Customizability has been and will be the biggest reason I prefer Android over iOS. There is nothing worse than sticking onto the default apps that the device manufacturer stuff in, right? And, probably the first thing that I change when shifting to a new smartphone is the keyboard app. Fortunately, hundreds of keyboard apps are available for Android which not only bring extra features but are also easy to use and look better. So, if you also want to customize your Android keyboard, here are the 12 best Keyboard apps for Android that you should use in 2019.

Before we discuss our list of the best keyboard apps for Android, let us first take a look at a few reasons that make us look for third-party keyboard apps.

As we said, almost every Android manufacturer ships its devices with a custom-made keyboard app. It’s one in Samsung and something entirely different on HTC phones. The only exception is when you have a Pixel or a device running on stock Android. In most cases, these default keyboard apps are horrendous. They don’t prioritize usability and often lack the basic features you need. And, if you are expecting things like GIF support and emoji collection, you might be disappointed.

These keyboard apps are made for everyone! You can find a healthy mix of usability and features to start.

1. Gboard (the Google Keyboard)

Gboard is the official keyboard app for Android from Google. It packs almost every feature you need in one keyboard app, starting with an amazing UI. You can also customize the User Interface according your taste and requirements. For instance, you can separate the keys with a border or bring a dark theme to the board. There is even a Floating Mode that you’d love.

2. SwiftKey Keyboard

SwiftKey Keyboard is indeed the most popular third-party keyboard app for Android. It is also one of the oldest third-party keyboard app for Android. Currently owned by Microsoft, SwiftKey Keyboard brings one of the fastest typing experience on Android. It learns your typing patterns, frequently-used words and then alters the User Interface. It can even suggest you the best emoji for the situation.

3. Fleksy

Fleksy is another fast Android keyboard that comes with a minimal design. When compared to Gboard and SwiftKey, there aren’t many features. Nevertheless, you can have a smoother typing experience on any day. The UI is pretty simple and you can start typing right away. Fleksy can also make smart suggestions based on what you are typing — not just text but also emojis.

While the above mentioned apps are also good at swipe typing, the apps mentioned below bring unique and fast swipe typing experience.

4. Chrooma Keyboard

Chrooma Keyboard is one of the best overall keyboards too, but the swipe typing is pretty great. One of the reasons is that Chrooma Keyboard comes with a number of powerful gestures. You can combine all these gestures with contextual prediction to get the best results. Compared to other keyboard apps, we found that Chrooma Keyboard finds the right words while swiping.

5. Multiling O Keyboard

You’d think that a feature-rich keyboard app will take up too much space on your device. Well, Multiling O Keyboard is a real exception here. First of all, Multiling O Keyboard offers one of the best swipe experiences we’ve found on Android. Everything is super-smooth and the UI is kept as minimal as possible. Unlike many of the other keyboards, Multiling O Keyboard can gesture-type special characters as well.

Do you care about typing without grammatical and spelling errors? Check these keyboards out which bring a built-in grammar checker which can help you type error free messages and email.

6. Grammarly Keyboard

Grammarly Keyboard is the most popular grammar-oriented keyboard for Android. The reason is simple: it’s powered by the Grammarly engine itself. The autocorrect system in Grammarly is a bit different from normal keyboard apps out there. While it takes care of grammatical errors as you write, you can’t hit nearby letters and expect the actual word.

7. Ginger Keyboard

In case you did not know, Ginger is another grammar-checking service online. Compared to Grammarly, the Ginger Keyboard packs so many features you would actually love. Apart from super-fast grammar correction and contextual prediction, Ginger Keyboard allows you to insert GIFs and emojis as well. You can even find some ways to find news and play games within the keyboard UI.

Best Custom-Purpose Keyboards for Android

The following keyboard apps have their own focus. You can choose accordingly.

Are you looking for the best emoji keyboard for your Android? Well, GO Keyboard deserves the first position in the list. It’s a wonderful emoji keyboard that brings you a wide collection of emojis and stickers. On top of this, you can also access GIFs and other images from the web. Last but not least, you get normal typing input and gesture-typing features.

Install: Free, in-app purchases

If you are someone who converses in Indic (Indian) languages, Indic Keyboard is a great keyboard app for Android. It is basically a keyboard that is based on the Google keyboard design. However, it supports the in-script and phonetic typing in 23 languages. Depending on the language you are using, you may have transliteration as well.

Install: Free

As the name says, Typany Emoji Keyboard is an emoji keyboard. Of course, you can type normal text but the potential is higher when you want to insert GIFs, images and emojis of all sorts. The UI is no less than superb but the difference happens when you click the emoji button. Under here, you have various options including AR Emoji.

GIFs have become the new way of communication. Here are the best Android keyboards you can use for it.

We still wonder whether GIF Keyboard by Tenor could be an actual keyboard replacement. However, if you want access to a variety of GIFs from across the web, you should try it. Of course, the Tenor keyboard is integrated on top of a normal keyboard with basic features. You can click the GIF button to search and find GIFs.

As we said, GIF Keyboard by Tenor is not a direct replacement for your normal keyboard. However, you can keep it installed on your Android — just in case, when you need more than words to express something. It’s having a super-cool UI though.

Now, here is another keyboard that is dedicated to emojis and GIFs. It gives so much importance to emojis and GIFs that you can access them all via dedicated buttons. You can even slide over the number pane to find a bunch of emojis. Similarly, clicking on the GIF button would show you the trending GIFs as well as the ones you have used in the past.

So, do you need an all-in-one keyboard that doesn’t compromise anywhere? Go for Facemoji Emoji Keyboard and you won’t be disappointed. While the keyboard may look funky at first, you can customize it according to your needs.

FancyKey Keyboard is probably the fanciest keyboard app for Android. It packs many out-of-the-box options for a smoother typing experience. Customizability is the strongest point of this keyboard, to begin with. You will be able to change how the keyboard looks and works. Another awesome thing is that you can type text in different fonts.

We’d recommend FancyKey Keyboard if you are really into customization. Not everyone wants to use fancy fonts, you know. If you are someone who wants that, you should try it. Of course, this keyboard also fulfils the basic requirements.