Fewer tools. Every one accounted for.
The big AI directories list tens of thousands of tools with templated descriptions and prices copied once and left to rot. This directory launches with 15 listings for one profession — home services — and four rules none of them can break. Small is not the compromise. Small is the product.
The four rules
1. Tested, or labeled not tested
Every tool we recommend, we run on a real task — a real service call, a real estimate — and publish what it did, what it cost, and where it failed. Until that test happens, the page says so in a green box at the top. No verdict is ever implied by a listing.
2. Every price carries a date
Each price on this site was read from the vendor's published pricing and is stamped with when we checked it (prices here: October 2026). When a vendor changes a price, the page changes and the changelog notes it. When a vendor publishes no price at all, the page says that too — in those words.
3. Submissions are free, forever
The largest directory in this space now charges $49 just to be listed and $437 for exposure. We decline that model. Any vendor can be listed here free; the review queue is ordered by reader demand, never by payment.
4. Paid never touches the ranking
When affiliate relationships exist, the link is badged AFFILIATE. When they don't, it's badged DIRECT. Paid placement, if it ever exists, will be labeled and quarantined from the order of every list on this site. Trust is the only moat a directory this size has; we don't spend it.
Live now: Home Services
Our first profession, chosen because its pain is a ringing phone nobody answers — a missed call is a $500 repair or a five-figure install going to the competitor who picked up. The full category, organized by the workflow (answer → qualify → book → estimate → invoice → review), is on the Home Services page.
| Tool | Category | Published price (checked Oct 2026) | Billing model | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sameday | AI answering, built for the trades | from $449/mo | Minute bundles | Listed — not yet tested |
| Avoca AI | AI front office, enterprise | Not published — quote only | Custom quote | Listed — not yet tested |
| Rosie | AI answering, home services | from $49/mo | Minute bundles | Listed — not yet tested |
| Goodcall | AI phone agent, all trades | from $79/mo per agent | Per unique caller, unlimited minutes | Listed — not yet tested |
| NextPhone | AI answering, flat rate | from $199/mo | Flat, unlimited calls | Listed — not yet tested |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | AI answering + human backup | Free 25 calls; Pro from $150/mo | Per call | Listed — not yet tested |
| Upfirst | AI answering, budget | from $24.95/mo | Per call | Listed — not yet tested |
| Dialzara | AI answering, budget | from $29/mo | Minute bundles + overage | Listed — not yet tested |
| My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) | AI front desk: voice + chat + SMS | from $20/mo; voice from $99/mo | Shared credits | Listed — not yet tested |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | AI answering, phone-system add-on | from $49/mo | Minutes + per-minute overage | Listed — not yet tested |
| Jobber AI Receptionist | Inside Jobber | $29/mo add-on | Per conversation | Listed — not yet tested |
| Housecall Pro CSR AI | Inside Housecall Pro | Not published — quoted with plan | Add-on, quoted | Listed — not yet tested |
| Ruby Receptionists | Human answering (benchmark) | from $250/mo for 50 min | Per minute, human | Listed — benchmark |
| NiceJob | Reviews & reputation | from $75/mo | Flat per location | Listed — not yet tested |
| Hover | Estimating & measurement, roofing | from $999/yr | Subscription + per-job | Listed — not yet tested |
In research (pages coming, not promised dates)
AI dispatch & scheduling
Can software schedule your techs better than your dispatcher? Research and test queue open — this is blog post territory first, directory second.
AI lead follow-up
Speed-to-lead texting and dead-lead revival: the second pillar of the home-services workflow. Tools are being mapped now.
Realtors (Silo #2)
Our second profession, gated on the home-services silo proving out. Dead-lead revival, showing scheduling, CRM hygiene. Nothing listed until it is tested.
Vendors: submissions are free
Built an AI tool for home service businesses? Listing here costs nothing and always will — what we ask is a demo account for testing and your published pricing. The review queue is ordered by reader demand. Submissions open with the newsletter launch; subscribers get the submission link first.