FlowCV vs JSON Resume (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FlowCV and JSON Resume share a 2.6 GPA, both have a free plan, and JSON Resume has no paid plan to buy, against $5 a month for FlowCV.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
FlowCV grades higher on features and ease of use. JSON Resume grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FlowCV
Free resume builder with watermark-free PDF downloads
Which one is for you
Pick FlowCV if
- Fits if you need one resume and one cover letter and want to download without a watermark
- Works for people changing jobs who want a tracker alongside the resume, on Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you keep several versions of your resume, since free allows one and extra documents cannot be edited
- Skip it if you want AI writing or the Job Tracker for free, as both are Pro
- Watch out: after cancelling Pro only your oldest resume and cover letter stay editable
- Watch out: the pricing page lists a web app only, with no mobile or desktop apps
Pick JSON Resume if
- Fits if you are a developer who wants a resume as a JSON file
- Works for people who like choosing from community themes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a template-and-wizard builder, as the main workflow is editing JSON
- Not for you if you avoid a command line, since PDF export is done with the CLI
- Watch out: theme quality varies, because contributors write the themes and not the project
- Watch out: the site is run by volunteers, and pages from the old registry have partly moved
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAFlowCVGood | 2.6GPAJSON ResumeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $5 a month billed yearly ($60), inside the cheaper quarter of resume builders, which starts at $7.95. The free plan covers the basics. | AEverything is free and open source under the MIT licence, including the schema, command line and themes. |
| Free plan and trial | B1 resume, 1 cover letter, all templates and unlimited PDF downloads with no watermark, with no card. One person with one resume could live on it. | AFree outright with no plan or cap: the schema, CLI, 227 themes and hosted site all cost nothing. |
| Features | BTemplates and design controls, import, cover letters, AI writing and translation, and a job tracker. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job of a resume builder. | CAn open schema, 227 community themes, a command-line tool and publishing from a gist cover the job, but PDF export goes through the CLI, not a button. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a web app where you build the resume yourself. | DNo store rating on record. The workflow is editing JSON and running a Node command line, with no wizard. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web app only. No phone or desktop app is named, and no integrations are listed. | CA web site plus the CLI, GitHub, npm and RenderCV. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | a free resume with no watermark | an open standard for resumes written as JSON |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: FlowCV and JSON Resume. How we grade
Price against what you get
FlowCV starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. JSON Resume has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
FlowCV scores higher, and starts $5 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other resume builders on the chart, none scores higher than FlowCV for less, and none scores higher than JSON Resume for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- JSON Resume is open source, according to its own site.
- FlowCV also covers documents.
At a glance
| FlowCV | JSON Resume | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $5 per month, billed yearly ($60) | Free |
| Free plan | One resume and one cover letter, all templates and design options, unlimited PDF downloads without watermarks, and 3 content imports. | Everything is free: the schema, the CLI, the 227 themes and the hosted site are open source under the MIT license. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Uniqkorn Creative GmbH | JSON Resume |
| Price read from | flowcv.com | jsonresume.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FlowCV
- Free accounts keep one resume and one cover letter; extra documents stay stored but cannot be edited until you upgrade.
- After cancelling Pro, only your oldest resume and cover letter remain editable on the free plan.
- AI writing tools and the Job Tracker are Pro features.
- The pricing page lists a web app only; no mobile or desktop apps are named.
JSON Resume
- The main workflow is editing JSON and using a Node-based command line; there is no template-and-wizard flow as in commercial builders.
- Theme quality varies, since themes are written by community contributors and not by the project.
- The site is maintained by volunteers, and pages from the old registry have partly moved to a new site.
- PDF export is done with the CLI rather than through a download button.
Key features
FlowCV
- Templates and design controls
- Over 100 resume templates, with control over layout and styling, and the option to save a design of your own.
- Import an existing resume
- Upload a PDF, DOCX or image, or paste text, to fill the sections. The free plan allows 3 imports; Pro is unlimited.
- Cover letters
- Build a cover letter in the same editor. Free accounts keep one; Pro allows unlimited.
- AI writing and translation
- Pro includes built-in AI writing tools and translation for resume content.
- Job Tracker
- Pro adds a tracker for the applications you have sent.
- No watermark on free downloads
- Free resumes download as PDF without a FlowCV logo and without a download cap.
JSON Resume
- Open JSON schema
- Work history, education, skills and projects are described once in a documented schema that can be validated in an editor, in CI or from any language.
- 227 community themes
- Themes are open-source npm packages, so the same resume.json can be previewed and swapped between looks without editing the data.
- Command-line tool
- The resume CLI starts a file, validates it, serves a preview and exports to PDF, HTML, Markdown or text.
- Publish from a gist
- Saving the file as a GitHub gist named resume.json makes it available as a public page on the site.
- Theme development kit
- A theme is an npm package with one render function that takes the resume and returns HTML, which makes it practical to build your own.
- Developer integrations
- The site lists an MCP server for agents, a Rust crate and a RenderCV converter for tools built on the schema.
Plans
FlowCV
Free$0
1 resume and 1 cover letter, all templates, full design customization and unlimited watermark-free PDF downloads.
Pro$5
per month, billed yearly ($60)
Unlimited resumes, cover letters and imports, plus AI writing tools and the Job Tracker. Monthly and quarterly billing also exist; yearly is shown as a 74% saving.
JSON Resume
Open source$0
Schema, CLI, themes and hosted site, all MIT licensed; no paid plan is listed.
Ways to pay less
FlowCV
- Education
25% off Pro for university students
Students who verify an academic email address get 25% off FlowCV Pro for up to three years, per the pricing FAQ.
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves 74%
The pricing page marks the yearly plan as a 74% saving compared with its other billing periods.
JSON Resume
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FlowCV or JSON Resume?
As of Nov 13, 2026, JSON Resume is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month for FlowCV. FlowCV starts at $5 per month, billed yearly ($60), and JSON Resume is free.
Which has a free plan, FlowCV or JSON Resume?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FlowCV and JSON Resume have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.