Keyboards & Input Methods
Most users probably live with the pre-installed keyboard app. Either because they are satisfied with it, that they are not aware of alternatives, or that the alternatives known to them are not really alternatives to them. Only few will know all available keyboard apps (even I don't). But even if the following list is far from being complete, they might prove helpful to the one or other.
Important to consider is that such a keyboard app is aware of all input done with it (well, that's its job, right?). Theoretically it could record all input (including passwords and other sensitive data). In case it also holds the permission to access the network, one could imagine some evil things. So better think twice if there are concerns to consider! In this context also be aware of all those trackers (which is where your entered information might end up). This category ranks quite high in „average trackers per app“.
The permission to read/write user dictionaries is fully legit here, however – as that's what keyboards use for spell checking and „predictive typing“.
Keyboards supporting Swipe, Type, and Voice
- Gboard - the Google Keyboard (4.3@317) Ǥ 19
2
- Smart Keyboard Pro (4.2@85; ~EUR 2.25) 6
LastUpdate: 2020-09-22 dictionaries available for many languages
- TouchPal Keyboard (4.1@97) 13 17
LastUpdate: 2019-09-12
- Bobble Keyboard (4@348,284) Ǥ 26
10
- Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard (3.9@3,825,544) Ǥ 12
3
Datenschutz-Test 7/2019
Keyboards for Typing
- Tiny Keyboard (5@191) 0
Github
- Hacker’s Keyboard (4.4@57,178) 3
LastUpdate: 2018-12-07 Github; Video Review 6/2018; not only for hackers
- OpenBoard (4.4@1,866) 4
Github; Review 6/2021
- Typewise Offline Keyboard (4.4@1,645; ~EUR 25.00) 5
1
Vorstellung 6/2016
- Technical Keyboard (4.3@2,675) 11
LastUpdate: 2017-09-24
- Thumb Keyboard (4.2@8,190; ~EUR 2.25) 9
1
LastUpdate: 2014-11-15
- Simple Keyboard (4.2@8,082) 1
Github; Vorstellung 8/2019
- Deutsche Tastatur (4.2@3,046) 0
- BeHe Keyboard - Programming & More (4.2@141) 1
LastUpdate: 2018-04-04
- Unexpected Keyboard (4.1@1,502) 1
Github
- Keyboard Designer: Keyboard (4.1@693) Ǥ 2
Vorstellung 8/2020
- Compass Keyboard (4@56) 3
LastUpdate: 2018-03-16 Github; International keyboard
- A.I.type Tablet Keyboard Free (3.9@14,233) Ǥ 9
3
LastUpdate: 2019-10-07 / A.I.type Tablet Keyboard Plus (3.9@1,341; ~EUR 1.75) Ǥ 9 3
LastUpdate: 2019-10-02
- Minuum Keyboard + Smart Emoji (3.9@10,193; ~EUR 3.50) Ǥ 11
1
LastUpdate: 2017-02-18
- Simple Keyboard (3.9@207) 2
Github
- 1C Big Keyboard (3.8@21,267) Ǥ 9
7
- Fleksy fast emoji keyboard app (3.6@268,666) Ǥ 21
5
Wikipedia EN
- Big Buttons Keyboard Standard (3.5@9,351) 1
LastUpdate: 2013-12-18 / Big Buttons Keyboard Deluxe (3.6@1,337; ~EUR 3.25) 2
LastUpdate: 2015-10-10
- Indic Keyboard (3@7,152) 5
GitLab
- DroidTR IME (En/Ru/Tr/Gr Keyboard) (1@89) 2
GitLab
- T16Fling (0@0) 0
GitLab
Keyboards for Typing & Swiping
- GO Keyboard Lite - Emoji keyboard, Free Theme, GIF (4.4@2,637,275) Ǥ 19
13
- Ginger Keyboard - Emoji, GIFs, Themes & Games (4.4@39) Ǥ 17
12
Video Demo 3/2015; spell and grammar check
- Typewise Custom Keyboard (4.1@11,979) Ǥ 8
1
Intro 2/2020
- MultiLing Keyboard (3.9@44) 5
LastUpdate: 2015-08-26 / Multiling O Keyboard + emoji (4.1@35,133) 4
LastUpdate: 2020-09-03
- Grammarly - Grammar Keyboard (3.8@142,060) 13
6
- AnySoftKeyboard (3.6@26,060) 6
Github; MobilSicher Empfehlung 10/2019; Vorstellung 6/2020
- Chrooma Keyboard - RGB & Emoji Keyboard Themes (2.9@178,999) Ǥ 22
9
LastUpdate: 2020-06-07 Kurzvorstellung 2/2016; Intro 6/2016
- FlorisBoard (0@0) 1
/ FlorisBoard Beta (0@0) 1
Github; Review 8/2021 / Github
Alternative Input Ideas
- mazec3 (jp) -Handwriting (5@566; ~EUR 9.00) Ǥ 6
/ mazec3 Handwriting Recognition (2.8@180; ~EUR 14.00) Ǥ 6
- Graffiti Pro for Android (4.2@969) Ǥ 1
LastUpdate: 2016-05-01 / Graffiti for Android (3.9@3,262) 2
LastUpdate: 2013-03-13 Like in the good-old Palm days
- Selvy PenScript (4@187) 5
LastUpdate: 2020-03-06
- EVA Facial Mouse (3.7@25,170) Ǥ 9
5
LastUpdate: 2019-11-21 Github; emulate mouse cursor by eye tracking
- Dotterel (0@0) 3
LastUpdate: 2020-05-20 Github; stenographic input
More crazy ideas can be found in the category Personal Assistants (Competition to Siri & Google Now).
