This is the detail page behind our Zety alternative comparison. Everything below was read from zety.com on September 3, 2026 and is linked to its source. If you only want the short version: the free plan downloads TXT only, the Pro trial is $1.95 for 14 days and then $25.95 every 4 weeks, and the annual plan is $71.40 a year.
Free account for downloads. No credit card. No watermark.
Zety's US pricing page, read on September 3, 2026, lists three packages. The Basic Package is free and includes the resume builder, resume templates, the cover letter builder, cover letter templates, and "Unlimited Downloads, Prints and edits". The only download line under it is "Download in TXT Format" (source). Zety's own FAQ post says the same thing: you can download for free in plain text, and PDF or Word files require a subscription (source).
The Pro Package is where most people land. As of September 2026 it costs $1.95 for a 14-day trial, and the pricing page states: "After 14 days, auto-renews at $25.95 billed every 4 weeks. Cancel anytime." The same sentence appears on the resume builder page (source). Billing every 4 weeks is not the same as monthly billing; it comes to about 13 charges in a year rather than 12. Pro adds PDF and Word downloads, Resume Check ("Tools that can identify 30+ issues"), Instant Job Matches, and Bold.Pro, a networking site (source).
The Annual Package is displayed as "$5.95/month" but is charged as one $71.40 payment that auto-renews each year, as of September 2026 (source). No lifetime or one-time purchase option appeared on the US pricing page on that date.
Refunds are not guaranteed. Zety's Terms of Use, as of September 2026, say "Provider does not guarantee refunds" and that you may request one if you cancel before the end of the initial period (source). A Zety FAQ post published in November 2024 describes a full refund within 7 days, and a later refund only if you have not downloaded any files, but that post is older than the current Terms, so treat the 7-day detail as Zety's stated practice rather than a promise (source).
It helps to know how this billing lands with customers. On Trustpilot, Zety holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating across 12,703 reviews, with 14 percent at 1 star, as of September 3, 2026. The positive reviews praise the templates, the ease of use, and the AI suggestions. The negative ones cluster around automatic renewal after the trial, difficulty cancelling online, refund friction, and finding the paywall at the download button (source). The Better Business Bureau profile for Bold LLC, the company named in Zety's Terms and listed with "Zety LLC" as an alternate business name, shows an A+ rating with 247 complaints closed in the last 3 years and 77 in the last 12 months as of the same date, with similar themes (source).
All prices above are in US dollars. Zety's Terms say your transaction may be subject to differences in prices depending on where you buy and how you pay, so check the pricing page in your own country before deciding (source).
Everything below is on the $0 plan. There is no trial attached to it, no card on file, and nothing that expires.
The only paid feature is unlimited AI: $2.95 for a 14-day trial, then $19.95 a month, cancelled from account settings with access kept until the end of the billing period. Whether or not you pay, what you can download does not change. Full details are on the pricing page and the free resume builder overview.
If you never paid, the only export available is the TXT file, as of September 2026 (source). It loses the layout but keeps every word you wrote, which is the part that took time. If you are inside the $1.95 trial or on a paid plan, download both the PDF and the Word file now, before the next renewal date. Zety's Terms say you keep login access to view your documents after cancelling, but they do not say whether PDF or Word download stays available once the paid period ends, so do not count on it (source).
Open the importer and drop in the PDF or DOCX. A photo of a printed resume works as well. The builder reads your sections into the editor; give the dates and job titles a quick check. If all you have is the TXT file, open it next to the builder and paste each section into place. With inline editing this is a few minutes of work, not a rebuild.
If your Zety draft was thin, it may be faster to start from an occupation example and replace the bullet points with your own, or to pick a template and fill it in. Both routes end in the same editor.
Run the free ATS check, then download the PDF or DOCX. There is no watermark and no paywall on the download button. If you started Zety's trial, cancel it and keep the confirmation email with the cancellation number. Our step-by-step guide to cancelling Zety covers the account dashboard, phone, chat, and email routes.
Import a PDF, DOCX, or photo. Download free with no watermark.
Import my resumeYou want the extras that come with Pro. As of September 2026, Zety's paid packages include Resume Check, Instant Job Matches, and Bold.Pro, its professional networking site (source). SmoothApply has a free ATS checker but no job matching or networking product. If those features matter to you and $25.95 every 4 weeks or $71.40 a year is acceptable, Zety is a reasonable choice.
You lean heavily on pre-written phrases. Zety describes "expert-written and AI-powered resume content tailored to your target role" and "ready-made content to add with one click", as of September 2026 (source). SmoothApply's free plan gives you 25 AI credits; if you expect to generate content for many different roles, you would need the paid plan for unlimited AI.
You want a phone number to call. Zety publishes a US support line, 800-985-7561, with set hours, plus live chat, as of September 2026 (source). SmoothApply is a small independent team and support runs through the contact page.
Only as a TXT file, as of September 2026. The TXT export keeps your words but strips the template, fonts, and layout, so it is useful as a backup of your content rather than something you would send to an employer. A formatted PDF or Word download needs an active paid plan. SmoothApply lets you download PDF and Word files free, with no watermark, after creating a free account.
Source: zety.com/pricing and Zety's FAQ post, read September 3, 2026.
It depends on what you need. If the problem is paying to download, SmoothApply is a free Zety alternative with unlimited PDF and Word downloads, no watermark, 93 templates, a free cover letter builder, a free job application tracker, and 25 free AI credits. The only paid feature is unlimited AI, and the free plan never asks for a credit card.
See the free resume builder page for the full feature list.
SmoothApply is not affiliated with Zety. Prices and policies were checked on September 3, 2026 from the linked sources and may change. Zety is a product of BOLD LLC.