ToolRank – Bid-to-Rank Directory for AI & Developer Tools (Next.js 15 + Creem)

ToolRank is a production-ready "bid-for-rank" directory for AI tools and developer tools — built with Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript and Prisma. The concept is simple and viral: rank IS the bid. Anyone can list a tool for a one-time $5 payment. The highest listing sits at #1 on the public board. When someone outbids them, they drop to #2 — and the previous holder gets a public "outbid" event in the activity feed. That mechanic is the marketing: every bidder has a reason to screenshot their rank, share it, and come back to defend it. Unlike most directory templates, everything here ships working out of the box: real checkout, real ranking logic, real admin moderation, real SEO surface. WHY THIS SELLS - Monetization is built in, not bolted on. Creem Checkout (Merchant of Record, no monthly fee) handles one-time USD payments. Buyer adds two API keys and can collect revenue the same day. - 40+ indexable, programmatic-SEO routes: /tool/[slug], /categories/[slug], /best/[slug], /use-case/[slug], /alternatives/[slug], /[a]-vs-[b] comparison pages, /rankings/history, /rankings/trending, /toolrank-weekly auto-generated weekly reports + RSS. - Every page emits JSON-LD (SoftwareApplication, ItemList, BreadcrumbList, Article). Open Graph images are generated per tool via next/og. Sitemap, robots.txt and an /llms.txt endpoint for AI crawlers are generated from the live database. - A published, deterministic ranking methodology page (/methodology) builds trust and deflects "is this rigged?" objections. - Full admin pipeline: verify badges, hide abusive listings, review reports — all behind a token you generate yourself. WHAT'S INCLUDED - Complete TypeScript source code (clean, commented, no framework soup) - Pre-seeded SQLite database with 16 realistic demo listings - One-command setup: cp .env.example .env && npm install && npx prisma db push - Mock checkout mode: with CREEM_API_KEY empty, the whole bid -> pay -> rank flow works locally with zero external services - Step-by-step README (local dev, env reference, production deployment, PM2 config, backups) - MIT license PERFECT FOR - Launching your own niche directory (AI tools, dev tools, SaaS, extensions) - Adding a revenue-generating sub-site to an existing domain portfolio - Learning a real Next.js 15 App Router + Prisma + payments codebase - Reskinning and flipping: change SITE_NAME and two fonts, you have a new product in a different niche