CV Forge vs Zety
Looking for a Zety alternative? Here is a plain comparison of the things that decide it: what you pay, when you are asked to pay, whether the PDF is clean, and whether an applicant tracking system can read it.
| CV Forge | Zety | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan (3 resumes a month); Pro €5/month, cancel anytime | Builder is free to use; downloading starts a 14-day trial (about $2–3) that renews at about $26 every 4 weeks unless cancelled |
| Pay to download? | No. You can build and download a PDF free, without an account for the first try | Yes: you only find out when you click Download (plain-text export aside) |
| Watermark | Free PDFs carry a small "CV FORGE — FREE" mark; Pro PDFs have none | No watermark once paid |
| ATS readability | Single-column text PDF (real selectable text, standard fonts), plus a free ATS Match Score against the job ad | Many templates are ATS-friendly; some designs use columns and icons |
| How you build it | Paste rough notes or an old resume; AI writes the bullets and layout | Step-by-step form with pre-written phrases by job title |
Where Zety is better
Large library of pre-written bullet suggestions and polished designs.
Where Zety falls short
The recurring charge after the trial surprises many users; no useful free PDF.
What CV Forge does differently
- You start from rough notes, not a form. Paste what you did, even messy; CV Forge writes result-first bullets and lays out the resume.
- You see the PDF before anyone asks for anything. No trial that turns into a subscription at the download button.
- Built for applicant tracking systems. Single column, real text, standard fonts, and a free ATS Match Score that shows which words from the job ad you are missing.
- Free resume score, no report paywall. The Resume Checker scores your resume 0-100 and lists every fix, free and in your browser.
- Plain pricing. Free for 3 resumes a month; Pro is €5/month with no watermark and every template. See pricing.
Which should you pick?
Pick Zety if what you value most is its strength: large library of pre-written bullet suggestions and polished designs. Pick CV Forge if you want a readable, ATS-safe PDF from rough notes in a minute, and to see it before paying.
Prices checked on 2026-09-26 on their public pricing pages (US prices); they change often and vary by country. Check the current offer on their site before buying. Trademarks belong to their owners; CV Forge is not affiliated with them.