates. The builder's AI summary and bullet point writers are paid.
- Paid: Premium is US$49.95 a month or US$89.95 every 3 months (Jobscan plans), with unlimited scans and a 7-day free trial.
- The catch: it's the dearest monthly plan here, so use your 5 free scans before you pay.
6. Resume Worded
Best for: feedback on what you've written
Resume Worded scores your resume and tells you what to fix. Its free ATS scan gives you a score and feedback in about 30 seconds, and you can rescan as often as you like. It also reviews your LinkedIn profile for free.
- Free: an ATS scan, a resume score, and a LinkedIn profile review.
- Paid: Pro is US$49 a month, US$99 every 3 months, or US$229 a year (Resume Worded Pro).
- The catch: the monthly plan costs about the same as Jobscan's, so try the free scan first.
7. Huntr
Best for: tailoring and tracking lots of applications
Huntr is a job tracker with an AI resume builder built in. It tailors your resume to each job, autofills applications, and keeps every job, contact, and document in one place.
- Free: unlimited base resumes with PDF export, 2 job-tailored resumes, basic resume scoring and job matching, up to 100 tracked jobs, and unlimited application autofills.
- Paid: Pro is US$40 a month, US$90 every 3 months, or US$160 every 6 months. It adds unlimited tailored resumes, AI cover letters, AI resume reviews, and advanced resume scoring.
- The catch: the free plan only comes with a small number of AI credits.
8. Canva
Best for: visual design
Canva's AI resume builder is a free app inside Canva. Paste in your resume and a job description, and it drafts tailored suggestions for your summary, skills, experience, and cover letter. You can then rewrite any line with Canva's Magic Write.
- Free: the AI resume builder app and Canva's free templates, with up to 20 uses of its AI tools a month (Canva pricing).
- Paid: Canva Pro is US$144 a year for one person, with up to 200 uses of its premium AI tools a month.
- The catch: Canva doesn't check your resume for applicant tracking systems, so run the finished PDF through a free checker like Jobscan's before you send it.
9. Novorésumé
Best for: clean one-page resumes
Novorésumé is a resume builder with tidy one-page templates and a set of AI tools: a resume generator, ATS resume checker, rewriter, bullet point and summary generators, and a job matcher.
- Free: one resume version, limited to one page, with predefined layouts, no cover letter, and 2 uses a month of each AI tool.
- Paid: Premium is US$21.99 a month, US$39.99 a quarter, or US$149.99 a year. Novorésumé says it's a one-off payment with no recurring billing.
- The catch: Premium still caps the AI tools at 10 uses a month.
Do Resume.io and Zety charge after the free trial?
Yes. Resume.io and Zety both sell a cheap short trial that turns into a subscription billed every four weeks unless you cancel. That's why neither made the list above, even though both are big names.
- Zety: a 14-day trial for US$1.95 that auto-renews at US$25.95 every 4 weeks (Zety pricing).
- Resume.io: a 7-day trial that renews every 4 weeks. On its Australian pricing page that's A$3.95, then A$32.95 every 4 weeks (Resume.io pricing). Resume.io's free plan gives you one resume and one cover letter, downloadable only as a TXT file.
If you start either trial, put a reminder in your calendar for the day before it ends.
What is the best free AI resume builder?
Teal is the best free AI resume builder. Its free plan gives you unlimited resumes, unlimited job tracking, 10 templates, 10 AI bullet point credits, and two AI summaries and cover letters, with no time limit.
Three more free AI resume builders worth knowing:
- Jobscan: unlimited resumes and PDF downloads, plus 5 resume scans a month. Its AI writing tools are paid.
- Canva: a free AI resume builder app with Canva's design tools, but no ATS check.
- ResumAI: build, edit, and download a full resume free with no watermark (ResumAI).
The cheapest way to a strong resume is often a free chatbot for the words and a free builder for the layout.
What is the best AI for resume writing?
The best AI for resume writing is a big general chatbot, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, fed with your real work history and the job ad. The free versions are enough for a resume.
A chatbot gives you more control than a resume builder's built-in writer, because you can give it far more context and push back on what it writes. What it can't do is layout or ATS scoring, so paste the finished text into a builder's free template. If you're new to chatbots, my AI productivity hacks cover the basics of good prompts.
How do you write a resume with ChatGPT?
To write a resume with ChatGPT, paste in the job ad and your real work history, tell it never to invent anything, and ask it to rewrite your experience in the job ad's words. Copy this prompt and fill in the brackets:
You're helping me write a resume for the job below. Use only the facts I give you. Never invent numbers, results, job titles, dates, or skills. If a bullet point would be stronger with a number I haven't given you, write [NUMBER?] and ask me for it.
The job ad:
[paste the full job ad]
My work history:
[paste your current resume, or list each job with dates, employer, and what you actually did]
Please:
1. List the 10 skills and keywords this job ad cares about most, and tell me which ones my history already shows.
2. Rewrite my experience as 3 to 5 bullet points per job. Start each with a strong verb, and use the job ad's wording only where it's true for me.
