Free ATS resume checker - see what the scanner actually reads

An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is software that many companies use to store and filter resumes before a human ever reads them. If an ATS can't parse your CV correctly - because of a scanned image, an unusual layout, or missing sections - a qualified candidate can be filtered out automatically.

No. Your file is parsed entirely in your browser - it is never uploaded to a server, never written to disk, and no copy survives once you close the tab. Two things can leave the page, and only because you chose them. First, a single anonymous number: the 0-100 score and which mode ran, sent only if you accepted optional analytics. Second, if you press “Rewrite this line with AI”, that one bullet - and we show you the exact text and ask you to confirm before it goes. It is not logged or stored, and declining costs you nothing: all 14 checks already ran on your device.

The 0-100 score reflects how well your CV follows ATS-friendly practices: readable text, clear sections, contact details, measurable results, appropriate length, and a simple layout. It is a heuristic check, not a guarantee of how any specific company's ATS will behave.

Design and ATS-friendliness are different things. A visually polished CV can still score low if it's a scanned image with no real text layer, uses a multi-column layout that scrambles text order, or is missing a clearly labeled section.

No tool can guarantee that, because every company uses different ATS software with different parsing rules. This checker flags the most common, well-documented ATS pitfalls so you can fix them before you apply.

Fix the flagged issues one by one - add missing sections, add concrete numbers to your experience, and simplify the layout if needed. You can rebuild your CV from scratch in the Appliora builder, which uses ATS-friendly templates by default.

Anything from 85 up is technically clean and ready to send. 70-84 means a few fixable things; below 70 you are losing information before a human sees it. Our threshold is deliberately stricter than most - a score that flatters you is not worth having, because the ATS will not flatter you.

Yes, as long as the PDF has a real text layer - which it does if you can select the text with your cursor. A scan, a photo, or a design tool export that flattens everything to an image contains no text at all, and that single problem accounts for a large share of CVs that vanish without a reply. More on how an ATS reads your file.

Rarely by itself. What usually happens is quieter: the parser misreads or drops part of your CV, so you do not match the recruiter's search and never surface in the results. Nobody rejected you - you were never in the shortlist to reject.

Not a different CV - a different emphasis. The structure stays; the skills and phrasing move to match the posting. The Match to a job tab shows exactly which terms from an advert are missing from your CV so you can decide which ones are genuinely true of you.

PDF, if it was exported properly, because it looks the same everywhere and every modern parser handles it. DOCX is a fine second choice and this checker reads both. The format matters far less than whether the layout is a single column. More on CV formats compared.

It happens when the font used for export has no glyphs for ą, ę, ł, ř or ž, or when the text is written in one encoding and read back in another. The letters arrive as question marks, empty boxes, or pairs like Ä… and Å‚. It matters because a recruiter searching for your surname is doing an exact character match, so a mangled name makes you unfindable. Fix it by exporting with Export as PDF rather than Print to PDF, using a font with full Central European coverage - Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman and Inter all work - and then opening the PDF and searching it for your own surname. If it is not found, neither is it found by the ATS. This checker tests for all three failure modes.