Top 10 Resume Builders for 2024

Choosing the Best Tools to Create a Winning Resume Online

Six seconds. That’s how long the average recruiter spends reading each resume they receive, according to Glassdoor. With such low odds of getting noticed, you’d think only a resume genius would score an interview. But the truth is you don’t need to be great at creating resumes to get a foot in the door. You just need to use the right resume software.

Online resume makers come in all forms and price ranges. The best free resume builders let you create impressive CVs in a fraction of the time it would take using Microsoft Word. At the other end of the price scale, premium resume builder apps generate eye-catching resumes designed for and by recruiters.

We took several factors into consideration in compiling our ranking of the top 10 best resume websites. Price is important to most people, so we made sure to include free and paid resume builders. Each person has different tastes, so we looked for resume builders that have lots of different templates and designs. We also favored resume software that’s easy to use (because the whole point of using a resume site is to avoid spending too much time on your CV!).

Before reading on, please take a second to think about what sort of resume builder you need for the type of jobs you’re applying for. Do you need a fancy template or can you keep it simple? Will you use the resume maker from your computer or a mobile device? And how much are you prepared to invest to boost your chances of landing an interview?

Here it is - our top 10 websites to help you build your resume now:

1. Resume.com

Whoever invented that saying about there being no such thing as a free lunch obviously hadn’t heard of Resume.com. This resume builder lets you create as many CVs as you want – with no cost, no ads, and no limitations. True, Resume.com won’t give you amazing designs like the top subscription-only resume websites. But it is the best free resume builder for creating a professional CV that highlights your top skills.

Top features of Resume.com include:

• Print, download and share your resume in a range of formats, e.g. PDF and .doc

• Easily share your resume on Indeed.com, the world’s largest job board directory

• Access professional resume templates designed for specific jobs/industries

• Update your resume online at any time

• Get free job search and career advice

2. Resume Genius

You don’t have to be a resume genius when you can just hire ResumeGenius to do the work for you. There are two reasons Resume Genius is the best subscription resume builder online. First, it’s incredibly easy to use, generating a professional resume for you in under 15 minutes. And secondly, all its templates have professional, modern, eye-catching designs.

Highlights of ResumeGenius include:

• Choose from 50,000+ job description bullet points

• Follow the resume builder through each step, filling in the blanks as you go along

• Download your resume in PDF and .doc formats

• All templates are compatible with Applicant Tracking Systems, meaning they won’t be rejected by HR software

• Chat one-on-one with a certified professional resume expert for tips on improving your CV

3. Resume Now

If you’re sitting on the fence about paying for a resume, then we recommend Resume Now’s freemium service. Its free resume builder lets you test the waters with 20+ templates, pre-written bullet points, and easy editing tools. The paid version generates your CV in 15 minutes from templates designed for thousands of job titles and formatted in a way that’s sure to catch the eye of recruiters.

Resume Now’s biggest selling points include:

• Upload your existing resume into your chosen template to get started

• Add recommended job-specific skills to your resume

• Download your resume in the format you need

• Create a free, personalized cover letter based on the keywords that employers are looking for

• Access free resources, including job listings

4. Resume Help

It doesn’t get as many plaudits as some of the other resume builders, but Resume Help offers great value. For a fraction of the price of some of its competitors, Resume Help will generate a resume tailored to your industry and location. What works in a job search in one state mightn’t work in another and what works in the city mightn’t work in rural areas. That’s why Resume Help lets you search its database to see what type of resume works in your location.

Other great features of Resume Help include:

• Add pre-written bullet points with just one click

• Edit and send your CV from your mobile device if needed

• Instantly generate a custom cover letter that matches the look and feel of your resume

• Search through the huge directory of job-title and industry-specific resume samples

• Chat live with customer service during extended daytime hours, seven days a week

5. CakeResume

It brands itself as ‘a piece of cake’, and we have to say few resume builder apps are as easy to use as CakeResume. The free version is nice for playing around with your resume, but you’ll want to pay for this service to get the most out of it. Fortunately, CakeResume has two affordable subscription plans: Advanced lets you build your resume from 20+ premium templates; Pro also lets you track your resume using Google Analytics.

Reasons to choose CakeResume include:

• Customize your layout using the simple drag & drop tool

• Print, download, share, and update your resume at any time

• When you use CakeResume to build your CV, you automatically go into a resume database where recruiters can find you

6. VisualCV

Freemium resume builders are very popular, with VisualCV the third in that category to make it on our list. If you’re a perfectionist who always makes lots of changes to their CV before applying for jobs, then this service is for you. That’s because VisualCV lets you move between three screens: a simple view for entering text; a visual editor for making changes onto the resume itself; and a preview screen to see how the final product looks.

There are lots of other reasons to like VisualCV, including:

• Share your resume instantly via email or social media, or export as a PDF

• Manage multiple versions of your resume, personalized for each job application

• Use analytics to track when an employer views or downloads your resume

• Get your resume reviewed by one of VisualCV’s experts

• Choose from three data protection privacy options

7. Indeed

With more than 250 million unique visitors each month, Indeed is the biggest job search platform in the world. What it isn’t as well-known for is its free, functional resume builder app. This isn’t the best resume website for any particular reason, except that it’s free and it syncs seamlessly with your Indeed job seeker profile.

Features of Indeed’s resume builder include:

• Choose a resume template and let Indeed generate the rest

• Resume is built to grab the attention of employers and applicant tracking system (ATS) robots

• Jump back in at any time to edit and customize your CV

8. Zety

If you’re the sort of person who likes using software to create things but likes maintaining control of the production process, then Zety is for you. This resume builder app offers 18 professional templates, each one completely customizable. Zety lets you play around with the color scheme, fonts (style and size), paragraph spacing, and more.

Here are some other reasons to choose Zety:

• Resume wizard guides you through the production process with useful tips and examples

• Start from scratch or upload your old resume and then give it a makeover

• Add ready-made bullet points

• Use ready-made icons to save space and fit two pages into one

9. MyPerfectResume

For something a little different from the other services reviewed above, check out MyPerfectResume. Unlike the other subscription-based platforms, MyPerfectResume offers custom-made resumes and cover letters for a one-off fee. Just choose from one of the four plans, answer a few questions, chat with your writer, and MyPerfectResume will email you your new CV/cover letter as soon as it’s ready.

Here are the four plans:

• Early Career, $99: For students, recent grads, and entry-level job seekers, this gives you a 10-minute phone consultation followed by a 1-page resume

• Experienced pro, $199: For people in the middle phase of their career, this plan offers a 15-minute consultation and 1-2-page resume

• Leaders & Specialists, $299: For people in the advanced stage of their career, this gives you a 20-minute consultation and 2-3-page resume

• Cover letter, $60: As the name suggests, this gives you a cover letter based on a 15-minute conversation with your writer

10. Novoresume

Like other freemium resume websites, Novoresume is best when you join as a subscriber. The paid version gives you a resume of up to 3 pages plus a cover letter, all based on predefined templates with customizable layout. During the production stage, you can choose from 20 additional color themes, 9 extra fonts, and various icons for interest and causes. This makes Novoresume a useful service for highlighting different skills and jobs.

These are some of the other highlights:

• All resume and cover letter templates have been approved by recruiters

• Start with a free resume and then move to the paid version when it suits you

• Content optimizer analyses your resume and suggests revisions