Ease of use
Creating a resume can be difficult enough on its own, so you'll want a resume writing tool or service that's easy to use. Luckily, many tools on this list walk you through what you need in your resume, like offering guidance on what to elaborate on. Some also make it simple to change the layout of your resume to help you differentiate yourself from other applicants.
Many of the services here will connect you with a person who will ask questions about your work experience and then craft a resume for you. That way you can get more personalized feedback about your resume.
Additional perks and add-ons
Each of these services and tools can help you create a resume suitable for job applications, but some tools only offer resume creation. That's the bare minimum for being included on this list, and a good place to start. However, some job applications ask for a cover letter or a CV in addition to your resume, so the bare minimum might not cut it.
Some of the best resume writing services also offer help creating a cover letter or other materials. Others might provide advice on what to include in your resume to make you stand out from the rest of the job applicants, and some services include a phone conversation with an expert to help craft your resume.
Many of these services offer at least one additional perk or add-on to help you land an interview. You should consider whether you need help with a cover letter, or want any additional help with a resume, before you choose which of these services and tools to use.
Compatible platforms
Not everyone can access a laptop or a desktop computer, limiting what resume writing tools and services they can use. Many of these services can be accessed from a browser and are therefore platform agnostic, but there are a few tools here that are exclusively mobile apps.
If you only have access to a smartphone or a tablet, you might find a mobile-only resume writing app useful. But if you have a laptop or desktop and don't feel comfortable handling documents on your smartphone or tablet, you can't use those apps, so stick to the options that work in a browser or have apps for Windows, MacOS or Linux.
Price
Most resume writing tools can help you create a resume for free. But be cautious -- there are also some tools on this list, like Resume Genius, that will create your resume for free, but will charge you for accessing or downloading it. While apps like Resume Genius are technically free, you'll almost certainly have to pay if you want to benefit from your revamped resume.
If you want to create a cover letter or utilize other resume writing templates, you might have to pay hundreds of dollars. Some services include these add-ons as part of some package deals, like ZipJob. Other services, like Resume Spice, offer these à la carte so you can buy an overhauled LinkedIn profile in addition to a new resume if you want. Despite these prices, these services might be worth it to you if you want to leave the work to the experts.
Make sure you check the price for these services before you start filling out forms to create a resume. That way, you don't waste your time working on something you won't use in the end.
Interview guarantees
Applying for interviews can be tiresome, and -- if you aren't getting interviews or callbacks -- discouraging. Some of these resume writing services offer an interview guarantee based on the time they send your completed resume to you.
If a service provides such a guarantee, it's usually between 45 and 60 days. That means if you don't have an interview in that time frame, you can usually contact the service for a resume rewrite.
If you need a job as soon as possible, you should consider using a service that offers an interview guarantee.
Note that resume writing tools, like Indeed Resume Builder, don't offer these guarantees, but resume writing services, like ResumeWriters.com, do.
Privacy
Giving any of these tools and services your name, address, work history and other information may be concerning to you. According to a 2019 study published in Nature, it takes 15 points of data to identify over 99% of people in the US, and your resume and cover letter are filled with information about you. These items, paired with digital information about you -- like your IP address -- could be a treasure trove for malicious actors. Data breaches are becoming all too common, with a near-record number reported in 2024, and reputable companies suffering data breaches. To safeguard your data, we recommend using a password manager, setting strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication and using a VPN.
The tools and services on this list offer clear privacy policies about what information they do and don't collect. Many entries on this list also let you request or delete any personal data they might have on you. That way, if you decide not to use a tool or service anymore, you can control where your information is stored.
And if you're going to be applying to a new job, make sure you use your personal device to do so. If you use a device connected to your current job, your internet history could be tipping off your employer that you're looking to leave.
Customer support
If something goes wrong with one of these tools or services -- and even when it doesn't -- you should be able to easily contact customer support. Many tools and services on this list offer support FAQs for the most commonly asked questions -- that way, you can easily resolve some common issues. It's also fairly simple to find a custom support email for many of these tools and services in case you need more in-depth support. And most of these resume writing services will contact you to gather information for your resume, so it should be intuitive to contact them if you need to change something in the process of creating your resume.