Enhancv designs a beautiful resume. ApplyArc runs your whole job search · and it's actually free. One is a design-led builder. The other tracks every application and handles the 18 tools after it.
Be clear-eyed: Enhancv makes some of the best-looking resumes on the market, and Pro even adds a basic tracker. But there's no free plan · just a 7-day trial, and trial downloads carry a watermark. ApplyArc is not a resume builder · it's a 6-stage kanban tracker, an ATS checker, and 18 AI tools around the CV you already have · free forever, no card.
Most tools ship the model's first draft. ApplyArc verifies the numbers, strips the AI tells, and pulls from one resume memory across every tool.
Every AI output runs through metricVerifier. If a percentage or revenue figure isn't on your real CV, it gets caught and rewritten before you see it.
235+ patterns blocked · ‘spearheaded’, ‘leveraged’, em-dash tricolons. Recruiters spot AI in seconds. We rewrite the giveaways before they ship.
18 AI tools share one context. Cover letter, interview prep, salary script · every output draws from the same canonical achievements. Same voice, every time.
Enhancv is honest about what it is: a design-led resume builder. Beautiful templates, a content analyser, an AI writer, and a basic tracker in Pro. It makes a CV that looks great. But there's no free plan · just a 7-day trial with watermarked downloads · and its tracker is a light add-on, not the centre of the product.
ApplyArc is the platform that runs the rest, for free · a 6-stage kanban tracker at its core, fact-checked AI that can't invent numbers, interview prep, and a salary script when the offer lands. Build in Enhancv if you love its templates. Then track and apply in ApplyArc · free forever.
An honest June 2026 look. Green = ApplyArc wins. Amber = Enhancv wins. We don't claim to out-design a designer.
| Feature | ApplyArc | Enhancv |
|---|---|---|
| Genuinely free tier (not just a trial) | Free forever | 7-day trial |
| No watermark on downloads | Paid only | |
| 6-stage kanban application tracker | Core feature | Basic (Pro) |
| Output-side fact-checks AI numbers | ||
| Design-led resume builder + templates | Optimizer only | Best-in-class |
| Visual / designer templates | ||
| ATS resume scoring | ||
| AI Cover Letter Generator | ||
| AI-tell scanner (235+ patterns) | ||
| Unified resume memory across tools | ||
| AI Interview Prep + mock interviews | ||
| AI Salary Negotiation | ||
| Follow-up Email Generator | ||
| Chrome extension (LinkedIn, Indeed) | Launching soon | |
| Total AI tools | 18 | ~5 |
| Monthly price | £19 flat | $19.99–24.99 |
| GBP pricing (no FX fees) |
Free forever · kanban tracker, fact-checked AI, 18 tools.
18 AI tools · £19/mo · cancel in 2 clicks
No card required · Free to use today · £19/mo when you upgrade
Microsoft for Startups · Google for Startups · GDPR-ready
Enhancv is a design-led resume builder · you build a visually polished, ATS-friendly CV from templates, and Pro adds a basic application tracker. ApplyArc is a job-search platform built around the resume: a 6-stage kanban tracker, 18 AI tools, interview prep, salary scripts, and an output-side fact-checker. Enhancv is a from-scratch builder; ApplyArc optimises the CV you already have and runs the whole search around it.
Not a permanent one · Enhancv offers a 7-day free trial, and trial downloads carry Enhancv branding (a watermark) with section limits. After 7 days you need Pro to download a clean resume. ApplyArc's free tier is genuinely free forever: 5 fact-checked AI generations a month and up to 100 tracked jobs, no card, no watermark, nothing to cancel.
Yes · Enhancv Pro includes a basic application tracker so you can log where and when you applied. We won't pretend otherwise. ApplyArc's tracker is the core of the product, not an add-on: a drag-and-drop kanban across 6 stages, with a Chrome extension for LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor launching soon. If tracking is central to how you job-hunt, ApplyArc is built for it; if you mainly want a beautiful CV with light tracking, Enhancv does that.
No, and we won't pretend otherwise. Enhancv builds visually striking resumes from templates · that's its core strength. ApplyArc optimises the resume you already have (rewrites bullets, scores ATS match, fact-checks numbers) and then handles everything after it: tracking, cover letters, follow-ups, interview prep. Want a designer-led builder? Enhancv. Want to run and track the whole search with genuinely-free tools? ApplyArc.
No. Enhancv Pro is roughly $19.99–$24.99/month (cheaper on longer commitments, and there's no permanent free plan · only a 7-day trial). ApplyArc is a flat £19/month or £15/month billed annually, priced in GBP with no FX fees · plus a free-forever tier Enhancv doesn't offer. You pay less and get a usable free plan.
No. Enhancv's AI writer suggests polished bullet points but ships whatever the model generates, including invented metrics. ApplyArc's metricVerifier extracts every numeric token from AI output and silently retries if a number isn't in your real resume · so the AI can't fabricate a '40% increase' you never achieved.
Enhancv · its design-led templates and visual layouts are among the best on the market for a standout, human-read CV. ApplyArc isn't a designer; it focuses on ATS-match optimisation, fact-checked content, and running the search. If a beautiful template is your priority, build in Enhancv. If passing the ATS and tracking the pipeline matters more, ApplyArc.
Three reasons people pick ApplyArc as home base: (1) a genuinely-free-forever tier vs Enhancv's 7-day watermarked trial; (2) 18 AI tools and a 6-stage kanban tracker vs Enhancv's builder-plus-basic-tracker; and (3) flat £19/mo GBP with fact-checked AI. If you love Enhancv's templates, build there · then track and apply in ApplyArc.
Free forever. 5 fact-checked AI generations every month, up to 100 tracked jobs. No card, no watermark.
Cancel any time, 1 click.
Score your CV in seconds · no sign-up
No download paywall, plus tracking
The other big AI resume builder, compared
Inside the metricVerifier architecture
Voice Guard rejects AI tells
£19/mo flat. Cancel any time