# The Whole AI-Tools Map, Not the Recycled Top 50

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/the-whole-ai-tools-map-not-the-recycled-top-50/323794>\
**Category:** Tools & Scripts\
**Tags:** freebies, tips-tricks, ai, internet-resources\
**Created:** [July 11, 2026, 11:21am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-whole-ai-tools-map-not-the-recycled-top-50/323794 "2026-07-11T11:21:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Humtum99](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/humtum99/32/109158_2.png) [@Humtum99](https://onehack.st/u/Humtum99)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 11:21am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-whole-ai-tools-map-not-the-recycled-top-50/323794/1 "2026-07-11T11:21:34Z")

</div>

# 🧭 Where AI Tools Actually Hide

Every “best AI tools” list is the same recycled 50. The free, open, and better ones hide where SEO can’t reach — 300+ doors, folded below.

`mega-list` · `ai-tools` · `free`

* * *

 ![image](https://onehack.st/uploads/default/original/3X/0/5/057c533a2e88a6e13e2535b6e92cd8ffc804abd2.jpeg)

* * *

> **💣 5 moments this quietly pays off**
>
> One payoff: **you get the tool that was hidden from you — often free.** Where that lands:
> 
> - You pay $20/mo for a tool that has a **free open-source twin**. Nobody marketed it, so you never met it.
> - Your exact problem was solved **a year ago in Chinese/Russian**. The language wall hid it, not the quality.
> - A tool drops on **Show HN today → hits the big lists in ~2 months**. Watch the top, get there first.
> - You want the best **model** , not a $30 wrapper around it. The leaderboards name it, ranked by real use.
> - One **meta-directory** link opens **40 more**. You never run out of places to look.

> **🗺️ Which box is yours — pick-by-need + jargon decoded**
>
> **Point at what you want:**
> 
> | Want | Jump to |
> | --- | --- |
> | Free/open twin of a paid tool | 🔀 Alternative hunters · 🐙 GitHub lists |
> | The tool nobody translated | 🌍 Foreign-language directories |
> | Past Google’s SEO wall | 🕸 Indie engines |
> | Newest tools, days after launch | 📡 Early feeds |
> | The best _model_, not a wrapper | 🏆 Leaderboards |
> | Plug AI into your own apps | 🔌 MCP servers |
> | Voice · music · video · code | 🛠 Niche · 🎵 Music · 🎬 Deep verticals |
> | Papers + evidence | 🔬 Research engines |
> | Never run out | 🧭 Keep finding forever |
> 
> **The road every tool travels (sit at the top = weeks early):**
> 
> ```auto
> Show HN → niche subreddit → newsletter → big directories
> ▲ sit on the first two rungs = 4–12 weeks ahead
> 
> ```
> 
> **Jargon, decoded once:** `aggregator` = a directory of tools · `awesome-list` = a hand-kept link list on GitHub · `self-hosted` = runs on your own box · `open-source` = free, code public · `MCP` = a plug that lets AI apps use your tools · `leaderboard` = a ranked scoreboard.

> **🔀 The free twin of any paid tool — alternative & open-source hunters**
>
> The frontpage isn’t the gem — the _self-hosted_ + _open-source_ filter combos are.
> 
> | Hunter | Good for |
> | --- | --- |
> | [OpenAlternative (repo)](https://github.com/piotrkulpinski/openalternative) | _The_ open-source alternatives directory — live stars/licenses |
> | [openalternative.co](https://openalternative.co) | Searchable web frontend |
> | [opensourcealternatives.to](https://www.opensourcealternatives.to) | Reviews + deployment notes per app |
> | [AlternativeTo](https://alternativeto.net) | Standard — use the self-hosted/open-source filters |
> | [self-hosted productivity slice](https://alternativeto.net/category/productivity/all/?platform=self-hosted) | The rare useful pre-filtered view |
> | [awesomehub — selfhosted](https://awesomehub.js.org/list/selfhosted) | Self-hosted index, every category |
> | [SaaSHub](https://saashub.com) | Community-voted rankings |
> | [StackShare](https://stackshare.io) | What companies actually use |
> | [SideProjectors](https://sideprojectors.com) | Tiny side-project SaaS before it’s famous |
> | [BetaList](https://betalist.com) | Pre-launch, 3–6 months before aggregators |
> | [Peerlist](https://peerlist.io) | Community + launchpad |
> | [Startup Stash](https://startupstash.com) | Curated founder tools, idea→launch |
> | [Indie Hackers](https://www.indiehackers.com) | Community + /products index |
> | [OpenFuture](https://openfuture.ai) | High-volume AI directory |
> | [theresanaifor.co](https://theresanaifor.co) | Smaller, focused (not TAAFT) |
> | [aivaley.com](https://aivaley.com) | Daily tools + prompts |
> | [topai.tools](https://topai.tools) | Semantic search + shareable “stacks” |
> | [Tekpon](https://tekpon.com) | Comparisons + deals |
> | [SaaSworthy](https://saasworthy.com) | Own scoring + category awards |
> | [Crozdesk](https://crozdesk.com) | Deep taxonomy, category awards |
> | [alternative.me](https://alternative.me) | Recommendation engine |

