RepoPicks Radar

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How to use RepoPicks Radar: search, filters and project cards

RepoPicks Radar brings together on a single page the open-source programs that are trending on GitHub, each with a card that explains what it does, how easy it is to install and which risk signals came up. This guide shows, step by step, how to find what you are looking for: search, filter, clear the filters and open a project's card.

You do not need to create an account or install anything to use the site. Everything works in the browser, on a computer or a phone.

The four areas of the home page

The home page is divided into four areas, in this order:

On wide screens, the shortcuts to these four areas sit at the top of the page, next to the site's name. On smaller screens and on phones, they are in the menu, the three-line button in the top corner. When you scroll down, the filter bar sticks to the top of the screen with the same shortcuts, so you can jump from one area to another without going back to the beginning.

Three quick paths

Right at the top, three boxes handle the most common requests with one click:

Show: All, Ready to use or Almost ready

At the start of the filter bar is “Show”, with three options and the number of projects in each:

The page opens on “Ready to use”, with people who do not code in mind. If you code or want to see everything, click “All”.

Search for a program

Next to “Show” is the “Search programs” field. Type the name of a project or what you want to do, such as “edit pdf” or “cut video”. The project list updates as you type and shows only what matches the search.

If nothing appears, check that “Show” is not restricting things too much: many projects only appear under “All”.

Filter by category, system, ease and cost

On a computer, the filters sit in the bar itself. On a phone, tap the “Filters” button to open them. They are:

Below the bar there is also a row with all the categories and the number of projects in each. Clicking one is the quickest way to filter by category; “All” shows everything again.

The filters apply to the whole page: the radar, the “Trending” rankings, the paid-program swaps and the list. In the project list, the “Sort” option arranges the results by stars, growth, downloads or ease.

Clear the filters

The “Clear filters” button shows in parentheses how many filters are on. Since the page opens on “Ready to use”, it starts at (1). Hold the mouse over the button to see the list of filters that are on.

One click on “Clear filters” removes them all at once, including “Ready to use”, and the page starts showing “All”. To remove just one filter, set that filter back to “Any”, click “All” in the row of categories or delete the search text.

Use the radar

The radar at the top shows the projects in your selection as dots. Each slice is a category, and the closer a dot is to the center, the easier the project is to install. The echo around a dot grows with the stars it has gained. On a computer, hold the mouse over a dot to see the project's name and how many stars it has gained.

Around the radar are the category abbreviations, two letters each. Click an abbreviation to filter the page by that category; above the radar, a link appears to the category page, with its programs explained. Click the same abbreviation again to remove the filter.

Below the radar, three numbers sum up your selection: how many projects install just by downloading and opening, how many have few risk signals and how many replace a paid program.

See what is trending

The “Trending” area has three rankings: “Growing fastest”, with the projects gaining the most stars; “Most downloaded this week”; and “New on Radar”, with the ones that have just arrived. On a computer, the three appear side by side. On a phone, one appears at a time: choose with the “Growing”, “Most downloaded” and “New” buttons. The “Collapse” button hides the area when you want to go straight to the list.

Replace a paid program

In the programs area, the “Replace a paid program” tab lists well-known paid programs, such as Acrobat, Photoshop and Word, each with the free alternatives that do a similar job. The “Show in list” button takes these alternatives to the project list, where you can compare and sort them.

There is also a page for each paid program, gathered under free alternatives to paid programs, and the guide How to switch from a paid program to a free one shows how to test the switch without losing your files.

Open a project's card

On a computer, hold the mouse over a project's name, in the lists and rankings, to see a mini card with the summary and the ease grade. Click the name to open the full card, which appears in a side panel without you leaving the page. To close it, use the “Close” button, the Esc key or click outside the panel. On a phone, a tap on the name opens the full card right away.

While the card is open, the page's address changes, so you can copy the link and send it to someone. Each project also has its own page, which is the one that shows up in Google searches and on the category pages, with the list of similar projects at the end.

What is on the card

The card shows what the project does, how easy it is to install on each system, the GitHub numbers, the star history, the key facts, such as cost and license, the risk signals with the evidence, and what Radar could not check. The guide How RepoPicks Radar rates GitHub projects explains what each grade and each seal means.

The card also has these buttons:

Save and share a search

The filters you choose go into the page's address. If you filter by video, for example, the address ends in “?cat=video”. Copy the address to keep the selection in your bookmarks or to send it to someone: whoever opens the link will see the same selection.

Language, dark theme and information

The site is available in Portuguese, English, Spanish and Chinese. On a computer, the language selector is at the top of the page; on a phone, it is inside the menu. The moon button, also at the top, switches to the dark theme, which is more comfortable at night.

The button with the letter “i”, next to the site's name, opens a summary of what Radar is. To learn more, see the About page and the other guides.

Before you download

Download from GitHub

See the release page on GitHub