The best keyboard app for Android is the one that types what you mean with the fewest corrections and that you trust with everything you type, including passwords and private messages. Choose by speed, privacy, languages or layout. Ten keyboards follow in no particular order.
Your keyboard sees more of your life than almost any other app: messages, searches, emails and sometimes passwords. That's why choosing one is as much about trust as it's about swipe typing or emoji.
The ten keyboards below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from Google's own keyboard to small open source projects. Each description comes from the keyboard's own Google Play or F-Droid listing, re-checked this week. If you type in more than one script, my guide to typing Malayalam on WhatsApp shows how keyboards handle other languages.
Android keyboards at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the app's own store listing or site describes free use or a free download, Trial only means a time-limited trial and No means neither is stated on the pages we read. Many free apps carry ads or sell optional upgrades.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnySoftKeyboard | Open source keyboard | Privacy and languages | Yes |
| FlorisBoard | Open source keyboard | A modern open source option | Yes |
| FUTO Keyboard | Offline keyboard | Fully offline typing | Yes |
| Gboard | Default keyboard | Glide and voice typing | Yes |
| Grammarly Keyboard | Writing keyboard | Fixing grammar as you type | Yes |
| HeliBoard | Open source keyboard | Clipboard and layouts | Yes |
| Microsoft SwiftKey | Predictive keyboard | Learning how you write | Yes |
| Simple Keyboard | Minimal keyboard | Nothing but a keyboard | Yes |
| Typewise | Typo-reducing keyboard | Fewer typos on big keys | Yes |
| Unexpected Keyboard | Compact keyboard | Symbols without switching | Yes |
Ten keyboard apps for Android
AnySoftKeyboard
Best for: Multilingual typists who want an open source keyboard with lots of language packs and a focus on privacy.
FlorisBoard
Best for: Tinkerers who are happy to try a beta, open source keyboard that respects privacy and keeps improving.
FUTO Keyboard
Best for: Privacy-first users who want swipe typing and voice input that never connects to the internet.
Gboard
Best for: Most Android users, since it brings glide typing, voice typing and handwriting in a keyboard that's often already installed.
Grammarly Keyboard
Best for: Professionals who want grammar, spelling and tone suggestions while they type emails and messages on their phone.
HeliBoard
Best for: Privacy fans who want a fast, customisable open source keyboard with clipboard history and flexible layouts.
Microsoft SwiftKey
Best for: Fast typists who want predictions that adapt to their own writing style, plus emoji, GIFs and stickers.
Simple Keyboard
Best for: Minimalists who only need a keyboard and nothing more, with no extra features slowing it down.
Typewise
Best for: Typists with big thumbs who keep hitting the wrong letter and want a layout designed for fewer typos.
Unexpected Keyboard
Best for: Programmers and terminal users who want extra characters by swiping keys towards their corners.
What a keyboard learns about you
The Android Developers reference describes a flag apps can set to request that the keyboard should not update personalised data such as typing history and its personalised language model, for example in private browsing.
What that means for you: that flag is a request, and it's up to the keyboard to honour it. For passwords and private chats, choose a keyboard you trust, and consider one that works fully offline if privacy is your main concern.
Predictive, offline or minimal?
Predictive keyboards learn your writing style and suggest the next word, which speeds up everyday messages. Offline keyboards do all their work on the phone and never connect to the internet. Minimal keyboards drop extras like GIF search to stay light and fast. Writing keyboards add grammar and tone suggestions.
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If you mostly text friends, a predictive keyboard will save the most time. If you type sensitive information for work, an offline or open source keyboard may be the better trade.
Switching keyboards on Android
- Install the keyboard from Google Play or F-Droid.
- Open it and follow the steps to enable it in settings.
- Read the permissions it asks for before accepting.
- Select it as your default input method.
- Add your languages and turn swipe typing on or off.
- Type for a few days before judging autocorrect.
Small settings that change everything
- Keyboard height. A taller layout cuts mistyped letters.
- Number row. Saves switching layouts for every digit.
- Clipboard history. Paste things you copied earlier.
- Vibration on keypress. Turn it off to save a little battery.
Keyboards and languages
If you type in more than one language, your keyboard choice matters even more. Some keyboards let you switch languages with a swipe of the space bar, others detect the language as you type, and a few handle several scripts at once.
Check that your languages have both a layout and a dictionary, because a layout without a dictionary means no predictions or autocorrect. Open source keyboards often support many languages through add-on packs you install separately.
For right-to-left languages or scripts with many characters, test a few messages before you commit. It's the small things, like where punctuation sits, that decide whether a keyboard feels natural.
If a keyboard doesn't offer your language yet, check its website or project page; open source projects often add languages when users ask, and they'll usually say what's planned.
Do you make a keyboard app for Android? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing an Android keyboard
Give any new keyboard a few days, because predictions improve as it learns how you write. If it still fights you after a week, switch back; the right keyboard should disappear into the background.
Think hardest about privacy if you type client details or passwords on your phone. And if you'd rather talk than type, my guide to turning off Gemini on Android covers the assistant settings that sit next to your keyboard.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best keyboard app for Android?
One that types accurately for you and that you trust with private text. Many people stay with the default keyboard; others prefer offline or open source options.
Is it safe to use a third-party keyboard?
It can be, but a keyboard sees what you type, so choose one with a clear privacy approach and read its permissions.
Which Android keyboard works offline?
Some keyboards here describe working fully offline with no internet connection.
How do I change my keyboard on Android?
Install the keyboard, enable it in your phone's keyboard settings, then choose it as the default.
Can I use voice typing with other keyboards?
Several keyboards here include voice input, and some do it offline.
Why does my keyboard keep autocorrecting wrongly?
It may not have learned your words yet. Add words to its dictionary or clear its learned data and start fresh.