> **🌍 Gems nobody translated — CN · JP · KR · RU · PT · VI · ID · DE directories**
>
> Google’s English page-1 can’t reach these. Right-click → translate, and you’re a year ahead.
> 
> **中文 · Chinese**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [ai-bot.cn](https://ai-bot.cn) | Huge CN aggregator; domestic LLMs (Qwen, Kimi, Doubao, GLM) daily |
> | [ai-bio.cn](https://ai-bio.cn) | 1000+ tools; benchmark suites (SuperCLUE, C-Eval, CMMLU) |
> | [tool.aiofchina.com](https://tool.aiofchina.com) | Working CN tools + local pricing |
> | [chinaai.work](https://chinaai.work) | Bilingual; CN LLM map for outsiders |
> | [chineseaitools.com](https://www.chineseaitools.com/zh) | Tracks overseas access/English UI/payment per tool |
> | [aitechhub.org](https://aitechhub.org/chinese-ai-tools) | Rankings with award tags |
> | [freeai.run — China AI](https://www.freeai.run/product/china-ai) | CN ecosystem as its own beast |
> | [awesome-chinese-ai-agents](https://github.com/happydog-intj/awesome-chinese-ai-agents) | Most complete CN agent pool |
> | [awesome-ai-directory](https://github.com/iAmCorey/awesome-ai-directory) | Bilingual list of AI _directories_ |
> 
> **日本語 · Japanese**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [ai-gallery.jp](https://ai-gallery.jp) | Japan’s biggest AI DB (600+); MCP/GPTs sections |
> | [ai-gallery.jp/tools](https://ai-gallery.jp/tools) | Fast table view |
> | [aismiley.co.jp](https://aismiley.co.jp) | JP LLM intel (tsuzumi, cotomi, ELYZA) |
> | [japan-ai.co.jp](https://japan-ai.co.jp) | Corporate platform + editorial media |
> 
> **한국어 · Korean**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [damoa.ai](https://www.damoa.ai) | Clean KR aggregator |
> | [AI모아](https://xn--ai-4y0jo46a.com) | 2500+ KR tools, daily — only KR DB at scale |
> | [gpters.org](https://www.gpters.org) | Indie KR community, domestic-only filter |
> | [toolify.ai/ko](https://www.toolify.ai/ko) | KR view = different popularity signals |
> 
> **Русский · Russian**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [aineuro-tools.ru](https://aineuro-tools.ru) | Tools that work from RU without VPN, pay in rubles |
> | [ailib.ru](https://ailib.ru) | Largest RU library (2400+) + RU prompt bank |
> | [ailist.ru](https://ailist.ru) | RU-native only, 60+ categories |
> | [neiroai.ru](https://neiroai.ru) | Expert-vetted RU alternatives to blocked tools |
> | [futuretools.ru](https://futuretools.ru) | RU-native catalog (≠ [futuretools.io](http://futuretools.io)) |
> | [neurofolder.com](https://www.neurofolder.com) | Search-style RU directory + top-100 |
> | [neural-networked.ru](https://neural-networked.ru) | Flags pricing-model changes |
> | [computerra — catalog of catalogs](https://www.computerra.ru/287202/biblioteki-nejrosetej-podborka-katalogov-s-ii-na-vse-sluchai-zhizni) | A directory _of_ RU directories |
> 
> **Português · Portuguese (BR)**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [melhoresia.com.br](https://melhoresia.com.br) | Curated PT-BR, monthly refresh |
> | [swen.ia.br](https://swen.ia.br/ferramentas) | 5,800+ tools, BRL pricing, open-source filter |
> | [diretorioia.com.br](https://www.diretorioia.com.br) | Brazilian-built AI only |
> | [openclaw.ia.br](https://openclaw.ia.br) | Locally-validated “best free X” |
> 
> **Tiếng Việt · Vietnamese**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [congcuai.vn](https://congcuai.vn) | VN-native (Kiki AI, MISA Agent Mate) |
> | [topaihay.com](https://topaihay.com) | Largest VN library (10,000+), daily |
> | [ai-tools.vn](https://www.ai-tools.vn) | Beginner-focused, work scenarios |
> | [vnai.io](https://vnai.io) | Exposes “shared account” access model |
> | [base.vn/blog](https://base.vn/blog/cong-cu-ai) | VN-market snapshots |
> 
> **Bahasa Indonesia · Indonesian**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [aihub.id](https://aihub.id) | Local use cases (UMKM, Kominfo) |
> | [koncoweb.id/tools](https://www.koncoweb.id/tools) | Daily Product Hunt pulls, ID creators |
> | [belajarlagi.id](https://www.belajarlagi.id/post/aplikasi-ai-buatan-indonesia) | ID-built NLP (Kata.ai, Prosa.ai, Bahasa.ai) |
> | [rankmyai.com — ID](https://www.rankmyai.com/rankings/top-ai-tools-indonesia) | Monthly ID rankings |
> | [desanaob.id](https://desanaob.id) | Bahasa-friendly AI writing filter |
> 
> **Deutsch · German (DACH)**
> 
> | Directory | Gem inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [ger-ai.directory](https://ger-ai.directory) | DSGVO; tools hosted _in Germany_ |
> | [gewusst-ki.de](https://gewusst-ki.de/ki-tools) | Vendor-independent tests, 149+ |
> | [ki-syndikat.de](https://www.ki-syndikat.de/ki-tools-vergleich) | 1,675+ with EU/DE-hosting filters |
> | [cleverkitools.com](https://www.cleverkitools.com) | Curated German directory |
> | [distart.de](https://distart.de/blog/beste-ki-tools) | DSGVO flagged per tool |
> | [digitaleprofis.de](https://digitaleprofis.de/kategorie/kuenstliche-intelligenz/ki-tools) | European LLMs (Mistral, DeepL, Aleph Alpha) |
> | [digitalzentrum-berlin.de](https://digitalzentrum-berlin.de/ki-tools-fuer-den-arbeitsalltag) | Gov-adjacent, legal/compliance weight |
> | [capterra.com.de](https://www.capterra.com.de/directory/30938/artificial-intelligence/software) | German filter surfaces buried tools |

