RefineCV and Distill are both AI CV formatting tools for recruitment agencies with transparent per-CV pricing and unlimited team seats — which makes this one of the closer comparisons in the category. The differences are anonymisation, workflow, and data retention.
TL;DR comparison table
| Feature | RefineCV | Distill |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | AI CV formatting to branded templates | CV formatting + anonymisation |
| Intake method | Web upload (10 input formats) | Email-first, web upload, or API |
| Anonymisation | Not a core feature | Core feature — name, contact, photo, dates |
| Pricing | $0.40/CV pay-as-you-go; $0.25/CV on Pro ($50/month, 200 CVs) | Pay per CV, unlimited users |
| User seats | Unlimited free seats | Unlimited on every plan |
| Template setup | Free — send your template, they rebuild it | Brand kits included per plan |
| Free trial | 10 free CVs, no card | Free trial, no card |
| ATS integration | No deep native integrations | No native integrations; ATS-safe output + API |
What RefineCV actually does
RefineCV turns raw candidate CVs into branded, client-ready documents in about 10 seconds. It accepts 10 input formats, extracts the candidate's details, and applies your branded template automatically, with post-format editing available.
Two things stand out. First, pricing transparency: $0.40 per CV pay-as-you-go with no minimum, or $0.25 per CV on the Pro plan ($50/month for 200 CVs) — among the lowest published per-CV prices in the category. Second, template onboarding: send your existing template as Word, PDF, or PowerPoint and they rebuild it in your account free, with free edits after.
RefineCV's own comparison material concedes that tools living inside an ATS (Allsorter, HireAra, CV-Transformer) have deeper native integrations. Like Distill, it's a standalone tool that outputs documents you then use wherever you work.
What Distill actually does
Distill covers the same formatting ground — messy CV in, branded ATS-safe document out — and adds anonymisation as a core function. Names, contact details, photos, graduation dates, and other identifying data can be stripped in the same pass that formats the document.
The workflow is also different: Distill is email-first. Forward a CV to your Distill address and the finished document comes back — no portal to open, which suits recruiters who live in their inbox. Upload and API intake exist too.
On data handling, Distill runs zero retention: files are deleted immediately after processing. For agencies treating candidate data liability under UK/EU GDPR seriously, that's a structural difference rather than a feature checkbox.
Pricing breakdown
Both tools price per CV with unlimited seats, which makes them the two most budget-predictable options in the category. RefineCV publishes $0.40 pay-as-you-go / $0.25 on Pro. Distill's tiers are on the pricing page — model both against your real monthly volume, and note what each includes: for Distill, anonymisation is part of the same per-CV price rather than a separate product.
Which agency fits which tool
RefineCV fits agencies that:
- Want the lowest published per-CV price for pure formatting.
- Value free template rebuilds with unlimited edits.
- Only need formatting — no blind submittals.
Distill fits agencies that:
- Need anonymisation and formatting in one pass, for blind CV submittals.
- Prefer forwarding an email over opening a portal.
- Want zero data retention on candidate files.
- Ship to ATSs with fussy parsers (Bullhorn, Vincere, JobAdder) and want output tuned for them.
FAQ
Q: Does RefineCV anonymise CVs? A: Formatting is its core job. If blind submittals are part of your workflow, that's the gap Distill fills in the same per-CV price.
Q: Which is faster? A: RefineCV claims ~10 seconds, Distill ~30. In practice both remove the 10–15 minutes of manual reformatting per CV; the difference between them is noise.
Q: Do either integrate natively with an ATS? A: No — both are standalone. Both output ATS-safe documents; Distill also offers an API for building the step into your own pipeline.
Q: What happens to candidate files? A: Distill deletes them immediately after processing. Check RefineCV's current policy for their retention terms.
If you only need formatting at the lowest per-CV price, RefineCV is a fair choice. If your agency also anonymises CVs before client submission, try Distill free — it's both jobs in one pass.