PrivacyTools.io
Reviewed by Marcus Holmberg
Replace today: Gboard Microsoft SwiftKey Samsung Keyboard

Best Private Keyboard for Android in 2026

Private alternatives to Gboard, Microsoft SwiftKey, Samsung Keyboard, vetted against our public criteria.

Grouped by threat level

Covered Easy start and good defaults for everyone
Hardened Some setup and real gains for the willing

Your keyboard touches every word you type, including your passwords and private messages, down to whatever you search for. The default keyboard on most phones streams pieces of that back to its maker, sold to you as personalization and cloud sync. The keyboards here do the same job entirely on the device, with no network access at all, so the one app that sees everything has nowhere to send it. They are the open-source replacements for Gboard and SwiftKey, along with the stock keyboard your phone shipped with.

Why you can’t just turn off tracking in your default keyboard

A cloud keyboard uploads what you type and the words it learns, sometimes reaching the clipboard too, all framed as prediction and sync. The catch is that no browser setting or app permission closes that hole, because the keyboard is its own app with its own connection, sitting at the input layer beneath everything else. Turning off “personalization” in its settings adjusts what the keyboard does with the data, not whether it collects and sends it in the first place, and you are taking that on faith. The only reliable fix is replacing the keyboard with one that has no network permission to begin with, which is what FlorisBoard and the other picks here are built around.

How we pick these

We hold every keyboard to our public listing criteria, and for this category the bar is unusually simple to state and hard to fake. We favour keyboards that request no network permission at all, because a keyboard that cannot reach the internet cannot leak your typing, period. We pair that with open source, so the no-network claim can be verified in the code rather than trusted, and we check that prediction happens on the device with no analytics buried inside. We only list a keyboard we would type our own passwords into, and we treat any unexplained network access as disqualifying.

What to look for in a private keyboard

The single strongest signal is no network permission at all, because it makes phoning home impossible rather than merely promised. Build on that with open source, so the claim is checkable in code, and on-device prediction, so your dictionary improves without cloud learning and without analytics quietly bundled in. Then weigh the practical side, because a keyboard you fight is one you abandon within a week: the layouts and languages you actually use, plus gesture typing if you rely on it and a feel that does not slow you down. Privacy you cannot live with is privacy you will uninstall, so the right keyboard is both silent and comfortable.

How to switch

Install one from a trusted source, then open your phone’s system settings to enable it and set it as the default input method. Grant it the input role and nothing else; if it never asks for network access, there is nothing to deny. Type with it for a few days while its on-device dictionary learns your style, which catches up quickly. Then disable or remove the old keyboard so nothing silently falls back to it. From that point on, your typing stays on the device. A private keyboard pairs naturally with a de-Googled mobile OS, since both close leaks that no single app permission can reach on its own.

Frequently asked

Will autocorrect and predictions still work without the cloud?
Yes, on the device. These keyboards learn your words locally instead of in the cloud, so suggestions still improve over time without anything leaving your phone. The dictionary that adapts to how you type lives on the device, which is the point.
Why would a keyboard ever need the internet?
For its core job, it does not. Typing and prediction work offline, and so do the layouts. A keyboard that asks for network access is choosing to, usually to sync your dictionary across devices or to send usage data home, which is exactly what the keyboards here are built to avoid.
How do I know a keyboard is not secretly sending my keystrokes?
Check whether it requests network permission, and prefer open-source keyboards where the code can be inspected. A keyboard with no network access cannot transmit anything, full stop, and open source lets that claim be verified rather than trusted. Those two signals together are the strongest assurance available.
Do private keyboards support swipe typing and multiple languages?
Many do, though it varies by keyboard, so it is worth checking against how you actually type. Gesture typing and a wide range of layouts and languages are common. The honest catch is that a specific niche language or a particular swipe engine may be stronger in one keyboard than another, so match the keyboard to your needs.
Is a third-party keyboard safe to install?
An open-source keyboard with no network permission, installed from a trusted source, is one of the safer apps you can run, precisely because it cannot send anything anywhere. The risk lies with closed keyboards that request network access, where you are trusting a promise. Choosing transparency removes that gamble.
Will switching keyboards lose the words it has already learned?
The new keyboard starts with a clean dictionary and learns your style as you type, usually catching up within a few days of normal use. Some keyboards let you import a personal word list to speed that up. Either way, the adjustment is short and the privacy gain is permanent.