> **🐙 Kept by people who actually use them — GitHub awesome-\* lists**
>
> Every `github.com/topics/…` page is a live feed that updates on its own.
> 
> **Prompts**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Awesome-Prompt-Engineering](https://github.com/promptslab/Awesome-Prompt-Engineering) | Papers + tools + benchmarks, academic |
> | [microsoft/prompt-engine](https://github.com/microsoft/prompt-engine) | MS prompt/code/chat engine libs |
> | [thibaultyou/prompt-library](https://github.com/thibaultyou/prompt-library) | Metadata automation + CLI runner |
> | [danielrosehill/Prompt-Library](https://github.com/danielrosehill/Prompt-Library) | “Context snippets” method |
> | [topic: prompt-library](https://github.com/topics/prompt-library) | New libraries weekly |
> | [topic: prompts](https://github.com/topics/prompts) | Leaked-system-prompt repos, Promptfoo |
> | [awesome-chatgpt-prompts](https://github.com/f/awesome-chatgpt-prompts) | The multilingual translations are the gem |
> 
> **Text-to-speech & voice**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [awesome-ai-voice](https://github.com/wildminder/awesome-ai-voice) | _The_ open TTS + voice-clone + music index |
> | [coqui-ai/TTS](https://github.com/coqui-ai/TTS) | XTTS-v2 clones a voice from 6 sec, 17 langs |
> | [tortoise-tts](https://github.com/neonbjb/tortoise-tts) | Reference for realistic prosody |
> | [mozilla/TTS](https://github.com/mozilla/TTS) | Still-useful pretrained models |
> | [openvpi/audio-slicer](https://github.com/openvpi/audio-slicer) | Slicer most TTS pipelines use |
> | [topic: text-to-speech](https://github.com/topics/text-to-speech) | Catches CosyVoice, ChatTTS, Piper, Kokoro |
> 
> **Video summarization**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [awesome-video-sum](https://github.com/seriousran/awesome-video-sum) | Papers + implementations |
> | [awesome-youtube-summarizers](https://github.com/ritwickhalder/awesome-youtube-summarizers) | Real products the farms miss |
> | [AI-Video-Transcriber](https://github.com/wendy7756/AI-Video-Transcriber) | 30+ sources, self-hostable |
> | [martinopiaggi/summarize](https://github.com/martinopiaggi/summarize) | Self-hosted, transcript cache |
> | [DevRico003/youtube\_summarizer](https://github.com/DevRico003/youtube_summarizer) | Next.js, chapter detection |
> | [topic: video-summarization](https://github.com/topics/video-summarization) | New arrivals |
> | [topic: ai-video-summarization](https://github.com/topics/ai-video-summarization) | Long-to-short clip makers |
> 
> **Color & design systems**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Awesome-Palette-Choice](https://github.com/dogfuntom/Awesome-Palette-Choice) | Ruthlessly curated palette generators |
> | [Siddharth11/Colorful](https://github.com/Siddharth11/Colorful) | Huge color-resource list |
> | [colormind.io](https://colormind.io) | DL palettes trained on photos/movies/art |
> | [colorkit.co](https://colorkit.co) | Palette + gradient, less-known than Coolors |
> | [mycolor.space](https://mycolor.space) | The “one input color” niche |
> | [openalternative — Adobe Color](https://openalternative.co/alternatives/adobe-color) | Open alternatives to Adobe Color |
> 
> **Bookmarks / second-brain (PKM)**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [awesome-second-brain](https://github.com/aristoapp/awesome-second-brain) | Local-first PKM, agentic workspaces (2026) |
> | [selfhosted/bookmark-managers](https://awesomehub.js.org/list/selfhosted/bookmark-managers) | LinkAce, Linkding, Karakeep, Shiori |
> | [topic: second-brain](https://github.com/topics/second-brain) | New PKM projects weekly |
> | [topic: pkm](https://github.com/topics/pkm) | Obsidian/Logseq/TiddlyWiki plugins |
> | [topic: personal-knowledge-management](https://github.com/topics/personal-knowledge-management) | LLM-wiki pattern builds |
> | [topic: bookmark-manager](https://github.com/topics/bookmark-manager) | Bookmark tools direct |
> | [claude-obsidian](https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-obsidian) | Self-organizing AI second brain, MIT |
> | [Cyclenerd/bookmarks-manager](https://github.com/Cyclenerd/bookmarks-manager) | Ultralight self-hosted, sub-100kb |
> 
> **Open-source / self-hosted alternatives**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [piotrkulpinski/openalternative](https://github.com/piotrkulpinski/openalternative) | The OSS alternatives directory, live-updated |
> | [openalternative.co](https://openalternative.co) | Searchable frontend |
> | [opensourcealternatives.to](https://www.opensourcealternatives.to) | Reviews + deploy notes |
> | [alternativeto — self-hosted](https://alternativeto.net/category/productivity/all/?platform=self-hosted) | Pre-filtered sub-slice |
> | [awesomehub — selfhosted](https://awesomehub.js.org/list/selfhosted) | Self-hosted, every category |
> 
> **Meta-directories (directories of directories)**
> 
> | List | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [iAmCorey/awesome-ai-directory](https://github.com/iAmCorey/awesome-ai-directory) | Incl. CN/JP/RU directories nobody groups |
> | [best-of-ai/ai-directories](https://github.com/best-of-ai/ai-directories) | Every viable AI directory |
> | [awesome-saas-directories](https://github.com/mahseema/awesome-saas-directories) | Same play for SaaS |
> | [toolspedia — aggregators](https://toolspedia.io/ai-tools/ai-aggregators) | Aggregators with verified badge |
> | [blastra — free B2B dirs](https://blastra.io/directories/free-b2b-saas-directories) | 46 free directories |
> | [position.digital — 260+ dirs](https://www.position.digital/blog/saas-directories) | The niche tail |

