Blog · 16 September 2026 · 7 min read

Free ATS Check vs Paid JD-Weighted Score

Guest resume checker is a keyword preview with no OpenAI. The signed-in JD-weighted score adds skills match, experience relevance, and fixes — not a named-ATS pass.

  • resume
  • ATS
  • resume-checker
  • job-search

Two tools. Two different jobs.

A free ATS check on the resume checker is a guest keyword-and-formatting preview. Paste resume text and a job posting. No account. No OpenAI call.

A paid JD-weighted score lives in the ATS resume builder after you sign in. It is opt-in. It scores this posting's language plus skills match and experience relevance, and offers one-click keyword and format fixes.

Neither is a named-ATS certification. Neither is Workday. Neither guarantees an interview. For what the number is not, see what an ATS score is not — that post deferred the free-vs-paid depth to this one.

UK readers: same product if you say CV.

Side-by-side: guest check vs signed-in score

Guest check (/resume-checker)Signed-in JD-weighted score
AccountNoYes
Calls OpenAI / ats-scoreNeverYes (when you ask)
What it scoresKeyword overlap + simple formatting (length, dates, headings, table-like columns)JD-weighted keywords + formatting + skills match + experience relevance
FixesShows gaps; you edit elsewhereOne-click keyword / format fixes in the builder
EntitlementAlways free for guestsUses your 1 free application pack (lifetime Free entitlement) or Pro — not a buyable pack SKU
Named ATSNoNo

Use the guest preview to see the gap before you commit an account or spend depth. Use the builder score when you are ready to tailor a copy, draft a matching cover letter, and track the application.

What the free check is good for

Run it when you have a real posting and a draft resume — not once a year on a generic file.

  1. Paste the real job text from the page you are applying from — not a paraphrase, not the About blurb.
  2. Read missing terms and map them to work you actually did. Do not stuff a keyword you cannot defend in an interview.
  3. Fix format first if headings are odd or the layout is multi-column. Parsers never see keywords they cannot read. Prefer single-column, parser-safe layouts from our set of twelve templates — not hundreds. Free starts with three (Modern, Classic, Simple); Pro unlocks all twelve. See resume templates.

For pulling terms from a posting, see ATS resume keywords. For how parsers read a file, see how to pass an ATS. This post is not a second keyword guide or a second parsing guide — it is the which tool when decision.

The Chrome extension clips this tab's listing so you are not retyping. It does not autofill employer forms. It does not scrape LinkedIn. LinkedIn import is a user-exported PDF only — no OAuth pull, no write-back.

What the paid JD-weighted score adds

After you create a resume and open a job in the builder, the signed-in score is a separate run. We do not fire it until you ask.

It still scores this job description, not a vendor label. It adds:

  • Skills match and experience relevance against the posting
  • One-click keyword and format fixes on the tailored copy
  • A path into the full apply loop: tailor a copy of the master (master stays), cover letter from the same JD, track the send

That loop is the product. PDF export is print-from-preview, not "pixel-perfect" marketing language.

Recruiter view in the product is a heuristic skim overlay — not a real recruiter and not an ATS parse.

Entitlement without the sales pitch

  • Guest checker: free. Never consumes the free application pack. Never calls OpenAI.
  • Free (signed-in): unlimited master PDF; three templates; one free application pack (lifetime Free entitlement) for AI-depth / apply-flow — including a full tailor + cover + ATS run, or any single AI-depth action (AI improve / ATS / cover / standalone tailor). Then Pro. Building and exporting a master does not spend that pack by itself.
  • Pro Monthly: unlimited tailor + ATS + cover for an active search; all twelve templates. See pricing.

We do not sell Application Pack, PAYG, credits, annual, or lifetime for new purchases. Never say "taste."

When to stop at free — and when to go deeper

Stay on the guest check if you only need a quick keyword gap list before you edit by hand, or you are comparing two postings before you pick which to apply to first.

Open the signed-in score when you will actually tailor and send. A number without a sent application is a hobby. Keep the master; ship a tailored copy per posting — details in master resume vs tailored copy.

If you already have a finished file and you want a scanner that names ATS vendors, that is a different category (Jobscan's job). We say the difference plainly on Wizume vs Jobscan. We do not claim Workday. Lever / Greenhouse notes from our own sample uploads are indicative only — employer configurations differ.

FAQ

Is the free ATS check the same as the builder score?

No. Guest = keyword + simple formatting preview, no OpenAI. Signed-in = opt-in JD-weighted run with skills/experience depth and fixes.

Does the free check use my free application pack?

No. The guest checker never consumes it. A signed-in ATS / tailor / cover / AI-depth action can.

Does a high score mean I will pass Workday or Greenhouse?

No. We do not certify named ATS systems. We do not claim Workday. A high JD-weighted score means this posting's language and a parser-safe layout are in better shape — not a pass from a named system.

Can either score guarantee interviews?

No.

Resume or CV?

Same product. US default says resume. UK (en-GB) says CV.

Check the gap. Then score the copy you will send.

Start with the free resume checker. When you are ready to tailor and apply, open the ATS resume builder from wizume.ai.

Ready to build your resume?

Create a free account and start with an ATS-friendly template.

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