Are cheap resume service options actually THIS bad? (my comparison)

I used what I thought was the best cheap resume writing service ($65) and while it wasn't terrible, I still had to spend hours fixing it. In retrospect, I should have either gone with a quality service like craftresumes or just done it myself from scratch. The cheap service created more work for me in some ways because I had to fact-check everything.

@JobHunter2025 Great question about revisions! The $30 and $45 cheap resume service options offered only 1 round of very limited revisions. The $75 one offered 2 rounds, but took 4 days to respond to revision requests. The $150 service offered unlimited revisions within 14 days, with 24-48 hour response times.
Final verdict: The cheap resume services might be okay if you:

Are applying to non-competitive positions
Have time to heavily edit the result
Are good at writing and just need formatting help

But if you're applying to competitive roles or changing careers, the investment in a quality service seems worthwhile based on my experience.

i think it depends on what u need. if ur resume just needs better formatting, a cheap resume writing service might be fine. but if u need help showing ur value or changing careers, prob better to invest more. i used a $40 service and it was ok for my retail job applications.

@chuedi0F That's a good point! For straightforward work histories and less competitive fields, a cheap resume service might be sufficient. It's when you need strategy (career changes, competitive industries, executive positions) that the quality difference really matters.
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! This has been super helpful.

@Counconect your comparison is spot on. i tried a $45 cheap resume writing service on upwork thinking "well, formatting only" — they fixed spacing but added zero value to content. then i saw your $150 craftresumes result and realized the gap is huge. anyone tried something in $80-100 range that was actually decent? or is it always better to save longer for good affordable resume writing services?

@BudgetJobSeeker i did $60 one from some freelance site — it was ok for a quick one-page fix before a campus fair, but zero tailoring or metrics. my projects looked like everyone else's. after reading here, i scraped together extra cash for resume writing lab (~$145 with discount). they did a call, asked about my internships, turned basic duties into achievements. callbacks started coming. cheap resume services might work if you're desperate, but for real jobs — nah, not worth the risk.

@FirstJobPanic same story. cheap resume writers are hit or miss — one $50 gig I tried just bolded stuff and changed font. no help with engineering keywords or quantifying projects. resume writing lab rush (~$160) was night and day: they knew what aerospace recruiters want, added agile mentions from my group work, made it scannable. got internship offer 2 weeks later. @Counconect your test proves it — cheap resume service can cost you opportunities if it's garbage.

thanks @BudgetJobSeeker @FirstJobPanic @EngineerInTraining for the extra real stories — this thread keeps getting better! quick update from me: after all your input, i decided to go with resume writing lab instead of risking another cheap resume service. paid ~$145 (they had promo), got consultation call, they tailored everything to my target roles and added metrics I didn't even think of. already sent 12 apps — 2 callbacks so far (huge improvement from my old version).