I got tired of “top starred” open-source lists, so I built PickOpenSource

Description and use

The author built PickOpenSource, a job‑centric open‑source directory that displays license, hosting, and maintenance information to help users avoid unsuitable projects.

Problem

Finding the right open‑source project is hard because GitHub stars do not reflect key decision factors such as license, self‑hosting ability, managed availability, and maintenance status.

Outcome

The author avoided adopting a poorly maintained tool by using PickOpenSource, which highlighted licensing and hosting concerns that were not apparent from star counts alone.

Workflow

• Identify the job to be done (e.g., analytics, authentication).
• Browse the corresponding category page on PickOpenSource.
• Review each project’s license, hosting options, and maintenance status.
• Use comparison pages to evaluate two similar projects side‑by‑side.
• Select a project that aligns with desired self‑hosting or managed hosting preferences.
• Optionally submit a project for inclusion if it meets curation criteria.

Evidence

GitHub stars don’t always reflect what I actually need in a project.

Source

When evaluating projects, I usually have decision points around: What problem does this solve? What is the license? Can it be self-hosted? Is there a managed version? Is the repository maintained?

Source