ToolsforConviviality

I run Tools for Conviviality, a free public directory of small, independent software, from one-person experiments to established open source projects. Each tool is scored out of 30 on six questions based on Ivan Illich’s book, such as whether you can leave with your own data and whether the tool respects your time. I also review a few big products as benchmarks, so the scores mean something. The site has no ads, no trackers and no paid listings. I’m a tech and UX guy in Berlin, and I started it to showcase the tools I like and to push for a better standard for software now that AI makes it easy for almost anyone to build.

Researching, scoring and keeping reviews up to date takes real time, and so does checking claims against the tools’ own pages. Support lets me do more of that, add new tools and categories, and keep the site free and independent. I don’t take payment for listings or reviews, so reader support is how I keep that promise. It isn’t a registered nonprofit, just an independent project, and the money goes to my time and the running costs of the site.