Subscription tools
A flat monthly fee — typically $15-40/month — whether you tailor one resume or dozens. The fee doesn't scale down if you're only applying to a handful of jobs this month, which is most people, most of the time.
resumeBuddy
Subscriptions bill you every month.
Your resume doesn't need one.
Most AI resume tailoring tools charge $15-40/month whether you apply to one job or fifty. resumeBuddy is a free browser extension that uses an AI API key you bring yourself — so you pay the AI provider directly, at their price, for exactly what you use. No subscription, no account, no markup.
Where the $15-40/month actually goes
Subscription resume tools bundle three things into one price: the AI calls themselves, a server that stores your data and runs the app, and a profit margin on top. resumeBuddy only has the first one — there's no server, so there's nothing to bill you monthly for.
resumeBuddy + your own key
You pay your AI provider directly, per request, at their published rate. A tailored resume, cover letter, and outreach message together use a small amount of text — on budget models (Gemini Flash, Groq, OpenRouter's cheaper options) that's routinely a fraction of a cent to a few cents per job applied to, and several providers offer free tiers that cover casual job searching entirely.
The practical difference
A typical job search — a few dozen tailored applications over a few months — usually costs a subscription user $45-160+ in fees they'd pay regardless of how the search goes. The same search through resumeBuddy usually costs single-digit dollars in API usage, sometimes nothing at all on a free tier, and stops costing anything the moment you stop applying.
Side by side
The pattern most subscription resume tools share, versus how resumeBuddy is built.
| Typical subscription tool | resumeBuddy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Flat $15-40/month, regardless of usage | $0 for the extension; pennies to a few dollars per month in direct API usage |
| Account required | Yes — sign-up, login, billing profile | No account, ever |
| Where your resume lives | Stored on the vendor's servers | Stored locally in your browser only |
| AI model choice | Whatever the vendor picked for you | You choose: Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, or Claude |
| Cost if you stop applying | Keeps billing until you cancel | Zero — nothing recurring to cancel |
| Backend / server | Required to run the product | None — runs entirely in your browser |
Who this is (and isn't) for
Bring-your-own-key trades a little setup for a lot of savings — worth being honest about both sides.
Good fit if you...
Don't want another monthly subscription for a job search you hope ends soon; already have (or don't mind creating) a free-tier API key; want your resume to stay on your own device instead of a vendor's database.
Less of a fit if you...
Want a fully managed, zero-setup product and are happy paying a subscription for that convenience; need a built-in job board, application tracker, or team features — resumeBuddy deliberately does one thing.
Frequently asked
How much does resumeBuddy cost?
resumeBuddy itself is free. You pay only for the AI provider calls it makes on your behalf, using an API key you supply — typically a fraction of a cent to a few cents per tailored resume, depending on the model you pick. There is no monthly subscription.
What does "bring your own API key" mean?
Instead of paying a monthly fee to a company that resells AI access, you sign up directly with an AI provider (Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, or Anthropic/ Claude), generate an API key in a couple of minutes, and paste it into resumeBuddy's settings. resumeBuddy calls that provider directly from your browser using your key — there's no markup and no middleman subscription.
Is resumeBuddy cheaper than Huntr, Teal, or other resume tailoring tools?
For most job seekers, yes, by a wide margin. Subscription resume tools commonly charge $15-40/month regardless of how many resumes you actually tailor that month. resumeBuddy has no subscription — you only pay per API call, and several providers (like Groq and Gemini) offer usage that's free or near-free at the volume one person applying to jobs would generate.
Does resumeBuddy require an account or send my resume to a server?
No. resumeBuddy has no backend and no account system. Your master resume and API keys are stored locally in your browser. When you tailor a resume, the request goes straight from your browser to the AI provider you configured — it never passes through a server operated by resumeBuddy, because none exists.
Will resumeBuddy support more AI providers?
More providers are on the way beyond Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, and Claude. If there's a specific provider you'd like to see supported, email contact@boringbydesign.com and let us know.
Try it without committing to anything
No account, no trial that turns into a bill later. Install it, add your own key, tailor your first resume.
Get resumeBuddy