Yes, TopResume is a legitimate online resume-writing service. However, some online reviewers were disappointed in the results, citing a low-quality product and poor customer service as two of the main reasons.

How much does TopResume cost?

TopResume costs between $179 and $349 depending on which plan you choose. They have a payment plan available for customers who prefer to make monthly payments. However, there may be additional charges involved, such as an unspecified fee for a call with your resume writer.

Can I get a refund from TopResume?

No, TopResume doesn’t provide refunds for their services. You may, however, be eligible for a rewrite of your resume if you’re not satisfied with the results. If you choose TopResume’s mid or top-tier package, they offer a 60-day guarantee. Their website states that they will rewrite your resume one additional time if you don’t receive “two times more job interviews within 60 days of receiving your resume”.

TopResume Honest Review: Pricing, Builder, & Other Services

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TopResume positions itself as a comprehensive job application solution, offering a resume builder, professional resume writing services, and one-on-one career support.

As a certified resume writer with over 10 years of industry experience, I was curious how valuable these tools are for actual job seekers. So I made a resume using the builder tool and reviewed customer experiences with TopResume’s writing services and career support.

Use the following information to decide whether you’d be better off with TopResume or one of the other resume builders on the market.

TopResume services & pricing

Let’s start with what TopResume offers and how much it costs. Its services range from a DIY resume builder to professional resume writing and full job application support.

TopResume uses a mix of short-term trials, recurring subscriptions, and one-time packages.

Here’s a simple breakdown of its services, costs, and billing structure to help you understand what you’re paying for.

TopResume Services & Pricing

Service	Cost	Billing Frequency
Resume Builder Trial (7-Day Trial)	$2.95	First 7 days
Resume Builder Trial (After 7 Days)	$29.95 per month	Monthly
Resume Builder Standard Membership	$49.95	Quarterly
Resume Writing	$179+	One-time payment
Resume & Cover Letter Writing	$229+	One-time payment
1–1 Coaching & Application Support	$2,495+	One-time payment

Trial and standard memberships include the same resume builder features. The only difference is in how you’re billed (confusing, I know).

The trial option is cheaper if you only need the builder for a short period, while the quarterly membership becomes better value if you plan to use the tool for more than two months.

Most job seekers don’t need long-term access to a resume builder to run an effective job search, so I’d argue you’re better off signing up for a trial membership — even if you end up paying the $29.95 monthly fee.

My experience using the resume builder

I used TopResume’s builder to create a resume for a job that I would actually apply for. By choosing a field that I know well, both professionally and as a resume writer, I was able to evaluate how accurate and helpful the builder features would be for a typical job seeker.

What I liked

Interface is well-designed and beginner-friendly
AI produced professional, accurate content

What I disliked

Templates were plain and unlikely to stand out
Resume review tool made inaccurate and unnecessary suggestions
Tailoring tool was imprecise and even made my resume look a little sloppy

What I liked

Overall, TopResume is well-designed and easy to use, even for complete beginners. The builder offers plenty of guidance for each resume section, and the accordion-style layout with a live preview makes editing easy. The AI writing support was another positive feature.

Easy to use

Resume sections are completed through a single vertical form, with a live preview to the right so you can see your document is taking shape as you go.

You can also drag and drop sections of the form to adjust your resume’s structure. This feature is useful if you want to foreground your education or skills (a good strategy for writing a recent graduate resume).

The sections themselves are well explained, with brief instructions and writing tips so you always know what to write. I also liked that the professional summary and work experience fields include recommended character counts, as many applicants write far too much or far too little in these sections.

Helpful AI writing tools

TopResume’s AI writing assistant can generate resume content from scratch or edit existing content for impact, tone, and accuracy.

I tested it by entering a previous job title and asking the tool to generate bullet points. The first draft was a little generic, but I found it a useful tool for brainstorming the achievements I wanted to include, though I’ve had similar results using other free bullet point generators.

As an editor, TopResume’s AI writing tool is highly effective. It translated rough descriptions of my work into concise, value-oriented achievements. That said, I did notice some hallucinations (e.g., claims about working with specific departments that I hadn’t mentioned in my prompts).

What I didn’t like

Aside from the writing tool, many of TopResume’s AI features were either ineffective or unnecessary. I also wish more care had gone into the resume template selection.

