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The keyboard is undoubtedly one of the most used apps on the best budget phones to amazing phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it's also the one that often gets overlooked by most users. It's one of those things that can entirely make or break your experience of using a phone, so why not spend some time picking the right keyboard app that works for you? The stock keyboard app that's pre-installed on smartphones these days is plenty for most users, but there are a ton of great keyboard apps on Android that can elevate your typing experience with some unique features.

We've compiled a list of the best keyboard apps Android has to offer right now, and we truly believe these will help you type faster, with less effort, and also look great. From the smartest keyboards that offer the right suggestions to the ones that carry a range of customization options, these are the best keyboard apps for Android in 2023.

Best overall: Gboard

Gboard is one of the most popular keyboard apps out there, so it's hardly a surprise to see it as one of our best picks. This particular keyboard has evolved a lot, thanks to a constant flow of updates and improvements from Google over the past couple of years. Accurate word predictions, smooth glide typing, nifty gesture controls for cursor and deletion, Google Assistant and Google Translate integration, etc., are only a few of the main reasons why Gboard should be your default keyboard.

Emoji Kitchen is also a neat feature that lets you merge two emojis to create unique stickers, while on devices running Android 12 and above, the keyboard can now sync its theme with your wallpaper. It's also a reliable application that works very well without any hiccups on most phones. It’s now as fast and smooth as it can get. Gboard comes pre-installed on Google's Pixel phones out of the box, but you can download it on your other devices for free from the Google Play Store.

Also great: Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard

Swiftkey — now Microsoft Swiftkey Keyboard — has been around for quite some time now, and it remains one of the most versatile and feature-packed keyboards you can use. Customization is the name of the game with Swiftkey, and there are tons of options and controls to personalize your typing experience.

One of the best things about Swiftkey is that it makes it very easy to access all the essentials, so you don't have to dig deep or hunt for a specific feature that you want to try. Like Gboard, it also has a quick access bar at the top with shortcuts for GIFs, stickers, clipboards, and the translator. Swiftkey's word predictions and auto-correction have also gotten better now, and Microsoft is also integrating Bing Chat in Swiftkey to take it to the next level.

Best for visual customizations: Chrooma Keyboard

If there were ever an RGB equivalent of PC keyboards on Android, it would have to be Chrooma. Chrooma’s main attraction is that it adapts to the primary color scheme of the app you’re using. It turns green when texting in WhatsApp, orange while in Gmail, and so on. It comes with dozens of skins and color palettes, including a cool RGB theme. There’s never a dull moment while using this keyboard.

If you ever get bored with the monotonous look of Gboard or your stock keyboard, this is the one that will refresh your typing experience. Besides colors and adaptive themes, Chrooma also has an extensive set of useful features, including gesture typing, AI-powered contextual word predictions, One Hand Mode, split layout, Night Mode, and many more. Chrooma is available for free on the Play Store. However, many of the fancy features require a premium version. Give it a shot by hitting the link below.

Best for features: Fleksy

Fleksy has everything and the kitchen sink. Its auto correction game is solid, and it also has a clean design that'll make you feel right at home if you’re coming from something like Gboard. Apart from offering all the keyboard essentials, Fleksy has some unique add-on features called Extensions that you’ll not find in other keyboard apps. You can add a row of the most frequently used emoji, symbols, URLs, and more, and even add cool typing effects.

Fleksy also offers what it refers to it as mini-apps, which lets you browse and share GIFs, memes, stickers, YouTube videos, etc., right from the keyboard. Fleksy has over 100+ themes designed by popular artists, and you can also create your own using a photo from your gallery or Unsplash library.

Best for spell checks: Grammarly Keyboard

Grammarly is a popular service that probably already exists as an extension in our PC browser to keep your writing free from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. The Grammarly Keyboard is essentially a keyboard version of that, so you can avoid sending messages with awkward typos and errors. Sure, it’s not the most feature-packed keyboard out there, and you'll miss out on some things like stickers, GIFs, themes, and more.

You shouldn't be using this keyboard if you care about those things because Grammarly is all about language and grammar above anything else. Grammarly’s dead-accurate grammar and spell checker will catch most, if not all, of your embarrassing mistakes while also showing you the correct form and usage, so you learn from it and hopefully don’t repeat them. The free version of Grammarly Keyboard gets the job done for casual usage. There's a premium subscription plan for more serious use cases that provides suggestions on more advanced grammatical issues, tone detection, word choice, fluency, and more.

Best minimal keyboard: Simple Keyboard

Simple Keyboard, as the name implies, is very simple. It’s a truism, but it’s worth stating because that’s what the Simple Keyboard is all about. It gives you a simple, clutter-free keyboard that doesn’t bombard you with gimmicky features or ask you to hand over your data to "improve your experience." It weighs about 1MB in size and doesn’t ask for any sensitive permission — in fact, it only needs single permission: for haptic feedback.

Since simplicity, privacy, and speed are the main focus points here, the keyboard does away with features like emojis, GIFs, spell checkers, and gesture typing. It’s not for mainstream users, but those who care deeply about privacy will certainly find this a great choice.

Best keyboard apps for Android in 2023: Final thoughts

These are the best Android keyboard apps that will help you enhance your typing experience. It's hard to go wrong with any of the options mentioned in this collection, but we'd go with the Gboard as our best pick overall simply because it offers everything in a simple and easy-to-use package. It's packed with all the essentials, and it also improves your experience with features like emoji kitchen, Google Assistant, and more.

Whatever keyboard app you end up picking, be sure to give your brain some time to adjust to a new keyboard, as it will take some time to adjust to the new settings and for the muscle memory to set in. If you are new to the world of Android and want more app suggestions, then consider stopping by our collection of the best Android apps or the best Android games.