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I Built a Free AI Tools Directory for $1/Year — Here's How

200+ AI tools. 10 categories. Side-by-side comparisons. Total cost: one dollar.

I'm not a developer. I can't code. And I definitely don't have a budget.

But I wanted a clean, honest directory of free AI tools. Every list I found was stuffed with affiliate links, outdated tools, or "free trials" that turned into $20/month subscriptions after 3 days.

So I built my own: aitoolhunt.top

Here's exactly how I did it — and how you can build something similar for pocket change.

The tech stack (zero coding required)

I used nothing but free tools and one dollar:

  • Domain: $1/year from Spaceship (aitoolhunt.top)
  • Hosting: GitHub Pages — free, no server to manage
  • Content: Written by AI, fact-checked by me
  • Design: Pure HTML/CSS/JS, no frameworks

That's it. No Vercel. No Netlify. No monthly fees. Just a GitHub repo and a domain.

What makes it different from every other AI directory

Most AI tool lists are built to make money through affiliate links. That means they recommend whatever pays the highest commission — not what's actually best.

My directory:

  • No affiliate links — I don't make a cent if you click
  • Real pricing — Free, Freemium, or Paid. No tricks.
  • Side-by-side comparisons — Compare any two tools on features, pricing, and pros/cons
  • 10 clear categories — Writing, Image, Video, Code, Music, Productivity, Presentations, Research, Education, Business

Browse the directory →

The one feature people actually use: Comparisons

aitoolhunt.top comparison tool

Most people don't just want to browse tools — they want to decide between two options.

The comparison tool lets you pit any two tools against each other. Claude vs ChatGPT. Midjourney vs Leonardo AI. Notion AI vs Cursor. It pulls features, pricing, pros, and cons side by side.

I built it because every time I searched "X vs Y" on Google, I got 10 SEO-spam articles that took forever to find a straight answer.

Try comparing any two tools →

What I learned building with zero budget

1. You don't need to be a developer. AI wrote most of the code. I just directed it.

2. Free tools are good enough. GitHub Pages handles traffic fine. The domain cost me less than a coffee.

3. Honesty beats SEO tricks. People can smell affiliate links from a mile away. A clean, genuine resource stands out.

4. Ship first, polish later. The first version had 16 tools and looked terrible. I launched anyway. It's at 200+ now and getting better every day.

What's next?

I add new tools daily. If you know a great free AI tool that's not on the list, drop it in the comments — I'll add it.

And if you're thinking about building your own project: just start. The gap between "I want to build something" and "I built something" is smaller than you think.

Built for $1. No signup. No ads. Just free AI tools.