How we review
Four levels of claim, and only the top one involves anyone using the tool. Here is exactly what each level means and what it costs us to say it.
Level 0 - the automatic precheck
Runs on every submission before any payment. Six machine checks: blocklist, duplicate domain, reachability and TLS, redirect target, domain age via RDAP, and Google Safe Browsing. It also looks for an imprint and a privacy policy, which is recorded as a note and never as a rejection on its own. Fail the precheck and nothing is charged.
Level 1 - the ownership proof
So nobody can list or change someone else's tool. Three routes, first match wins: a DNS TXT record, an email from the tool's own domain, or a backlink to the case page. We remind on day 3 and day 7; after 14 days the case closes and any payment is refunded in full.
Level 2 - reading the documents
We open the vendor's own pages - pricing, terms, privacy policy, API docs - and record what they say with a link and a date. This produces a sourced price and sourced limits. It produces no score, because nothing about detection outcome or readability can be read off a page.
Level 3 - the hands-on review
A person creates an account and uses the tool. Three fixed test texts go in. The output goes through every detector in the panel, before and after, and the numbers are published with the test date.
The detector panel
GPTZero · Originality.ai · Copyleaks · Winston AI · Sapling · ZeroGPT
Then the 5 criteria, weighted, each rated 0-5. Missing criteria are rescaled rather than counted as zero, so a tool is never punished for something we could not assess.
| Criterion | Weight | The question behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Detector pass rate | 40% | How many of the six detectors in the panel scored the output below the pass threshold, on the stated test date? |
| Meaning preserved | 25% | Does the rewritten text still say what the original said, including numbers, names, hedges and caveats? |
| Readability | 15% | Does a human reader find the output natural, or is it padded with synonyms and broken idioms? |
| Price and free tier | 10% | What does it cost, is the free tier large enough to judge the output, and are the limits visible before signing up? |
| Data handling | 10% | Is retention stated, is your text used for training, is an account required, can you delete your data? |
The data-handling check
Eight questions, each answered with a source link and a date. Not a compliance verdict: whether a given use is lawful depends on your situation, not on the tool.
| Retention period for submitted text stated |
| Your text excluded from model training (or opt-out available) |
| Core function usable without an account |
| Deletion on request documented |
| Sub-processors listed publicly |
| Data processing agreement (DPA) available |
| Server location disclosed |
| Independent certification (ISO 27001, SOC 2) |
What we do not do
- We do not certify that a tool is undetectable. Nobody can.
- We do not call a detector accurate. We record what the vendor claims, as a claim.
- We do not rank by who paid. The sort function never reads the tier.
- We do not rewrite your text, and we do not run any of these tools for you.
- We do not tell you whether using a tool is allowed where you are. Your institution does.
Rechecks
Every verified listing is rechecked after 180 days, free. Until a recheck finishes, the listing carries a "recheck due" note. The badge is only suspended when something is demonstrably no longer true, and the vendor hears from us first.
The route end to end
- 1 Form minutes
You fill in the form.
- 2 Precheck seconds
Automatic: reachability, certificate, security, duplicate. Fail here and nothing is charged.
- 3 Payment minutes
Paid tiers only. The invoice is issued automatically.
- 4 Ownership proof up to 14 days
DNS record, an email from the domain, or a backlink.
- 5 Hands-on review 72 hours
We run our fixed test texts through the tool, record what six detectors say, take screenshots and source the prices.
- 6 Publication right after
Link, badge embed code, provider area.
- 7 Recheck every 180 days
Free, permanently.