Comparison · Emoji keyboards
A free emoji keyboard alternative that you never have to open
Emoji keyboard extensions are all the same shape: a toolbar button opens a grid, you scroll, you click, the panel closes, you find your place in the sentence again. It works, and it is four actions to insert one character.
The same thirty seconds, twice
You are mid-sentence in a reply and you want 🔥 at the end of it.
With a panel-based emoji keyboard
- 01 Take your hand off the keyboard and find the mouse
- 02 Click the extension icon up in the toolbar
- 03 The panel opens on top of the text you were writing
- 04 Scroll the grid, or click into its search box and type "fire"
- 05 Click 🔥
- 06 The panel closes. Click back into the field and find your cursor
Six actions, both hands, eyes off the sentence
With Emoji Anywhere
- 01 Type :fi
- 02 Press Enter
Two actions, hands never leave the keys
The real suggestion engine, running on this page. No install needed to try it.
What you would type instead
:fire → 🔥 the one everyone types most
:: → your frequent emojis no name needed at all
:tada → 🎉 shipped, launched, done
:shrug → ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ no emoji keyboard has this
Side by side
| Emoji Anywhere | Emoji keyboards | |
|---|---|---|
| Type :name: inline | ✓ | — |
| Browsable picker | ✓ | ✓ |
| Download size | 280 KB | up to 57 MB |
| Emoji artwork | your system's own | custom, bundled |
| Symbols and kaomoji | 276 built in | rarely |
| Account required | — | sometimes |
| Analytics | none at all | varies |
| Price | Free | Usually free |
Where the other option wins
Bundled-artwork keyboards make your emoji look identical for everyone who sees them, which genuinely matters if you care that 😀 renders the same on Windows and Mac. We use your system’s own set, so yours match the rest of your device instead. Panels are also better for browsing when you do not know what you want, which is why we still ship one.
Where this one wins
- ✓ Type :fire: inline instead of opening anything
- ✓ 280 KB instead of up to 57 MB, because we ship no artwork
- ✓ 276 symbols and kaomoji, which emoji keyboards rarely include
- ✓ No account, no servers, no analytics
- ✓ Still has a picker for when you want to browse
The verdict
If you want custom artwork that looks the same everywhere, a bundled keyboard is the right pick. If you would rather never open a panel again, this is.
Questions
Do I lose the picker if I switch?
No. Emoji Anywhere still has one in the toolbar, with all 1,906 emojis searchable by name, shortcode or emoticon. The difference is that you rarely need it, because typing is faster once you know a handful of codes.
Why is it so much smaller than other emoji keyboards?
Because it ships no emoji artwork. Keyboards that bundle their own designs carry thousands of image files, which is where the tens of megabytes come from. We insert the Unicode character and let your operating system draw it, the same way every other app on your machine does.
Can I use both?
Yes, they do not conflict, since one is a toolbar panel and the other watches for a colon as you type. Most people uninstall the panel within a week, but nothing breaks if you keep it.
Your keyboard already knows what you mean
Free, 280 KB, no account. Two letters from now you will never open an emoji panel again.