CV builders, compared
What is really free, what downloading your CV costs once the trial ends, who runs each site and how to cancel: the most used CV builders in the UK, reviewed one by one.
5 guides
Reviews
ChatGPT CV and cover letter: how to use it, and where it stops
A ChatGPT CV can be a good CV, as long as you treat ChatGPT as a writing assistant and not as the author of your career. It will draft your personal statement and cover letter in seconds, but it writes in American English unless you ask, it doesn't lay out the page, it can't see how an applicant tracking system reads your file, and it sometimes adds facts you never gave it. Here's how to use it properly for a UK application, with prompts to copy.
Canva CV review: free and good-looking, but will an ATS read it?
A Canva CV is the quickest way to get a well-designed CV without paying, which makes it a common first stop for students and graduates. But in the UK, many employers and recruitment agencies run CVs through an applicant tracking system before anyone reads them. Here's what Canva does well, which Canva CV templates hold up, how to build one properly, and how to check yours before you apply.
LiveCareer reviews: what the CV builder does well, and what it really costs
LiveCareer has thousands of positive reviews, and a steady stream of complaints about one thing: the payment after the trial. We read its UK pricing page, terms and help pages on 31 October 2026, so the LiveCareer reviews you read next make sense.
Subscriptions
My Perfect CV cancel subscription guide: steps, refunds and price
You paid £2.95 for 14 days and a larger payment followed. This My Perfect CV cancel subscription guide gives you the steps, the phone number, your refund rights and the real price, checked on 31 October 2026, plus what the CV builder genuinely does well.
Resume.io reviews: a well-liked CV builder, and a trial to watch
Most Resume.io reviews praise the CV builder, and most complaints are about the subscription that follows the trial. We read the UK pricing page, terms and cancellation page on 10 November 2026, so you know what you are signing up for and how to cancel.
On this page
Finding the best CV builder for you: our method
No CV builder suits everyone. A graduate on a budget, a nurse applying through NHS Jobs and a manager changing sector need different things. So every review in this section asks the same five questions:
- What is really free: writing, previewing, downloading, and in which format.
- What you pay, and how often: the amount taken today, the amount taken next, and the date of that next payment.
- Who runs the site: the company named in the terms and conditions, and where it is registered.
- How to cancel: online from your account, by email, or by phone.
- What the tool does better than Kandiq: there is always something, and we say it.
Prices and terms are read on the pricing page, the terms and conditions and the payment page itself, then dated ("checked on 31 October 2026") with the country the page was viewed from. Prices change often, and some sites show different amounts from one visit to the next: the amount on the payment page is the one that counts.
Reading the payment page: what the small print means
Most CV builders let you write for free and charge at the download. The first price is often a short paid trial that renews at the full price unless you cancel in time. The wording on the payment page tells you which kind of offer you're looking at:
| What the page says | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| "14-day access" or "7-day trial" | A short paid period, usually followed by a subscription |
| "Then billed every 4 weeks" | 13 payments a year, not 12 |
| "Renews automatically" | The next payment is taken unless you cancel before the date shown |
| "Cancel anytime" | Check how: online from your account, by email or by phone |
| "One-off payment" | No renewal; check how long your access lasts |
Five checks before you choose the best CV builder
- The company can be identified: a registered name and address in the terms. A ".co.uk" address says nothing about where the company is based.
- The total price is shown before you pay, with the next payment and its date.
- You can cancel online, without ringing anyone.
- You see the whole CV before paying, with no blur and no watermark.
- The download format suits UK employers: a PDF with real text, or a Word file if the advert asks for one.
Who writes these comparisons
The Kandiq team writes these pages, and Kandiq is a CV builder too: we're not neutral, and we say so. Kandiq is published by EPIC AI, a French company. Kandiq Pro costs £2.99 for a first week of full access, which renews as an £18.99 monthly subscription after 7 days, or £29.97 every 3 months; you cancel in one click, and you can ask for a refund within 30 days. Writing your CV, checking it and drafting a cover letter can be tried without paying. We follow the CAP Code rules on comparisons: products that meet the same need, compared on features that are relevant, verifiable and representative, price included. Spotted a price or a term that is out of date? Write to us and we'll correct it.
Questions