Paste your text to compare 7 layouts. On everyday English, QWERTY keeps 33% of keystrokes on the home row versus 73% for Colemak and 69% for Dvorak.
Layout comparisons online usually rely on someone else's text. Layout Lab measures the text you type. Paste a week of emails, a school essay or a chapter you are writing, and see how seven layouts handle it. Nothing is uploaded: the analysis runs in your browser.
What each column means
- Home row: the share of letters typed without leaving the home row. Higher is better.
- Alternation: the share of letter pairs that switch hands. Alternating lets one hand get ready while the other types.
- Same finger: pairs of different letters typed by the same finger in a row, such as ED on QWERTY. These are slow and tiring, so lower is better.
- Travel: the average distance, in key widths, a finger moves from its home key to press a key.
- Pinky: the share of letters typed by the two pinkies, your weakest fingers.
Our baseline numbers
On 6,782 words of everyday English, QWERTY puts 33% of keystrokes on the home row, Dvorak 69%, Colemak 73% and Workman 66%. See every figure on the keyboard layouts page.
Tips for a fair test
- Use at least a few hundred words. Short samples swing a lot.
- Use text you really write. Programmers, lawyers and novelists type very different letter patterns.
- Remember the limits. Effort numbers do not include learning time, and speed depends mostly on practice and technique.
Frequently asked questions
Is Layout Lab free?
Yes, and it runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never sent anywhere.
Which layout is best?
On most English text Colemak and its variants score best on home row use and same-finger pairs, with Dvorak strongest on hand alternation. QWERTY is the least efficient but works everywhere.