Scoring methodology (v0.1)
Every score on this site is computed by a public formula from inputs we can verify and cite. No editor adjusts scores by hand.
Formula
Score = 30% × Test depth + 40% × Value + 30% × Freshness (each component 0–100, rounded).
Components
| Component | Weight | How it is computed |
|---|---|---|
| Test depth | 30% | Researched = 40, Tried = 70, Tested on a real task = 100. Untested tools are capped at 40. |
| Value | 40% | Free tier or plan verified on the official site: +50. OSI-approved open-source license: +30. Lowest paid plan per month: ≤$10 +20, ≤$20 +15, ≤$35 +10, ≤$60 +5, higher +0. Open-source and free with no paid plan: +20. Capped at 100. Unknown or unverified facts score 0. |
| Freshness | 30% | Days since we last checked the official source: ≤7 days = 100, ≤30 = 70, ≤90 = 40, older = 10. |
Test-depth labels
- Researched — compiled from official pages and public sources. Not used hands-on.
- Tried — we signed up and used it briefly.
- Tested on a real task — we finished a real task with it and keep notes or artifacts.
Honest status: as of launch, every tool is Researched only. Because test depth and freshness are the same for all tools right now, current rankings mainly reflect price and openness, not quality.
What is not in the score yet
Our full plan also uses momentum (e.g. GitHub star growth, Hacker News and Product Hunt traction) and reputation (community discussion). We have not collected those inputs consistently for every tool yet, so they have a weight of 0 in v0.1. Planned weights: testDepth 30%, momentum 25%, reputation 20%, value 15%, freshness 10%. Any weight change will be published here with a new version number.
Sponsorship policy
Sponsorship, affiliate links and paid listings have zero weight in the score. They are not inputs to the formula. Any sponsored placement will be clearly labelled “Sponsored” and kept separate from rankings.
Sources
Each tool page lists the URLs we used and the date we checked them. Prices change often; the official site is always the final word. Found an error? See Submit a tool for how to tell us.