> **🕸️ Search engines that refuse SEO junk — indie / small-web**
>
> Highest-signal bucket. They crawl the non-commercial web SEO directories can’t reach. Search here first for anything niche.
> 
> | Engine | Best at |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Marginalia](https://marginalia-search.com) | Crown jewel — text-heavy non-commercial sites |
> | [Marginalia (legacy)](https://old-search.marginalia.nu) | Older UI |
> | [Wiby](https://wiby.me) | The old/hobbyist web |
> | [Search My Site](https://searchmysite.net) | 3,400+ curated independent sites |
> | [Curlie](https://curlie.org) | Human-edited, 92 languages, 3M sites |
> | [The Index](https://theindex.fyi) | Index of small-web indexes |
> | [Feedle](https://blog.feedle.io) | Indie blogs + podcasts search |
> | [blogsearch.io](https://blogsearch.io) | Blog-focused indie search |
> | [Blog of the Day](https://blogoftheday.co) | One indie blog daily (RSS) |
> | [Read Something Interesting](https://readsomethinginteresting.com) | Long-form indie writing |
> | [The Forest](https://theforest.link) | Random-site button |
> | [1MB Club](https://1mb.club) · [250KB](https://250kb.club) · [512KB](https://512kb.club) | Weight-limit = quality signal |
> | [Mojeek](https://www.mojeek.com) | UK independent index, no tracking |
> | [Kagi](https://kagi.com) | Paid; “Lenses” = custom search engine |
> | [Yep](https://yep.com) | Ahrefs indie index, creator revenue-share |
> | [Indieseek](https://indieseek.xyz) | Human-curated indie index |

> **🏆 Skip tools, find the best model — leaderboards & model hubs**
>
> Where you find _models_, not wrappers built on them. Denser signal.
> 
> | Board / hub | Ranks |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Open LLM Leaderboard](https://huggingface.co/spaces/open-llm-leaderboard/open_llm_leaderboard) | Reproducible eval scores |
> | [Comparator](https://huggingface.co/spaces/open-llm-leaderboard/comparator) | Head-to-head models |
> | [OpenCompass](https://huggingface.co/spaces/opencompass/opencompass-llm-leaderboard) | More CN/multilingual benchmarks |
> | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai) | Blind-vote Elo — “which feels best” |
> | [OpenRouter rankings](https://openrouter.ai/rankings) | Ranked by _real usage_ |
> | [OpenRouter models](https://openrouter.ai/models) | 300+ models, one API |
> | [Artificial Analysis](https://artificialanalysis.ai) | Price/latency/quality tradeoffs |
> | [LiveCodeBench](https://livecodebench.github.io) | Live code benchmark |
> | [Scale leaderboard](https://scale.com/leaderboard) | Scale’s model evals |
> | [HF Models](https://huggingface.co/models) | 1M+ models |
> | [HF Spaces](https://huggingface.co/spaces) | Try a model in seconds |
> | [Replicate](https://replicate.com/explore) | Hosted, pay-per-second API |
> | [Ollama library](https://ollama.com/library) | Models for local runs |
> | [Together AI](https://together.ai/models) | Open-weight catalog |
> | [Fireworks AI](https://fireworks.ai/models) | Fast-inference catalog |
> | [Groq](https://groq.com/products/inference) | Ultra-fast inference-only |
> | [DeepSeek API](https://api-docs.deepseek.com) | DeepSeek-V3.2 |
> | [Moonshot (Kimi)](https://platform.moonshot.cn) | Moonshot AI platform |

