The default iPhone keyboard is as plain as it is cumbersome. It tucks away punctuation, buries useful characters deep within layers, and doesn’t offer any meaningful customisation options. Instead, it forces you to adjust to its design. Even well-meaning Android users are driven away by the iPhone keyboard. But no more.
The App Store has tonnes of keyboard apps for iPhone, so there’s really no need to stick to the default keyboard. Having recently switched to the iPhone, I tried over a dozen keyboard apps on my iPhone, and here are some of the best ones that stayed in my hand.
Overview of the Best Keyboard Apps for iPhone
To make matters simple, here's a quick table of the top contenders, highlighting their key features, pricing, and who would benefit most from them:
| Best iPhone Keyboard App | Features | Best Suited For | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| SwiftKey by Microsoft | Fast glide typing, typing stats, fast prediction, clipboard, themes | Everyone, especially fast-swipe typers | Free |
| Y Keyboard (Yandex) | Punctuation keys, multilingual keyboard, themes, Additional characters | Minimalists and polyglots need a hassle-free keyboard | Free |
| Gboard by Google | In-built Google services, spacious one-handed mode, Themes | Those who require quick access to Google services | Free |
| Typewise | Unique layout, big hexagonal keys, quick inserts | Experimentalists looking for unorthodox layouts | Free, Pro at Rs 2,499 or Rs 49/month |
| Grammarly keyboard | Grammar and text improvements | Language learners and writers | Free, Premium at Rs 999/month |
Related Articles
How I Tested the Best Keyboard Apps for iPhone for 2026
Screenshots and images can only tell so much. It's the actual experience that ultimately decides whether an on-screen keyboard app is worth using long term. So I tested over a dozen keyboard apps on my iPhone Air.
I evaluated the features that I require daily, such as glide typing, clipboard, multilingual keyboards, one-handed mode, and quick access to special characters. I further gauged the value of any standout features that these keyboard apps might have. And finally, I took my sweet time to assess the predictions, which generally get more reliable the more you use a keyboard.
Related Articles
Best Keyboard Apps for iPhone
These are the keyboard apps that offer a fast and clean typing experience, are free to use, and offer a much more advanced keyboard experience on the iPhone.
Related Articles
SwiftKey – Best All-Rounder Keyboard for iPhone
It may be surprising to find a Microsoft product at the top of the list. But SwiftKey is one of the best keyboard apps for iPhone going around, hands down. Whether you’re a glider or a pecker, it balances both acts equally well.
It’s as fast as an on-screen keyboard can get without cutting corners. Its predictions are on point, and the more you use it, the better they get. From emoji to punctuation, it has everything right there on the first layer itself, including a number row that can be enabled from its settings.
It also hosts a bunch of iPhone keyboard themes, including a Liquid Glass theme that goes well with iOS. The clipboard is a blessing for iPhone users, even though it's only restricted to saving a single item at a time. Copilot is also there in case you need some AI assistance. If not, that icon is easily ignored. You can also turn it off from the app’s settings.
While you can download several languages and switch between them with a swipe on the keyboard, SwiftKey only lets you work with two languages at a time. This can be an issue, especially for polyglots. But for my own bilingual use case, it worked like a charm.
SwiftKey also lets you see your typing stats, including typos corrected, words predicted, etc., as well as a Type Map that shows how it has adjusted the keys based on how you type. It's a nice addition to gain some insight into your typing habits.
The one-handed mode can feel a little too cramped, primarily because the individual keys are slightly taller than they are wide. This made regular typing slightly problematic. But glide typing continued to be a breeze.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast glide and regular typing | Cramped one-handed mode |
| On point predictions | Single-item clipboard |
| iOS-aesthetic themes | |
| Typing stats |
Pricing: Free
Related Articles
Y Keyboard (Yandex) - Best General-Purpose iPhone Keyboard
If you’re looking for a no-nonsense keyboard, you must try out Y Keyboard (also called Yandex). As an iPhone keyboard, it looks very basic. But don’t rush to dismiss it just yet. Because it has just about everything that an on-screen keyboard ought to have.
The comma and full stop keys are on either side of the keyboard, which makes Y Keyboard the only app on this list to include punctuation keys on the first layer of the keyboard itself.
The swiping animation is quick, and the predictions flow well. In fact, you see many more prediction options on the Y keyboard than any other iPhone keyboard app.
You can enable everything from the numbers row to special character visibility, so you don’t have to hunt for them under different layers. There are a few themes to change the colour and look of the keyboard, as well as a handy translation tool.
