Best Keyboard Apps for Android in 2026

You spend more time inside your keyboard app than almost any other app on your phone. It sits between you and every text field: messages, search, banking, passwords. So the choice matters twice — for how fast you type and for where your keystrokes go.

We fully read five ranking sources and verified five apps against their Play Store listings. The big surprise this year: Grammarly has discontinued its standalone Android keyboard, so most old 'best of' lists are recommending an app you cannot install anymore. Here is what is actually worth using in 2026.

Quick Verdict

Gboard is the best default for most people — free, fast, and excellent at Urdu and other languages. Microsoft SwiftKey wins for multilingual typing and Copilot AI. Samsung Keyboard deserves a real trial on Galaxy phones. Typewise is the privacy pick with huge typo-killing keys. Fleksy is the fastest gesture keyboard, but it has ads. AnySoftKeyboard is the open-source, zero-telemetry option.

How We Chose These Apps

We read five sources in full: a 2026 hands-on comparison, a multilingual roundup, a ratings table, an APK-site review, and a vendor-authored AI-keyboard guide (the vendor stats are disclosed, not repeated as facts). Filters: actually installable in 2026, on the Play Store or pre-installed, and a clear answer to the privacy question. Grammarly Keyboard was dropped — discontinued by its own developer.

One safety rule before you install anything: keyboards are privileged. A keyboard that asks for contacts, location, or storage access is a red flag. Every app below keeps its permissions to what a keyboard actually needs.

Best Keyboard Apps for Android Compared

1. Gboard — Best Overall Keyboard

Gboard is the default on Pixel and most stock Android phones, and it earns that position. Glide typing is still the smoothest swipe implementation, voice typing is fast and works offline on Pixel phones, and the language model moved on-device in late 2024 — prediction quality pulled clearly ahead of the field. It also translates as you type, holds your clipboard history, and suggests emoji that match the context.

For multilingual users — including Urdu typists — Gboard supports hundreds of language varieties (Urdu is listed on its Play Store page) and suggests from your enabled languages without manual switching. Wear OS support, handwriting input, one-handed mode, and gesture controls (slide on the spacebar to move the cursor, swipe from delete to erase words) round it out.

Price and facts: completely free, no ads, no locked features.

Pros

• Best prediction and autocorrect on Android since the on-device upgrade
• Voice typing that works offline on Pixel phones
• Urdu and hundreds of other languages with auto-switching
• Translate, clipboard, GIF and emoji search built in
• Completely free, no ads

Cons

• It is a Google product — search-related typing feeds Google's telemetry
• Theming is limited compared to SwiftKey or Fleksy

Best for: almost everyone — fast, free, and excellent at multiple languages.

Download Gboard on Google Play

2. Microsoft SwiftKey — Best for Multilingual Typing and AI

SwiftKey's defining strength is predicting across languages. Enable up to five languages at once and type in all of them without switching — the listing claims support for over 700 languages, and bilingual users consistently prefer it over Gboard here. It also learns your writing style, slang, and emoji habits faster than most.

The AI layer is Copilot: ask it to draft, rewrite a message in a different tone, or translate without leaving the keyboard. There are 100+ free themes, custom photo backgrounds, and an Android-to-Windows clipboard sync that no other keyboard offers.

Price and facts: free. Extra permissions (microphone, photos, contacts, camera) are optional and consent-based.

Pros

• Best multilingual prediction — up to five languages at once
• Copilot AI for drafts, rewrites, and translation inside any app
• 100+ themes, photo backgrounds, custom sizes
• Exclusive Android-to-Windows clipboard sync

Cons

• Typing data feeds Microsoft's services — sign-in is part of the deal
• Voice typing feels a generation behind Gboard

Best for: multilingual users and anyone inside the Microsoft ecosystem.

Download Microsoft SwiftKey on Google Play

3. Samsung Keyboard — Best on Galaxy Phones

Samsung Keyboard is pre-installed on every Galaxy device, and replacing it out of habit is no longer warranted. Through One UI 6, 7, and 8, Samsung tightened it up: prediction is competitive with Gboard for English, swipe typing is smooth, and Galaxy AI translation, writing assist, and summarization plug in cleanly.

Where it wins is integration: the clipboard talks to Samsung Notes, voice typing pipes through Bixby, and the layout adapts to the Z Fold's split screen better than any third-party keyboard. Many foldable owners run Samsung Keyboard on the cover screen and Gboard inside.

Price and facts: free, pre-installed. There is no Play Store listing — do not download a 'Samsung Keyboard' from anywhere else; lookalikes are a scam.

Pros

• Competitive prediction for English, smooth swipe typing
• Best keyboard for Z Fold's split and cover screens
• Galaxy AI translation and writing assist built in
• Zero install — already on your Galaxy phone

Cons

• Not available on non-Samsung phones
• Bilingual prediction falls off beyond two languages
• Tied to Samsung's account ecosystem

Best for: Samsung owners — give it a real two-week trial before swapping.

4. Typewise — Best for Privacy

Typewise takes a different shape — literally. Its patented honeycomb layout replaces the QWERTY grid with hexagonal keys that are 70% larger, and a vendor study with 37,000 participants claims four times fewer typos. Even without trusting the study, big keys simply miss less on small phones. Swipe up to capitalize, swipe left to delete, swipe right to restore — the gestures are intuitive within minutes.

