OptiKey is a free on-screen keyboard for Windows computers that people can control with their eyes, a mouse, or a webcam. It is made for people with Motor Neuron Disease and others who have difficulty using a regular keyboard.
Has 3 of 8 · Reads the screen aloud ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
NVDA is a free program that reads aloud what is on a Windows computer screen, so blind and visually impaired people can use it. It is made for people who need screen reading or other accessibility help on Windows.
Has 2 of 8
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Orca is a free screen reader that reads aloud what is on a computer screen and shows it on a braille display for people who are blind or have low vision. It is meant for people who use Linux desktops with accessibility support.
Has 2 of 8
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Onboard is a free on-screen keyboard that you can use with a mouse or touch screen instead of a physical keyboard. It is meant for people who find physical keyboards hard to use, such as tablet users and people with mobility impairments.
Has 1 of 8
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for JAWS. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- OptiKey: OptiKey is a free on-screen keyboard for Windows computers that people can control with their eyes, a mouse, or a webcam. It is made for people with Motor Neuron Disease and others who have difficulty using a regular keyboard. [Easy setup; Windows; replaces fully; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/OptiKey/OptiKey]
- NVDA: NVDA is a free program that reads aloud what is on a Windows computer screen, so blind and visually impaired people can use it. It is made for people who need screen reading or other accessibility help on Windows. [Easy setup; Windows; replaces partly; GPL-2.0-or-later; https://github.com/nvaccess/nvda]
- Orca: Orca is a free screen reader that reads aloud what is on a computer screen and shows it on a braille display for people who are blind or have low vision. It is meant for people who use Linux desktops with accessibility support. [Easy setup; Linux; replaces partly; LGPL-2.1; https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/orca]
- Onboard: Onboard is a free on-screen keyboard that you can use with a mouse or touch screen instead of a physical keyboard. It is meant for people who find physical keyboards hard to use, such as tablet users and people with mobility impairments. [Easy setup; Linux; replaces partly; GPL-3.0-or-later; https://github.com/onboard-osk/onboard]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/accessibility.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/accessibility.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea: