If you’re still using Apple’s default keyboard, you might be missing out. I tested the most popular third-party iPhone keyboards to find the best one.
6Grammarly Keyboard
There’s no shortage of third-party keyboard apps on the App Store, but I focused on the most popular and well-reviewed options. And if grammar and spelling are your top priorities, Grammarly’s keyboard is the best option.
It acts as a real-time proofreader, catching mistakes and improving sentence structure as you type. This makes it ideal for professional emails or important messages.
However, Grammarly isn’t designed for casual typing. It lacks swipe typing, making quick messages feel slower. Some corrections also seemed unnecessary for informal conversations. While excellent for writing, it didn’t feel practical as an everyday keyboard.
Download:Grammarly foriOS(Free, in-app purchases available)
ReBoard is built for multitasking. Instead of being just a keyboard, it integrates mini-apps that allow you to search the web, send files, or access cloud storage without switching apps.
While some integrations, like the clipboard manager and image search, were useful, others felt unnecessary or clunky. Accessing them required extra taps, which sometimes slowed me down.
Want to Type Faster on Your iPhone? Try These 7 Tips
If your typing speed has been slow ever since you started using an iPhone, we’ve got some valuable tips for you.
Typing itself was decent, with reasonable autocorrect and predictive text. However, it wasn’t as refined as other options I tried out. ReBoard’s high level of customization, including themes and layout tweaks, was a strong point.
Download:Reboard foriOS(Free, in-app purchases available)
Typewise reimagines typing with a hexagonal key layout designed to reduce typos. Initially, it felt unnatural, and my typing speed slowed significantly. However, after a few hours, I started to see the logic behind the design—it genuinely reduces accidental key presses.
Despite its benefits, the learning curve was steep, and I found it impractical for quick messages. I do appreciate its privacy-focused approach, as Typewise doesn’t collect user data.
Download:Typewise foriOS(Free, in-app purchases available)
Gboard is Google’s flagship keyboard, packed with features like built-in Google search, glide typing, emoji and GIF suggestions, and multilingual support.
I found glide typing smooth and accurate, plus having Google search directly within the keyboard was surprisingly convenient. The ability to switch between multiple languages seamlessly was also a big plus, and it’s easy to see why so manyditch the iPhone’s default keyboard for Gboard.
However, despite its feature-rich nature, Gboard is far from perfect. It felt slightly slower than other keyboards I tried, especially on my iPhone 11. While it offered different themes to choose from, deeper customization options were lacking.
Download:Gboard foriOS(Free)
Fleksy takes a different approach by focusing on speed rather than swipe gestures. It claims to be the fastest keyboard, thanks to its advanced autocorrect system. And it delivers. Once I got used to it, I typed faster than on almost any other keyboard. The autocorrect was incredibly effective, often fixing errors even when I completely botched a word.
Fleksy also offers deep customization, including themes and iOS extensions for added functionality. It supports GIF and sticker searches and even integrates with YouTube, Yelp, and Spotify. However, its learning curve is steeper than other keyboards.
Download:Fleksy foriOS(Free, in-app purchases available)
SwiftKey has always been known for its intelligent predictions, but Microsoft has supercharged it with AI. Now, it comes with built-in Copilot search, AI-powered tone adjustments, and smart replies.
The predictive text is still top-tier. I was impressed by how well it predicted words based on my writing habits. The new AI features add a nice touch, especially the ability to adjust my message’s tone before sending them. The built-in search also made it easy to look things up on the fly.
Download:Microsoft SwiftKey foriOS(Free)
After testing these popular iPhone keyboards, SwiftKey emerged as my top choice.
SwiftKey learns from your writing habits, making its predictive text remarkably accurate. The built-in Copilot AI search and tone adjustment tools are fantastic additions, and its seamless language-switching makes it perfect for bilingual users.
SwiftKey’s autocorrect can be a bit aggressive at times, and the interface isn’t as visually appealing as Typewise. However, when it comes to pure typing efficiency, SwiftKey is unbeatable. That’s why it’s the one I’m sticking with.
