How we score and verify AI directories

Every directory on this site gets a score, a tier, a link type and a set of dated metrics. This page explains where each part comes from, what we do when we cannot confirm something, and how to ask for a correction.

The score

Each directory gets a 0 to 100 priority score. It is built from six parts, minus penalties. The parts are weighted toward whether a listing actually reaches people, not just whether the domain is famous.

Penalties subtract for a niche restriction, a non-English site, or high authority with no measurable audience. A directory with a big domain but no real visitors scores lower than a smaller, busier one.

The tiers

• A · Top pick (78) – score 72 and above.
• B · Strong option (129) – 56 to 71.
• C · Worth a look (135) – 42 to 55.
• D · Low priority (133) – below 42.

How the link type is verified

"Link type" says whether a listing passes a followed link. It is not a promise and it is not sales copy: it is a neutral fact with the way we know it next to it. We use four levels of evidence:

• Confirmed – we opened real listing pages and read the rel on the "Visit website" link, checked Ahrefs' outbound anchor data, or read the site's own listing terms.
• Stated by the site – the directory says it itself, for example that only paid listings are followed.
• Likely – inferred from how the site links out across thousands of listings. This is the weakest signal and is labelled as such.
• Not a direct link – listings go through a redirect or an internal /go/ link, so a listing passes no direct link value.

Pricing confidence

Every price note carries a confidence label. "Known platform model" and "stated on the site" are the strongest. Where a price was read from a page we mark it high, medium or low depending on whether we could see it directly or inferred it. If a price only appears after sign-in, or is quoted from a third party, the label says so. When there is no published price, we write "Price not published" instead of guessing.

What AI citations measure

AI citations count how often a directory is quoted as a source in AI answers, split across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini and Copilot. A high number means a listing there has a better chance of surfacing when someone asks an AI assistant for tools. In banded display mode we show the totals as ranges, not exact figures.

The flags

Some directories carry a warning flag: no measurable organic traffic, high authority but almost no visitors, a large outbound link volume that dilutes each link, or a site that blocks automated checks. Flags are facts about the directory, not a verdict, and they are shown on the listing page.

Sources and date

Traffic, referring domains, ranking keywords and AI-citation data come from Ahrefs, pulled 8 Oct 2026 in subdomains mode. Types, categories, pricing, submission steps, forms and social profiles were checked by hand and with a crawler around the same time. Every row shows the date it was last verified.

Unknown values stay blank

If we cannot confirm a price, a traffic figure or a score, we leave a dash. A dash is more useful to you than a guess, and it is the one rule we do not bend.

Request a correction

Spotted something out of date on a listing? Use the correction form or the "Report an issue" link on any listing. Tell us the field and the correct value with a source, and we will recheck the directory and update its date. You can also email contact@aidirectories.io.