Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard VS Onboard on-screen keyboard

Compare Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard VS Onboard on-screen keyboard and see what are their differences

Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard logo Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard

On-Screen Keyboard is a utility that displays a virtual keyboard on the screen and allows users...

Onboard on-screen keyboard logo Onboard on-screen keyboard

An onscreen keyboard useful for tablet PC users and for mobility impaired users.
Not present
  • Onboard on-screen keyboard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard features and specs

  • Accessibility
    Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard provides accessibility options for users with physical disabilities who may have difficulty using a physical keyboard.
  • No Physical Keyboard Required
    The On-Screen Keyboard eliminates the need for a physical keyboard, making it helpful in scenarios where a physical keyboard is unavailable or malfunctioning.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize the On-Screen Keyboard features, such as layout and input preferences, to suit their specific needs and improve user experience.
  • Multilingual Support
    The On-Screen Keyboard supports multiple languages, allowing users to type in different languages without needing to switch physical keyboards.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard

  • Limited Functionality
    The On-Screen Keyboard provides basic typing capabilities, but lacks the full functionality and tactile feedback of a physical keyboard.
  • Screen Space Usage
    Since it appears on the screen, the On-Screen Keyboard can take up a significant amount of screen space, which may be disruptive to workflow or application use.
  • Typing Speed
    Typing with the On-Screen Keyboard can be slower and less efficient compared to using a physical keyboard, impacting productivity.
  • Precision
    Users may find it difficult to achieve the same level of precision with an On-Screen Keyboard, particularly when using a touch screen or mouse.

Onboard on-screen keyboard features and specs

  • Accessibility
    Onboard provides an essential accessibility feature for users with physical disabilities, allowing them to input text without a physical keyboard.
  • Customizability
    The on-screen keyboard offers a high degree of customizability with options to change layout, size, theme, and key labels to suit different user preferences.
  • Integration
    Onboard integrates well with the Ubuntu desktop environment and other distributions, ensuring smooth usage alongside other system tools.
  • Ease of Use
    It is designed to be user-friendly, with intuitive settings and simple instructions, making it easy for non-technical users to operate.
  • Predictive Text
    Includes a predictive text feature that suggests words as you type, improving typing efficiency and speed.

Possible disadvantages of Onboard on-screen keyboard

  • Resource Usage
    Due to its graphical nature, Onboard can consume more system resources than a physical keyboard, which may affect performance on older or less powerful machines.
  • Screen Space
    Taking up part of the screen can be inconvenient, especially on smaller displays, reducing the available space for other applications.
  • Limited Features Compared to Physical Keyboards
    While Onboard offers basic keyboard functionality, it lacks some features and tactile feedback that physical keyboards offer, potentially hampering prolonged use.
  • Dependency on Pointer Device
    Relying heavily on mouse or touchpad input can be a limitation for users with difficulties using these devices, potentially necessitating additional accessibility tools.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    While generally well-integrated with Ubuntu, there might be occasional compatibility issues with other software, especially non-mainstream applications.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard and Onboard on-screen keyboard)
Ruby Web Framework
47 47%
53% 53
Web Frameworks
42 42%
58% 58
Security & Privacy
48 48%
52% 52
Word
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Onboard on-screen keyboard seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard yet. Tracking of Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Onboard on-screen keyboard mentions (4)

  • Korean (Hangul) on-screen virtual keyboard for Linux.
    With the archaic xvkbd, layout switcher didn't work for me. I also found some custom layouts for onboard, but was unable to download/use them. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Steam Deck - Steam Deck Client Update: Notifications and Input fixes - Steam News
    Https://launchpad.net/onboard is exclusively what I use in desktop mode. Pinned it to my favorites. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Onboard virtual keyboard switches layout while writing
    Report the bug here https://launchpad.net/onboard. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Challenge: Use KDE Plasma ONLY With Touchscreen
    Do you mean this one: https://launchpad.net/onboard? What do you like more about it in comparison to Maliit? Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard and Onboard on-screen keyboard, you can also consider the following products

Free Virtual Keyboard - Free Virtual Keyboard is a free, lightweight, multilingual and finger friendly virtual keyboard.

Florence Virtual Keyboard - Florence is an extensible scalable virtual keyboard for GNOME.

Neo's SafeKeys - Home to Neo's SafeKeys - protection from keyloggers.

Hot Virtual Keyboard - A replacement for Windows' built in virtual touch keyboard.

Comfort Keys Pro - Virtual keyboard, automation, shortcuts, flexibility, advanced clipboard management.

Uosk - Unicode On-Screen Keyboard: insert text snippets into any Windows app