The best CV and résumé apps for iPhone, compared

For the widest choice of designs, use Canva. For a plain document you control, Microsoft Word. For AI writing with cover letters, Kickresume. CV Engineer edits offline. Indeed's Resume.com app is free with no in-app purchases. c-v.ai, which we make, suits tailoring one real CV to many job ads. We checked every listing on 10 November 2026.

By Paul and the c-v.ai team, drawing on years of hiring across industries and of writing CVs professionally. Published 10 November 2026.

How we compared them

We make c-v.ai, so we have tried to be strict with ourselves. On 10 November 2026 we read each app's UK App Store page and each company's own website. Features and prices come from those pages. We didn't buy every subscription, so the table shows what each company says, not a test of each paid feature.

We compared what each app is best for, whether it says it works offline, its AI features, its templates, how you pay, and anything else you'd want to know before downloading. We left out star ratings, because they differ from one country's App Store to another. Prices are the UK App Store's in pounds, and the App Store shows your local price.

The comparison

App	Best for	Offline	AI	Templates	Price model (UK App Store, 10 Nov 2026)	Notes
Canva	A designed CV with lots of visual choice	Not stated	General AI design tools	Hundreds of CV and résumé designs, per the listing	Free. Canva Pro £12.99 to £13.00 a month or £99.99 to £100.00 a year	A general design app, not a CV app. On iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android.
Microsoft Word	A plain document you control, or a Word file an employer asks for	Not stated	Copilot drafting, with a Microsoft 365 subscription	CV templates (number not stated)	Free. Microsoft 365 Personal £8.49 or £84.99, Family £10.49 or £104.99	Needs iOS 26 or later. On Android too.
Kickresume	AI writing plus matching cover letters	Documents stored in the cloud	AI writer, tailoring, resume score, cover letters, translation	40+ CV and cover letter templates, per the listing	Free. £9.95 a month or £24.95 a year. Human proofreading £29.99	Also on the web and Android. Listing says it uses a fine-tuned OpenAI GPT-5 model.
CV Engineer	Building a CV offline with step-by-step advice	Listing says the editor works offline	AI writing assistant and a CV scan	Recruiter-designed templates (number not stated)	Free. Pro subscriptions from £3.99, lifetime options £12.99 to £19.99	Imports PDF or Word. CVs in 14 languages. Optional account. On iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android.
Resume.com (by Indeed)	A simple CV at no cost	Not stated	None in the app. AI is on the Resume.com website	125+ samples and templates, per the listing	Free. No in-app purchases listed	Published by Indeed Inc. English only. US-focused wording.
Indeed Job Search	Applying for jobs on Indeed with a saved CV	Not stated	Not stated for CVs	Indeed's own CV builder	Free. No in-app purchases listed	A job search app. You can upload a CV or use its CV builder, then apply with it.
Zety	Using Zety's website from your iPhone	No app	AI writing on the website	18+ templates, per its pricing page	No iPhone app found. Website (US prices shown to us): free plan with text downloads only, or $1.95 for 14 days, then $25.95 every 4 weeks	Cover letter builder on the website.
Resume.io	Using Resume.io's website from your iPhone	No app	AI help on the website	Several styles, including ATS, Modern, Simple and Word	No iPhone app found. Website (US prices shown to us): free plan with one CV and text downloads, or $2.95 for 7 days, then $29.95 every 4 weeks	Cover letter builder on the website.
c-v.ai	Tailoring one real CV to many job ads	CVs stored on your iPhone. AI needs a connection	Review and tailoring that quote your CV lines, with questions for missing details	Two: Classic and Modern, with an accent colour, A4 or US Letter	Free to create, edit and download PDFs. Plus £24.99 every three months, or £4.99 once for one tailored CV	iPhone only. English interface. No cover letters yet. Every PDF checked on the iPhone for what applicant tracking systems need.

The apps one by one

Canva

Canva's listing promises hundreds of professionally designed CV and résumé templates, inside an app that also edits photos, videos and presentations. It's the strongest choice when the look of your CV matters most, for example in design or marketing. It doesn't tailor a CV to a job ad for you. Designed layouts can use columns, text boxes and images, so run the copy-and-paste test from our ATS-friendly CV checklist before you send one.

Microsoft Word

Word gives you CV templates and full control of a normal document, and some employers ask for a Word file. Copilot can help draft CVs if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription. You do the writing and checking yourself. The current version needs iOS 26 or later, so check your iPhone's software first.

