Scoring Methodology
The AI Tool Compass Score is a transparent, formula-driven number out of 10, shown on tool pages where enough data exists to compute it. It is not a user rating, a popularity metric, or a claim of hands-on testing — it's a weighted combination of objectively checkable facts already published on the tool's own page.
What's scored, and how
| Criterion | Weight | How it's computed |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 20% | Count of documented features on the tool's page, relative to a 6-feature benchmark. |
| Value (pricing accessibility) | 20% | A proxy based on pricing model (free/open-source scores highest, enterprise lowest) — not a judgment of whether the price is 'worth it.' |
| Free plan | 10% | Full credit for a genuine free plan, half credit for a free trial only, zero otherwise. |
| Integrations | 10% | Count of documented integrations, relative to a 4-integration benchmark. |
| Ease of use | 15% | Not scored. This would require hands-on testing we don't yet perform — see below. |
| Performance | 20% | Not scored, for the same reason. |
| Support | 5% | Not scored, for the same reason. |
Why three criteria aren't scored
The original design for this score included Ease of Use, Performance and Support as criteria. We removed them from the computed score — not because they don't matter, but because we don't have a real, checkable signal for them yet. AI Tool Compass does not currently run a formal hands-on testing process for every tool, and inventing a plausible-sounding number for “ease of use” without actually testing it would be exactly the kind of fabricated authority we've committed not to do. When a tool has been genuinely hands-on tested, its page will say so explicitly and separately from this score — never blended into a single number that implies more rigor than exists.
The four remaining weights (Features, Value, Free plan, Integrations — originally 60 of the 100 points) are renormalized to sum to 100% on their own, rather than leaving 40 points silently blank.
What the score is not
- It is not a user rating — see individual tool pages for real user reviews where they exist.
- It is not influenced by affiliate relationships.
- It does not change based on advertising or sponsorship.
- A missing score means we don't yet have enough structured data on that tool to compute one — not that the tool is bad.
How this differs from editorial reviews
Some tool pages also include editorial pros/cons and recommendations written by our editorial team. Those are clearly labeled as editorial analysis and are separate from this computed score. See our Editorial Policy for how that content is produced and verified.