Methodology
How we evaluate every tool.
Every tool in the directory passes the same five checks. If it can't, it doesn't get listed.
- 01
It solves a real problem, not a tech demo.
We ask: what specific job does this replace for a teacher, a student, or a parent? "AI lesson plans" is not a problem. "A 45-minute 7th-grade ELA plan aligned to CCSS RL.7.2" is. "Help my 9th-grader study photosynthesis" is.
- 02
We use it in a real session.
Before any tool gets written up, we spend at least an hour producing real output with it — a lesson, a study guide, a homework session, a parent-facing report. If it crumbles in real use, you'll never see it here.
- 03
We surface every friction.
Account walls. Hidden classroom limits. Forced upsell flows. Anything between you and trying the tool is in the write-up — usually before the link.
- 04
Pricing is verified, not assumed.
Plan tiers move all the time. We check them every quarter and re-mark them. If a free tier disappears, the badge changes the next day.
- 05
We stay independent.
We don't take payment to list a tool, change a verdict, or re-rank a category. Some links are affiliate; the affiliate decision never changes the editorial decision.
What you won't see here
- Sponsored top spots, paid placements, or "editor's choice" tied to revenue.
- Tools that haven't shipped publicly or are gated behind a sales call.
- ChatGPT prompt collections dressed up as products.
Disclosure
This site is independently owned. Some outbound links are affiliate links — when a tool offers a referral program, we use it. We do not list, rank, or feature tools differently because of an affiliate relationship. If we ever do paid coverage, it will be labelled clearly and never mixed with editorial reviews.