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 highest 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 (4.5@7,199,982) Ǥ 19
2
- Bobble Indic Keyboard - Stickers, Ғonts & Themes (4.5@279,386) Ǥ 26
12
- Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard (4.3@3,653,692) Ǥ 14
3
Datenschutz-Test 7/2019
- Smart Keyboard Trial (4.1@66,025) 5
LastUpdate: 2017-06-21 / Smart Keyboard Pro (3.9@21,962; ~EUR 2.25) 6
dictionaries available for many languages
- Perfect Keyboard Demo (4.1@4,065) 6
LastUpdate: 2017-07-07
- TouchPal (4.1@97) Ǥ 27
17
Video Review 1/2014
- Kii Keyboard + Emoji (4@22) Ǥ 10
LastUpdate: 2014-10-21 Phone & Tablet optimized
- Samsung Keyboard (3.2@14) 35
1
Keyboards for Typing
- ai.type Free Emoji Keyboard (4.8@433) Ǥ 16
18
/ ai.type keyboard Plus + Emoji (4.2@59,171; ~EUR 3.25) Ǥ 16
8
stores a lot of your personal data you type on their servers, which already leaked once
- KuKoo App (4.7@41) Ǥ 4
LastUpdate: 2017-07-05 keyboard with „copy-pad“ for frequent phrases
- Fleksy + GIF Keyboard Free (4.7@22) Ǥ 19
LastUpdate: 2015-10-26 / Fleksy GIF keyboard - Free Emoji-keyboard & GIPHY (4.2@267,121) Ǥ 20
5
Video Review 4/2014; Wikipedia EN
- Typewise Offline Keyboard (4.6@1,427; ~EUR 28.00) 1
1
Vorstellung 6/2016
- Simple Keyboard (4.4@5,995) 1
Github; Vorstellung 8/2019
- Deutsche Tastatur (4.3@2,938) 0
- Tablet Keyboard Free (4.3@2,494) 1
LastUpdate: 2016-05-30
- Classic Keyboard (4.2@85,977) 9
2
LastUpdate: 2018-06-07 Kurzvorstellung 7/2015
- Hacker's Keyboard (4.2@50,724) 3
LastUpdate: 2018-12-07 Github; Video Review 6/2014 | 6/2018; not only for hackers
- Indic Keyboard (4.2@6,823) 8
GitLab
- OpenBoard (4.2@674) 4
Github
- Flash Keyboard - Emojis & More (4.2@626) Ǥ 36 20
LastUpdate: 2019-03-07
- Tiny Keyboard (4.2@80) 0
Github
- 1C Big Keyboard (4.1@18,272) Ǥ 9
9
- A.I.type Tablet Keyboard Free (4.1@13,929) Ǥ 9
3
/ A.I.type Tablet Keyboard Plus (3.9@1,335; ~EUR 1.75) Ǥ 9
3
- Technical Keyboard (4.1@2,390) 11
LastUpdate: 2017-08-30 XDA Home 2/2014
- Magic Keyboard Pro (4.1@121; ~EUR 1.50) Ǥ 11
LastUpdate: 2017-09-12
- Minuum Keyboard + Smart Emoji (4@10,204; ~EUR 3.50) Ǥ 11
1
LastUpdate: 2017-02-18
- Big Buttons Keyboard Standard (4@9,083) 1
LastUpdate: 2013-12-18 / Big Buttons Keyboard Deluxe (3.6@1,299; ~EUR 3.25) 2
LastUpdate: 2015-10-10
- Bauer Keyboard (4@294) 1
LastUpdate: 2014-01-10 for big fingers
- Compass Keyboard (4@56) 3
LastUpdate: 2018-03-16 Github; International keyboard
- ThickButtons Keyboard (3.9@6,755) 4
LastUpdate: 2014-05-09
- Keyboard Designer: Create and design keyboards (3.9@320) Ǥ 2
Vorstellung 8/2020
- BeHe Keyboard - Programming & More (3.9@132) 1
LastUpdate: 2018-04-04
- Thumb Keyboard (3.7@8,192; ~EUR 2.25) 9
1
LastUpdate: 2014-11-15
- DroidTR IME (En/Ru/Tr/Gr Keyboard) (3.7@82) 2
GitLab
- FlorisBoard (0@0) 1
Github
Keyboards for Typing & Swiping
- background keyboard (5@1) 11
LastUpdate: 2017-08-10
- Izzy (4.5@136) 8 4
LastUpdate: 2015-08-13 typing and gestures (and no, it's not mine though it shares my name)
- GO Keyboard Lite - Emoji keyboard, Free Theme, GIF (4.4@2,632,652) 20
13
- Ginger Keyboard - Emoji, GIFs, Themes & Games (4.4@183,356) Ǥ 16
