MakeResume is built around a four-step workflow: build, optimize, apply, improve. You begin from one of its templates or upload an existing PDF/DOCX file, and the builder extracts your jobs, dates and skills into editable fields so you are polishing a draft rather than retyping everything. From there you paste in the target job description and the AI rewrites individual bullets and your summary using the same terms the employer used — the language keyword scanning looks for — while leaving lines you already like untouched.
A live ATS score sits alongside the editor, showing which terms from the posting are still missing so you can close the gaps before exporting. The builder emphasizes parsing-friendly fundamentals: a single-column layout in reading order, standard section headings, real selectable text instead of graphics, and consistent date formats. The ATS checker can also be used on its own against a resume you already have, with no account required.
Pricing is deliberately transparent. The free tier lets you build a full resume, import an existing file, use AI rewrites on summaries and bullets, and export a real PDF using either of two free templates — no card and no account needed until you save or download. Paid access adds Word (.docx) export, the full template library, multiple saved resumes, and the in-builder live ATS score; it is sold as a $1.99 seven-day trial that renews at $11.99/month, or a $7.99/month quarterly plan billed at $23.99 every three months. Checkout runs through Lemon Squeezy as merchant of record.
