While there are many keyboards available for Android phones, the most popular ones that will be compared include Gboard vs SwiftKey vs Samsung Keyboard. What are the differences? Read this comparison to decide which one is best for you.
Note– In the screenshots below, the gradient theme keyboard is Gboard, the light theme is SwiftKey, and the dark theme is Samsung keyboard. In addition, some of the features listed may not be enabled by default. Check the keyboard settings to turn them on.
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
Availability
BothGboardand theShortcutcan be used on any Android phone. They also work on iOS.
However, the Samsung keyboard is only available for Samsung Galaxy devices. It is not compatible with other Android phones.
User Interface
Gboard and Samsung Keyboard have an extra row at the top of the keyboard. This row displays various icons such as stickers, GIFs, themes, icons, and more. When you start typing, you’ll see suggested words on the same line.
SwiftKey, on the other hand, has two extra lines. One is for icons and the other is for forecasts. It can be minimized by clicking on the icon to the left of the second row.
Modes and Size
Gboard has three keyboard modes:full keyboard,one-handed keyboard, andfloating keyboard. The same three options are available on the Samsung keyboard. However, if your device supports the S-Pen, it also shows Typing Mode, which is automatically activated when you remove the S-Pen from your phone. SwiftKey goes a step further by addingThumb Modewhich divides the keyboard into two halves.
Regarding the size, all three keyboards can be customized to your liking. While the largest size is the same for all of them, SwiftKey has the potential to be the smallest.
Themes
Gboard and SwiftKey have a good selection of themes. It is very likely that you will find a topic you like. If you don’t, you can create a theme with a background image of your choice, such as your own image.
Samsung Keyboard only offers four themes in the keyboard settings. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t change the look of the keyboard, you just need to change the phone theme using the Galaxy Themes app. The same theme will apply to the keyboard. Check out other ways to change the color of your Samsung keyboard. You can even use Goodlock’s Keys Café to modify your Samsung keyboard.
Clipboard functionality
All three keyboards support the clipboard function as well as the ability to pin or lock clipboard items. While Gboard and Samsung Keyboard both have an image clipboard feature that allows you to paste images directly from the clipboard, SwiftKey does not. However, you can use SwiftKey’s sticker feature to access the latest photos and paste them into the app.
In addition, all three display copied items on the prediction bar for easy access. However, its functionality varies. For example, SwiftKey allows you to create a task in Microsoft To-Do directly from the clipboard to copy text.
Likewise, Gboard breaks down important information into separate pieces. For example, if you copy text containing a phone number, the suggestion bar will display both the full text and only the number. This saves time as you don’t have to copy and paste all the text and then delete unnecessary information. Learn how to share screenshots using Gboard.
Moreover, SwiftKey has a cool feature to sync your clipboard with your Windows PC.
Write and edit text by dragging
If you’re a fan of sliding or sliding typing, we are pleased to announce that all three let you write this way. In addition, all three even offer a cursor control feature that allows you to move the cursor between text by moving it over a space.
When it comes to editing text, the Gboard and Samsung keyboard offers dedicated text editing screens with arrows and selection options, while SwiftKey has an option to enable the arrow keys at the bottom of the keyboard. These arrow keys have a built-in selection function. As you scroll the text, it will be automatically selected. You can also turn on a row of numbers on all three keyboards.
Emoji, GIF and stickers
While all three allow you to add emoticons, GIFs, and stickers, they differ in the features they offer. For example, Gboard and SwiftKey have a dedicated emoji button at the bottom. On the Samsung keyboard, you’ll find it on the top row. It’s not a big deal, but separating it has two benefits: since it doesn’t come bundled with other icons, it’s easy to identify and easier to access while typing.
Gboard has a great collection of stickers. It even supports Bitmoji and your own Emoji kitchen where you can create your own custom emoji stickers. Gboard also offers a unified search, showing items from all three categories, with each item having its own search.
Turning to SwiftKey, it offers an individual search function for emoticons and GIFs. What sets it apart is the fact that it offers a sticker editor that allows you to create stickers from images in your gallery and add text to them. You will find it under the star icon in the stickers section.
The Samsung keyboard, like the Gboard, has a unified search and individual search. Surprisingly, the search results will also include contacts, YouTube videos, and Gallery images. Along with Bitmojis, the Samsung Keyboard supports a wide variety of sticker packs. If your phone supports AR emoticons, they will also appear in stickers.
Also, all three are good at predicting emoticons. Samsung’s keyboard even predicts stickers and displays them in a small pop-up window near the typing area.
Word prediction
While all three offer word prediction, I think SwiftKey outperforms the other two. The reason for this is that it not only remembers words, but also predicts sentences and even hashtags that you have written before. For example, you can see the previously entered number for the same text in the screenshot below.
Special signs
Gboard doesn’t display special symbols on the main keyboard. To view the entire collection, touch a number key or press and hold the period (.) Key to access special characters.
The Samsung keyboard also doesn’t show any special symbols, but you can enable it in “Samsung Keyboard Settings → Layout → Alternative Characters”. You can even customize the symbols that appear in the dot symbol by going to Settings → Custom Symbols.
SwiftKey displays special symbols by default and there is no way to turn them off. The keyboard can look clunky if you don’t like symbols.
Custom text shortcuts
This feature allows you to create shortcuts or short forms for frequently used words or sentences. The extended version of the shortcut will appear in the prediction bar as you type it. To use it, just tap on it.
The Samsung keyboard has had this feature for a long time, and creating a shortcut is quite easy. Go to Settings → More Input Options → Text Shortcuts.
While both SwiftKey and Gboard also offer the feature, it’s not that easy to locate. In SwiftKey, go to “Keyboard Settings → Formatted Input → Clipboard → Add New Clip”. For Gboard, go to Gboard Settings → Dictionary → Personal Dictionary → [Select language]. Tap the add (+) icon at the top and enter the abbreviation and the full form of the word. Discover other ways to set custom shortcuts on Android.
Frequent questions
1. How to change the keyboard in Android?
To switch quickly between keyboards, tap the Keyboard icon in the navigation bar. A list of available keyboards appears. Click on the one you want to use. Alternatively go to “Settings → System (General Administration) → Languages → Keyboard → Default Keyboard”.
2. Are Gboard, SwiftKey, and Samsung keyboard free?
Yes. All three are available for free with no in-app purchases.
3. How to write accented characters?
Press and hold a letter to view the available accents. Click on the one you want to use.
Which keyboard is better?
As you have seen before, each keyboard has its own advantages and disadvantages. Personally, I keep switching between Gboard and SwiftKey. I’ve been using a Samsung phone recently and enjoy trying the Samsung keyboard every now and then.
If you need a keyboard with unparalleled text predictability and a variety of themes, SwiftKey is by far the best option. However, you may lose the functionality of the image clipboard.
For Samsung Galaxy users, the Samsung keyboard is a pretty decent app. Little was lost other than better prediction of the text. However, it is well-integrated with the S-Pen and AR emoji, and the native search feature is the icing on the cake.
If you want a little bit of everything, use Gboard. This is the safest option. The emoji cuisine and unified search make it more attractive.
I suggest you try all three keyboards and see which one suits your needs. If you don’t like any of them, check out the other Gboard alternatives.
Learn how to turn off keyboard sound and autocorrect on Android phones. And how to use the physical keyboard with Android phones.