Zety review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Resume and cover letter builder with expert-written content
Zety report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 24, 2026
Best for picking pre-written phrases instead of writing
Zety fills a resume with pre-written, job-specific phrases you click in and edit, and builds a cover letter to match. Free downloads are TXT only, the lowest rate is $71.40 paid at once for a year, and the $1.95 trial turns into $25.95 every 4 weeks if you forget to cancel.
Who Zety is for
- 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
Who Zety is not for
- 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
Why Zety gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyThe 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.
- CFree plan and trialThe 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.
- CFeaturesPre-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.
- CEase of useNo App Store rating on record. You build section by section in a web builder, though clicking in phrases means less writing from scratch.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no phone or desktop app and no integrations on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read on 24 October 2026 from copies of Zety's own pages saved by the Internet Archive, as Zety's site would not answer our reader. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Zety? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/zety#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/zety.svg" alt="Zety: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Zety stands among resume builders
Zety's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 4 of the 13 other resume builders we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 9 of 13) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $5.95 a month, against a middle price of $16 for the category: 0 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 14 resume builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Zety’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 9 of 13, level with 3
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 13, level with 9
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 13, level with 7
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 13, level with 11
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 13, level with 10
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 11 resume builders. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Zety, or make your own?
Your call
You could make the core of Zety for yourself: resume builder and templates.
What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $71.40 a year.
What you could make
- Resume builder and templates: an app builder makes these well.
- It runs in a browser, which is where something home-made would run too.
What you could not
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Zety’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Zety?
Zety is an online resume, CV and cover letter builder with 18 resume templates. Instead of a blank page it offers pre-written, job-specific phrases to click into each section, can restyle an uploaded old resume and builds a matching cover letter. A resume checker scores the result and flags typos, and job matches are suggested from the resume.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Zety pricing
As of Oct 24, 2026, Zety has a free plan, and paid plans start at $5.95 per month, billed yearly ($71.40).
- Starts at
- $5.95 per month, billed yearly ($71.40)
- Free plan
- Basic Package: the resume and cover letter builders and templates, the resume check and job matches, with downloads in TXT format only.
- Free trial
- 14-day trial for $1.95; it renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks unless cancelled
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Package | $0 | Resume and cover letter builders, templates, resume check and job matches. Downloads in TXT only. |
| Annual Package | $5.95per 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 | $25.95per 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. |
Zety’s own pricing page could not be read, so these figures come from web.archive.org, checked Oct 24, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zety before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on web.archive.org
Zety alternatives
- Zety vs LiveCareer
Free plan · from $5.95/mo
- Zety vs Resume Genius
Free plan · from $7.95/mo
- Zety vs Resume.io
Free plan · from $29.95
- Zety vs Kickresume
Free plan · from $8/mo
- Zety vs Novorésumé
Free plan · from $23.99/mo
Common questions
Does Zety have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Zety is listed for Web.
Does Zety have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Zety is listed for Web.
Is Zety open source?
Zety is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 24, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 24, 2026.