16
Video Demo 3/2015; spell and grammar check
- Cheetah Keyboard - Emoji & Gif Keyboard (4.4@25) Ǥ 32
16
- Chrooma Keyboard - RGB & Emoji Keyboard Themes (4.3@152,510) Ǥ 22
7
Kurzvorstellung 2/2016; Intro 6/2016
- Swype Keyboard Trial (4.3@87,895) Ǥ 14
5
LastUpdate: 2018-03-10
- TSwipe-Pro keyboard (4.2@10,868) Ǥ 15
LastUpdate: 2015-08-01 Addons for hardware keyboards available; Phone & Tablet optimized
- AnySoftKeyboard (4.1@24,760) 6
Github; MobilSicher Empfehlung 10/2019; Vorstellung 6/2020
- Adaptxt Free Keyboard (4.1@13,754) Ǥ 23
LastUpdate: 2015-11-26 Vorstellung 5/2015
- Typewise Custom Keyboard - Big Keys, Emoji & Fonts (4@5,301) Ǥ 6
2
Intro 2/2020
- MultiLing Keyboard (3.9@44) 5
LastUpdate: 2015-08-26 / Multiling O Keyboard + emoji (4.1@34,164) 4
Alternative Input Ideas
- Google Handwriting Input (4.3@123,291) Ǥ 5
1
Vorstellung 4/2015 | 4/2015; Kurzvorstellung 4/2015
- Graffiti Pro for Android (4.2@919) Ǥ 1
LastUpdate: 2016-03-15 / Graffiti for Android (3.9@3,262) 2
LastUpdate: 2013-03-13 Like in the good-old Palm days
- Selvy PenScript (3.9@153) 5
- mazec3 (jp) -Handwriting (3.7@552; ~EUR 9.00) Ǥ 6
/ mazec3 Handwriting Recognition (3.5@176; ~EUR 14.00) Ǥ 6
- EVA Facial Mouse (3.6@22,828) Ǥ 9
4
Github; emulate mouse cursor by eye tracking
- Dotterel (0@0) 3
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 (4.8@86) 1
Github; write expressive messages in various font styles
- MessagEase Keyboard (4.4@7,502) 4
LastUpdate: 2018-07-23
- 同文輸入法 (4.2@351) 7
Github; Chinese IME
- kboard (3.8@1,331) 4
Github; XDA 2/2019; Intro 2/2019; a keyboard to end conversations
- NovaKey - Keyboard (3.7@901) 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 (0@0) 0
/ 8Vim (0@0) Github; vim-like keyboard and editor / Github
- Otobi Keyboard (0@0) 4
Github
- BlitzType Keyboard (0@0) 0
Github; custom keyboard with special keys for the WOT Blitz game
Keyboard Helpers
- Key Mapper GUI Keyboard (4.6@117) 4
Github
- 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@19) 0
/ ハードウェアキーボード配列変更 (+親指Ctrl) [英語配列] (4.8@20) 0
Github; Caps to Ctrl (keyboard layout) / Github
- Keyboard Switcher (4.2@341) 5
GitLab
- Hoplite Polytonic Greek Keyboard (4.2@187) 1
Github; extension for polytonic Greek input
- Free Physical Keyboard (3.8@244) 0
LastUpdate: 2018-10-28
- External Keyboard Helper Demo (3.6@2,567) 7
LastUpdate: 2016-06-28 / External Keyboard Helper Pro (3.5@3,223; ~EUR 1.75) 7
LastUpdate: 2016-01-07 configure your external keyboard
- Inputting Plus: Ctrl + Z/F/C/V (3.1@1,295) Ǥ 6
1
LastUpdate: 2019-01-22
- 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 Intro 7/2014 | 7/2014 (w/ video); Github; quickly disable/enable keyboard suggestions
- Macro / Text Expansion (0@0) LastUpdate: 2014-09-12 Github
- Guileless Bopomofo Keyboard (0@0) 0
Github
Further Readings:
- Android-Apps ersetzen: Tastatur (2/2020)
- 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)
- Best keyboard apps for Android (4/2019)
- 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 - 11/2018)
- Best keyboard for Android apps (9/2014 - 12/2018)
- Five Best Android Keyboards (6/2014)
- What's the Best Android Keyboard? (6/2014)