3. Write a 2 to 3 sentence summary aimed at this role.
4. Use plain text with standard headings (Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills) so it pastes cleanly into a template.
5. Match the spelling in the job ad (Australian, British, or US English).
Leave your phone number and address out of what you paste in. Add them in the template afterwards.
Then read every line out loud. If you couldn't back it up in an interview, cut it.
What is the best AI resume checker?
Jobscan is the best AI resume checker for matching your resume to a specific job. It compares your resume with the job ad, runs more than 30 checks, and gives you 5 free scans a month.
Free AI resume checkers worth running your resume through:
- Jobscan: a match report against one job ad, 5 free scans a month.
- Enhancv: 27 checks, including ATS compatibility, structure, quantified achievements, and recruiter red flags.
- Resume Worded: a resume score and feedback, with unlimited rescans.
- Resume.io: 16 checks and an ATS score, plus a match score when you add a job description.
Every AI resume checker uses its own scoring, not the employer's, so treat the score as a to-do list rather than a pass mark.
How do you get an AI resume review from ChatGPT?
For a free AI resume review, paste your resume and the job ad into ChatGPT and ask it to critique, not rewrite. This prompt works:
Act as a recruiter hiring for the job ad below. Read my resume and tell me the 5 biggest reasons you might pass on it, which keywords from the ad are missing, and which bullet points are vague or unbelievable. Don't rewrite anything yet.
Job ad: [paste]
My resume: [paste]
What does AI get wrong on a resume?
AI gets two things wrong on resumes most often: it makes up achievements, and it writes generic, buzzword-heavy lines that hiring managers spot.
Hiring managers notice. In a Resume Genius survey of 1,000 US hiring managers, 80% said they can often tell when a resume was written by AI. The giveaways they named most were:
- Unnatural phrasing or tone (51%)
- Repetitive or overly generic language (44%)
- Vague or inflated descriptions (41%)
- Buzzword-heavy writing (41%)
- Incorrect or irrelevant details (27%)
Resume Genius sells resume tools, so take the exact numbers with a grain of salt. The pattern matches what you'll see if you ask a chatbot for a resume with no details: lines like "results-driven professional" and "increased sales by 35%" when you never gave it a number.
How to fix AI resume problems:
- Made-up numbers: delete any figure you can't explain in an interview. Use a real, rougher number instead ("about 40 customers a day").
- Generic wording: swap phrases like "results-driven" and "proven track record" for what you actually did.
- Keyword stuffing: use the job ad's words once, where they're true, not in a list at the bottom.
- Wrong details: check every job title, date, and qualification against your own records.
How do employers use AI to screen resumes?
Most employers run applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS), which reads your resume into fields, asks knockout questions, and increasingly uses AI to rank or match you against the job. A person usually makes the final call.
AI resume screening is now common. In a Resume Genius survey of US hiring managers, 58% said they use AI to review resumes and job applications, the most common way they use AI in hiring. Jobscan says 98% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS.
Here's how a typical ATS handles your resume:
- It parses the document. The software uses natural language processing to pull out your job titles, employers, dates, and skills.
- It asks knockout questions. These screen for things like work authorisation, required licences, minimum qualifications, and location.
- It ranks or matches you. Many systems now score how well your resume fits the job ad.
- A recruiter reads the shortlist. Recruiters search, sort, and filter within the system.
You'll often read that ATS software rejects 75% of resumes before a person sees them. HiringThing traced that figure to Preptel, a job-services company that went out of business, with no study behind it. In a small Enhancv survey of 25 US recruiters, 92% said their systems don't automatically reject resumes for formatting, design, missing keywords, or low AI match scores.
So the practical rules are simple. Answer knockout questions accurately, use the job ad's words where they're true, and keep the layout plain enough for the parser to read.
Should I opt out of AI resume screening?
Usually not. Opting out of AI resume screening moves your application to a person instead, and employers don't say how quickly that queue gets read. A resume tailored to the job ad is built to do well in an AI screen anyway.
Opting out of AI resume screening is worth it when:
- You have a referral. Send your resume straight to the person who referred you as well.
- Your career path doesn't fit the usual keywords. Career changers, people with gaps, and people with unusual job titles can be misread by a matching score.
- You need an accommodation. If a disability affects how an AI assessment would judge you, ask the employer for a different process.
Your rights depend on where the job is. In New York City, Local Law 144 makes employers that use an automated hiring tool notify candidates at least 10 business days before using it and tell them how to request an alternative selection process, but it doesn't require employers to offer one. In Australia, from 10 December 2026, businesses covered by the Privacy Act must say in their privacy policy when a computer program makes or substantially informs decisions that significantly affect people (OAIC). The employer's privacy policy is the place to look.
If you're weighing up work beyond the usual job boards, there's also a growing list of AI freelance jobs you can start on your own.
