How we score AI tools
Every tool on ToolHund gets a single 0–100 ToolHund Score. It is not a popularity contest and it is not paid for. Here is exactly how it is calculated and what it does — and does not — measure.
The five signals
- Review quality — 45 points. Weighted average of community ratings once a tool has cleared the review threshold. Below the threshold we use editorial baseline only.
- Popularity — 25 points. Logarithmic scale of active users (public sources, vendor claims we could verify, or third-party traffic data). Log scale so a 200M user tool does not crush a great niche one.
- Feature depth — 15 points. Number and breadth of core capabilities that materially change what the tool can do.
- Value — 10 points. Pricing transparency and the presence of a usable free tier, freemium plan or open-source option.
- Freshness & trust — 5 points. Editor's picks, recently updated tools and tools with a clear changelog earn the ceiling here.
Review threshold
A tool must have at least 5 community reviews before its aggregate community rating counts toward the review-quality signal or is exposed as structured data to search engines. Under the threshold, we clearly show "Editorial rating — awaiting community reviews" and disclose the sample size.
Freshness policy
Tool records are edited manually and refreshed over time; prices for a subset of tools are checked automatically and shown with their check date. Older or unchecked prices should be verified on the vendor's site. Broken links are fixed when we find or are told about them — we don't promise a fixed turnaround.
What the score does not measure
- Ad spend, affiliate rates, or whether a tool is a sponsor.
- Vendor-provided marketing copy.
- Twitter buzz or influencer coverage.
- Whether the founders are our friends.
Sponsored placements
Tools can pay to appear in clearly labelled "Sponsored" or "Featured" slots. Those slots never change a tool's ToolHund Score, category ranking, or comparison outcome. See our full disclosure.
Sponsorship transparency
Sponsored placements never change the ToolHund Score, category ranking, Matchmaker output, or the winner of a comparison page.
- Featured Tool / Homepage sponsors: always labelled with a "Sponsored" or "Featured" badge.
- Affiliate links: some outbound "Visit" buttons are affiliate links, marked
rel="sponsored". Commission never affects score, order, or verdict. - Review: sponsorship requests may be declined if the product doesn't fit the placement.
Corrections
If a score, price, or feature is wrong, tell us on the tool's page or email toolhund@outlook.com. We review corrections and apply verified ones; there is no guaranteed turnaround.
How ToolHund compares to other directories
Curious how our approach differs from Futurepedia, Toolify and TAAFT? Read our side-by-side →