> **🔌 Too new for SEO — MCP server lists (plug AI into your tools)**
>
> _MCP = a plug (Anthropic, Nov 2024) that lets AI apps use your files/tools/DBs._ ⚠ MCP servers run code — mind the security notes.
> 
> | List / registry | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Official servers](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers) | Anthropic reference: Fetch, Git, Memory. Start here |
> | [wong2/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/wong2/awesome-mcp-servers) | One of the largest lists |
> | [appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers) | Production vs experimental + security notes |
> | [punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers) | Emoji capability tags |
> | [patriksimek/awesome-mcp-servers-2](https://github.com/patriksimek/awesome-mcp-servers-2) | Curated production picks |
> | [abordage/awesome-mcp](https://github.com/abordage/awesome-mcp) | Auto-updated daily, ranked by activity |
> | [korchasa/awesome-mcp](https://github.com/korchasa/awesome-mcp) | Frameworks + implementations |
> | [AlexMili/Awesome-MCP](https://github.com/AlexMili/Awesome-MCP) | Servers + clients + SDKs |
> | [habitoai/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/habitoai/awesome-mcp-servers) | Crypto, HackerNews, Lightning niches |
> | [lobstercare/mcp-hub](https://github.com/lobstercare/mcp-hub) | Cloud-vs-self-hosted tags |
> | [awesome-devops-mcp-servers](https://github.com/rohitg00/awesome-devops-mcp-servers) | DevOps-specific |
> | [mcp.so](https://mcp.so) | Public registry, category browse |
> | [smithery.ai](https://smithery.ai) | MCP marketplace |

> **📡 Tools before the directories catch them — Show HN · subreddits · newsletters**
>
> The road every tool travels — sit at the top and you’re 4–12 weeks early.
> 
> **Show HN — devs drop working tools first**
> 
> | Source | Why |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com) | HN itself |
> | [Show HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/show) | Primary launch channel |
> | [Show HN — new](https://news.ycombinator.com/shownew) | Earliest, noisier |
> | [HN Algolia search](https://hn.algolia.com) | All history; `story_type:show_hn` |
> | [hckrnews](https://hckrnews.com) | Sorted by time |
> | [Hacker Newsletter](https://hackernewsletter.com) | Weekly digest since 2010 |
> | [orangebot HN top](https://orangebot.ai/hacker-news-top-stories) | Live top-30 mirror |
> | [usedigest HN](https://usedigest.com/hacker-news-newsletter) | HN-to-inbox |
> | [betacat HN](https://hackernews.betacat.io) | AI-summarized |
> | [tldr.tech](https://tldr.tech) | HN-heavy tech digest |
> 
> **Subreddits — practitioners test tools daily**
> 
> | Sub | Why |
> | --- | --- |
> | [r/LocalLLaMA](https://reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA) | New open LLM tools within _hours_ |
> | [r/StableDiffusion](https://reddit.com/r/StableDiffusion) | Image-gen tools land first |
> | [r/ChatGPT](https://reddit.com/r/ChatGPT) | 4M+, broadest coverage |
> | [r/artificial](https://reddit.com/r/artificial) | Daily “what’s new” |
> | [r/ArtificialInteligence](https://reddit.com/r/ArtificialInteligence) | Business/strategy (note spelling) |
> | [r/MachineLearning](https://reddit.com/r/MachineLearning) | Academic tools + papers |
> | [r/OpenAI](https://reddit.com/r/OpenAI) | Ecosystem-specific |
> | [r/selfhosted](https://reddit.com/r/selfhosted) | Self-hostable AI shows up |
> | [r/opensource](https://reddit.com/r/opensource) | OSS |
> | [r/DataHoarder](https://reddit.com/r/DataHoarder) | Archiving, transcription, media |
> | [r/productivity](https://reddit.com/r/productivity) | Reviews before the blogs |
> | [r/programming](https://reddit.com/r/programming) | Dev-tool signal |
> | [r/learnprogramming](https://reddit.com/r/learnprogramming) | “It just works” signal |
> | [r/PromptEngineering](https://reddit.com/r/PromptEngineering) | Prompt libs + tricks |
> | [r/AIToolsCatalog](https://reddit.com/r/AIToolsCatalog) | Explicit tool catalog |
> 
> > **💡 Trick:** swap `{sub}` in — surfaces launches days early:  
> > `https://reddit.com/r/{sub}/search?q=%22just+launched%22+OR+%22just+released%22&restrict_sr=1&sort=new`
> 
> **Newsletters — radar, not reading**
> 
> | Newsletter | Angle |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Ben’s Bites](https://www.bensbites.com) | Founder lens, weeks ahead of PH |
> | [Ben’s Bites archive](https://news.bensbites.com) | Searchable archive |
> | [TLDR AI](https://tldr.tech/ai) | Densest technical daily |
> | [The Rundown AI](https://www.therundown.ai) | “AI tool of the day” each issue |
> | [Superhuman AI](https://www.superhuman.ai) | 3-min executive daily |
> | [The Neuron](https://www.theneurondaily.com) | Business/strategy |
> | [Import AI](https://importai.substack.com) | Policy + research, un-hyped |
> | [Latent Space](https://www.latent.space) | Builder-focused |
> | [The Batch](https://www.deeplearning.ai/the-batch) | Andrew Ng, academic-friendly |
> | [Interconnects](https://www.interconnects.ai) | Post-training / RLHF depth |
> | [Ahead of AI](https://www.aheadofai.com) | LLM engineering practicalities |
> | [Mindstream](https://mindstream.news) | Creator/marketer |
> | [One Useful Thing](https://www.oneusefulthing.org) | Ethan Mollick; source of half of Reddit’s tips |
> | [Creativerly](https://www.creativerly.com) | Indie creator tools early |

