A heat score is HookFlow's 0–100 real-time momentum index for AI tools. It measures viral adoption velocity by combining 17+ data sources — Reddit, GitHub, YouTube, Product Hunt, Hacker News, PyPI, npm, and more — updated daily across 300+ tools. Higher scores signal stronger current practitioner interest.
Each tool's heat score is a weighted composite of four sub-scores, each drawing from multiple live data sources:
Sources: YouTube mentions, TikTok content, Bluesky posts, newsletter features
Measures how much creators are building in public with the tool — a leading indicator of adoption spikes.
Sources: Google Trends proxy, npm/PyPI downloads, Docker Hub pulls
Measures actual usage intent — people searching for and downloading the tool, not just talking about it.
Sources: Reddit threads, Hacker News posts, Discord mentions, Dev.to, Hashnode
Measures depth of practitioner conversation — not just mentions, but engagement quality.
Sources: GitHub stars velocity, Product Hunt upvotes, Substack features, Podcast Index mentions
Measures acceleration — how fast the tool is gaining new followers, stars, and media coverage.
Each tool is assigned a phase based on its score trajectory over rolling time windows. Phases help distinguish tools that are genuinely accelerating from those that have already peaked.
Early signal — low score but consistent upward trajectory. Worth watching before the mainstream catches on.
Strong upward momentum. The community is actively adopting this tool. High 7-day delta is the key marker.
High absolute score with plateauing momentum. Maximum current mindshare — but watch for fading signals.
Score declining from a recent peak. Post-hype normalization. May still be a solid production choice despite falling score.
Sustained downward trend. Could indicate product issues, pricing changes, or displacement by a competitor.
Score deltas show how much a tool's heat score changed over a given window. A large positive delta is often more signal-rich than the absolute score — it means momentum is accelerating, not just persisting.
Last 24 hours vs. prior 24h. Best for catching real-time spikes — a viral tweet, HN front page, or major product release.
Last 7 days vs. prior 7 days. The most actionable window for identifying tools with sustained momentum before the mainstream notices.
Last 30 days vs. prior 30 days. Smooths out noise and reveals structural adoption trends — useful for platform decisions.
A heat score is HookFlow's proprietary 0–100 index measuring an AI tool's real-world momentum at any given moment. It combines signals from 17+ sources — Reddit, GitHub, YouTube, Hacker News, Product Hunt, npm, PyPI, Bluesky, Discord, and more — weighted by recency and engagement quality. A score of 70+ indicates strong current momentum; below 30 indicates low activity or declining interest.
Heat scores update daily. The pipeline runs at 1 AM UTC and processes all 300+ tracked tools across 17+ platforms. Score deltas (24h, 7d, 30d) are recalculated on each run, so the numbers you see reflect the most recent 24-hour window compared to prior periods.
Each tool is assigned a trend phase based on its score trajectory: Emerging (early signal, low score but upward), Rising (strong upward momentum), Peak (high score, momentum plateauing), Fading (score declining from a peak), and Declining (sustained downward trend). Phases are set by a separate trend-detection algorithm that looks at slope over rolling windows.
Score deltas show how much a tool's heat score has changed over a given window: 24h (last day), 7d (last week), and 30d (last month). A +38 7-day delta means the tool gained 38 points over the past week — a strong signal of accelerating adoption. Negative deltas indicate cooling momentum.
Track live heat scores and deltas for 300+ AI tools — updated daily from 17+ real-world data sources.
Open Heat TrackerWant the full methodology? Read our complete scoring guide →