VisualCV vs Zety (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Zety grades higher than VisualCV: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zety grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
VisualCV
Resume and CV builder with online resume sites and view tracking
Zety
Resume and cover letter builder with expert-written content
Which one is for you
Pick VisualCV if
- Fits if you want to send recruiters a link and see when, and roughly where, it was opened
- Works for people outside the US who need a CV rather than a resume
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free PDF, as the free account can't download or share a resume
- Not for you if you tailor each resume to a job ad, since nothing on record scores it against one
- Pricey if you pay monthly: Pro is $16 a month only on quarterly billing, and the monthly price isn't shown
- Watch out: Word download is still in beta, and there's no phone app
- Watch out: refunds come only on request by email within the first 30 days
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
| 2.0GPAVisualCVFair | 2.2GPAZetyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $16 a month billed quarterly, so $48 every three months. That's just under this category's middle ($16.50) and double its cheaper quarter ($8). Monthly billing costs more, and the page doesn't say how much. | 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 | CThe free account lets you try every template and build one resume, but it can't download a PDF or share the resume online. To send it anywhere, you pay. A 30-day refund on request by email isn't a trial. | 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 | CMore than 30 templates with LinkedIn import, an AI writer for experience and summaries, cover letters, a Career Journal, and an online resume that logs each view's date and rough location. The gap: nothing on record scores a resume against a job ad, and Word download is still in beta. | 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 | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a web builder where you fill in each section yourself, with LinkedIn import or the AI writer to get you started. | 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 | CWeb only, with LinkedIn import. No phone or desktop app, and no other integrations on record. | CWeb only, with no phone or desktop app and no integrations on record. |
| Best for | an online resume that shows who viewed it | 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: VisualCV and Zety. How we grade
Price against what you get
VisualCV starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zety starts at $5.95 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Zety starts $10.05 a month lower. Of the other resume builders on the chart, 1 scores higher than VisualCV 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
| VisualCV | Zety | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed quarterly | $5.95 per month, billed yearly ($71.40) |
| Free plan | Free account: try every template and keep 1 resume, 1 website, 1 cover letter and 1 Career Journal entry; PDF downloads and online sharing need Pro. | 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 | ||
| Made by | Workstory Inc. | Works Limited |
| Price read from | visualcv.com | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
VisualCV
- The free account cannot download a PDF or share a resume online, so in practice Pro is needed to send one.
- Pro is priced at $16 a month when billed quarterly; the monthly option costs more and its price is not in the page text.
- VisualCV refunds Pro within the first 30 days on request by email, per the pricing page.
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
VisualCV
- Templates for resumes and CVs
- More than 30 templates, including an ATS-friendly one and full-width designs, with LinkedIn profile import to start from.
- AI Resume Writer
- Writes or rewrites a work experience entry from a job title and optional company and description, and drafts a summary.
- Online resume and personal website
- Publish a resume at its own URL, set a custom domain and share it by link. Pro only.
- Resume view tracking
- Logs each view of an online resume with the date, IP address and approximate location, per resume.
- Cover letters and downloads
- A cover letter builder, unlimited PDF downloads and a Word download in beta, all with Pro.
- Career Journal
- A place to record achievements as they happen; free accounts get a trial and one entry, Pro is unlimited.
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
VisualCV
Free$0
Test drive all templates and build a first resume, with no PDF download, sharing link or cover letter builder.
Pro Quarterly$16
per month, billed quarterly
Up to 100 resumes, unlimited PDFs, a personal website, shareable links, cover letters and view analytics. Monthly billing costs more.
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
VisualCV
- Annual discount
36% off with quarterly billing
The pricing page's Monthly and Quarterly switch marks quarterly billing at 36% off the monthly rate, which gives the $16 a month price.
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, VisualCV or Zety?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Zety is cheaper to start with: $5.95 a month, against $16 a month for VisualCV. VisualCV starts at $16 per month, billed quarterly, and Zety starts at $5.95 per month, billed yearly ($71.40).
Which has a free plan, VisualCV or Zety?
As of Oct 24, 2026, both VisualCV and Zety 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.