> **🔬 Papers & proof, not tool-hunting — research engines**
>
> For actual research — papers, evidence, citations.
> 
> | Tool | Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Elicit](https://elicit.com) | Lit review across 138M+ papers, 5k free/mo |
> | [Consensus](https://consensus.app) | Evidence Q&A, yes/no “Consensus Meter” |
> | [Scite](https://scite.ai) | Shows if later papers support/contradict a claim |
> | [ResearchRabbit](https://researchrabbit.ai) | Visual citation-graph from a seed |
> | [SciSpace](https://scispace.com) | Chat-with-PDF, 280M+ index |
> | [Semantic Scholar](https://www.semanticscholar.org) | Free, TLDR per paper |
> | [Semantic Scholar API](https://www.semanticscholar.org/product/api) | 200M+ papers, free API |
> | [Sourcely](https://sourcely.net) | Fast source-finder for essays |
> | [Paperguide](https://paperguide.ai) | End-to-end research workspace |
> | [Undermind](https://undermind.ai) | Systematic-review agent |
> | [Perplexity Academic](https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-perplexity-academic) | Peer-reviewed focus mode |
> | [OpenReview](https://openreview.net) | ICLR/NeurIPS review process, visible |
> | [Connected Papers](https://www.connectedpapers.com) | Citation-network from one seed |
> | [Litmaps](https://www.litmaps.com) | More citation-classification depth |
> | [Atlas](https://www.atlasworkspace.ai) | Cited answers over your PDFs |
> | [PapersFlow](https://www.papersflow.ai) | Citation-report generation |
> | [arXiv](https://arxiv.org) | `arxiv.org/list/{category}/new` = daily feed |
> | [alphaXiv](https://alphaxiv.org) | arXiv + commentary |
> | [Google Scholar alerts](https://scholar.google.com/scholar_alerts) | Keyword alerts, free |

> **🎨 What working designers actually run — design vaults**
>
> | Resource | Good for |
> | --- | --- |
> | [TOOOLS.design](https://www.toools.design) | 2,200+ resources, 18 categories, weekly |
> | [best-design-tools](https://www.toools.design/best-design-tools) | Discipline sub-index |
> | [for product designers](https://www.toools.design/for/product-designers) | Role-scoped view |
> | [Mobbin](https://mobbin.com) | 400,000+ UI screenshots |
> | [Logobook](https://logobook.com) | Logos by shape/letter/number |
> | [Color Hunt](https://colorhunt.co) | Community palette wall |
> | [Fontpair](https://fontpair.co) | Font pairing |
> | [Lucide](https://lucide.dev) | Open icon set, 1,400+ |
> | [Figma Community](https://www.figma.com/community) | UI kits (Untitled UI, shadcn/ui) |

> **🛠️ One job, done deep — audio · video-summary · utility boxes · TTS**
>
> **Audio silence / podcast cleanup**
> 
> | Tool | Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [audio-slicer](https://github.com/openvpi/audio-slicer) | Reference silence slicer (RMS) |
> | [batch\_silence\_trimmer](https://github.com/CLafitte/batch_silence_trimmer) | Batch WAV trimmer, GUI |
> | [audio-silence-splitter](https://github.com/Ryan-PG/audio-silence-splitter) | Split by longest pauses |
> | [mp3splt](https://sourceforge.net/projects/mp3splt) | Split without re-encoding |
> | [LosslessCut](https://mifi.no/losslesscut) | Lossless FFmpeg GUI trim |
> | [Submind](https://www.submind.co/audio-remove-silence) | In-browser, no upload |
> | [wutools](https://wutools.com/audio/silence-trimmer) | Per-region threshold |
> | [cleanvoice](https://cleanvoice.ai/deadair-remover) | Context-aware pause trimming |
> 
> **YouTube / video summarizers**
> 
> | Tool | Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [awesome-youtube-summarizers](https://github.com/ritwickhalder/awesome-youtube-summarizers) | Curated product list |
> | [AI-Video-Transcriber](https://github.com/wendy7756/AI-Video-Transcriber) | 30+ sources, self-host |
> | [martinopiaggi/summarize](https://github.com/martinopiaggi/summarize) | Self-hosted, cache |
> | [topic: ai-video-summarization](https://github.com/topics/ai-video-summarization) | Weekly feed |
> | [sipsip.ai](https://sipsip.ai) | Daily brief from your YouTubers |
> 
> **Free utility toolboxes**
> 
> | Box | Inside |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Tiny Tools](https://tinytiny.tools/en) | ~28 utilities + honest SaaS reviews |
> | [Utility Tools](https://www.utilitytools.tech) | Browser-only, no upload |
> | [webutility.io](https://webutility.io) | 200+ incl. obscure converters |
> | [freemetatools.com](https://freemetatools.com) | 300+ (logistics, resume, ATS) |
> | [Daily Tools](https://www.usedailytools.com) | JSON↔TOON cuts LLM token cost |
> | [freetoolutility.com](https://freetoolutility.com) | Comprehensive |
> | [toolsinfree.com](https://toolsinfree.com) | 100+ browser tools |
> | [utilitytools.net](https://utilitytools.net) | Text/data/format |
> 
> **TTS models & leaderboards**
> 
> | Model / board | Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [TTS Arena](https://huggingface.co/spaces/TTS-AGI/TTS-Arena) | Blind-listener Elo, not vendor-run |
> | [coqui-ai/TTS](https://github.com/coqui-ai/TTS) | The workhorse |
> | [ChatTTS](https://github.com/2noise/ChatTTS) | Daily-dialogue speech |
> | [OpenVoice](https://github.com/myshell-ai/OpenVoice) | Instant clone, MIT |
> | [VibeVoice](https://github.com/microsoft/VibeVoice) | Long-form, multi-speaker |
> | [Kokoro-82M](https://github.com/hexgrad/Kokoro-82M) | Runs on CPU, efficiency king |
> | [chatterbox](https://github.com/resemble-ai/chatterbox) | Beat ElevenLabs in blind test, MIT |
> | [dia](https://github.com/nari-labs/dia) | Dialogue TTS, nonverbal cues |

