Methodology

What this directory is — and isn't

A platform, in our taxonomy, is a place where developers and ISVs publish integrations — app marketplaces, browser extension stores, package registries, AI agent tool catalogs, mobile app stores. The directory exists because we (Left Hook) help software companies ship into these marketplaces and want a working map of the ecosystem we operate in.

It is:editorial, opinionated about hierarchy, biased toward platforms where we've shipped or where we recommend our clients ship.

It is not:a paid directory, a complete census, or a Gartner-style ranking. We don't accept money to add or feature platforms.

Entity hierarchy

Platforms are arranged in a three-level hierarchy so the same company can show up at the brand level and as individual products. The level a record sits at affects how it's displayed and what content lives on its page.

Brand

e.g., Microsoft, Google, Salesforce

Top-level company pages. Aggregate views over multiple ecosystems and products. Not where you'd typically integrate directly.

Ecosystem

e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce Customer 360

Product suites that span multiple individual products and APIs. Has its own ecosystem metrics, marketplaces, and partner directories.

Product

e.g., Microsoft Teams, Google Sheets, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Stripe

Individual products you integrate with directly. The default level. Standalone products (Stripe, Slack) sit at this level with no parent.

Marketplace types

When a platform has a marketplace, we classify the distribution channel. A single ecosystem (e.g. Microsoft) may have multiple — Microsoft AppSource, Azure Marketplace, Teams Store.

App store

e.g., Salesforce AppExchange, HubSpot Marketplace, Shopify App Store

Traditional SaaS marketplaces. ISVs publish full applications that customers install into their SaaS account.

Extension

e.g., Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Edge Add-ons

Browser extension stores. Different distribution model, very different review process and policies.

Package

e.g., npm, PyPI, Homebrew, cargo

CLI/package registries. Developer-to-developer distribution; integration usually means publishing a client library or SDK.

AI tools

e.g., MCP servers, GPT plugins, function calling registries

AI agent tool catalogs. Newest category; surface area and policies are still being defined.

Mobile

e.g., App Store, Google Play

Native mobile app marketplaces. Different beast — primarily for B2C/consumer apps.

Fields we capture

Beyond the basics (name, slug, category, description, logo), we capture fields that matter for integration scoping:

marketplaces

One entry per distinct marketplace surface — name, URL, total apps, monthly installs (vendor-claimed), average revenue if published, complexity, and typical setup time.

ecosystemMetrics

For platforms with isEcosystem: true — customer count, revenue, market cap, product count, API count, regionality, founding year, public-trading status. Sourced from annual reports and earnings calls where possible.

partnership

If Left Hook holds an official partnership tier (certified / solution / agency / premier / technology / affiliate / expert), we record it here along with the listing URL, partner-since date, and any badges.

partnerDirectories

Where developers and consultants can find or list themselves — partner community URL, total partner count, tier names (Registered, Silver, Gold, Platinum), and partner types.

experience

Our familiarity with the platform — Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert. Not a quality rating of the platform; a measure of Left Hook's hands-on work.

apiCount

Number of distinct APIs exposed by the platform. We've catalogued ~380 APIs across our platforms; the per-platform count helps scope integration projects.

Limitations & biases

• Snapshot in time. Marketplace metrics, partner counts, and ecosystem revenue change every quarter. We update opportunistically, not on a fixed cadence.
• English-language & North-America-leaning. APAC- and EU-native platforms (Yandex, Naver, Tencent ecosystems) are underrepresented.
• Vendor-claimed metrics. App counts, monthly installs, and partner counts come from vendor sites unless noted; we don't independently verify.
• Partnership bias. We work with some of these platforms directly. Featured status is editorial, not paid, but it's not neutral.
• Hierarchy is a model. Brand/ecosystem/product is a simplification. Some companies (Atlassian, Microsoft) sit awkwardly across all three; we make a call.

Citing this directory

If you reference this directory in research, journalism, a market map, or any other public work, please link back. Backlinks keep the directory free, ad-free, and editorially independent — and they help your readers find the source.

Suggested attribution:

Left Hook Platforms Directory. https://lefthook.com/platforms. Methodology at /methodology.