How Swelldex ranks AI tools (and how we make money)

Swelldex ranks AI tools on four things: output quality, value for money, time to a useful result, and licensing/lock-in. Prices come from vendor pricing pages and carry a checked date. Rankings are editorial and cannot be bought.

Swell + index = Swelldex

Think Pokédex for AI tools, written by someone who'd rather be surfing. Every tool gets a dex entry: what it does, what it costs, and a short honest verdict.

What goes into a rank

Output quality: does it do the job well, today, on realistic tasks?
Value: what $0, $10 or $20 a month actually gets you, including free-tier limits.
Time to result: how fast you get from signup to something useful.
Licensing and lock-in: can you ship what you make commercially, and leave if you want?

Process

We shortlist tools that are generally available (or in a widely accessible preview) in each category.
We read the vendor's current pricing page and docs, and record a checked date per tool.
We compare the shortlist on the four criteria above and write a one-paragraph verdict.
We re-check monthly and on major launches; discontinued tools are removed with a note (for example, Sora).

Facts vs. opinions

Pricing and features are researched from vendor pages and stamped with a "checked" date (currently Oct 24, 2026). Verdicts and ranks are our opinion. We don't publish star ratings or fake review counts.

Money

Swelldex earns from (1) clearly labeled Featured slots, (2) affiliate links on some "Try it" buttons, marked rel="sponsored", and (3) eventually, newsletter sponsors. None of these can buy a rank or a verdict.

Corrections

Found something wrong? Prices move weekly. Contact form coming soon. Until then, corrections are tracked on each update.

FAQ

Can companies pay to be ranked higher on Swelldex?

No. Rankings and verdicts are editorial. Companies can buy a clearly labeled Featured slot that sits apart from the rankings; it never changes a position, verdict or listed price.

How often are rankings updated?

We re-check prices and rankings at least monthly and whenever a major launch changes a category. Every page shows its last-updated date (currently Oct 24, 2026).

Where do the prices come from?

Each tool's pricing comes from the vendor's own pricing page, linked on its Dex entry with a 'checked' date. If we can't verify a price, we say so.

Does Swelldex use affiliate links?

Some 'Try it' buttons may become affiliate links. They are marked rel="sponsored", disclosed in the footer, and never affect rankings.