How we score

Open-source projects do not come with star ratings out of five, so we calculate our own. It is a project health score: it tells you how popular, active, and well kept a project is. It is not a hands-on review, and a high score does not mean a tool is the right one for you. The score combines four signals that we collect automatically every week.

Popularity counts for 50 percent and comes from how many people have starred the project, on a curve that only the very largest projects reach the top of. Activity counts for 25 percent and reflects how recently the project was updated. It eases down slowly, because a finished tool that still works should not be treated as abandoned. Maintenance counts for 15 percent and is halved if the makers have archived the project, which we also mark with an Archived badge. Usability counts for 10 percent and rewards a clear license.

A tool needs a score of 3.0 or higher to stay in the Free Market. New projects get 90 days to prove themselves before that minimum applies, and they carry a New badge during that time. Sponsors cannot buy a score or a chart position. Paid placements are always labeled and sit in their own slots.