Remote Keyboards
… can be found in the category Control your Droid from your Computer
Other Keyboards
- Irregular Expressions Keyboard (4.8@107) 1
Github; write expressive messages in various font styles
- MessagEase Keyboard (4.5@7,726) 4
- kboard (4.1@1,555) 4
Github; XDA 2/2019; Intro 2/2019; a keyboard to end conversations
- 同文輸入法 (4@393) 7
Github; Chinese IME
- NovaKey - Keyboard (3.5@907) 6
LastUpdate: 2016-06-23
- YidKey KD (0@0) 0
LastUpdate: 2019-01-22 Github; Yiddish keyboard
- Czech Diacritic Keyboard (0@0) 15
LastUpdate: 2019-06-19 Github
- 8vim Keyboard (0@0) 0
Github; vim-like keyboard and editor
- Otobi Keyboard (0@0) 4
Github
- Stroke Input Method (筆畫輸入法) (0@0) 0
Github; minimalist Chinese keyboard
- Sithakuru (0@0) 0
Codeberg; Libre Sinhala Keyboard
- BlitzTypeKeyboard (0@0) 0
LastUpdate: 2019-10-18 Github; custom keyboard with special keys for the WOT Blitz game
Keyboard Helpers
- Extra Physical Keyboard Layouts (5@456) 0
Github
- Free Physical Keyboard (5@294) 0
LastUpdate: 2018-10-28
- Nabla : Type Math Symbols (5@19) 0
Github; easily type math symbols
- 106/109ハードウェアキーボード配列変更 (+親指Ctrl) [日本語配列] (4.5@27) 0
/ ハードウェアキーボード配列変更 (+親指Ctrl) [英語配列] (4.7@26) 0
Github; Caps to Ctrl (keyboard layout) / Github
- Keyboard Switcher (4.3@864) 5
GitLab
- External Keyboard Helper Demo (3.8@2,702) 6
LastUpdate: 2016-06-28 / External Keyboard Helper Pro (3.9@3,412; ~EUR 1.75) 7
LastUpdate: 2016-01-07 configure your external keyboard
- Inputting Plus: Ctrl + Z/F/C/V (3.8@1,354) Ǥ 6
1
LastUpdate: 2019-01-22
- Key Mapper GUI Keyboard (3.8@1,051) 4
Github
- Guileless Bopomofo Keyboard (3.8@19) 1
Github
- Hoplite Polytonic Greek Keyboard (3.7@244) 1
LastUpdate: 2020-09-24 Github; extension for polytonic Greek input
- SwypeTweaks (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2015-09-11 Github
- Full colemak (0@0) 0
Github; keyboard layout with dead keys etc. for physical keyboards
- Suggestions Toggle (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2015-02-11 Github; quickly disable/enable keyboard suggestions
- Neo2 External Keyboard (0@0) 0
Github; Neo2-Layout when using a physical keyboard
- Macro / Text Expansion (0@0)
LastUpdate: 2014-09-12 Github
Further Readings:
- 5 best keyboard apps for Android (4/2022)
- 5 Best Private Android Keyboards You Can Trust + 3 Expert Tips (6/2020)
- Android-Apps ersetzen: Tastatur (2/2020 - 12/2021)
- Video: Tastatur-Apps: Was sie über Sie erfahren und welche App wir empfehlen (10/2019)
- How to Connect a USB Keyboard to Your Android Phone (7/2019)
- Best Android Keyboard Apps (5/2019 - 11/2019)
- Best keyboard apps for Android (4/2019 - 5/2021)
- Leserfrage: Empfehlenswerte Tastatur-App für Android (12/2017)
- Alternativ-Tastatur auf dem Android-Smartphone einrichten (1/2016)
- Die besten Android-Tastaturen: Swype, SwiftKey und Co. im Überblick (12/2014 - 5/2021)
- Best keyboard for Android apps (9/2014 - 8/2021)