Free
Modern
Best for: most applications. A clean header band that matches the Modern resume for a consistent, considered package.
Use this template →
Cover letter templates · Backstage · free to build
Cover letter templates that sound like you.
A gallery of twelve professionally designed letters — Modern to Creative, Swiss to Photo — built to pair with your resume and earn a read. Pick one, write it free, preview live, and download a PDF (create a free account to download). Prep Backstage. Step into the spotlight.
Most templates free
Matches your resume
Free PDF download
The gallery
Twelve designs. Each one built to be read.
Every template shares clean type, sensible spacing, and a structure recruiters actually scan — so you pick on tone and audience, not on guesswork. Many match a resume template, and you can switch anytime without re-typing.
Pro+
Executive
Best for: directors, VPs and C-suite. A composed, authoritative tone with room for a leadership thesis and selected impact.
Use this template · Pro+ →Pro+
Sidebar
Best for: a coordinated set. A two-column layout with contact and highlights in the rail — pairs with the sidebar resume so the application reads as one.
Use this template · Pro+ →Pro+
Band
Best for: standing out — sales, BD and startups. A high-contrast color band across the top and a confident opener that earns the next paragraph.
Use this template · Pro+ →Free
Swiss
Best for: product, design and consulting. A strict typographic grid with a left label column — disciplined, modern, and easy to scan.
Use this template →Free
Technical
Best for: engineers, data and IT. A monospaced header and crisp, impact-led paragraphs that map to the role's stack — matches the Technical resume.
Use this template →Pro+
Creative
Best for: design, marketing and brand roles. A touch of color and personality, while the body stays clean and genuinely readable.
Use this template · Pro+ →Free
Corporate
Best for: traditional industries — finance, law, healthcare, government. A polished business-letter format with a ruled header — no surprises.
Use this template →Pro+
Elegant
Best for: a refined impression — consulting, luxury, hospitality. Serif type and centered detailing for an understated, considered tone.
Use this template · Pro+ →Free
Minimal Mono
Best for: letting the words carry. Monospaced accents, generous whitespace and restrained type so your argument lands without distraction.
Use this template →Pro+
Two-Tone
Best for: a confident, modern look. A split dark header with an accent edge — distinctive up top, clean and readable through the body.
Use this template · Pro+ →Pro+
Photo
Best for: personal, relationship-led fields and regions where a headshot is expected. A friendly photo header with a warm, human opener.
Use this template · Pro+ →How it works
Pick a template, make it yours, download in minutes.
The builder is the Backstage app — quick, guided, and genuinely free. Switching templates never loses your content.
01
Choose a design
Browse the gallery and pick the tone that fits the role and your story. Core templates are free.
02
Write your letter
Guided prompts for the opener, the case, and the close — with examples so you never face a blank page.
03
Preview & match
See it format live, and match it to your resume template in a click. Your content carries across designs.
04
Download your PDF
Export a polished PDF free — create a free account so it saves to Backstage and you can edit anytime.
Free vs. Pro+
Honest about what's free — and what isn't.
Most templates and a real PDF download are free. A few premium designs and power features that take real craft and compute are part of a paid plan. Here's the exact line.
Free
$0
Write, preview, and download a PDF
- Core templates
- Live formatted preview
- Match to a resume template
- Section guidance & examples
- PDF download — free, account required
- Saved to your Backstage workspace
Pro+
Plan · part of a paid plan
For an active, all-out search
- Everything in Free
- Premium templates beyond the core set
- Strategist-led writing & rewrite of openers and paragraphs
- Tailoring to a specific job description
- DOCX export for editable Word files
- Unlimited versions per role and audience
Done-for-you is separate. Per-application, human-written cover letters — written and submitted for you by a real strategist — are part of the managed Career Concierge, not the self-serve builder.
Backstage & the marquee
Prep Backstage. Step into the spotlight.
Templates are part of Backstage — the free, self-serve career-tools layer. Do a lot here yourself, for free. When you're ready for someone to run the whole search, that's the marquee.
Backstage — free & self-serve
Pick a template
Recruiter-tested designs, live preview, free PDF download. You drive.
Use the free tools
Score your candidacy, find the side door, tailor and headline — all Backstage.
Prep on your own time
Everything saved to your workspace, ready when the right role appears.
The marquee — human-led Career Concierge
A real strategist runs it
A person writes your letter per application — not a template, a human.
Outreach & referrals
The side door: recruiter outreach and warm intros, done on your behalf.
Applications submitted for you
You stop applying and start interviewing. Headline the marquee.
More Backstage tools
Keep prepping. It's all free.
Templates pair well with the rest of the free toolkit.
Templates
01
Resume Templates
A matching gallery of professionally designed, ATS-ready resume templates — pick a pair so your application reads as one package.
Browse templates → Tailor02
Résumé Tailor
Paste a job description to see your keyword match, the terms you're missing, and how to rewrite bullets so you clear the screen.
Try it free → Side door03
Recruiter & Referral Finder
Skip the apply button. Map the recruiters and warm referral paths behind a company, with a draft message to open the side door.
Try it free → Headline04
Name in Lights
Turn your title and wins into a recruiter-ready headline and personal-brand one-liner — then watch your name go up in lights.
Try it free →FAQ
About the cover letter templates.
Most are. Writing with the core templates is free, and you can download a PDF for free once you create a free account. A handful of premium designs — plus DOCX export, strategist-led writing and tailoring, and unlimited versions — are part of a paid plan.
It helps. Several templates — especially Matched Header — share the header, type, and spacing of our resume templates, so your application reads as one consistent, considered package. You can pick a matching pair in a couple of clicks.
No account is needed to start writing with any template. A free account is only required when you download, so your letter saves to your Backstage workspace and you can return to edit it anytime.
Each card lists who it's best for. Modern, Corporate and Minimal Mono fit most roles; Executive and Elegant suit senior and refined audiences; Technical and Swiss are crisp and structured for engineering and product; Sidebar, Band, Creative, Two-Tone and Photo bring more design and personality for brand-forward applications. You can switch templates anytime without re-typing.
The builder is self-serve and free, with strategist-led writing and tailoring on paid plans. Done-for-you, per-application cover letters written and submitted by a real strategist are part of the managed Career Concierge — the human-led service that runs your whole search.
Prep Backstage.
Headline the marquee.
Pick a template and write your cover letter free today. When you'd rather have a real person run the whole search — writing every application and opening the side door — that's the Career Concierge.