toolin.ai
A free, Chinese-first AI tools directory covering 1,800+ tools across 20 categories, with a daily news digest and an LLM benchmark
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toolin.ai is the most useful for Mandarin-speaking AI enthusiasts who want a single place to browse tools, catch daily AI news, and compare LLM pricing benchmarks. Its LLM leaderboard, which aggregates Artificial Analysis, LMArena, and Aider data alongside per-million-token cost comparisons, is a genuinely rare feature that most Western directories skip entirely. The directory skews heavily toward Chinese-market tools and the English interface is a secondary layer, so non-Chinese readers will find the coverage uneven and the editorial context harder to parse.
What is toolin.ai?
toolin.ai is a curated AI tools directory covering 1,800+ tools across 20 categories, including AI writing, image generation, video, coding assistants, agents, marketing and productivity. Every tool is hand-reviewed and tagged, so you can filter by category, pricing and language. Beyond the directory it publishes a daily AI news digest and an LLM leaderboard that aggregates Artificial Analysis, LMArena and Aider benchmark data with per-million-token price comparison. Available in Chinese, English and Japanese.
How we scored toolin.ai
Capability lands at 17 because the directory's 1,800+ tool count and 20 categories are real, and the LLM leaderboard aggregating Artificial Analysis, LMArena, and Aider data is a genuinely differentiated feature, but the flat grid layout with one-line descriptions and no comparison view limits how much work the directory actually does for a user trying to decide between tools. Ease of use scores 18 because the site is straightforward to browse with no account required, though the Chinese-first editorial layer creates real friction for non-Mandarin readers. Value scores 22 because the tool is entirely free, including the leaderboard and daily digest, which is hard to argue with. Delivery drops to 6 because no user reviews, third-party coverage, or verifiable editorial methodology were found; the site makes claims of hand-review that cannot be confirmed from available evidence, and the social search returned nothing, leaving the delivery promise entirely unverified.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- LLM leaderboard aggregates Artificial Analysis, LMArena, and Aider benchmark data with per-million-token cost comparisons, a feature absent from most competing directories.
- Covers Chinese-market AI tools (Doubao, Kimi, WPS Lingxi, LiblibAI, and dozens more) that English-language directories largely ignore, across 20 categories with live tool counts.
- Entirely free with no paywalled features, no account required to browse, and open tool submission at no charge.
Where it falls short
- The site is Chinese-first in a way that goes beyond language: editorial commentary, skill pack annotations, and the daily digest are written in Mandarin, so English-only readers lose most of the contextual value even when the interface switches to English.
- No publicly documented review methodology or quality bar for listings, making it hard to know whether a tool appears because it was editorially vetted or simply submitted.
- The 20-category structure and 1,800+ tool count create a discovery problem: category pages list tools in a flat grid with short one-line descriptions and no comparison view, so narrowing down to the right tool still requires clicking through individual listings.
Key features
Who should use toolin.ai?
A Mandarin-speaking developer, designer, or content creator who wants to stay current on both global and Chinese-market AI tools will get the most out of toolin.ai. The daily digest and LLM leaderboard make it useful as a morning read, not just a one-time lookup. Someone building a workflow around Chinese tools like Doubao, Kimi, or WPS Lingxi will find coverage here that Western directories simply do not have.
Anyone who needs deep, independently tested reviews in English should look elsewhere. FutureStoreAI (FSAI) offers a broader discovery-plus-experimentation model where you can actually run multiple AI models directly, which is more useful if you want to test before committing. If the goal is pure productivity utility rather than discovery, Notion AI integrates AI directly into an existing workspace and skips the browsing step entirely.
Skip it if: English-only users or teams needing deep, independently verified tool reviews with consistent English editorial coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Is toolin.ai free to use?+
Yes. No paid tiers, subscription plans, or paywalled features were found anywhere on the site. Browsing the directory, reading the daily digest, and accessing the LLM leaderboard all appear to be free with no account required.
How many tools does toolin.ai list, and in what categories?+
The site lists over 1,800 tools across 20 categories. The largest categories by tool count are audio and video (280), AI productivity tools (210), AI design (146), AI drawing (142), and AI office tools (144).
Does toolin.ai work in English?+
The interface and individual tool pages are available in English, but the editorial content, daily news digest, and skill pack commentary are written primarily in Chinese. English-only users will find the core directory functional but will miss most of the editorial context.
What is the LLM leaderboard and how does it work?+
The leaderboard aggregates benchmark data from three external sources: Artificial Analysis, LMArena, and Aider. It pairs each model's benchmark scores with per-million-token pricing, giving a cost-versus-capability comparison across major frontier models.
Can I submit my own AI tool to toolin.ai?+
Yes, tool submission is open and no submission fee is listed on the site. The site does not publicly document the criteria used to review or approve submissions.
Does toolin.ai cover Chinese-market AI tools?+
Yes, and this is one of its clearest differentiators. The directory includes tools from ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, MiniMax, Moonshot, and many other Chinese AI companies that most English-language directories do not index.
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