Which Resume Builders are Truly ATS-Friendly in 2025?

If you’ve ever applied for a job online and never heard back, chances are your resume got filtered out by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) — before a human ever saw it.

In 2025, over 95% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software like Workday, Greenhouse, or Lever to scan and sort resumes automatically. That means even the most qualified candidate can be rejected if their resume isn’t ATS-friendly.

But not all resume builders are created equal. Some prioritize looks over functionality — and those sleek templates might be hurting your chances.

In this post, we compare the most popular resume builders to see which ones are truly optimized for ATS success — with real testing and insights.

What Makes a Resume ATS-Friendly?

An ATS-friendly resume is formatted and structured so that software can accurately read, parse, and evaluate it. Key elements include:

• Standardized layouts (no columns or tables)
• Clear section headers (like “Experience,” “Education”)
• Proper use of fonts and spacing
• Keyword optimization based on job description
• Avoidance of graphics, icons, or embedded text

‍We Tested 5 Resume Builders Across 3 Major ATS Systems

We created identical resumes across five popular platforms and submitted them through Greenhouse, Lever, and Workday — three of the most commonly used ATS tools by U.S. employers.

Methodology: ATS scans were conducted using Jobscan, ResumeWorded, and test applications in sandboxed ATS accounts. We assessed keyword matching, section detection, and formatting success.

Visual Builders vs ATS-First Builders

Try ResumeStore — Build an ATS-Ready Resume in Minutes

Thousands of job seekers across the U.S. and Canada trust ResumeStore to build resumes that work with modern hiring systems.

✅ Clean, ATS-safe formatting

✅ Job description keyword matching

✅ AI-written bullet points & content suggestions

✅ Free to start, no design skills required