Editorial Policy

How tools are added, evaluated, ranked, and updated on aitools.

Independence

aitools is editorially independent. We do not accept payment for inclusion in the catalog, for placement at the top of category pages, or for favourable wording. If we ever introduce sponsored placements, they will be clearly labelled and segregated from ranked editorial lists.

How tools enter the catalog

1. Sourcing. The initial catalog is bootstrapped from public, openly licensed GitHub lists (CC0 and MIT). Future additions come from official APIs (ProductHunt, HuggingFace) and reader submissions.
2. Verification. Each tool's official URL is checked before listing. Dead links and disappeared products are removed during the next refresh.
3. Categorisation. Tools are mapped to a controlled taxonomy. We deliberately use a small number of categories — overly granular taxonomies fragment ranking signals.

How we evaluate quality

A tool page is treated as editorially indexable only when it carries enough useful information to genuinely help a reader decide. Pages that don't meet this bar are kept in the catalog but excluded from search indices and sitemaps via noindex until enriched. Our current minimum threshold considers:

• A unique, fact-anchored description (not just a marketing tagline)
• A clear category and target use-case
• A live, working official URL
• At least three reasonable alternatives in the same category

Updates and freshness

Every tool page displays a "Last updated" date. The catalog is rebuilt regularly from upstream sources, and tool pages are individually re-verified when readers report changes.

Corrections

Inaccuracy reports are reviewed manually. Verified corrections are applied within one week and reflected in the "Last updated" date. Substantive editorial changes that affect a ranking are noted with a brief change log on the affected page (when appropriate).

Conflicts of interest

If a maker, investor, or affiliated party operates aitools, that relationship will be disclosed on any tool page they have a material interest in. We will not silently boost or hide such tools.

Affiliate links

aitools currently does not use affiliate links. If we adopt them in the future, affiliate destinations will be clearly indicated and their use will not affect rankings.

Advertising

The product is intended to remain free. Future revenue is expected to come from display advertising (Google AdSense → Ezoic → Mediavine). Ad placements will not visually impersonate editorial content and will respect Core Web Vitals.

Removal requests

Makers who do not wish to be listed can request removal via the contact page. We honour reasonable removal requests within one week.