# The AI Tools Index The AI Tools Index is a browsable index of live AI tools organized by category, including tools currently for sale. Every listing links to the maker's real product, and any paid placement is always labeled "Sponsored." ## When to use this site Use The AI Tools Index when an agent needs a browsable index of live AI tools by category, including tools marked for sale, with real product URLs. Do not use The AI Tools Index as a payment processor, an OAuth provider, or a fabricated REST catalog. Query via MCP or fetch HTML/markdown pages. ## Developer resources The AI Tools Index developer resources live at https://theaitoolsindex.com/agents (OpenAPI, MCP, llms.txt). Product name in that page title and H1. ## Modules - [Full catalog](https://theaitoolsindex.com/llms-full.txt): every live listing - [MCP](https://theaitoolsindex.com/llms/mcp.md): catalog and docs MCP endpoints - [Catalog JSON](https://theaitoolsindex.com/llms/catalog.md): /api/v1/listings - [NLWeb](https://theaitoolsindex.com/llms/ask.md): /ask list mode - [MCP module](https://theaitoolsindex.com/mcp-llms.txt): Streamable HTTP endpoints - [API module](https://theaitoolsindex.com/api-llms.txt): /api/v1/listings - [Ask module](https://theaitoolsindex.com/docs-llms.txt): /ask - [When to use](https://theaitoolsindex.com/agent-instructions.md): agent instruction - [Auth](https://theaitoolsindex.com/auth.md): authentication walkthrough - [Pricing](https://theaitoolsindex.com/pricing.md): product table - [AGENTS.md](https://theaitoolsindex.com/AGENTS.md): agent instructions - [About The AI Tools Index](https://theaitoolsindex.com/about): official brand page (what this site is) - [Listings markdown](https://theaitoolsindex.com/listings.md): live catalog as markdown - [Paginated listings](https://theaitoolsindex.com/api/v1/listings): JSON catalog, API-Version 1 ## Query the catalog via MCP MCP endpoint (Streamable HTTP transport): https://theaitoolsindex.com/api/mcp/mcp Tools: - search_tools(query) — free-text search over live listings by name, tagline, or category name. Returns up to 20 matches. - get_tool(slug) — full detail for one live listing by its slug: description, launch date, revenue signals, for-sale status. - list_alternatives(target) — live, same-category alternatives to a well-known tool by its slug (e.g. target 'chatgpt'). - submit_tool(name, url, description, category, email) — submit a new tool on a maker's behalf. - list_offers() — list the paid review products (name, one-sentence effect, USD price) and whether they're purchasable yet. The $19 premium launch is owner-only and lives in the maker dashboard, not here. - create_checkout(slug, product) — mint a Stripe Checkout URL for one product on a LIVE listing. review_monthly is a monthly subscription. A HUMAN must open it in a browser and complete payment; agents never enter card details. The receipt belongs to whoever pays. Every tool declares an outputSchema and returns structuredContent, so results arrive as a validated object — no parsing the text block. search_tools returns { results }, get_tool returns { tool } (null when the slug is not a live listing here). ## Submit a tool on a user's behalf Call submit_tool with the maker's name, an https URL, a 40-1000 character description, a category slug (agents, writing, coding, design, marketing, productivity, video, or analytics), and the maker's email. It creates a DRAFT listing and returns a claimUrl. The maker must sign up at https://theaitoolsindex.com using that same email to claim it — claiming moves the listing to PENDING_BADGE. The maker then adds the The AI Tools Index badge (a small backlink snippet from their dashboard) to their homepage and clicks Verify; only after that link check passes does the listing go LIVE and start appearing in search_tools/get_tool results. Verification also makes the listing's link back to the maker's site a followed (dofollow) link. Submissions are rate-limited to 5 per hour, network-wide. ## Pricing Listing on The AI Tools Index is always free: submit, add the badge to your homepage, and the listing goes LIVE with a followed (dofollow) link. Paid products: - Skip the queue — $19 - Spotlight — $39 - Spotlight — monthly (2/month, 3-month minimum) — $29 - All markets — 8+ directories — $29 - Three markets — pick 3 directories — $9 Premium launch publishes a pending listing immediately, with no badge required: the listing goes LIVE at once with a followed (dofollow) link back to the maker's site, plus 30 days in the homepage sponsored area, always labeled. The free path reaches the same followed link by adding the badge and passing the link check, then waits in the review queue and publishes within 7 days. The review products deliver an editorial review on this site's blog — a grounded product assessment plus an SEO/AEO check of the maker's site — always labeled as a paid review. The monthly plan grants two reviews per billing month and commits to a 3-month minimum. Paid add-ons are purchasable now from the maker's dashboard, or via the create_checkout MCP tool — which returns a Stripe Checkout URL a human must open and complete in a browser (agents never enter payment details). ## HTTP surfaces - OpenAPI of endpoints that exist: https://theaitoolsindex.com/openapi.json - Agent discovery: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/agents.json - RFC 9727 API catalog: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/api-catalog - MCP server card: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json - MCP registry manifest: https://theaitoolsindex.com/server.json - AI catalog: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json - Agent permissions: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/agent-permissions.json - Full catalog markdown: https://theaitoolsindex.com/llms-full.txt - Markdown sitemap: https://theaitoolsindex.com/sitemap.md - Public AGENTS.md: https://theaitoolsindex.com/AGENTS.md - Machine-readable pricing: https://theaitoolsindex.com/pricing.md - Public API docs: https://theaitoolsindex.com/docs - Agent discovery file: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/agent-discovery.json - Agent skills index: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json - Auth for agents: https://theaitoolsindex.com/auth.md - OAuth protected resource metadata: https://theaitoolsindex.