The privacy story is the real reason it is here: the keyboard runs locally on your device and no typing data goes to the cloud. Anonymous usage tracking exists but can be turned off completely with offline mode.

Price and facts: free; Typewise PRO adds typing in multiple languages without switching, personalized suggestions, extra themes, text shortcuts, and vibration control.

Pros

• 100% local processing — no typing data leaves the device
• Huge honeycomb keys cut typos dramatically
• Offline mode kills even anonymous tracking
• Intuitive gesture system

Cons

• Honeycomb layout takes a few days to learn
• Multilingual-at-once and best features need PRO
• Smaller language list than Gboard or SwiftKey

Best for: privacy-first users and anyone whose thumbs keep missing keys.

Download Typewise on Google Play

5. Fleksy — Fastest Gesture Typing

Fleksy holds a Guinness record for fastest mobile typing, and its gesture system is why: swipe left to delete a word, swipe right for a space, hold the spacebar for cursor control. The autocorrect targets missed keys rather than misspelled words, which works surprisingly well once you trust it.

It ships 100+ artist-made themes, custom themes from your photos, millions of GIFs and stickers, 80+ languages including Urdu, and mini-apps inside the keyboard. On the privacy side, the developer's Play Store data-safety declaration says no data is collected or shared with third parties.

Price and facts: free but contains ads; rated 3.4 from 267K reviews, 5M+ downloads. Some reviewers note extra UI bars that cannot be disabled.

Pros

• Fastest gesture-typing system on Android
• 80+ languages including Urdu
• 100+ themes plus custom photo themes
• Developer declares no data collection

Cons

• Contains ads — the only pick here with them
• 3.4 rating reflects real annoyances (extra UI bars, pushy extras)
• Autocorrect can be aggressive

Best for: speed freaks who love gestures and themes — if you can tolerate ads.

Download Fleksy on Google Play

6. AnySoftKeyboard — Best Open Source

AnySoftKeyboard is the privacy maximalist's answer: open source (Apache 2.0), maintained for over a decade, on both the Play Store and F-Droid, with no telemetry, no analytics, and no account. Languages come as separate packs — over 60 supported — and it learns your typing behavior for next-word prediction without phoning home.

It is also one of the most customizable keyboards available: themes, key colors, sizing, sounds, night mode, power-saving mode, a built-in abbreviations dictionary for text shortcuts, and a utility keyboard with clipboard actions, voice input, and arrow keys. Gesture typing is experimental but present.

Price and facts: completely free.

Pros

• Open source — the code is auditable
• Zero telemetry, zero accounts
• Deep customization: themes, sizes, sounds, night mode
• Built-in abbreviations dictionary for shortcuts

Cons

• Prediction is a step behind Gboard and SwiftKey
• No built-in voice typing — uses system voice input
• Feels less polished for the first week

Best for: anyone who wants zero keystrokes leaving the device.

Download AnySoftKeyboard on Google Play

What Happened to the Grammarly Keyboard?

Grammarly discontinued its standalone Android keyboard. Grammarly's writing help now works through Accessibility permissions on top of whatever keyboard you already use — Gboard or SwiftKey. That is actually better: you get grammar checks without switching to a slower, cloud-dependent keyboard. Do not trust old lists still recommending the dead Grammarly keyboard.

The trade-off remains: Grammarly processes what you type on its servers. Fine for work email; wrong for confidential information.

A Word on Urdu Typing

If you type in Urdu, Gboard has Urdu built in with solid prediction, SwiftKey covers it among its 700+ languages with auto-switching, and Fleksy includes it among 80+ languages. Dedicated Urdu keyboards exist, but the mainstream picks here already handle Urdu well enough for daily use.

FAQs

What is the best keyboard app for Android in 2026?

Gboard for most people — free, fast, and best at prediction. SwiftKey if you type in multiple languages. Typewise if privacy is your priority.

Do keyboard apps read everything I type?

Most collect some typing data: Gboard processes most typing on-device but some features talk to Google; SwiftKey feeds Microsoft; Grammarly processes text on its servers. Typewise and AnySoftKeyboard keep your typing on-device.

Is the Grammarly keyboard still available?

No — Grammarly discontinued its standalone Android keyboard. Grammarly now works through Accessibility on top of any keyboard, so you can use Gboard or SwiftKey and still get grammar checks.

Which keyboard is best for Urdu typing?

Gboard has built-in Urdu with good prediction, SwiftKey supports it among 700+ languages with automatic switching, and Fleksy includes it in its 80+ languages.

Is Samsung Keyboard better than Gboard?

On Samsung phones specifically, Samsung Keyboard is competitive for English and better integrated with Galaxy AI and the Z Fold's split screen. For everyone else, Gboard is the stronger pick.

Are free keyboards safe to install?

Stick to the Play Store and check permissions. A keyboard asking for contacts, location, or storage access is a red flag — all six picks above keep permissions to what a keyboard actually needs.

Final Recommendation

For most people, Gboard is the right keyboard. Multilingual typists should try Microsoft SwiftKey, Samsung owners should trial Samsung Keyboard, privacy-first users get Typewise or AnySoftKeyboard, and speed lovers get Fleksy.

Pair your new keyboard with better tools: our guides to the best note taking apps for Android and the best file manager apps for Android cover what you type into and where files go.