Tool Dude - AI Tools And Website Directory CMS

Tool Dude is a complete, self-hosted PHP CMS for launching your own AI tools directory, SaaS listing site, or startup showcase — no framework, no Composer, no Node.js required. Just upload and run on any standard shared hosting.

Built for site owners who want to monetize a directory business fast: tool submissions, user reviews, favorites, side-by-side comparisons, a full blog engine, a 9-position ad manager, built-in SEO schema markup, and a PWA-ready frontend, all controlled from one clean admin dashboard.

Why site owners choose Tool Dude:

- Runs on plain PHP + MySQL — works on almost any hosting plan
- 10-step setup wizard gets you live in minutes
- Built-in monetization: ad slots, sponsored listings, affiliate URLs
- SEO-first: schema markup, sitemap, meta controls, Search Console & Analytics fields
- Engagement features: reviews, favorites, tool comparison, blog with comments
- One-click login via Google, Facebook & GitHub
- Fully customizable theme, homepage sections & colors from the admin panel
- Detailed step-by-step documentation included

Whether you're building a niche AI tools directory, a startup showcase, or a general website directory, Tool Dude gives you a production-ready foundation you can launch and start monetizing right away.

Features

- Tool submission & management (features, pros/cons, use cases, platforms, pricing type)
- Categories with icons, colors, banners & SEO fields
- User reviews & star ratings with moderation
- Favorites and side-by-side tool comparison (2-4 tools)
- Ownership claims system for listed tools
- Full blog engine: categories, comments, comment moderation & reporting
- Ads Manager: image banners, custom HTML/JS, AdSense, 9 placements, impression/click tracking
- Sponsored listings & packages
- Bulk tool import via CSV
- SEO Settings: schema markup (SoftwareApplication, AggregateRating, BlogPosting, BreadcrumbList, WebSite), auto sitemap, meta controls
- Google, Facebook & GitHub social login with master on/off switch
- SMTP / email settings with test email tool
- PWA support (installable, add to home screen)
- Homepage builder with toggleable sections
- Theme settings: colors, logo, favicon, custom CSS/JS, dark mode toggle
- Multi-admin support with activity logs
- Built-in FAQ manager with accordion display
- Newsletter signup
- Database backup tool from the admin panel

Requirements

- PHP 8.1 or higher
- MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
- PHP extensions: PDO, pdo_mysql, cURL, OpenSSL, GD (or Imagick), Mbstring, Fileinfo, Zip, JSON
- mod_rewrite (Apache) or equivalent
- ~50 MB disk space for the script and uploads
- No Node.js, Composer, or Laravel needed

Instructions

1. Upload the contents of the package to your web root (or a subfolder).
2. Set write permissions (0775) on: /uploads, /uploads/tools, /uploads/blog, /uploads/logos, /uploads/banners, /storage, /cache, /config, /backups.
3. Create a MySQL database for the application.
4. Open install.php in your browser and follow the 10-step setup wizard (requirements check, permissions, database config, database import, site info, admin account, SMTP, security, finish).
5. After installation, delete install.php and the /install folder for security.
6. Log in at /admin/ using the admin account created during setup and configure categories, theme, ads and SEO from the dashboard.

A complete, illustrated documentation file is included in the package covering every admin feature in detail.