How we pick tools
What gets listed
- The AI rule: a tool appears in the main directory only if it has a named AI or machine-learning feature that is released (GA) or in beta and documented on the vendor's own website. Announced-only features, general "smart" marketing, and third-party claims don't count. Tools that fail the rule go on the watch list as "Not AI yet" (noindexed, not in categories or the sitemap) until the vendor documents a qualifying feature.
- A real product a builder, dealer or trade contractor can buy or request today (otherwise it goes on the watch list as "Not sold off-the-shelf").
- An official website we can check.
- A clear construction use.
How the list is ordered
Default order reflects our editorial estimate of brand familiarity. It is not a measured popularity ranking, recommendation or hands-on quality rating.
Scores are editorial judgments, not quality or performance ratings.
Each tool has an editorial familiarity score from 1 to 100, used only to order lists. Ties break alphabetically. Sponsored tools, if any, are pinned and labeled. They do not change anyone else's score.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | Editorial estimate of very wide brand familiarity. |
| 75–89 | Editorial estimate of strong familiarity in a specialty. |
| 55–74 | Editorial estimate: familiar inside a trade or the lumber dealer channel. |
| 35–54 | Editorial estimate: narrower familiarity. |
| 1–34 | Editorial estimate: newer or less familiar names. |
Dates
Always scanning for new construction AI. The site-wide date records the latest published directory update. Individual listings show their last checked date.
How we write listings
- Headline and 2–3 key features are paraphrased from the vendor's own pages, and each links to its source.
- A price appears only when the vendor's pricing page states it, and the plan is named. We do not divide an annual price to invent a monthly price. The pricing link is on every tool page.
- Logos and homepage screenshots come from the vendor's public site, with the capture date shown. They belong to their owners and are shown for identification.
- If we can't verify a vendor's site, the listing is flagged as partly unverified.
- Each AI feature is labeled Available (GA), Beta or Announced, with a link to the vendor page. Tools are badged "AI-powered" (built around AI) or "AI added" (an established product that added AI).
- "Use" describes the task the vendor documents. It is not a hands-on recommendation.
FAQ
Do sponsors sort higher? Sponsored tools are pinned and labeled "Sponsored". The editorial familiarity score of every other tool is unaffected.
Why no star ratings? We have not hands-on tested every tool, so we show facts (free trial, price posted, sign up online) instead of scores.
Are the scores a quality rating? Scores are editorial judgments, not quality or performance ratings.
How often is the directory updated? Always scanning for new construction AI. The site-wide date records the latest published directory update. Individual listings show their last checked date.