GNU Typist vs KeyBlaze
GNU Typist
gnu.orgKeyBlaze
nchsoftware.comSide by side
| Figure | GNU Typist | KeyBlaze |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $498/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Typing Software | 7.8 (#7) | 8.2 (#4) |
| Spec score · Typing Tutor Software | 7.8 (#14) | 8.3 (#4) |
| Lessons | It includes tutorials for English QWERTY, Dvorak and Colemak keyboards, plus lessons in Czech, Russian and Spanish and simpler exercises in German, French and Norwegian. | Lessons cover home and neighboring keys, capitalization, punctuation and numbers, with practice using drills, prose, poetry and problem keys. |
| Platforms | The project page says GNU Typist can be compiled and used on GNU/Linux, GNU/Hurd, Unix variants, and Windows with PDCurses and MinGW. | The product page lists Windows and macOS downloads; it specifies Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11 and macOS 10.5 or above. |
| Purpose | GNU Typist is a typing tutor for learning correct typing and improving typing skills through practice. | KeyBlaze teaches touch typing, speed typing and 10-key numeric keypad typing. |
| Support | The project invites bug reports, suggestions, patches and new lessons at [email protected] and offers a mailing list at that address. | The support page offers video tutorials, a help manual, FAQs, a user forum and a contact route for technical support. |
Plans
KeyBlaze
- KeyBlaze Typing Tutor (free version)Free
- KeyBlaze Typing Tutor Plus – Commercial License Quarterly Plan$498 a month
- KeyBlaze Typing Tutor Plus – Commercial LicensePrice not published
- KeyBlaze Typing Tutor Plus – Home use onlyPrice not published
In their own words
KeyBlaze
KeyBlaze is a typing tutor for touch typing, speed typing and 10-key numeric keypad practice. Its lessons cover home and neighboring keys, capitalization, punctuation and numbers, with drills, prose, poetry and exercises focused on difficult keys. Audio dictation provides transcription practice, while typing games offer another kind of exercise. KeyBlaze measures net and gross words per minute, supports tests at different durations and lets learners set speed goals. Users can import their own lessons, drills and speed tests or focus practice on troublesome words and characters. Keyboard highlighting indicates finger placement, and the software can print course completion certificates. KeyBlaze runs on macOS and Windows and is described by its maker as suitable for all skill levels. For classroom review, results can be saved to a network folder; that folder must be configured separately on each computer. The free version costs nothing, while additional lessons, professional exercises and custom features require an upgrade. The Plus Home license is restricted to non-business use.