Question 1

Is BSmeter a Bellingcat's Online Investigation Toolkit alternative?

Accepted Answer

Honestly, no — they're complementary. The Toolkit is a directory that helps you find the right tool among many; BSmeter is a single tool that does one job automatically. If you came looking for a curated index of OSINT resources, BSmeter won't replace it. If you wanted something to just check a video for you, the Toolkit was never going to do that.

Question 2

Could BSmeter be listed in Bellingcat's Toolkit?

Accepted Answer

That's up to Bellingcat's maintainers, not us. The Toolkit is curated by staff and a volunteer community, with entries reviewed before publication, and it's organized around categories like Image/Video where automated media analysis is relevant. We make no claim about being listed there.

Question 3

Do I need OSINT skills to use BSmeter?

Accepted Answer

No, and that's the main practical difference. Most tools in Bellingcat's Toolkit assume you know what you're looking for and how to interpret what you find. BSmeter takes a link and returns scored claims with linked sources. That accessibility is also its limit — it won't geolocate a photo or trace a shell company, and for that kind of work the Toolkit is where you should be.