Zety is one of the most popular resume builders. It's also one of the most expensive — once you get past the trial. Here's how it compares to PickedCV.
This is where the difference is starkest. Zety advertises a $2.95 "trial" that auto-renews at $25.95 every 4 weeks. That's 13 billing cycles per year — approximately $337/year for a resume builder.
PickedCV's free tier lets you download PDFs with zero watermarks, no time limit, no download cap. Pro is $59/year flat — about one-sixth of Zety's actual cost.
| Feature | PickedCV | Zety |
|---|---|---|
| Free PDF download | Yes, no watermark | No — paywall at download |
| True annual cost | $0 – $59 | ~$337 |
| Trial traps | None | $2.95 auto-renew trial |
| Templates | 40 (6 free) | 20+ (all paywalled) |
| Languages | 30 with non-Latin scripts | English-first |
| Europass template | Yes | No |
| AI features | Claude (Anthropic) | GPT-based |
| AI Act compliance | Yes, labeled per Art. 50 | Not disclosed |
| Cover letter | Free + AI-assisted | Paywalled |
| Data used for training | Never | OpenAI default policy |
Zety has more templates, but every single one requires a paid subscription to download. PickedCV gives you 6 templates for free — including an Europass template for EU job applications — with 34 more on Pro.
PickedCV supports 30 languages with full non-Latin script rendering: Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Hindi. Zety is primarily English with limited localization.
Both offer AI-powered suggestions. PickedCV uses Claude by Anthropic; Zety uses OpenAI. PickedCV labels all AI-generated content per the EU AI Act Article 50 and explicitly prohibits using your data for model training.
If you want a resume builder that's actually free, PickedCV is the better choice. If you want to pay, PickedCV Pro at $59/year gives you everything Zety offers at a fraction of the cost — without the auto-renewing trial surprise.
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