> **🎵 Free song makers — the open Suno alternatives**
>
> | Model / tool | Does |
> | --- | --- |
> | [topic: suno-alternative](https://github.com/topics/suno-alternative) | Feed of new generators |
> | [MusicGen (audiocraft)](https://github.com/facebookresearch/audiocraft) | Meta, MIT, the reference |
> | [ACE-Step](https://github.com/ace-step/ACE-Step) | Full song, \<4GB VRAM, \<10s on a 3090 |
> | [ace-step-ui](https://github.com/fspecii/ace-step-ui) | Pro web UI |
> | [HeartMuLa](https://heart-mula.com) | Apache-2.0, Llama-3.2 LM |
> | [Stable Audio Open](https://stability.ai/stable-audio-open) | Music/SFX model |
> | [YuE](https://github.com/multimodal-art-projection/YuE) | Vocals + instruments from lyrics |
> | [Riffusion](https://github.com/riffusion/riffusion) | Real-time via spectrograms |
> | [musiclm-pytorch](https://github.com/lucidrains/musiclm-pytorch) | MusicLM implementation |
> | [DiffRhythm](https://github.com/HKUNLP/DiffRhythm) | Xiaomi/ASLP model |
> | [TTS Arena (audio)](https://tts-arena.audiogptdev.com) | Blind Elo, the audio LMSYS |
> | [Boomy](https://boomy.com) | Unlimited free songs |
> | [Mubert](https://mubert.com) | API-first music-gen |
> | [Soundraw](https://soundraw.io) | Timeline editing |
> | [AIVA](https://aiva.ai) | Orchestral, 250+ styles |
> | [ElevenLabs Music](https://elevenlabs.io/music) | Clean commercial licensing |

> **🎬 The deeper picks — video · code · meetings · voice · SEO**
>
> **Text-to-video (Sora/Kling/Runway alts)**
> 
> | Tool | Note |
> | --- | --- |
> | [VBench Leaderboard](https://huggingface.co/spaces/Vchitect/VBench_Leaderboard) | Ranks T2V models |
> | [Awesome-Video-Diffusion](https://github.com/showlab/Awesome-Video-Diffusion) | Curated list |
> | [Kling AI](https://klingai.com) | Chinese, often skipped |
> | [Vidu](https://vidu.studio) | High frame consistency |
> | [PixVerse](https://pixverse.ai) | — |
> | [Runway](https://runwayml.com) | Gen-4 |
> | [Haiper](https://haiper.ai) | — |
> | [Luma Dream Machine](https://lumalabs.ai/dream-machine) | — |
> 
> **Code assistants beyond Copilot/Cursor**
> 
> | Tool | Note |
> | --- | --- |
> | [topic: ai-coding-assistant](https://github.com/topics/ai-coding-assistant) | Continuous feed |
> | [Aider](https://github.com/paul-gauthier/aider) | Terminal, multi-file edits |
> | [Continue](https://github.com/continuedev/continue) | Open Copilot alt, IDE plugin |
> | [Codeium](https://codeium.com) | Also Windsurf |
> | [Cline](https://cline.bot) | VS Code agent |
> | [Roo Code](https://roocode.com) | — |
> | [Sweep](https://sweep.dev) | Autonomous PR bot |
> 
> **Meeting AI beyond Otter/Fireflies**
> 
> | Tool | Note |
> | --- | --- |
> | [Fathom](https://fathom.video) | Free unlimited recording |
> | [tl;dv](https://tldv.io) | GDPR-focused |
> | [Krisp](https://krisp.ai) | Noise cancel + summaries |
> | [Circleback](https://circleback.ai) | Action items |
> | [Spinach](https://spinach.io) | Standup-specific |
> | [Plaud](https://plaud.ai) | Hardware recorder |
> 
> **Voice cloning**
> 
> | Tool | Note |
> | --- | --- |
> | [ElevenLabs clone](https://elevenlabs.io/voice-cloning) | Instant clone |
> | [Cartesia](https://cartesia.ai) | Sonic, low latency |
> | [PlayHT](https://play.ht) | Commercial |
> | [Camb.ai](https://camb.ai) | Dubbing, 140+ langs |
> | [GPT-SoVITS](https://github.com/RVC-Boss/GPT-SoVITS) | Open few-shot clone |
> | [voice-changer](https://github.com/w-okada/voice-changer) | Realtime VC/RVC |
> 
> **SEO / keyword (free Ahrefs/SEMrush alts)**
> 
> | Tool | Note |
> | --- | --- |
> | [AnswerSocrates](https://answersocrates.com) | Free clustering, 1,500/mo |
> | [Ahrefs keyword generator](https://ahrefs.com/keyword-generator) | Free, no login |
> | [Ubersuggest](https://ubersuggest.com) | Free tier |
> | [LowFruits](https://lowfruits.io) | Low-competition finder |
> | [AlsoAsked](https://alsoasked.com) | People-Also-Asked mining |
> | [Keywords Everywhere](https://keywordseverywhere.com) | Live search-volume overlay |

