Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Onboard on-screen keyboard VS Free Virtual Keyboard

Compare Onboard on-screen keyboard VS Free Virtual Keyboard and see what are their differences

Onboard on-screen keyboard logo Onboard on-screen keyboard

An onscreen keyboard useful for tablet PC users and for mobility impaired users.

Free Virtual Keyboard logo Free Virtual Keyboard

Free Virtual Keyboard is a free, lightweight, multilingual and finger friendly virtual keyboard.
  • Onboard on-screen keyboard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • Free Virtual Keyboard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-22

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.

Free Virtual Keyboard features and specs

  • Accessibility
    The Free Virtual Keyboard allows users with physical impairments or malfunctioning hardware keyboards to type efficiently, providing an on-screen option that can be navigated with a mouse or touch input.
  • Portability
    Being a virtual application, it's not dependent on specific hardware, thus it can be used on different devices as long as they have a supporting platform and browser.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    As a free tool, it saves users from purchasing expensive external keyboards or specialized software solutions for on-screen typing.
  • Customizability
    It often offers various customization options allowing users to adjust the keyboard layout, size, and themes according to their preferences.

Possible disadvantages of Free Virtual Keyboard

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to a physical keyboard, a virtual keyboard may lack advanced features such as tactile feedback and multifunction keys.
  • Dependence on Screen Size
    On devices with smaller screens, a virtual keyboard can take up a significant portion of the display, reducing the visible work area.
  • Performance Issues
    The application may not function as smoothly on older or lower-end devices, potentially impacting typing speed or responsiveness.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using a virtual keyboard poses a risk of keylogging or interception, particularly on shared or public devices, unless appropriate security measures are in place.

Onboard on-screen keyboard videos

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Free Virtual Keyboard videos

Free Virtual Keyboard Review

More videos:

  • Review - Free Virtual Keyboard

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Onboard on-screen keyboard and Free Virtual Keyboard)
Web Frameworks
43 43%
57% 57
Ruby Web Framework
42 42%
58% 58
Security & Privacy
37 37%
63% 63
Fonts
49 49%
51% 51

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.

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

Free Virtual Keyboard mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Free Virtual Keyboard yet. Tracking of Free Virtual Keyboard recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Onboard on-screen keyboard and Free Virtual Keyboard, you can also consider the following products

AnySoftKeyboard - Android (f/w 1.5+) on-screen keyboard for multiple languages.

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

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

Dasher - Dasher is an information-efficient text-entry interface, driven by natural continuous pointing...

KeyScrambler - Home of KeyScrambler, the world's most advanced anti-keylogging system.

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