ATSGrader vs Kickresume
ATSGrader vs Kickresume
Kickresume is a full resume-and-cover-letter builder used by millions of job seekers: dozens of templates, an AI Writer powered by GPT-4.1, LinkedIn import, a personal-website builder, a "Career Map" tool, and its own ATS Resume Checker built into the product. It's a strong pick if you want one subscription to write a resume from a blank page and format it well. ATSGrader is a narrower, single-purpose tool: it doesn't write resumes or design anything — it only scores a resume you already have against 21 published ATS rules, runs entirely in your browser, and costs a one-time $9 instead of a recurring plan. This page compares what each actually does, verified against Kickresume's own site.
Scan my resume free →No account · No email · 100% private — runs in your browser
ATSGrader vs Kickresume, side by side
| ATSGrader | Kickresume | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | $9 one-time per resume, unlimited rescans of that resume — never a subscription | Subscription: €8/mo billed yearly (€96/yr), €18/mo billed quarterly (€54/3mo), or €24/mo billed monthly — confirmed live on kickresume.com/en/pricing/ on 2026-09-02 (the page displayed these in EUR to our fetch; third-party review sites report the identical 8/18/24 figures in USD, suggesting geo-based currency display, but we could not confirm a USD price directly on Kickresume's own page today). A separate Free plan (€0) also exists but excludes the ATS Resume Checker |
| Signup required for the ATS check | No account or email required for the free scan | Yes — the "Check my resume score now" button leads to /dashboard/analyse-resume/, which redirects to a signup wall ("Get started with your account"). Verified in a browser on the review date. |
| Resume uploaded to a server | Never — parsing runs 100% client-side in the browser and works with the network disabled after first load | Yes — Kickresume's own privacy policy states resume data is processed on their platform and retained in your account for up to 5 years from last login (30-day grace period after account closure), and that for AI-powered features "your data is sent to the servers of the AI provider (e.g. OpenAI, Anthropic, etc)" |
| Free-tier depth of the ATS check | Overall score, the 5-category breakdown, your top 3 findings, one full bullet rewrite and a keyword preview — free, no account. The one-time $9 unlocks the rest for that resume: every remaining finding with line numbers, the complete keyword-gap table and all rewrites. | Free tier scores only three broad categories — design, content, structure — per their own resume-checker page; "for a more detailed review, including word analysis, you'll need to upgrade to premium", and the pricing page lists the full "ATS Resume Checker" only under the three paid tiers |
| File formats accepted | PDF, DOCX, TXT — all parsed in-browser | PDF and DOCX via their import tool, per Kickresume's help center (".pdf or .docx format"); no TXT support found on their site |
| Resume writing, templates, and design | Not available — ATSGrader is a checker, not a builder; it does not write or generate resumes or offer templates | 40+ resume templates, 40+ cover letter templates, and 7 personal-website templates on paid plans (the Free plan includes 4 of each plus 1 website template), an AI Writer powered by GPT-4.1, and 20,000+ pre-written phrases |
| Cover letters, LinkedIn import, career tools | Not available — ATSGrader does not write cover letters, import LinkedIn profiles, or track applications | AI-assisted cover letter builder, LinkedIn & PDF import, and a "Career Map" tool, included in every paid plan |
| Scoring transparency | 21 published scoring rules, exact weights, deductions, and verdict bands public at /methodology (engine the published scoring version) | Scores are shown but the underlying rules, weights, or point deductions for the ATS Resume Checker are not published on their site |
Paste your resume
🔒 100% private: analysis runs entirely in your browser. Your resume is never uploaded to any server.
Don't take our word for it — turn off your wifi and scan again. It still works, because the whole analysis runs on your device.
