Kickresume vs Zety (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Kickresume: it is first in our ranking of resume builders, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kickresume grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kickresume
Resume, cover letter and personal website builder with an AI writer
Zety
Resume and cover letter builder with expert-written content
Which one is for you
Pick Kickresume if
- Fits if you want to make and download a plain resume without paying
- Works for students and teachers, who can get Premium free for up to 180 days once their status is checked
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 4 basic templates, 2 fonts, and no AI Writer or ATS checker
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $24 against $8 a month on the $96 yearly plan
- Watch out: every plan renews on its own, and refunds stop after one 14-day guarantee for new users
- Skip it if you work on an iPad, as the iOS app is iPhone only
Pick Zety if
- Fits if you'd rather pick and edit suggested phrases than write bullet points yourself
- Works for job seekers who need the resume as a Word file as well as a PDF
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free PDF, as the free plan downloads TXT only
- Watch out: the $1.95 trial renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks after 14 days unless you cancel
- Pricey if you only need it for a month or two, since $5.95 a month means one $71.40 charge, renewed yearly
- Not for you if you tailor each resume to a job ad, since nothing on record matches it against one
- Watch out: it's web only, with no phone app
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAKickresumeVery good | 2.2GPAZetyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$8 a month on the yearly plan, paid as $96 up front, sits at the edge of this category's cheaper quarter ($8). Quarterly is $18 a month and monthly $24, close to the dear end. | BThe Annual Package works out at $5.95 a month, inside this category's cheaper quarter ($8), but it's one $71.40 charge that renews each year. Pay as you go and it's $25.95 every 4 weeks, close to the dear end. |
| Free plan and trial | BUnlimited resumes and downloads on 4 basic templates and 2 fonts, with 20,000 pre-written phrases, so one person can make and send a resume without paying. The AI Writer and ATS checker aren't included. Students and teachers can get Premium free for up to 180 days. | CThe Basic Package gives you the builders, templates, resume check and job matches, but downloads TXT only. PDF and Word need a paid plan, and the 14-day trial costs $1.95, so that isn't free either. |
| Features | BAn AI Writer that drafts a whole resume from a job title and ad, 40-plus templates with matching cover letters, an ATS checker, a one-click personal website, Career Map, and LinkedIn or PDF import. Nothing in the listing leaves a gap in the resume job. | CPre-written phrases by job, 18 templates, an old-resume makeover, a checker for typos and 30-plus other issues, and matching cover letters. The gap: nothing on record tailors a resume to a pasted job ad, and 18 templates is a short list here. |
| Ease of use | AKickresume rates 4.7 on the US App Store from 4,215 ratings, which puts it at A on our ease ladder. | CNo App Store rating on record. You build section by section in a web builder, though clicking in phrases means less writing from scratch. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with LinkedIn import. The iOS app is for iPhone only, not iPad, and there's no desktop app. | CWeb only, with no phone or desktop app and no integrations on record. |
| Best for | a matching resume, cover letter and website | picking pre-written phrases instead of writing |
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: Kickresume and Zety. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kickresume starts at $8 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zety starts at $5.95 a month and scores 2.0.
Kickresume scores higher, and starts $2.05 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 Kickresume for less, and none scores higher than Zety 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
At a glance
| Kickresume | Zety | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per month, billed yearly ($96) | $5.95 per month, billed yearly ($71.40) |
| Free plan | 4 basic resume templates and 4 matching cover letters, 1 website template, 20,000 pre-written phrases, unlimited resumes and unlimited downloads. | Basic Package: the resume and cover letter builders and templates, the resume check and job matches, with downloads in TXT format only. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day trial for $1.95; it renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks unless cancelled |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kickresume s.r.o. | Works Limited |
| Price read from | kickresume.com | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kickresume
- The AI Writer, ATS Resume Checker and Career Map are Premium only; the free plan has 4 templates and 2 fonts.
