Zety is one of the most popular resume builders online. It has a polished interface, guided writing tips, and professional templates. But there’s a catch that frustrates millions of users every year: you can build your resume for free, but you can’t download it as a PDF.
Zety’s free plan only exports as plain text (.txt). To get a formatted PDF or Word document, you need a paid subscription — $1.95 for a 14-day trial that auto-renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks. Many users don’t discover this until they’ve already spent 30+ minutes building their resume.
We tested the most popular alternatives to find which ones actually give you what Zety doesn’t: a free, formatted, ATS-friendly resume you can download immediately.
You can’t download a PDF for free. Zety’s free tier only lets you export as .txt — a plain text file with no formatting, no design, and no structure. It’s unusable for job applications.
The pricing is confusing. The $1.95 trial sounds cheap, but it auto-renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks (not monthly — every 28 days). The annual plan is $71.40/year ($5.95/month), but requires upfront payment.
No job matching. Zety builds your resume but doesn’t help you tailor it to specific job descriptions. You’re on your own figuring out which keywords to include.
Templates look similar. While Zety has many templates, they share similar layouts. The visual variety is narrower than it appears.
JobScoutly is a completely free resume builder with no premium tier. Every feature is available at no cost, including:
No credit card required. No trial period. No auto-renewal.
Best for: Job seekers who want a fully free resume builder with AI optimization and job matching — the features Zety charges $25.95/month for.
Indeed’s built-in resume builder is genuinely free. You can create a resume, download it as a PDF, and use it immediately. It’s integrated with Indeed’s job board, so you can apply directly after building.
The tradeoff: limited templates, no AI optimization, and basic formatting options. It works for a quick, simple resume but won’t help you tailor to specific jobs or pass competitive ATS screening.
Pricing: Free Best for: People who need a basic resume fast and are already applying on Indeed. Limitation: No AI features, limited templates, no job matching analysis.
Kickresume offers 4 free resume templates and 4 free cover letter templates. The free plan includes access to 20,000+ pre-written phrases and 1,500+ resume examples, which helps with writer’s block.
The catch: the 40 premium templates, full AI writer, and ATS checker are locked behind a paid plan ($24/month, or $8/month on the annual plan at $96/year). The good news — students and teachers get 6 months of Premium free.
Pricing: Free (4 templates) / $24/month / $8/month annually Best for: Students who can get 6 months free, or people who want creative/design-forward templates and are willing to pay. Limitation: Most templates and AI features require payment.
| Feature | Zety | JobScoutly | Indeed | Kickresume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build resume | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Download PDF | $1.95 trial | Free | Free | Free (basic) |
| Free export format | .txt only | PDF (4 templates) | ||
| ATS-optimized templates | Some (paid) | All (free) | Limited | 4 free / 40 paid |
| AI writing | Paid | Free | No | Limited free |
| Job match analyzer | No | Free | No | No |
| Auto-renewal | $25.95/4wks | No subscription | N/A | Depends on plan |
| Annual price | $71.40/yr | Free | Free | $96/yr |
You can build a resume for free, but downloading it as a PDF requires a paid plan. The free tier only exports as .txt (plain text with no formatting). The cheapest option is a $1.95 trial for 14 days, which auto-renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks.
JobScoutly is the best free alternative — it offers PDF downloads, all ATS templates, AI writing, and job matching at no cost. Indeed is a solid basic option. Kickresume is good for students who get 6 months of premium free.
Zety’s business model uses the free builder to get you invested in your resume, then charges for the formatted download. The .txt export is intentionally limited to push you toward a paid plan.
JobScoutly and Indeed both offer free PDF downloads with no watermark and no payment required. Kickresume offers free PDF downloads but only with 4 basic templates.
It auto-renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks unless you cancel before the 14-day trial ends. Note: the billing cycle is every 28 days, not monthly, so you’ll be charged 13 times per year instead of 12.
