This popped up today on my phone when casually tapped on a text field. As a long ass time MessagEase user this makes me sad. Even though it has its issues, it's also been pretty much unbeatable when you need to type text on Android without looking using only one thumb. Looks like MessagEase Pro subscription fee is 1,09€/month. Not that much but no thanks. Enshittification spreads. As a FLOSS enthusiast I've always dreaded this sort of thing when using "free" proprietary products.
Anyhow, do I have to go back to Gboard or are there any free/oss alternatives around to replace MessagEase with?
Give it time. You get used to it. Eventually, you will probably type more accurately than you did before. A qwerty or any full keyboard like that does not belong on a small screen. :-)
Honestly I don't know how you can suddenly live without it. I've been using it for years so I'm hooked for whatever price they give... I also think they are patented so you can't copy them legally.
Well, quite easily because the amount of irritation that this move caused greatly exceeded the benefits of the product. Even if typing on mobile is now somewhat clunkier and more taxing mentally whether using thumb-key or Gboard.