CVPitch vs Distill: CV Formatting for Agencies Compared

CVPitch vs Distill is a choice between two quite different workflows. Distill formats CVs into your house style, removes identifying details and can reply with Word and PDF files by email. CVPitch formats CVs into client variants too, and now also accepts CVs by email and removes more personal details, but its emphasis is on review: the source passage behind each fact, approval tied to the exact version, and an evidence-backed job match.

How we compared them: we make CVPitch. On 10 October 2026 we opened a free Distill account (it requires a work email address), processed one synthetic CV, downloaded PDF and Word files, corrected the result, regenerated it, and set up a brand kit. We also tried some of Distill's free public tools. One synthetic CV cannot measure accuracy, so we make no accuracy claims.

The short answer

Choose Distill if you want formatted files emailed straight back without a review step, anonymisation controls that include location, short retention with an immediate-deletion option, an EU data region chosen at signup, or the option of browser-local processing it advertises.

Choose CVPitch if you want a lower entry price, an API on every plan, per-fact source evidence with revision-tied approval, a requirement-by-requirement job match with a pitch email, native ATS connectors, and a connector for Claude and ChatGPT.

Who each tool suits

Distill suits

• Agencies whose CVs arrive by email and who want formatted files back the same way.
• Blind or bias-reduced hiring processes: Distill's controls cover name, contacts, location, gender, age, nationality or visa, universities and employers.
• Teams with strict retention rules. Its retention menu defaulted to 24 hours, with options from immediate deletion to twelve months.
• Agencies that need an EU data region, chosen at signup.

CVPitch suits

• Agencies that want to start at $19 a month for 50 exports, with unlimited users.
• Recruiters who need to check every employer, date and qualification against the source before a client sees it.
• Teams that pitch candidates against job descriptions and want the evidence in the email.
• Agencies that want API, webhooks and an AI-assistant connector without moving to a higher tier.

Side-by-side comparison

What we saw in Distill

Distill's free tier gets you to a real result quickly. Our synthetic CV processed in seconds, both the PDF and the Word file downloaded, and the nine identifiers we planted were absent from the PDF text and every DOCX XML part we checked. Editing a field and choosing Save & Regenerate produced corrected PDF and Word files. The brand kit let us change heading fonts and colours, rename Work History to Experience and move it above Key Skills, and those settings survived a reload. History kept Word and PDF actions for the job. A second brand kit was marked as an upgrade.

Where CVPitch differs

Evidence for each fact, and an approval gate

In CVPitch, each extracted fact links to the exact source passage. Facts with no supporting passage are marked unverified, recruiter additions are labelled, and review flags block approval until resolved. Approval covers the facts, the template version and the contact-removal policy, so any later change needs a fresh approval. The DOCX and PDF come from that one approved snapshot.

Job match that reads requirements, not keywords

Keyword overlap scores can mislead: a line such as "no Python experience" still contains the word Python. CVPitch's job match marks each requirement as evidenced, partly evidenced or not shown and puts the supporting CV passage beside it, so you read the evidence rather than trust a score. The matching is deterministic, and it drafts an editable pitch email citing the evidence, plus gaps to confirm with the candidate. See how to pitch a candidate to a client.

Lower entry price, more included

CVPitch Starter is $19 for 50 exports against Distill's $49 for 50. Every CVPitch plan includes the REST API, signed webhooks, chat notifications, native ATS connectors, email intake and the MCP connector, plus monthly AI credits for OCR and AI writing. See pricing and integrations.

Client sharing

CVPitch can share an approved CV through a secure expiring link that tracks opens and downloads and lets the client choose Request interview, Maybe or Not a fit. Share links and bulk upload are common across the market, so treat them as parity rather than a reason to switch. Both products also have email intake and free public tools; CVPitch's anonymiser runs in your browser using rules rather than AI.

Where Distill may be the better choice

• Anonymisation controls. Both now cover gender, age, nationality, universities and employers. Distill also has a location control. CVPitch's personal-detail detection relies on English labels and phrasing and lists mixed sentences for you to fix. Remember that career history can still identify someone; see our blind CV guide.
• Short retention. Immediate deletion and a 24-hour default suit agencies that never want CVs stored. CVPitch's shortest retention period is one day, and you can delete a submission at any time.
• Files straight back by email. Distill replies with formatted files. CVPitch replies with review links and emails the final files only after a recruiter approves them, which is safer but adds a step.
• EU region selection. If your contracts require EU hosting, Distill lets you choose it at signup.
• Free tools and browser-local mode. Distill advertises free local extraction and anonymisation using Chrome's built-in AI where supported. We did not verify where that processing happens.

Pricing compared

At 50 CVs a month, CVPitch Starter costs $19 and Distill's entry plan $49. At 200 to 300, CVPitch Pro is $49 for 200 and Agency $99 for 500, against Distill's $199 for 300. At 1,000, Distill publishes a $499 plan; CVPitch's largest published plan, Agency, covers 500 a month. Both include unlimited users.

Next steps

Try both with the same five CVs, including one with contact details in the header and footer, and inspect the Word file properties as well as the page. Our guide to removing contact details from a CV shows where details hide, and our GDPR guide for agencies covers retention. Also compare CVPitch vs RefineCV and the full features list.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVPitch cheaper than Distill?

On published October 2026 prices, yes for up to 500 CVs a month: $19 for 50 and $99 for 500 on CVPitch, against $49 for 50 and $199 for 300 on Distill. Distill publishes a 1,000-CV plan at $499.

Which is better for blind CVs?

Both go beyond contact removal. Distill offers eight controls, including location. CVPitch removes contact details, can replace the name with a candidate reference, removes date of birth, age, nationality, visa, gender, marital status and religion lines, masks employers and institutions with descriptors, and clears hidden metadata. Neither tool can make a distinctive career history anonymous.

Does CVPitch accept CVs by email?

Yes. A workspace owner turns on a private intake address, and recruiters forward CVs to it from their work mailbox. Each attachment becomes a draft, the reply lists review links, and the final files can be emailed back after approval. You can also upload in the browser or through the REST API.

Can I keep CVs for less than a day in CVPitch?

The shortest retention setting is one day, and you can delete any submission immediately after export. Deletion revokes access at once and queues the stored files for removal. Start a free trial to check the settings.

Distill details reflect its public pages and our free-account testing on 10 October 2026. Features and prices change, so check Distill's own site before deciding.