- Every paid plan renews on its own; the terms give new users one 14-day money-back guarantee and no refunds after that.
- The iOS app is for iPhone only, not iPad.
Zety
- The free Basic Package downloads only in TXT; PDF and Word need a paid plan.
- The $1.95 trial renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks after 14 days unless cancelled first.
- The Annual Package is paid as one $71.40 charge and renews each year.
Key features
Kickresume
- AI Writer
- Generates a full resume from a job title and the job ad, and an AI Cover Letter Writer drafts a letter that fits the resume. Premium only.
- Templates and design options
- 40+ ATS-friendly resume templates with matching cover letters, 26 typefaces and color schemes on Premium; the free plan has 4 templates and 2 fonts.
- ATS Resume Checker
- Scans a resume for applicant tracking systems, gives a score and compares it with successful resumes in Kickresume's database.
- Personal website
- Turns a resume into a personal website in one click. Free accounts get 1 website template, Premium gets 7.
- Career Map
- Reads your resume and suggests career paths that fit your skills and experience. Included with Premium.
- LinkedIn and PDF import
- Builds a new resume from a LinkedIn profile or an existing PDF, then lets you edit it in any template.
Zety
- Pre-written content
- Job-specific phrases written by career experts that can be added to a resume with a click and then edited.
- 18 resume templates
- Templates whose colors, fonts and layout can be changed, with matching cover letter templates.
- Old resume makeover
- Upload an existing resume and the builder moves its content into a new template.
- Resume checker
- Scores an uploaded resume, checks for typos and more than 30 other issues, and suggests improvements.
- Cover letter builder
- Creates a cover letter that matches the resume's design, from templates and suggested content.
- Job matches and Bold.Pro
- Suggests jobs matched to your resume and includes Bold.Pro, a networking profile meant to help recruiters find you.
Plans
Kickresume
Free$0
4 basic resume and cover letter templates, 2 fonts, limited design options, unlimited resumes and downloads.
Yearly$8
per month, billed yearly as $96 ($24 billed monthly)
Full Premium: 40+ resume and cover letter templates, AI Writer, ATS Resume Checker, Career Map, priority support, and $120 in vouchers for friends.
Quarterly$18
per month, billed every 3 months as $54
Same Premium features as Yearly, with $72 in gift vouchers for friends. Marked as the most popular choice.
Monthly$24
per month, billed monthly
Same Premium features, without the gift vouchers. Renews every 30 days until cancelled.
Zety
Basic Package$0
Resume and cover letter builders, templates, resume check and job matches. Downloads in TXT only.
Annual Package$5.95
per month, billed yearly as $71.40
Paid at once for the year and renews each year. PDF, Word and TXT downloads. Labelled as saving 79%.
Pro Package$25.95
per 28 days, after a 14-day trial for $1.95
Starts with a $1.95 trial for 14 days, then bills $25.95 every 4 weeks. PDF, Word and TXT downloads.
Ways to pay less
Kickresume
- Annual discount
Save with quarterly or yearly billing
The pricing page marks Quarterly as saving 25% against Monthly. Yearly works out to $8 a month against $24 billed monthly, about 67% less.
- Education
Free Premium for students and teachers
Students and teachers who verify their status through ISIC, ITIC or UNiDAYS get up to 180 days of Premium free.
Zety
- Annual discount
Save 79% with the Annual Package
The pricing page labels the Annual Package, $71.40 a year, as saving 79% against the Pro Package at $25.95 every 4 weeks.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Kickresume or Zety?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Zety is cheaper to start with: $5.95 a month, against $8 a month for Kickresume. Kickresume starts at $8 per month, billed yearly ($96), and Zety starts at $5.95 per month, billed yearly ($71.40).
Which has a free plan, Kickresume or Zety?
As of Oct 24, 2026, both Kickresume and Zety have a free plan.
Which platforms do Kickresume and Zety run on?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Kickresume lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.