Kickresume

Kickresume has the widest set of AI features of the apps here: an AI writer, tailoring to each job, a resume score, AI cover letters and translation, with documents synced to its website. Its listing mentions 40+ templates and a paid human proofreading service. Paid plans are monthly or yearly. If you use its score, read our guide to what an ATS score means.

CV Engineer

CV Engineer, from First Pick Ltd, walks you through each section with advice and examples written by a former recruiter, according to its listing. It imports PDF or Word CVs, supports CVs in 14 languages, has an AI writing assistant and a scan for common mistakes, and says its editor works offline. An account is optional. Its paid options include subscriptions and lifetime purchases.

Resume.com and Indeed Job Search

Indeed publishes two relevant apps. Resume.com's "Resume Builder: PDF Resume App" is a guided builder with templates and PDF export. Its listing says it is free with no subscriptions or adverts, and its App Store page listed no in-app purchases. The AI features are on the Resume.com website, not in the app. The Indeed Job Search app has its own CV builder and lets you apply to jobs on Indeed with your saved CV, which suits you if Indeed is where you apply.

Zety and Resume.io

Neither had an iPhone app we could find on 10 November 2026. Both websites work in Safari, and both offer cover letter builders. Their free plans limit downloads to plain text, and full access starts with a short paid trial that renews every four weeks unless you cancel. Check the pricing page for your country before you start.

c-v.ai

c-v.ai is built for one job: tailoring your real CV to each job ad on your iPhone. Import a PDF (including scanned pages), a Word file or text, or answer guided questions in six short stages. Paste a job ad or add a screenshot, and the app ranks what the role asks for and shows where your CV already covers each point. Every suggested change has to quote the CV lines it's based on, and you approve each one. Each job gets its own saved version, and every PDF is checked on your iPhone for selectable text, fonts, headings and reading order. AI can make mistakes, which is why nothing changes until you approve it.

Where c-v.ai is weaker

iPhone only. There is no Android app and no web version. Canva, Word, Kickresume, CV Engineer and Indeed all reach more devices.
Two templates. Classic and Modern, with an accent colour. Canva, Kickresume and Resume.com offer far more designs.
No cover letters yet. The current version works on CVs only. Kickresume, Zety and Resume.io write cover letters today.
English interface. Your CV can be in another language with its own job-market setting, but the app's screens are in English.
New. It launched in November 2026 and had no App Store ratings yet when we checked.

Which one to choose

You want a striking design: Canva.
An employer wants a Word file, or you want full control: Microsoft Word.
You want AI to help with the CV and a cover letter in one place: Kickresume.
You want to work offline with guided advice: CV Engineer.
You want a simple CV and pay nothing: Resume.com, or Indeed Job Search if you apply on Indeed.
You apply for many jobs and want each version built from your real CV: c-v.ai.

Whichever you pick, the writing matters more than the app. Our guide on how to write a CV covers each section, and the c-v.ai and ChatGPT comparison helps if you are weighing an app against a chatbot.

Questions

What is the best CV app for iPhone?

It depends on what you need. Canva has the most designs, Microsoft Word gives you a plain editable document, Kickresume combines AI writing with cover letters, CV Engineer works offline, and c-v.ai tailors one real CV to each job ad. All of them are free to download.

Can I make a CV on my iPhone for free?

Yes. Indeed's Resume.com app says it is free with no subscriptions, and its App Store page listed no in-app purchases on 10 November 2026. Microsoft Word, Canva, CV Engineer and c-v.ai also let you create a CV and download a PDF without paying, with paid features on top.

Is there a Zety app for iPhone?

We found no app published by Zety in the UK or US App Store on 10 November 2026, and Zety's website didn't link to one. You can use Zety's website in Safari on your iPhone.

Which CV apps work offline?

CV Engineer's App Store listing says its CV editor works offline. c-v.ai stores your CVs on your iPhone, and its AI features need a connection. Kickresume's listing says your documents are stored in the cloud. The other listings we read didn't say.

Which iPhone CV apps write cover letters?

Kickresume's listing includes an AI cover letter writer, and Zety and Resume.io offer cover letter builders on their websites. c-v.ai doesn't write cover letters in its current version.

Are CVs made in design apps readable by applicant tracking systems?

Any CV can be, as long as its PDF has selectable text that reads in the right order. Test it before you send it by copying the text into a plain text editor, as our ATS-friendly CV checklist explains.