COMPARISON
Applystead vs Jobscan: match-rate scanning, free tools and pricing compared
Jobscan's free plan, match rate and pricing next to Applystead's free resume tailor and plain keyword checker. Every Jobscan fact is from Jobscan's own pages.
Applystead publishes this page and competes with Jobscan. Facts about Jobscan come from its own public pages, cited in the table and under Sources; prices and features change, so check its site before you decide. How we write comparisons.
Summary
Jobscan is built around its resume scanner: you compare a resume with a job description and get a match rate from 1 to 100%, missing keywords and formatting checks. Applystead is built around a resume studio that tailors the resume for you and paid plans that prepare or submit applications.
Jobscan's free plan includes 5 resume scans a month, a free resume builder with unlimited PDF downloads, a job tracker and a Chrome extension. Paid access is $49.95 a month, or $89.95 every 3 months with a 7-day free trial. If you want detailed scan reports and formatting advice, Jobscan offers more of that than Applystead does.
Applystead's free account includes 10 AI-tailored resumes a day, and the free resume tailor gives up to 5 generations per IP address per Pacific day without an account. Its keyword checker is deliberately simpler than a match rate: it reports selected-term overlap rather than predicting an employer's ATS score. Standard ($200 a month) prepares applications you review one at a time; Premium ($1,000 a month) applies automatically after your separate approval.
We make Applystead, so weigh this page accordingly. Every Jobscan fact below comes from Jobscan's own public pages, checked on the date shown, and links to its source.
Which should you choose?
Choose Applystead if
- You want the resume rewritten for each job at no cost: 10 tailored resumes a day with a free account, or up to 5 generations per IP address per Pacific day with no account.
- You want a browser-based keyword check showing selected terms found and missing, not an employer-specific ATS score.
- You want applications prepared for your review (Standard) or submitted automatically after one explicit approval (Premium).
Choose Jobscan if
- You want a detailed scan report with a match rate, 30+ checks and formatting advice for a specific applicant tracking system.
- You want a free resume builder with unlimited PDF downloads and a job tracker with a Chrome extension for job boards.
- You want to approve every single application before it is sent and pay per application with credits instead of a large monthly plan.
Applystead and Jobscan side by side
| Feature | Applystead | Jobscan |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0: Resume studio, 10 AI-tailored resumes a day, and a master resume plus three saved tailored versions. | $0 forever: 5 free resume scans a month, job tracker, resume builder, resume manager, Chrome extension and learning center. Source for Free plan |
| Paid plan price | Standard is $200 USD a month. Premium is $1,000 USD a month; a launch offer can lower the first three months while it is active, and exact terms are shown before checkout. | $49.95 billed monthly, or $89.95 every 3 months (shown as $29.98 a month) with a 7-day free trial on the quarterly plan. Source for Paid plan price |
| Resume score | No employer-specific ATS score. The free checker shows selected job-description terms found or missing and their overlap percentage, including simple singular/plural matches. | A match rate from 1 to 100% based on hard skills, soft skills, job title, education and other keywords; Jobscan recommends at least 75%. Source for Resume score |
| Formatting checks | No automated formatting or parsing checks; the checker compares selected job-description terms only. | 30+ checks covering formatting, file type, section headings and more, plus ATS-specific tips when it can identify the employer's system. Source for Formatting checks |
| AI resume tailoring | A free account includes 10 AI-tailored resumes per Pacific day. The public tailor allows up to 5 generations per IP address per Pacific day without an account. | AI Optimize applies missing keywords for you; unlimited AI Optimizations (desktop only) are part of the paid plans. Source 1 for AI resume tailoring Source 2 for AI resume tailoring |
| Resume builder and export | A choice of resume templates and unlimited manual PDF exports with no watermark. | A free builder with 9 ATS-friendly templates; create, edit and download unlimited resumes as PDF at no charge. Source for Resume builder and export |
| Job tracker | Not offered. | A free job tracker; its Chrome extension saves jobs from boards such as Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor and shows a match rate on each card. Source for Job tracker |
| Help with applications | Standard prepares applications you review and submit one at a time, up to 200 a day. Premium applies automatically after your separate approval. | Auto Apply finds matching jobs, autofills forms and drafts answers; nothing is submitted until you approve each application. Source for Help with applications |
| Cost of application help | Included in Standard ($200 a month, up to 200 a day) and Premium ($1,000 a month, no Standard daily cap). | Credit based: Premium balances are topped up to 2 credits monthly. Listed packs: 5 for $8.50, 10 for $15 or 25 for $35; one credit per job selected for Auto Apply. Source for Cost of application help |
| Canceling a paid plan | Cancel before renewal to avoid the next charge. Your free documents stay editable and exportable after a paid membership ends. | Cancel any time; paid features last until the period ends, after which you lose access to paid features and the data tied to them. Source for Canceling a paid plan |
Is Jobscan free?