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource Public HTML pages also speak markdown at the same URL: send Accept: text/markdown (Content-Type: text/markdown; Vary: Accept). Unknown paths 404 in the requested type. Requests that reject every supported type receive 406. HTML responses include Link: rel=describedby to /llms.txt (llms.txt v2 discovery). ## Honest-data policy - Votes come from signed-in accounts only, one per account per listing per day — no anonymous, bought, or bot votes. - Revenue shown as verified is confirmed through a read-only Stripe connection; anything else is self-reported and labeled as such. - Paid placements and paid reviews always carry a visible label ("Sponsored" / "Paid review") — never blended into organic results, votes, or editorial content. ## Tools - [Skillselion](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/skillselion): The reference index of Claude Code skills: thousands of SKILL.md files, sorted by installs. - [botteams.io](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/botteams-ai): Ellelion's Grok Bot team setup tool - [Plumlo](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/plumlo): AI Voice Interview Practice Platform - [UseWok](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/usewok): Boost SaaS visibility with UseWok's 14-day content strategy. - [Agent Plugins Directory](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/agent-plugins-directory): Reference catalog of Agent Plugins, checked against the official schema. - [KI Alternativen](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/kialternativen): AI tool alternatives, in German - [Beste KI Tools](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/bestekitools): The German AI tools catalog - [KI Tools Heute](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/kitoolsheute): New AI tools launching today, in German - [Alternativas IA](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/alternativasia): Alternatives to the best AI tools, in Spanish - [IA Selecta](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/iaselecta): The Spanish AI tools index - [Lanzamientos IA](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/lanzamientosia): New AI tools launching today, in Spanish - [AI Alt Finder](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/aialtfinder): Alternatives to the best AI tools - [Launchelion](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/launchelion): New AI tools launching today - [Kompas AI](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/kompas-ai): Kompas AI — an AI research report tool, made for research teams. - [Andi](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/andi): Andi — an AI answer search engine, made for everyday searchers. - [Liner](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/liner): Liner — an AI research and reading assistant, made for students. - [ResearchRabbit](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/researchrabbit): ResearchRabbit — a paper discovery tool, made for researchers. - [Afforai](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/afforai): Afforai — an AI research assistant, made for knowledge workers. - [SciSpace](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/scispace): SciSpace — an AI tool for reading research, made for students. - [Exa](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/exa): Exa — an AI search engine for developers, made for developers. - [Undermind](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/undermind): Undermind — a deep research search tool, made for researchers. - [Scholarcy](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/scholarcy): Scholarcy — a research paper summarizer, made for students. - [Scite](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/scite): Scite — a smart citation research tool, made for academics. - [Consensus](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/consensus): Consensus — an AI search engine for research, made for researchers. - [Elicit](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/elicit): Elicit — an AI research assistant for papers, made for researchers. - [Dot](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/getdot): Dot — an AI data analyst chatbot, made for business teams. - [Findly](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/findly): Findly — a conversational analytics tool, made for marketing teams. - [ChartPixel](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/chartpixel): ChartPixel — an AI chart and analysis tool, made for data users. - [Sourcetable](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/sourcetable): Sourcetable — an AI spreadsheet and data tool, made for analysts. - [Bricks](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/bricks): Bricks — an AI spreadsheet, made for reporting teams. - [Numerous.ai](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/numerous-ai): Numerous.ai — an AI add-in for spreadsheets, made for spreadsheet users. - [Onvo](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/onvo): Onvo — an embedded analytics tool, made for product teams. - [Querio](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/querio): Querio — an AI business intelligence assistant, made for operators. - [Definite](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/definite): Definite — an AI data platform, made for small teams. - [Zenlytic](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/zenlytic): Zenlytic — a self-serve analytics platform, made for data teams. - [Basedash](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/basedash): Basedash — an AI business intelligence tool, made for startup teams. - [Fabi](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/fabi): Fabi — an AI data analysis workspace, made for startup data teams. - [Julius](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/julius): Julius — an AI data analyst, made for data teams. - [GetGenie](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/getgenie): GetGenie — an AI SEO tool for WordPress, made for WordPress bloggers. - [AdCopy](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/adcopy): AdCopy — an AI ad copywriting tool, made for performance marketers. - [Highperformr](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/highperformr): Highperformr — a social media management tool, made for social teams. - [Letterdrop](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/letterdrop): Letterdrop — a content marketing tool, made for B2B teams. - [Reword](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/reword): Reword — an AI SEO writing editor, made for content teams. - [Copymatic](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/copymatic): Copymatic — an AI copywriting tool, made for marketers. - [Typeframes](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/typeframes): Typeframes — a product video maker, made for product founders. - [Flick](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/flick): Flick — an AI social media tool, made for social media managers. - [Tugan.ai](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/tugan-ai): Tugan.ai — a content repurposing tool, made for