Poor template curation

TopResume offers plenty of templates, but quality control feels inconsistent.

Many designs aren’t aligned with current hiring standards, and it’s not always clear which templates are best suited for particular industries or career stages. Several layouts suffer from inefficient spacing, awkward margins, and indentation issues.

Screenshot of the TopResume template selection window. — Some templates were very flashy and space-inefficient.

Worse, some templates labeled as ATS-friendly use multi-column layouts or graphic headers that aren’t actually ATS-compatible.

I also ran into parsing issues when switching templates, which undermines one of the builder’s core promises: quickly creating multiple versions of the same resume.

Weak resume review tool

The resume review tool generated a long list of improvements to my resume, but without clear prioritization. High-impact guidance was mixed in with low-value or generic suggestions, such as adding a LinkedIn or portfolio link (not necessary for my target role).

I also noticed repetitive advice (add metrics, include skills, adjust bullet formatting) that wasn’t always accurate or context-aware.

Ineffective resume tailoring

TopResume’s tailoring tool claims to align your resume to a target role using only a job description URL. While the promise was appealing, the results fell short.

Keyword suggestions were pulled from my target job, but they lacked context, making it unclear which terms actually mattered.

More disappointing were the automatic edits to my resume, which were longwinded and unconvincing. The tailoring tool doubled the length of my resume summary, over-explaining my skills without addressing the specific job requirements.

In fairness, building a precise AI tool is difficult because employer requirements vary enormously. But for that same reason, you’re better off tailoring your resume manually.

A screenshot of the TopResume resume tailoring tool.

Customer experiences with TopResume’s writing services

TopResume charges $179–$599 for resume writing services.

In exchange, you’re paired with a professional resume writer who creates a resume and cover letter on your behalf. You’ll also receive help applying to three jobs, and your resume will be forwarded to 200 recruiters. It’s unclear whether those recruiters are actively hiring for relevant roles.

To evaluate TopResume’s writing services fairly, I reviewed customer feedback across several major platforms.

SmartCustomer reviews

On SmartCustomer (previously Sitejabber), TopResume’s reviews are positive overall, with over 82% of customers saying they would recommend the service. At the time of writing, TopResume is rated 4.6 stars across 5,703 reviews.

Recent reviews are mostly positive, though some users report stiff writing and limited value from the resume distribution feature.

A four-star review of TopResume. It says, "Phil, the writer, was quick to respond to me, but the distribution is only for a few countries I am not really interested in!"

Negative reviews cite billing and payment issues.

Trustpilot reviews

TopResume has an overall rating of 4.2 stars on Trustpilot. Around 12% of reviewers give the service one star.

Many reviewers praise the quality of the writing services, but some are less enthusiastic about the job application services.

A four-star review of TopResume on Trustpilot. It says, "Phil, the writer, was quick to respond to me, but the distribution is only for a few countries I am not really interested in!"

Reddit reviews

A handful of reviewers on Reddit are unhappy with the quality of TopResume’s writing services.

Some felt that their TopResume writer added little value to the material they provided.

How does TopResume compare to other resume services?

TopResume is a reputable resume builder and resume writing provider, with services for job seekers ranging from entry-level to executive.

There are areas where TopResume outperforms its competitors. The table below shows it compares against other premium resume builder subscriptions, billed for a trial period or monthly:

TopResume vs Other Resume Builders

	Trustpilot Rating	Premium Trial	Monthly Subscription
TopResume	4.2	$2.95 (7 days)	$29.95
Resume Genius	4.5	$2.95 (14 days)	$23.95
Teal	4.2	No premium trial	$13
Kickresume	4.6	No premium trial	$24
Novoresume	4.5	No premium trial	$21.99
EnhanCV	4.6	No premium trial	$29
Rezi	4.6	No premium trial	$29

The bottom line: Is TopResume legit?

Yes, TopResume is a legitimate service, but it doesn’t always deliver value in proportion to its ambitions.

The platform is well designed and easy to use, yet some features require refinement to be useful to job applicants (e.g., the tailoring tool and resume review service). With stronger quality control and more focus on its core resume builder and writing tools, TopResume could be a much stronger product.

TopResume’s resume writing services generally appear to produce solid results, but the higher price point isn’t a guarantee of quality.

Given the cost, weigh your budget against your expectations. I’d also recommend checking how TopResume compares to other resume writing services before committing.