Best Kickresume Alternative in 2026

By The Applygrid TeamUpdated 5 min read

Kickresume is a popular resume builder, but it is not the only option — and depending on what you need, it may not be the best fit. If you are shopping for an alternative, the things worth comparing are pricing, how ATS-friendly the exports are, and whether tailored cover letters are built in.

Here is a practical way to compare, and why many job seekers pick Applygrid.

What to compare in any alternative

  • Pricing and the free tier: what you can actually do without paying, and whether downloads are watermarked.
  • ATS-friendliness: do exported resumes keep selectable text and a clean reading order?
  • Cover letters: can you generate one tailored to a specific job posting?
  • Speed: how quickly can you tailor and re-export per application?

Why job seekers choose Applygrid

  • ATS-friendly templates with watermark-free PDF export on every plan, including free.
  • An AI cover letter generator that reads any job URL and writes from your real resume.
  • A usable free plan: the Minimal template, 2 resumes, and 3 AI generations per day.
  • Simple, honest pricing with no locked downloads on the basics.

Making the switch

  • Start free with the Minimal template and rebuild your resume in minutes.
  • Check the exported PDF: the text should be selectable and read top-to-bottom.
  • Paste a job URL to generate a matching cover letter for your next application.

The right tool is the one that gets your resume parsed and in front of a recruiter — compare on that, not on the longest feature list.

About the author
The Applygrid Team
Resume & career editors

Applygrid builds the ATS-friendly resume builder and AI cover letter generator behind these guides. We write from hands-on experience with how applicant tracking systems parse resumes, what recruiters actually screen for, and what gets job seekers to the interview.

Put this into practice

Build an ATS-friendly resume and generate a tailored cover letter with Applygrid — free to start.