Should I use a Smart Scan or a Classic Scan?

This comes down to one question: where do you want to do the actual writing?

Smart Scan is for working on your resume here. Because we hold it in sections rather than as one block of text, we can score it, check every bullet individually, and rewrite specific lines instead of regenerating the whole document.

Classic Scan is for keeping your resume where it already lives. You get a minimal text editor, so you can paste in what you have, get your match score and your AI suggestions, and take the changes back to whatever you write in.

Neither one is the beginner option. They suit two different working habits, and both cost 1 scan credit.

Both also run the same analysis, so your match score and your missing keywords come out identical either way. Nothing about the scoring is held back on Classic.

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The difference in one table

Pick Smart Scan if you want to work on your resume here

On the Create New Scan dialog it is described as "Build your resume here, ATS ready. Fix every issue in place and download it tailored to the job".

Because your resume is held in structured sections, every bullet is a thing we can address on its own. That is what lets a finding point at the line it came from, and what lets the AI rewrite one bullet instead of regenerating the whole document. Pasted text has no seams to work along, so it can only be rewritten as a whole.

You get:

• Resume quality scoring with actionable suggestions.
• Feedback on every bullet point, covering weak verbs, filler, and missing numbers.
• AI auto-optimize, where you approve, deny, or edit each change.
• A tailored resume for that job, downloadable as a formatted PDF.

You do not need a resume on SkillSyncer first. If you have not uploaded one yet, Smart Scan opens on its own upload step and reads your resume into sections in the background while you fill in the job details.

Smart Scan is not a beta feature and is not restricted by plan, so it is available on every account.

Pick Classic Scan if you write your resume somewhere else

The dialog describes it as "For when you do not want to use our resume builder. The same match score and keyword analysis".

This is the one for people who already have a resume they like, in Word or Google Docs or a designer's template, and no intention of moving it. You paste your text into a plain editor, scan it, and take the results back to wherever the document lives.

You still get the things most people come for:

• Your match score against the job.
• Exactly which keywords and skills you are missing.
• AI optimization, including a whole-resume rewrite that works the missing keywords into your existing text.
• Word count, contact details, and accomplishment checks.

Your own document keeps its design, because nothing is imported or converted. The copy here is plain text, so when you are done you either carry the changes back to your document or export the plain version, as a PDF on any plan or a DOCX on Premium.

Why the two lists differ

Both scans are analyzed as text, so the scoring is the same. What Classic does not have is the resume stored in sections, and three of the Smart features need those sections to exist: the resume score, per-bullet feedback, and the tailored resume download. There is nothing to attach a bullet-level comment to when the resume is one continuous string. Importing a job from a URL is part of the Smart Scan flow, so it is on the same side of the table.

If you started in Classic and decide you want those, run the same job again as a Smart Scan. That is a second scan, so it costs another scan credit.