5 Best Private Android Keyboards You Can Trust + 3 Expert Tips

The virtual keyboard on your smartphone collects everything you type. Do you trust it? Are on-screen keyboard apps safe, and is there a private android keyboard?

FUTO Keyboard is the best private Android keyboard for most people. It runs fully offline, never requests internet access, and adds swipe typing, voice input, and text prediction. AnySoftKeyboard, HeliBoard, Fossify Keyboard, and FlorisBoard round out the list, plus 3 expert tips for keeping any keyboard honest.

I've investigated many different on-screen keyboards to determine if and how they collect data. Here are my recommendations, including some tips on how I use on-screen keyboards privately. First, you'll want to know some base-level info about why keyboards can be bad for privacy.

Privacy & Smartphone Keyboards

Android has supported alternative keyboards since April 2009 and first appeared on Apple's iOS in September 2014. Most keyboards offered some predictive text capability to try to guess your next word in an attempt to speed typing.

These predictive models have become increasingly accurate over the years, doing a better job of giving you suggestions or interpreting typing input. This makes most wonder: Do Android keyboards collect data?

Yes, Android keyboards collect data to implement predictive entry or gesture or swipe interpretation. Some virtual keyboards perform analysis on your device. Other on-screen keyboards send some or all of your data to the cloud. Keyboards on iPhones collect user data as well.

Dang!

What about when you enter passwords, credit card numbers, or personally identifiable information? This is where the so-called incognito mode comes in.

What is incognito mode on a keyboard?

Incognito mode on virtual keyboards limits the software's recording and learning process. The intent is to provide more privacy when entering passwords or other sensitive data. Most implementations provide no additional security or privacy benefits other than pausing data collection temporarily.

Before you hop into the list, watch this video (5m2s@2x) from The Hated One, where he discusses the problems with smartphone keyboards.

Best Private Android Keyboards

1. FUTO Keyboard (Best overall)

FUTO Keyboard is my current daily driver and the pick I recommend first. It is a fork of the AOSP LatinIME keyboard built by FUTO with one goal in mind, keeping your typing off the network.

The app is source-available, not open source. FUTO publishes the code under its own FUTO Source First License 1.1, which lets you inspect and build it but does not meet the strict open-source definitions F-Droid enforces. If a fully open-source license is your hard requirement, jump ahead to HeliBoard below.

The privacy story is simple because the app has no internet permission at all. From FUTO's own privacy policy:

"The app does not request the network permission, and hence does not have the capability of making any network requests on its own. Your typing data, voice recordings, are never shared by the app."

FUTO, "FUTO Keyboard Privacy Policy"

Feature-wise, FUTO punches well above its price. You get swipe typing, offline voice input, offline text prediction, themes, keyboard resizing, a number row, clipboard tools, and multilingual typing. The swipe decoder is English QWERTY for now, and text prediction currently works for English only. Offline voice input is built in with a 30-second default limit and a long-form toggle.

FUTO Keyboard theme settings. Screenshot: FUTO Keyboard documentation.

After two weeks of daily use, here is what stood out to me. The keyboard is super customizable, from themes and key actions to size and layouts. Offline prediction and voice models are included, though the selection is limited and the quality is average. Multilingual input is handled well. I type English and Dutch, and I can speak English into the Dutch voice typing and get Dutch text out. It slots in as the default keyboard on GrapheneOS without fuss, and it handles copy-paste between my personal profile and my work profile cleanly. Two weeks in, I donated to the project. That good. I installed it through Obtainium.

The pricing model matches the privacy posture. The keyboard costs $6.99 through FUTO Pay or $11.99 on Google Play as a one-time license, and the docs put it plainly: "Pay for it if you like it."

"The FUTO Keyboard costs $6.99 if purchased through FUTO Pay or $11.99 if purchased through the Google Play Store. Pay for it if you like it."

FUTO Keyboard documentation, docs.keyboard.futo.tech

You can install it from Google Play, FUTO's own F-Droid repo, or the GitHub releases via Obtainium. Source code lives on FUTO's GitLab.

FUTO Keyboard text prediction settings. Screenshot: FUTO Keyboard documentation.