> **🌱 One person's whole stack — battle-tested 'uses' pages**
>
> | Page | What |
> | --- | --- |
> | [uses.tech](https://uses.tech) | Directory of personal /uses pages |
> | [usesthis.com](https://usesthis.com) | Weekly setup interviews |
> | [dansilvestre.com/productivity-stack](https://dansilvestre.com/productivity-stack) | Long-running stack breakdown |
> | [XDA self-hosted stack 2026](https://www.xda-developers.com/non-negotiable-self-hosted-productivity-stack-for-2026) | Karakeep + Vikunja + AdGuard, real user |
> | [Creativerly](https://www.creativerly.com) | Surfaces creator tools early |

> **🧭 Feeds that refill themselves — never run dry**
>
> Bookmark the _feeds_, not the tools:
> 
> - **CN/JP/KR/RU/PT/VI run ~12 months ahead** on some verticals — translate and you’re early.
> - **GitHub `topic:X` pages \> articles** — self-updating, no SEO gaming. Use as the feed.
> - **Indie engines index what SEO can’t** — [Marginalia](https://marginalia-search.com), [Wiby](https://wiby.me), [Search My Site](https://searchmysite.net) first, before Google.
> - **Meta-directories multiply reach** — one [awesome-ai-directory](https://github.com/iAmCorey/awesome-ai-directory) or [The Index](https://theindex.fyi) = 40+ new branches.
> - **“My uses” pages already filtered for you** — one working stack beats a whole directory.
> - **Weight-limit clubs = stealth quality** — [250KB Club](https://250kb.club) discipline usually means good content.
> - **Leaderboards beat directories for “what’s good”** — [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/rankings) + [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai) + [Artificial Analysis](https://artificialanalysis.ai).

> **⚡ Just give me one link per job — the cheat sheet**
>
> | Want | Go |
> | --- | --- |
> | Free twin of a paid tool | [OpenAlternative](https://openalternative.co) |
> | The untranslated gem | [ai-bot.cn](https://ai-bot.cn) · [topaihay.com](https://topaihay.com) · [ailib.ru](https://ailib.ru) |
> | Past the SEO wall | [Marginalia](https://marginalia-search.com) |
> | Tools days after launch | [Show HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/show) · [r/LocalLLaMA](https://reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA) |
> | The best actual model | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai) · [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/rankings) |
> | Plug AI into your apps | [awesome-mcp (daily)](https://github.com/abordage/awesome-mcp) |
> | Free song generator | [ACE-Step](https://github.com/ace-step/ACE-Step) |
> | Papers + evidence | [Elicit](https://elicit.com) · [Consensus](https://consensus.app) |
> | Never run dry | [best-of-ai/ai-directories](https://github.com/best-of-ai/ai-directories) |

* * *

That’s the map — 300+ directories, feeds, and model boards, sorted by what you want. Free ones marked, gems first.

A tool doesn’t need marketing to be real — only to be found. Now you can find them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/system/32/165705_2.png) [@system](https://onehack.st/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 11:21am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-whole-ai-tools-map-not-the-recycled-top-50/323794/2 "2026-07-11T11:21:45Z")

</div>

> [@Humtum99](#):
>
> 🧭 Where AI Tools Actually Hide Every “best AI tools” list is the same recycled 50. The free, open, and better ones hide where SEO can’t reach …

**✅ The post above is now a stronger, AI-upgraded version by the Core-Community.**

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![green\_res](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/green_res/32/177845_2.png) [@green\_res](https://onehack.st/u/green_res)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-whole-ai-tools-map-not-the-recycled-top-50/323794/3 "2026-07-12T17:28:00Z")

</div>

thank you amazing