Where ATSGrader is different
One-time $9 fee per resume with unlimited rescans — no recurring subscription to cancel
Resume text is parsed 100% client-side and is never uploaded to a server, even for the free scan, unlike Kickresume where data is processed on their platform and shared with AI providers for AI-powered features
No account or email required to run the free scan
21 published scoring rules across 5 weighted categories with exact deductions, thresholds, and verdict bands public at /methodology, versioned as, at the published scoring version
Choose ATSGrader if…
Choose ATSGrader if you already have a resume and want a fast, unlimited, transparent ATS score — full rule breakdown, no account, no subscription, and nothing ever leaves your browser.
Choose Kickresume if…
Choose Kickresume if you want one subscription that builds a resume from scratch with AI writing help, matching cover letters, a personal website, and career tools — the ATS checker there is a real feature backed by a database comparison, but it's a bonus inside a much bigger product, not the main draw.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kickresume's ATS checker free?
Partially. Kickresume's resume-checker page states it "reviews your resume for free" with a basic score across design, content, and structure, but "for a more detailed review, including word analysis, you'll need to upgrade to premium." The full "ATS Resume Checker" is also listed as a named feature of all three paid plans on their pricing page. Running the check appears to require a Kickresume account, since the "Check my resume score now" link leads to a dashboard-shaped URL (/dashboard/analyse-resume/) consistent with Kickresume's account-gated app elsewhere on the site — though we could not render the page's JavaScript to directly confirm a login wall.
Does Kickresume upload my resume to a server?
Yes. Kickresume's own privacy policy states resume data is processed on their platform and retained in your account for up to 5 years from last login, and that for AI-powered features "your data is sent to the servers of the AI provider (e.g. OpenAI, Anthropic, etc)." ATSGrader works the opposite way: parsing happens entirely in your browser and resume text is never transmitted anywhere, even for the free scan.
Is ATSGrader a resume builder like Kickresume?
No. ATSGrader does not write or generate resumes, offer templates, or provide design tools — it only scores a resume you already have. If you want to build a resume from a blank page with AI writing help, Kickresume is a better fit.
How much does each one cost?
ATSGrader is $9 one-time per resume, with unlimited rescans of that same resume — never a subscription. Kickresume is a subscription at €8/mo billed yearly (€96/yr), €18/mo billed quarterly (€54/3mo), or €24/mo billed monthly — the exact figures verified live on their pricing page on 2026-09-02, shown in EUR to our fetch. Third-party review sites report the identical 8/18/24 figures in USD, but we could not confirm a USD price directly on Kickresume's own page today. A Free plan (€0) also exists but does not include the ATS Resume Checker.
Which file formats does each tool accept?
ATSGrader accepts PDF, DOCX, and TXT, all parsed in-browser. Kickresume's help center describes importing an existing resume in ".pdf or .docx format"; TXT support is not mentioned on their site.
Sources
- Kickresume Pricing
- Kickresume Resume Checker
- Kickresume Privacy Policy
- Kickresume Help Center
- Kickresume Homepage
Evidence reviewed · 5 first-party sources.
ATSGrader is not affiliated with Kickresume. Product details change — check the vendor's own site for current features and pricing. Tools in this category commonly price by region and run rolling trial promotions, so the same page can show a different currency and a different trial price depending on where it is opened from. Where we know a figure is region-specific the row says so. Treat any price here as what was published to us on the review date, not as a quote.
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Weak verbs dragging your bullets down? Swap them using stronger resume action verbs.
Need to inspect the file before scoring it? Run the free resume parser test to see the raw text and reading order—nothing uploaded.
Tailoring for a specific vacancy? Use the free ATS keyword scanner to extract priority terms and compare them with your resume locally.
Want the verdict on the whole document? Get an instant data-backed resume review — $9, not $300, or optimize your resume for the ATS step by step.
Will your resume pass these ATS platforms?
Writing yours from scratch? Start from ATS-friendly resume summary examples for your role and level, the right skills to put on a resume for your job, or resume objective examples if you're just starting out. Want a clean base? Use the Harvard resume template.
New here? Run the free ATS resume checker — paste your resume and get your score in seconds, nothing uploaded.