Its clipboard holds only a single copied item at a time. But it does let you save your most-used phrases inside the clipboard, which technically makes it a multi-item clipboard.
Unlike SwiftKey, you can use multiple languages simultaneously on the Y Keyboard. All you need is to tap on the globe icon or swipe across the keyboard. This makes it the best keyboard for multilinguals, as well as an all-round performer.
Unfortunately, there is no one-handed mode on the Y Keyboard, which is its only major drawback.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Punctuation keys on first layer | No one-handed mode |
| Easy access to all downloaded keyboards | No AI features |
| Multiple prediction options | |
| Multi-item clipboard |
Pricing: Free
Related Articles
Gboard - Best iPhone Keyboard for Integrated Google Services
Gboard by Google is another super alternative to the iPhone keyboard. Its predictions are reliable, and swipe typing is fast. But if you’re typing normally, it can feel a tad slow. It’s not surprising, though, since Gboard on the App Store has received no updates in the past 4 years. For that reason, it doesn’t have any AI utilities baked in, or even a clipboard.
Still, there are tonnes of themes and colours to spruce up your iPhone keyboard, as well as up to 3 languages that you can switch between by tapping on the gear icon. Compared to other keyboard apps, Gboard's one-handed mode is a little friendlier to those with chubby fingers. However, because typing feels a little slow, I preferred to glide type.
Gboard has a rich integration of several Google services like Google Search, Translate, Maps, YouTube, and Contacts, which make it hard to ignore. That means you can do a quick Google search, find and share contacts, translate text, share your location, or search on Maps, all without leaving the app.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Built-in Google Search, Translate, YouTube, Maps, and Contacts | Not updated in 4 years |
| Reliable predictions | No AI features |
| Fast swipe typing | No Clipboard |
Pricing: Free
Typewise - Best Unique Keyboard Layout
Typewise is an experimental keyboard designed for fast touch typing rather than finger gliding. Instead of a traditional rectangular layout, it has large hexagonal keys that are laid out in the form of a beehive.
It can be off-putting at first. But its quirks end up becoming hacks that can quickly turn you into a keyboard ninja. For instance, swiping up on a key inserts uppercase, while holding and swiping left on the keyboard lets you delete quickly. If you’ve deleted too much, swipe back right without lifting your finger and recover the deleted text.
It includes a traditional keyboard layout if you want to switch back. But I recommend spending a little time with it. The learning curve isn’t as steep as you’d think.
It has some limitations. For instance, there’s no multilingual keyboard support, AI features, themes, or text replacements. All these require a Pro subscription, which is a little pricy. But if you like the free version of Typewise, the Pro version will turn it into a complete iPhone keyboard.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Big, hexagonal keys | No glide typing |
| Fast regular typing | Basic features require Pro version |
| Quick uppercase and character inserts | No one-handed mode |
Pricing: Free; Pro at Rs 2,499 (Lifetime) or Rs 49/month (subscription)
Grammarly Keyboard - Perfect for Improving Grammar
If better grammar is what you’re after, Grammarly is a pretty decent keyboard app for iPhone. Be advised, however, that it does require you to sign in to even get going.
It looks exactly like the iPhone keyboard, so it doesn’t seem out of place. But it is an improvement in every other regard.
It supports up to four languages at a time and lets you add a number row and full stop to the main layout. Its “Smart Formatting” feature automatically calculates arithmetic expressions, converts between units and time formats, and formats phone numbers and ratios into a readable format.
But being a Grammarly keyboard, its primary purpose is to correct grammar, review long drafts, edit tone, rephrase, translate text, and offer word synonyms.
One of its main issues is that it doesn't have a clipboard, which severely limits its use. It also constantly bugs you to try out Grammarly Premium. But for a keyboard that improves your writing on the whole, in any language, it's a very useful tool to have on the iPhone.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quick access to up to 4 languages | Requires sign-in to Grammarly account |
| Smart Formatting for numbers, units, | Expensive Premium features |
| Text improvement features | No clipboard |
Pricing: Free; Premium subscription at Rs 999/month
What's the Best Keyboard for iPhone?
For an all-round keyboard, there’s no looking past SwiftKey, and if Google services are important to you, then Gboard does the trick. Grammarly keyboard is no slouch either, especially for writers and learners, while Typewise lets you unlock a new style of typing once you get past its challenging layout.
But it was the Y Keyboard with its simplicity and no-fuss functionality that surprised me the most. I have it set as my default keyboard app for iPhone. Your choice may differ from mine. But with the state that the default iPhone keyboard is in, just about any of the above third-party keyboard apps would do.
