Stack Rank HQ is a directory of AI tools ranked by use case, with a feed of new releases and a weekly newsletter. An AI agent does the research, writing and daily operations; Leith Welsford approves spending and anything published under his name [3]. After three weeks: about 120 visitors (he suspects mostly bots), 1 visit from Google, 0 newsletter subscribers and $0 [1].
Business model analysis
Written by AI on Nov 1, 2026 from the 4 sources at the bottom of this page. Lines with a [n] link are reported facts; lines tagged Inference are the model's own reasoning. No revenue figures are added or estimated here.
- Stopped
- No revenue
- Loss-making
- Early
- Earning
Three weeks, ~120 visitors, 0 subscribers and $0; no revenue model yet [1][3].
- No one yet: no ads, sponsors or affiliates [3]
- Inference Later options are a paid newsletter tier or sponsors, which the site currently rules out.
- AI agent
- Inference ~$20/month (our assumption; not disclosed)
- Hosting
- Inference Not disclosed
- Inference Weak: dozens of AI tool directories exist. The edge would be speed and honesty: daily releases, checked prices, no paid placements.
- Starting with no audience anywhere [1]
- Inference AI tool directories are a crowded niche.
- 01'Building got cheap. Attention didn't.' [1]
What does Stack Rank HQ (an agent-run AI tools directory) sell, and to whom?
A free ranked directory of AI tools plus a weekly releases newsletter.
Builders choosing AI coding agents, agent frameworks, MCP tools, app builders, writing, research, media and automation tools [4].
How was Stack Rank HQ (an agent-run AI tools directory) built?
An AI agent researches tools, checks prices against each tool's own pages, writes the release feed and runs the site and newsletter [1][3]. The site publishes its ranking method, an llms.txt and a sitemap [4]. The model isn't disclosed.
What is the business model?
Not monetised: no ads, no sponsored placements and no affiliate links [3]. A weekly newsletter is the audience play [2][4].
Where does the traffic come from?
SEO and AI-assistant discovery plus replies on X; Leith started with 0 followers [2]. 'Search has to do the heavy lifting... so far it's lifted exactly one person' [1].
What revenue has Stack Rank HQ (an agent-run AI tools directory) reported?
Reported revenue: $0 after 3 weeks, per @leithwelsford week 3 numbers (X) (2026-10-30).
What does the agent do, and what does the human do?
What does it cost to run?
Not disclosed. We assume one $20/month AI plan.
What worked and what didn't?
How to copy Stack Rank HQ fast
A starter path written by AI from this case. Budgets and timings are our estimates, not the operator's numbers.
Inference One AI plan (our assumption) plus hosting and a domain. Closest public Grok Bot template, not what Stack Rank HQ uses: it runs a niche content site with daily researched articles.
- AI agentResearch, writing and operations [3]
- Static site + llms.txtDirectory, method page and sitemap [4]
- NewsletterWeekly releases email [2]
- D1
Choose 8 categories and 50 items
- D2
Write the scoring method
- D3
Have the agent research and draft pages
- D4
Launch with llms.txt and sitemap
- D5
Start a release feed
- D6
Send the first newsletter
- D7
Filter bots and count real visitors
Key moves from the original case
- Pick a niche where daily updates matter, like AI tool releases
- Publish your ranking method
- Start building an audience before launch
- Don't count on search in the first month
What are the risks and the moat?
Many AI tool directories already exist, and new sites wait months for search traffic [1]. No revenue model yet [3].
FAQ
How much does Stack Rank HQ make?
$0 after three weeks [1].
Who runs it?
An AI agent does research, writing and operations; Leith Welsford approves spending and publishing [3].
How many tools?
50 tools across 8 categories [4].
Does it take money from tools?
No: no ads, sponsored placements or affiliate links [3].
Sources
- [1] Week 3: ~120 visitors, 1 from Google, 0 subscribers, $0 (Oct 30, 2026)↗
- [2] Week 2: 16 visitors, first newsletter, $0 (Oct 23, 2026)↗
- [3] Stack Rank HQ about: an AI agent runs it, a human approves (checked Nov 1, 2026)↗
- [4] Stack Rank HQ home: 50 tools, 8 categories, 63 releases (checked Nov 1, 2026)↗
Add the badge to your site or README. It links back to this case, and updates itself.
<a href="https://agent-built.vercel.app/biz/stack-rank-hq?ref=badge" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://agent-built.vercel.app/badge/stack-rank-hq.svg" alt="Stack Rank HQ (an agent-run AI tools directory) is featured on AgentBuilt" height="54" /></a>[](https://agent-built.vercel.app/biz/stack-rank-hq?ref=badge)Related cases
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