2. AnySoftKeyboard (Best for maximum language choice)

I keep tabs on the evolution of AnysoftKeyboard. For me, the project is approaching a level of features I need in a smartphone keyboard.

AnysoftKeyboard is an open-source Android keyboard released in April 2012, according to the project's page on GitHub.

The project owner menny is very active along with the 80+ individual programmers. Users and contributors actively discuss and support the keyboard.

While the keyboard does not have access to your smartphone's internet access, it now offers an incognito mode. The official site advertises "Incognito Mode - Type privately without any tracking or word learning when you need it."

This virtual keyboard has many of the features of commercial, proprietary keyboards. You can tweak themes and layouts, switch between multiple languages, and backup/restore your settings. Voice input is supported, and the project offers language packs for more than 50 languages.

I used AnysoftKeyboard for a while before moving on. At the time, it lacked reliable voice and swipe typing, which matters because voice input is one of my hard requirements. Swipe typing exists today but ships as an experimental gesture-typing feature you have to enable in the settings app, and it is off by default. The settings interface is clunky, which could be solved with some reorganization and by implementing material design standards.

F-Droid | Google Play | Source Code

3. HeliBoard (Best fully open-source pick)

HeliBoard is the pick if a real open-source license is your line in the sand. The project describes itself as "a privacy-conscious and customizable open-source keyboard, based on AOSP / OpenBoard." It is a fork of OpenBoard under the GNU General Public License v3.0, and OpenBoard itself forked the AOSP keyboard.

The privacy claim is the same structural guarantee FUTO and AnySoftKeyboard rely on. From the README: "Does not use internet permission, and thus is 100% offline." The F-Droid permission list confirms it, and the keyboard includes an incognito mode that stops filling the history dictionary.

There is no glide typing built into the app. The FAQ says you can load compatible libraries, but the swipe library is closed source and has to be extracted from Google's apps or downloaded separately, so treat swipe as optional and unofficial. Voice typing is not built in either. The keyboard defers to whatever voice input your device provides through Android's own speech service. Word suggestions, dictionaries, spell check, themes with dynamic color, custom layouts, multilingual typing, and clipboard history are all here.

If you use FUTO Keyboard, note that its dictionaries for many languages come from HeliBoard's AOSP dictionaries project, so the two projects already work together.

F-Droid | Source Code

4. Fossify Keyboard (Best for minimalists)

Fossify Keyboard is for two-thumb tap typists who don't need all the bells and whistles. It handles multiple layouts and languages, clipboard clips, themes, vibration settings, and emoji access, and not much else. No gesture typing and no word prediction engine appear anywhere in the official feature lists, so treat it as a plain, honest typewriter of a keyboard.

The privacy posture matches the minimal scope. Fossify's policy states, "This app does not request Android's Internet permission. Keyboard does not send typed text to Fossify." The app is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Part of why it earns a slot here is the suite around it. The Fossify apps are a great set of apps, all GPL-3.0 licensed, covering Phone, Launcher, Calculator, Draw, and more. The keyboard fits right in for anyone building a fully offline Android setup.

F-Droid | Google Play | Source Code

5. FlorisBoard (The promising one to watch)

FlorisBoard rounds out the list, and I'll be upfront about my experience with it. I have only minor hands-on time with the keyboard. It has a lot of features, but when I tried it, voice typing was my hard requirement and FlorisBoard did not meet it. That is why it ranks last, not because there is anything wrong with the keyboard.

The project itself is in solid shape. It is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0, installable from F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, or GitHub releases via Obtainium. Google Play carries the project as a closed beta test track. The F-Droid permission list is minimal, essentially notifications and vibration, with no internet permission.

Feature-wise you get Latin layouts plus limited non-Latin support, day and night themes, one-handed mode, customizable gesture actions, a clipboard manager, and an emoji keyboard. Two honest caveats from the project's own README. Word suggestions and spell checking are not included in the current releases and are a major goal for the v0.6 milestone. And voice typing is not among its advertised features. If either of those is on your must-have list, this is a watch-and-wait pick for now.

F-Droid | Google Play (closed beta) | Source Code

If you want to stick with Google products, here's how to secure Gboard

Not everyone can or wants to replace Gboard. Gboard is on every Android device out of the box. While it's not open-source, it has the most eyes watching it. Additionally, much of the processing occurs lower at the operating system level.

