Launch catalog / Playbook
Best of AI
Free route ai-directory
Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-26. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.
Requirements
- AI tool that actually works: 'the site has to load, the AI feature has to be real, and it has to do roughly what the landing page claims'
- Wrapper apps are acceptable if they add value; a pure reskin is rejected
- Closed-beta/waitlist tools may be submitted but are only listed once publicly open
- Pick a plan at submission — a free plan exists; paid plans via PayPal
Prepare before opening the form
- App name, tagline, description
- Logo and a few screenshots
- Category pick from 143 categories (closest match; they fix mis-categorization)
- A free account on submit.bestofai.io to track submission status
- Site URL that loads reliably for review
Workflow
- Open https://bestofai.io/submit or https://submit.bestofai.io/submit
- Drop in the site URL — details are pulled automatically once signed in
- Fill name, tagline, description, logo, screenshots (~5 minutes claimed)
- Choose the free plan (paid plans pay via PayPal)
- Team reviews by hand; once approved the listing deploys to category, profession, and alternatives pages plus the newsletter and GitHub awesome list (best-of-ai/best-of-ai)
- Track status on the My Submissions page
Watch for
- Two different surfaces: bestofai.io/submit (info page) vs submit.bestofai.io (the actual portal)
- Paid plans and an 'Advertise' upsell exist — free plan is sufficient for a permanent listing
- Rejection is usually for a dead site, fake AI feature, or no category fit; resubmission is unlimited after fixing
- Listing goes live 'with the next site deploy' — approval does not mean instant publication
- Optional GitHub star on best-of-ai/best-of-ai is solicited during review but not stated as required
What counts as live
The tool appears on its bestofai.io category page / Recently Added, with a direct-follow link to the product site
Not verified
- What the paid plan tiers cost (prices not shown on fetched pages)
- Exact review turnaround — 'a few days' is the only claim
- Whether the free plan limits placement vs paid plans