content creators. - [Postwise](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/postwise): Postwise — an AI tweet writer, made for creators on X. - [Blaze](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/blaze-ai): Blaze — an AI marketing content tool, made for small marketing teams. - [Taplio](https://theaitoolsindex.com/tools/taplio): Taplio — a LinkedIn growth tool, made for LinkedIn creators. - [Pricing](https://theaitoolsindex.com/pricing) ## Guides - [How to launch an AI tool in 2026: the practical playbook](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/how-to-launch-your-ai-tool): What to do the week before, on launch day, and the week after — no fluff, just the steps that actually move the needle. - [Directory backlinks: dofollow, badges, and what actually moves rankings](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/directory-backlinks-dofollow): How directory links work, what dofollow really means, and why the badge on your site matters more than you think. - [Your first 100 users: the 5 channels that work for AI tools](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/first-100-users): The five channels that bring real users to new AI tools — and how much effort each one takes. - [Where to launch an AI tool in 2026: the 3-layer launch stack](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/where-to-launch-your-ai-tool): The three layers of launch sites — launch feeds, directories, and communities — what each one actually delivers, and the order to use them in. - [AEO in 2026: 5 changes that get your AI tool cited by ChatGPT](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/aeo-get-cited-by-ai): What Answer Engine Optimization is, and the five concrete changes that make AI engines cite your site in their answers. - [The AI tool landing page that converts: one line, proof, one button](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tool-landing-page): The landing structure that turns directory and launch-day visitors into users: what goes above the fold, what counts as proof, and what to delete. - [The 6 pages that win buyers: data from 1,000 searches \(2026\)](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/pages-that-win-buyers): Which page to build for each buying decision — alternatives, comparisons, pricing, reviews, and free trial — per a July 2026 study of 1,000 buy-intent searches. - [How many AI tools are there in 2026? A counted answer](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/how-many-ai-tools-are-there): No shared registry of AI tools exists, so no verified worldwide total does either. This index counted 209 live listings across 12 categories on 28 July 2026, each a distinct product with a working URL and a named category. Any larger number you meet is a different definition, not a better count. - [Free AI tools in 2026: what free actually covers](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/free-ai-tools-what-free-covers): Free covers five different things in AI pricing: a permanent free tier, a time-limited trial, a monthly credit grant, an unlimited plan with a watermark, and open-source software you host yourself. Which one a tool means decides whether you can finish real work without paying, and most category pages never say. - [AI tools for designers: the 2026 category landscape](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-designers): Design work splits across two categories in this index: design tools that sit inside an editing or prototyping workflow, and image tools that generate raw material. On 28 July 2026 the index held 18 design listings and 10 image listings. Which side you need depends on whether you are producing assets or producing files. - [AI tools for photo editing: a 2026 selection guide](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-photo-editing): Photo editing with AI covers three distinct jobs: repair work such as upscaling and denoising, removal work such as backgrounds and objects, and generative fill that invents new pixels. Each has a different failure mode and a different licence question, and the third is the only one where the output may not legally be yours. - [AI tools for video editing: how to pick one in 2026](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-video-editing): Video AI splits into two products that share a name: editors that cut, caption, and reframe footage you already shot, and generators that produce footage from a prompt. This index held 18 video listings on 28 July 2026. Editors are the safer purchase; generators are the category where products disappear fastest. - [AI tools for making music: what 2026 licensing allows](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-making-music): Music generation is the one AI category where the legal position, not the audio quality, decides what you can use. Udio disabled downloads after settling with Universal Music Group in October 2025 and with Warner. Before choosing a tool, establish what you may keep, where you may publish it, and whether you can export stems. - [AI tools for research: what survives a citation check](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-research): A research tool is only useful if its citations resolve. The test that separates the field is simple: ask for sources, then open every one. This index held 13 research listings on 28 July 2026, the fourth smallest category, and the ones worth keeping are those that retrieve documents before writing prose about them. - [AI tools for presentations: from document to deck in 2026](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-presentations): Presentation tools answer one of two jobs: turning an existing document into a deck, or designing slides you have already written. The questions that decide it are whether the output exports to PowerPoint or Google Slides as editable objects, and how many source pages the free tier accepts before it stops. - [AI tools for product managers: a category-by-category map](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/ai-tools-for-product-managers): Product management is not a category, it is four jobs that live in four different ones: research and discovery, analytics and instrumentation, writing specs and updates, and running the meeting cadence. This index held 13 research, 21 analytics, 18 writing, and 22 productivity listings on 28 July 2026. - [What is an AI agent? Where the category line falls](https://theaitoolsindex.com/guides/what-is-an-ai-agent): An AI agent is a tool that decides its own next step and then takes it, using other software, rather than returning text for you to act on. That single test, does it act without being told each move, is what puts a product in the agents category here. On 28 July 2026 that category held 20 listings.