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Two numbers out of 100

ShouldApply vs Rezi: Scoring the Job vs Scoring the Resume

Rezi is one of the better ATS-focused resume builders: a structured editor, an AI writer, keyword targeting against a pasted JD, and the real-time Rezi Score grading your document's content and formatting. Its Lifetime deal at $149 one-time is a standout in a subscription-heavy category.

The distinction that matters: the Rezi Score scores your resume. The ShouldApply score scores the job. A 92 resume score against a ghost listing, or against a role two depth levels above you, still converts to nothing. The two numbers answer different questions, in a specific order: is this job worth it, then is my resume ready for it.

Score a job freeSee both scores side by side

Last updated

The short version

Both hand you a score. They grade different things.

The Rezi Score grades your document. The ShouldApply score grades the opportunity. Confusing them is how a 92 resume ends up aimed at a listing nobody is filling.

Everything on this page about Rezi links to their own pages, with the date we checked it.

The short answer

Pick Rezi if
You are building or rewriting the resume itself. The Lifetime plan is the best value in the category.
Pick ShouldApply if
The resume is fine and the targeting is not, so you need to know which jobs deserve it.

Same shape, different question

A 92 and a 67 about the same application

Both numbers can be true simultaneously, and neither one predicts the other. The order you read them in is what decides whether the evening was worth it.

Rezi score

92/100

How good is this document?

Content, formatting, and keyword coverage against a pasted job description.

A 92 here says nothing about whether the role is still open, whether it wants two levels above you, or whether the band clears your floor.

ShouldApply score

67/100

Is this job worth the hour?

Skill depth on an L1-L5 scale, salary signals, and ghost probability for one listing.

A 67 here is a live opportunity worth tailoring for. Both numbers can be true at once about the same application.

Feature by feature

ShouldApply and Rezi, side by side

Every row is a claim we would defend in writing. Rezi wins the entire document half, and the free tier comparison is not close.

Feature comparison between ShouldApply and Rezi. Three columns: feature, ShouldApply, Rezi.
FeatureShouldApplyScore a job freeRezi
Core functionJob fit scoring (0-100)AI resume builder + resume score
What the score gradesThe job, against your profileYour resume document
Keyword targetingDepth-aware (L1–L5), not just termsJD term matching (its strength)
Ghost job detectionIncluded. Yes (0-95%)Not included. No
Salary benchmarksIncluded. YesNot included. No
Resume buildingTailoring only (Pro)Full builder, templates, AI writer
Free tier9 tools, no signup1 resume, 3 PDF downloads
PricingFree + $14/mo ProFree + $29/mo Pro or $149 lifetime

Cost

The best-value plan here is not ours

Rezi's $149 one-time Lifetime plan undercuts every subscription in the category within about five months. If your bottleneck is the document, that is the purchase to make.

Monthly, Rezi Pro is $29 against our $14. But comparing monthly prices misses the point when one product is a one-time purchase you keep and the other is an ongoing filter you run weekly. Rezi Lifetime plus ShouldApply Pro for a year still costs less than most single premium career tools.

What Pro includes →

What you pay per month

  • ShouldApply Prounlimited scoring$14
  • Rezi Proor $149 once, for life$29
Both prices checked 31 August 2026 against each company's own pricing page. Rezi's Lifetime plan has no monthly equivalent, so it is not on the chart; at $149 once it beats every monthly plan here over any long search.

The limit of optimization

Four things a 92 does not survive

Rezi can get the document to the top of its own scale. These are the failure modes that live outside the document entirely.

  • The role was filled in June

    Nothing about your resume changes whether anyone is reading applications. Ghost probability is scored before you tailor.

  • It wants ownership, you have exposure

    Keyword targeting confirms the term is present. It cannot see that the sentence around it implies L4 and your experience reads as L2.

  • The band is 30% below your floor

    Most postings do not state salary. A benchmark by role and location tells you before the third interview, not after.

  • You sent 40 of them this month

    A perfect document applied indiscriminately produces perfect rejections. Selection is the lever the document cannot pull.

Where we are the wrong tool

You probably don't want ShouldApply if

  • You need a resume built from scratch. Rezi's structured editor beats writing into a blank page, and we do not have one.
  • You want real-time feedback while you write bullets.
  • ATS keyword targeting against a pasted JD is exactly what you need. That is Rezi's strongest feature.
  • You already know which jobs you want and just need the document to be excellent.

Using both

Score the job, then polish the resume for it

The gap report doubles as the target list for the rewrite, so the second step gets cheaper as well as better aimed.

  1. ShouldApplyScore the listing before writing anything.
  2. ShouldApplySkip the low scores and the high ghost probability.
  3. ReziOpen Rezi for the survivors and tailor against the gap report.
  4. ReziPush the Rezi Score up on that specific version.
  5. YouSend fewer, sharper applications.

Straight answers

Questions about ShouldApply and Rezi

Is the Rezi Score the same kind of score as ShouldApply's?

No. Rezi grades your resume's content, format, and keyword optimization. ShouldApply grades a specific job against your profile: skill depth match, salary signals, authenticity. High marks on one say nothing about the other.

Which should I pay for?

Depends on your bottleneck. Getting interviews from the jobs you pick but your resume looks weak: Rezi ($29/month or $149 lifetime). Applying constantly and hearing nothing: that's usually a targeting problem, and ShouldApply Pro is $14/month. Rezi's lifetime deal plus ShouldApply Pro together still cost less per year than most single premium tools.

Does ShouldApply build resumes?

It tailors existing resumes on Pro, guided by the gap report for a specific job. It's not a from-scratch builder with templates. If you need the document built, Rezi or Kickresume do that better.

Score the job before you polish the resume.

Free at ShouldApply.

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