HeliBoard
Free Our pickGboard's layout and glide typing without the cloud — open source, fully offline.
Keyboard: replace Gboard
6 private options, our pick first. Every download link goes straight to the source — F-Droid, the developer's GitHub releases (one tap into Obtainium), the Play listing you can install anonymously through Aurora Store, or the official site. None of these are affiliate links. Updated October 2026.
These Gboard alternatives let you type on Android without a keyboard that can reach the internet. HeliBoard is the main pick, with a familiar layout and no internet permission. FUTO Keyboard adds offline voice typing. FlorisBoard, AnySoftKeyboard, Simple Keyboard and Thumb-Key cover other styles.
The trade-off is polish. Gboard's predictions, glide typing and voice input are hard to match fully offline, and some languages have thinner dictionaries. A keyboard sees everything you type, including passwords, so in 2026 it is the app most worth the effort to replace with a private one.
FUTO Keyboard
FreeThe one with genuinely good offline voice typing. Free to download; FUTO asks for an optional one-time license payment.
FlorisBoard
FreeModern open-source keyboard with themes and clipboard tools. Still pre-1.0.
Thumb-Key
FreeA radically different 3×3 keyboard for fast thumb typing — fun if you're willing to relearn.
AnySoftKeyboard
FreeLong-running open-source keyboard with many language packs.
Simple Keyboard
FreeTiny and minimal — no suggestions, no permissions beyond typing.
How to switch from Gboard
- Install HeliBoard or FUTO Keyboard, then enable it in Android's keyboard settings and choose it as the default. Android warns that a keyboard can collect what you type; that warning appears for every keyboard.
- Add your languages and dictionaries. HeliBoard can load extra dictionary files for languages it doesn't cover well, and quality varies from one language to the next.
- If you rely on glide typing, note that HeliBoard needs a separate closed-source library for it. FUTO Keyboard has its own swipe typing built in.
- Give the new keyboard a week before judging it. Predictions improve as it learns your words, and you can add names and slang to its dictionary.
- Disable or uninstall Gboard once you are settled, so nothing switches back to it. If you need voice typing, use FUTO's offline voice input rather than Google's.
- If you used Gboard's GIF or sticker search, use the search built into your messaging app instead. Most private keyboards don't include that feature, and it is one of the ways Gboard talks to Google.
Keyboard questions
Does HeliBoard have glide typing?
Yes, but not out of the box. According to its developer, glide typing works only with a closed-source library that the app does not include, because no compatible open-source library exists. You load that library yourself from the settings. If you would rather skip that step, FUTO Keyboard has its own swipe typing built in.
Can I use voice typing without Google?
Yes. FUTO Keyboard includes voice input that runs on the phone, and FUTO says no internet connection is used and nothing is transmitted. Accuracy varies by language and accent, so try it on the kind of messages you actually send. HeliBoard has no voice engine of its own, so pair it with a separate voice input app if you need one.
Why does a keyboard need to be private at all?
Because it sees everything you type: messages, searches, addresses and often passwords. A keyboard with internet access could send that text anywhere, even if it promises not to. According to its developer, HeliBoard does not request the internet permission at all, so typed text has no route off the phone through the keyboard itself.