Partly. Jobscan's free plan includes 5 resume scans a month, a free match report with your initial score, a resume builder, a resume manager, a job tracker and a Chrome extension. Its resume builder is fully free: unlimited resumes and PDF downloads with no fee at download.
Unlimited scans, AI Optimize, the AI cover letter and bullet point generators and LinkedIn optimization are paid. Jobscan charges $49.95 a month, or $89.95 every 3 months with a 7-day free trial. Jobscan's pricing page says that when a subscription expires you lose access to paid features and all data associated with them.
Match rate versus plain word overlap
Jobscan's match rate combines hard skills, soft skills, job title, education and other keywords with more than 30 checks, and Jobscan suggests aiming for 75% or higher. Jobscan itself notes that an applicant tracking system does not score your resume when you apply; it describes the match rate as a way to visualize how closely your resume matches the posting.
Applystead's keyword checker takes a narrower view. In your browser, it compares selected job-description terms with your resume, including simple singular/plural matches, and reports terms found, terms missing and an overlap percentage. It does not recognize synonyms or check formatting and section structure. If you want those checks, Jobscan is the more thorough tool.
Tailoring the resume itself
A scan tells you what is missing; you still have to rewrite. Jobscan's AI Optimize, on paid plans, adds missing keywords for you. Applystead's Resume studio drafts a tailored version of your whole resume from a job description or job link, and you edit it in the chat box or section by section before exporting a PDF.
Applystead gives 10 tailored resumes a day on a free account and up to 5 generations per IP address per Pacific day without one. Whichever tool you use, only add skills and experience you actually have.
Two different approaches to applying
Jobscan says Auto Apply sources jobs from Greenhouse, Lever, Workable and 20+ ATS platforms. It prepares applications for your review, and nothing is submitted until you approve that application. You pay with credits.
Applystead Standard also keeps you in control of every submission: you review each prepared application and press Apply, up to 200 a day, for $200 a month. Premium is the one option in this comparison that submits automatically after a single separate approval, for $1,000 a month. Choose it only if that level of automation is what you want.
Common questions
Is Jobscan free?
Jobscan has a free plan with 5 resume scans a month, a free match report, a job tracker, a Chrome extension and a free resume builder with unlimited PDF downloads. Unlimited scans and its AI features are paid, at $49.95 a month or $89.95 every 3 months, according to Jobscan's pricing page on the date this page was checked.
Is Applystead a good Jobscan alternative?
It depends on what you use Jobscan for. If you want a detailed match rate and formatting checks, Jobscan does more. If you want the resume rewritten for each job, Applystead's free account tailors 10 resumes a day, and its free resume tailor gives up to 5 generations per IP address per Pacific day without signing up. Its keyword checker reports selected-term overlap rather than predicting an employer's ATS score.
Does a higher match rate mean an employer will see my resume?
No tool can promise that. Jobscan itself says an applicant tracking system does not score your resume and describes its match rate as a visualization aid. Employers configure their systems and review candidates in different ways. Use any score or keyword list to find genuine gaps, then write clearly for the person who reads it.
How is Applystead's keyword checker different from a resume scanner?
It compares selected job-description terms with your resume, including simple singular/plural matches. It runs in your browser and shows terms found, terms missing and an overlap percentage, not an employer-specific ATS score. It does not check formatting, synonyms or file types.
Do Jobscan Auto Apply and Applystead submit applications without me?
Jobscan says Auto Apply never submits an application until you approve it. Applystead Standard also waits for you to review and press Apply on each application. Applystead Premium is different: after you give a separate, explicit approval for automatic applying, it can submit applications for you without approving each one.
Sources
- Jobscan plans and pricingOpens the plan page (redirects to app.jobscan.co/plan). Verified the free plan contents, $49.95 monthly and $89.95 quarterly prices, 7-day trial, paid feature list and cancellation terms.
- Free Resume ScannerVerified the 1-100% match rate, its inputs, the 75% recommendation, 30+ checks, the free match report, ATS tips and Jobscan's statement that an ATS does not score your resume.
- Free ATS Resume BuilderVerified unlimited free resumes, 9 templates, free PDF download and that AI Optimize and generators are paid add-ons.
- Job Application TrackerVerified the free tracker, Chrome extension saving from Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor, and match rates on job cards.
- Auto ApplyVerified approval before every submission; job sourcing from Greenhouse, Lever, Workable and 20+ ATS platforms; listed credit pack prices; Premium balance top-ups to 2 credits monthly.