How we rank
Every category shows a curated top 10. We keep editorial control over quality, but any tool can challenge for a slot. Here is exactly how a listing's score is calculated, and how a challenge works.
THE FORMULA
Composite score = weighted sum of three components, each scored 0–100:
The average of all 1–5 star votes on the listing, scaled to a 0–100 score. One vote per visitor, rate-limited to deter brigading.
A 0–100 score we set by hand per listing, based on our own use of the tool, its build quality, and how it treats users.
A 0–100 score we set by hand for things like real-world adoption, affiliate program status, or anything else we decide is worth weighing.
User ratings only count once a listing has 5 votes. Until then, a missing rating is not treated as a zero: its weight is set aside and the editorial and traction weights are scaled up in proportion, so every score stays on the same 0–100 scale. Each listing's own score table shows the weights that apply to it.
These weights are configurable and may be tuned over time — this page always reflects the weights currently in effect.
THE CHECKLIST
Before a submission is eligible to challenge a ranked slot, it must pass a short eligibility checklist — things like having a public pricing page, a working site, no major scam or complaint flags, and genuinely fitting the category. Checklist answers are stored with every submission.
SUBMITTING & CHALLENGING
- Categories are capped at 10 listings. A new tool can only enter by winning a challenge against the current #10 — never by adding an 11th slot.
- Submitting a tool costs $49 and requires passing the eligibility checklist above. Every submission is reviewed manually and is never shown publicly until approved.
- Once a submission is approved and challenges the category's #10, the incumbent is notified and has 7 days to defend their slot with a $29 fee.
- When the defense window closes, composite scores are compared — whichever is higher keeps or takes the #10 slot, and the outcome is logged.
A challenger stays unlisted for the entire challenge window — we never show a submission publicly before it either wins or we approve it by hand — so its composite score during a challenge comes only from our editorial and traction scoring, not a public rating average. The incumbent is notified but never told who is challenging them, and paying the defense fee is optional: it doesn't change how scores are compared.