I'm willing to use it occasionally for insensitive long-form typing for a productivity boost.

Coupled with an app firewall like Netguard or TrackerControl to help reduce data leakage, Gboard can be used with some level of privacy.

Does Gboard collect personal data?

Yes, Gboard collects personal data from typed and dictated text. But in June 2017, Google added an incognito mode to pause learning when using a browser's private mode or when specific apps request the keyboard to change its mode.

Some apps like Signal Messenger will automatically trigger Gboard to switch to incognito mode. In contrast, other apps leave the keyboard in normal learning mode even while entering sensitive information like passwords.

Does Gboard collect passwords?

It's not clear if Gboard records passwords when incognito mode is on or off. On their support site, Google describes the process of federated learning.

But Google was sued for tracking Chrome browser users using incognito mode, and later settled the case for $5 billion (BBC). It's not hard to imagine that a similar breach of trust occurs in Gboard.

The good news: Gboard functions well when the internet is blocked in my testing. Gesture typing, word predictions, text corrections, and text-to-speech dictation continue to provide mostly accurate results. Later I have specific recommendations if you decide to use Gboard.

Is Gboard safe?

Yes, Gboard is a generally safe keyboard option. On Google Android, it is the default keyboard and is highly reliable. On iOS, Gboard is a good option to diversify text entry away from Apple's own keyboard, QuickType.

The Best Possible Combination & My Recommendations

1. Adjust Settings

In whichever keyboard(s) you decide to use, adjust settings that preserve your privacy.

For example, Gboard shares your usage statistics and prediction models to help improve the keyboard. These settings are enabled by default and should be switched off under the advanced settings menu.

2. Use an App Firewall

An application firewall is software that controls all access to and from the internet on an app-by-app basis.

Netguard or TrackerControl gives you granular control of when apps can access the internet.

I recommend using an app firewall to prevent your keyboards (and select other apps) from leaking your data to their developers.

BONUS: You'll find that an app firewall also increases your smartphone's battery life 🔋 and lowers your data consumption 📡.

3. Compartmentalize

Switch between keyboards based on your tasks or needs.

• I use FUTO Keyboard for most of my tasks because it never uses the phone's internet connection.
• I use a Bluetooth physical keyboard (and mouse) for extended and private typing sessions.
• I use Gboard with blocked internet access for swipe typing and infrequent dictating.

In this video (5m50s@2x), I demonstrate 2 on-screen keyboards for tapper typists and 2 virtual keyboards for gesture/swipe typers.

FAQ

Is FUTO Keyboard really private?

Yes, as far as a keyboard app can be. FUTO Keyboard does not request the network permission, so it cannot make network requests on its own. Your typing data and voice recordings stay on the device. Independent of the policy, you can verify the claim yourself by checking the app's permissions or running it behind an app firewall.

Is FUTO Keyboard open source?

No. FUTO Keyboard is source-available, not open source. The code is published under the FUTO Source First License 1.1, which lets you read and build the source but does not meet open-source definitions like the GPL. If a strictly open-source license is your requirement, HeliBoard (GPL-3.0), AnySoftKeyboard (Apache-2.0), Fossify (GPL-3.0), and FlorisBoard (Apache-2.0) all qualify.

Which of these keyboards has swipe typing?

FUTO Keyboard does, with an English QWERTY decoder for now. AnySoftKeyboard ships gesture typing as an experimental feature you enable in settings. HeliBoard has no built-in glide typing, but you can load compatible libraries from Google's apps. Fossify and FlorisBoard have no swipe typing.

Which private Android keyboard has voice typing?

FUTO Keyboard is the standout with offline voice input built in. AnySoftKeyboard supports voice input. HeliBoard defers to your device's own speech service, Fossify and FlorisBoard have no built-in voice typing, and Gboard sends your voice to Google for transcription.

Final Thoughts

Of all the installed software on your mobile device, your keyboard ranks number one in its potential to leak your data and reduce your privacy and security.

Give careful consideration when choosing software that records every tapped keystroke, predicted word selection, and voice-to-text conversion.

If you are trying to decide between a private keyboard and just using incognito mode, the two protect different layers, and I broke down the difference separately.

Thanks for your help, Isaac 👍