FAQ

Norobots is a curated directory of verified agencies, freelance designers, and startups. Every profile is reviewed by a human before it goes live. No AI-generated profiles, no template portfolios, no paid testimonials – just real people and work that can be verified.

Most directories let anyone list anything. We don’t. Three things set us apart:

• Reviews are validated directly with the client, so you never see paid or inflated ratings.
• Profiles are checked by our team – bots, fake agencies, and low-effort submissions don’t make it in.
• Portfolios show work that can be traced or confirmed, not just claimed.

• Companies and founders looking for a design, development, or marketing partner they can trust.
• Agencies and freelance designers who want to be found by real clients, with a credibility signal that actually means something.
• Startups that want visibility among agencies, investors, and talent.
• Hiring teams and job seekers who are tired of ghost jobs and AI-generated applications.

Browsing the directory, reading stories, and viewing jobs is free for everyone. Listing an agency, designer, or startup profile is also free. Paid tiers exist for agencies that want more visibility and features – see Pricing and plans below.

The platform is designed and developed by Digital Octane.

Browse Agencies or Designers and filter by skills (Shopify, UI/UX, branding, SEO, React, and 70+ more) and specialization (e-commerce, healthcare, product design, etc.). Each card shows location, a short description, and tags; the full profile has the portfolio, team, reviews, and contact options.

To get verified, an agency places the Norobots badge on its own website. That confirms the agency owns the site and is the real business behind the profile.

Both have passed the same verification. Verified Pro profiles are on our paid plan and include a full case-study portfolio, video reel, team section, client logos, and a direct booking button. The verification standard is identical; Verified Pro just shows you more.

No. We verify, we don’t endorse. Verified Pro and Verified profiles get higher placement in the directory – that’s a visibility signal, not a quality ranking. Always do your own due diligence before signing anything.

Reviews on Norobots are validated directly with the client who left them. Reviews are available on every tier, including Free, so agencies can’t buy their way to a better rating.

Every profile links to the agency’s website. Verified and Verified Pro profiles also have a direct contact button (email) and, on Verified Pro, a booking CTA (e.g. Calendly) so you can schedule a call straight from the profile.

No. We are not a party to any engagement between you and an agency, and we don’t take a cut. Our only revenue comes from listing plans and certification tests.

Note that any contract or dispute is between you and the agency; Norobots does not mediate commercial disputes.

Click “Join the Listing” and enter your email, company name, and website. Our team reviews the application, and you can sign in right away to complete your profile yourself. It’s free and takes under five minutes.

It’s a quick review.

That the company is real and operating, the website is live, the portfolio is genuine, and the profile isn’t AI-generated or templated. We reject fake agencies, lead-gen fronts, and low-effort submissions.

Most rejections are for one of these: the website doesn’t work or doesn’t match the company, the portfolio can’t be traced to the agency, the profile reads as auto-generated, or the business doesn’t fit what we list (creative, design, development, and marketing services). If you think we got it wrong, email hello@norobots.co.

Both. Agencies are listed under Agencies; independent designers and creatives are listed under Designers. The review standard is the same.

Yes – startups have their own directory. See the Startups section below.

Sign in with your email. We’ll send a one-time code (no password needed). From your dashboard you can update your description, portfolio, skills, and contact details.

Check your spam folder. Emails come from no-reply@norobots.co. You can request a new code after 60 seconds.

Ask your clients to leave a review on your Norobots profile. We validate each one directly with the client before it’s published.

No. Reviews are the client’s own words. We’ll remove a review only if it’s fake, violates our guidelines, or the client asks us to. Asking reviewers to edit or delete reviews is against our terms.

Yes – email hello@norobots.co from the address on your account and we’ll remove it.

All plans and what’s included are on the Pricing page.

Yes – upgrade or downgrade any time. Your profile stays the same; we just change which template it renders with.

No. Cancel any time and you won’t be charged for the next cycle.

If something is broken, yes. We don’t refund change-of-mind on a published subscription, but you can cancel any time so it won’t renew in the next billing cycle.

Use the “Upgrade” button on the Pricing page or email hello@norobots.co with your agency name and the tier you want.

No. Reviews are available on every tier, and the verification check is the same regardless of plan. Paying gets you visibility and features, not a better rating.

A curated list of early-stage companies built by real teams. Each profile includes what the company does, where it’s based, founders, tags, and backstory – written to be read, not scraped.

Click “Join the Listing” and apply with your email, company name, and website. We review every submission manually before it goes live. Listing is free.

That the company exists, has a working product or clear product in development, and a real team behind it. We don’t list hype pages or pre-domain ideas.

Yes. Any company listed on Norobots can post openings on the Norobots job board.

A job board where every listing comes from a company already verified on Norobots. No ghost jobs, no scraped postings, no bots.

Sign in to hire.norobots.co and click “Post a job.” You can add a short screening test built from the role, and applicant results land on your hiring board.

Open the listing and follow the application instructions. Some roles include a short screening test as part of the application.

Yes – by category (Development, Design, QA, Project Management, Marketing, Other), type (Full-time, Part-time, Contract, Freelance), and remote-only.

A hands-on skills test for developers, QA engineers, project managers, and designers. You do a real task in a live environment; AI grades the work and checks for cheating, and a human reviewer signs the result. You get a portable credential you own.

1. Pick a role test.
2. Complete an actual task in a live emulated environment.
3. AI scores the work and flags AI-usage; a reviewer signs off.
4. Use the credential on every opening of that role type – no retesting per application.

$4 per test for candidates. Employers browse and hire certified candidates at no cost.

Certification is in limited alpha and access is released in small batches. Join the waitlist and we’ll contact you when a place opens.

A verified result showing your role, score, and a reviewer signature – available digitally or printed. It’s yours, not tied to any one company’s hiring process.

Enter your email and we’ll send a one-time code. No password needed. Emails come from no-reply@norobots.co.

No. Browsing agencies, designers, startups, stories, and jobs is open to everyone. You need an account only to manage a listing, post jobs, or take a certification test.

Email hello@norobots.co or use the contact form.

On our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@norobotsdotco