Our Methodology & Criteria
Understanding how we verify tools and what qualifies for inclusion in the Zero-Cost Directory.
We Ask The Hard Questions
Before a tool makes it onto our list, we interrogate it.
Is it usable?
We assess hard limits. The best free tiers let you ship an MVP, not just a "Hello World".
Will it break?
We look for hidden spin-down policies and pricing cliffs that kill projects.
Is there support?
Isolation shouldn't be the price of free. We check for community and docs.
Is it truly free?
No hidden fees. No credit card requirements. Free means free.
How We Curate the Zero-Cost Directory
We do not use bots to scrape the web. Every tool in this directory is manually verified by humans to ensure it meets a strict standard of utility and honesty. Here is exactly how we define our criteria.
The "Builder's Contract"
To be listed, a tool must meet our three core definitions of "Free."
• What "Zero-Cost" Means
Zero-Cost means the tool offers a permanent free tier that you can use indefinitely without payment. It's not a trial. It's not a promotional offer. It's a core offering that the provider commits to maintaining.
- Not a Trial: It does not expire after 14 or 30 days.
- Not a Promo: It is not a temporary credit (e.g., "$200 for your first month").
- Real Utility: It is not a "toy" tier; it must be usable for a real side project or MVP.
We recognize that "free forever" comes with constraints. That's why we document the hard limits clearly so you can evaluate if the free tier meets your needs before investing time in learning the tool.
What "Permanent Free Tier" Means
A permanent free tier is a pricing plan that exists alongside paid plans and provides ongoing value without requiring upgrade for basic use cases.
Examples of permanent free tiers:
- GitHub Pages: Unlimited static sites for public repositories
- Vercel Hobby: 100 GB bandwidth per month, unlimited deployments
- MongoDB Atlas: 512 MB storage on shared cluster
What "Active 24/7" Means
Some free tiers include automatic pausing or sleep modes after periods of inactivity. We flag these clearly so you know what to expect.
Active 24/7 means the service stays running continuously without sleep or spin-down periods. This is essential for production applications or services that need to respond instantly.
Sleep / Spins Down means the service "sleeps" to save resources after inactivity and takes time to "wake up". We list these, but we flag them clearly.
What "No Credit Card" Means
We prioritize accessibility. A tool is marked as "No CC" only if you can sign up, build, and deploy to production without ever entering payment details. This removes the risk of accidental billing.
What Disqualifies a Tool
We exclude tools that:
- Require credit card for free tier: Even if they don't charge, requiring payment info creates a barrier and risk.
- Offer only time-limited trials: 30-day trials or promotional periods are not permanent free tiers.
- Have education-only free tiers: It is only free for .edu email addresses. While valuable for students, these aren't available to all builders and aren't permanent.
- Hide free tier limits: Transparency is essential. Vague limits like "reasonable use" don't qualify. We require hard data (e.g., "500MB," not "plenty of space").
- Force upgrade for basic functionality: The free tier exists but blocks essential features needed for a basic app. The free tier must be genuinely useful on its own.
How We Review and Verify Tools
Our review process includes:
1. Documentation Review
We read the official pricing pages and terms of service to understand the free tier constraints.
2. Hands-on Testing
We create accounts and test the signup process to verify credit card requirements.
3. Community Validation
We monitor user experiences and provider announcements for changes.
4. Quarterly Updates
Software pricing changes fast. We re-verify our listings every 3 months to flag tools that have removed their free tiers.
Advertising and Independence
Zero-Cost Directory may display advertisements to sustain operations. However, ads do not affect which tools are listed or how they're ranked.
Tools are selected based solely on meeting our criteria for permanent free tiers. Our commitment is to accuracy and transparency, not revenue from vendors.
- We do not sell listings.
- We do not accept payment to add a tool.
- We do not accept payment to improve a ranking.
- We do not accept payment to hide a "Con" or limitation.
Why Trust Our Reviews?
Unlike affiliate-driven review sites, Zero-Cost Directory has no financial relationship with infrastructure providers. We don't earn commissions. We don't accept payment for favorable reviews. Our only incentive is helping builders find genuine free tiers.