🗺️ Product Roadmap
From static directory to free-tier discovery platform — a 12-month, 4-phase build plan.
StacksFree starts as a hand-built static directory of free developer tools. The roadmap transforms it into the leading free-tier SaaS discovery platform by solving the three trust killers of free-tier directories: staleness, lack of comparison, and no community signal. Phase 1 makes the existing directory trustworthy (freshness, coverage, SEO). Phase 2 makes it useful (comparison, filtering, calculators). Phase 3 makes it alive (verification, community, alerts). Phase 4 makes it a platform (accounts, monetization, API, AI) — all within the Astro + Cloudflare free-tier stack.
Showing all 29 features
1 · Directory Foundation
8 featuresWeeks 1–6
Make the existing 97-tool directory credible, complete, and discoverable. Fix the #1 trust killer: staleness.
Monthly cron job (existing Hermes infra) checks all 97 URLs via lychee link-checker; flags dead/redirected tools; generates a review queue.
Add `lastVerified: YYYY-MM-DD` to every tool entry; display on detail pages.
Add `limits: {storage, requests, ...}` to the data model for future comparison and filtering.
Target 50 additional tools in under-represented categories (AI & ML APIs: 4→10, Developer Utilities: 2→8, Maps: 2→6).
Public roadmap page at /roadmap — this document, shipped as an interactive kanban dashboard.
Per-category landing pages (/category/web-hosting), meta descriptions, Open Graph images, XML sitemap.
Tool schema (SoftwareApplication, offers, category) on all detail pages.
Documented process: 2 failed checks → warning badge → removal after 30 days.
2 · Interactive Tools v1
6 featuresWeeks 7–14
Turn static data into interactive decision tools. Comparison is the killer feature.
Select 2–4 tools → table comparing freeTier, pros/cons, dimension scores, and limits.
Category × tags × score (≥7.0) × limit types (has storage, has API, has auth).
Input your usage (requests/mo, storage GB) → shows which tools fit + estimated cost if paid.
Choose one tool per category → generates a shareable stack URL (e.g. /stack/hosting:cloudflare-pages,cms:astro,db:turso).
Replace category filter results with sortable columns (score, lastVerified, storage limit).
Clickable tag chips on tool pages → filtered list of similar tools.
3 · Data & Community
7 featuresWeeks 15–26
Make StacksFree the authoritative source by adding verification signals, change alerts, and community input.
"✓ Free tier verified 2026-08-15" badge on tool cards + detail pages; green/yellow/red status.
Public log of tier changes (e.g. "Supabase reduced free storage 500MB→100MB on 2026-07-01").
Lightweight upvote/downvote + 1-line comment per tool; stored in Cloudflare KV.
"Suggest a tool" form → creates GitHub issue via API (no backend needed).
Weekly "Free Tier Watch" (3 tools changed, 2 new, 1 dead); Buttondown free tier + Cloudflare Worker for signup.
Public blog post: X tools verified, Y removed, Z changed tiers.
"Top 20 Free Tiers This Month" page based on community upvotes.
4 · Platform
8 featuresMonths 7–12
Full platform with accounts, monetization, API, and AI-assisted discovery.
Email/password auth via Cloudflare Access or Auth.js + D1; profile with saved stacks and watchlists.
Users follow tools → email alert when free tier changes (Worker checks changelog → sends via Buttondown/Resend free tier).
GET /api/tools.json (versioned), GET /api/tools/{slug}, GET /api/categories; rate-limited via Cloudflare.
Featured placement (top of category, badge) for paid tools; manual invoicing via Stripe payment link.
rel="sponsored" links in tool pages (e.g. Vercel, Supabase affiliate programs); disclosed clearly.
Natural-language limit queries: "free postgres with 10GB+ storage" via Workers AI or simple keyword parser.
5-question quiz (stack type, scale, preferences) → top 3 tool stacks; Workers AI (free tier).
Per-key limits via Workers + KV (1000 req/day free).