Have you ever thought about changing up your phone’s keyboard? Did you even know that was an option? Depending on your needs, the best iPhone keyboard for you might not be the default iOS layout. You might need something to help with event planning, like Google’s Gboard, or if you value speed you could benefit from Swiftkey’s autocorrect or Phraseboard’s pre-programmed responses.
We’ve taken a look at all the most popular iPhone keyboards out there, both digital and physical, and organized them for you in this handy guide. If you’re looking for a more generic option, we’ve also looked at the best mobile keyboards in the past. There are so many phones to choose from, let alone keyboards, like the best 5G phones, the best gaming phones, and the best rugged smartphones, so we’re here to help you make the best choice for your lifestyle.
Here are the best iPhone keyboards available in 2023:
- Gboard – best virtual iPhone keyboard
- Swiftkey – best autocorrect on an iPhone keyboard
- Grammarly keyboard – best iPhone keyboard for correct grammar
- Phraseboard – best iPhone keyboard if you’re in a rush
- Plugable Compact Bluetooth Keyboard – best physical iPhone keyboard
Gboard
The best virtual iPhone keyboard.
Pros:
- Customizable themes
- Integrated Google search
Cons:
- Only available on newer iPhones
- Not the strongest predictive text
In our opinion, Google’s Gboard is the best all-around virtual keyboard for your iPhone. It’s essentially an upgraded version of the standard iOS keyboard, with great customization and super handy built-in search. Naturally, given the popularity of Google Translate, it also supports a huge range of languages from Afrikaans to Zulu.
The integrated search feature is Gboard’s biggest selling point as it makes it infinitely easier to make plans via text. You can easily send your friends a link to a specific event or directions to a restaurant without leaving your chat app. Sadly, Gboard only works with iOS 12 or later, so some older models of iPhones are left out.
Swiftkey
The best autocorrect on an iPhone keyboard.
Pros:
- Super smart predictive text
- Emoji prediction
Cons:
- Customization costs extra
- Slow response time
If you’re prone to mistyping and you’re sick of predictive text putting words in your mouth, you should give Swiftkey a go. It’s now owned by Microsoft and it has one of the most advanced predictive text functions we’ve ever seen. It can even predict emojis!
Swiftkey also supports swipe typing for those speedy one-handed typists out there, which is something we don’t tend to see on iPhones. The keyboard itself is free, but if you want a snazzy theme it’s gonna cost you extra. Plus, the keyboard itself can be a little slow at reading your inputs which kind of offsets the added speed of the predictive text.
Grammarly keyboard
The best iPhone keyboard for correct grammar.
Pros:
- Corrects grammar and spelling
- Offers more confident or concise sentence structure
Cons:
- No fun themes
- Only supports English
Pretty much everyone has heard of Grammarly, but did you know that there’s a mobile version? Grammarly’s keyboard lets you use all the helpful grammar-checking and editing features of the browser extension and use them in your mobile projects. Whether that’s sending an urgent email from your phone or jotting down the next section of your novel on a train, Grammarly can help you ensure your writing is confident, concise, and grammatically correct.
Well, only if you write in English. Unfortunately, Grammarly’s services are only available in English and a lot of the more complex editing features require a paid subscription. The free version is great for spellcheck and basic sentence restructuring, but you’ll need to make some in-app purchases for the full suite. Also, the keyboard itself doesn’t feature any customization, so you’re stuck with the plain old white theme.
Phraseboard
The best iPhone keyboard if you’re in a rush.
Pros:
- Stores custom phrases
- Funky font options
- Fun colors and themes
Cons:
- Not free
- Plus requires a subscription
Do you find yourself texting the same phrases over and over again? We certainly do. Phraseboard eliminates the unnecessary time spent typing common phrases by letting you store them in its keyboard. These aren’t just stock phrases either – you get to store your own frequently used sayings to keep your distinct texting style without losing speed. You can even group them so you don’t accidentally send slang to your boss.
If you’re all about aesthetics, Phraseboard also comes with a range of rainbow customization options and lets you type in over 100 fonts so you can jazz up your social media profile with cursive, typewriter letters, and more. Somewhat understandably, these extra features do come at a price. The app itself costs a couple of dollars and then you’ll need an active yearly subscription to gain full access to the fonts and other features.
Plugable Compact Bluetooth Keyboard
The best physical iPhone keyboard.
Pros:
- Portable
- Full-size keys
Cons:
- Not a mechanical keyboard
- No touchpad or mouse
Perhaps you’re looking for a portable, physical keyboard for your phone. That’s understandable, given how large some smartphones are getting these days, they can very easily double as a tablet computer – especially some of the best foldable phones out there. The Plugable Compact Bluetooth keyboard is a sleek, portable solution for those times when you need to sit down with your phone and crack out a report.
As the name suggests, the keyboard folds away neatly so it’s easy to carry around, but you can barely notice the hinges when it’s flattened out. It’s got full-size laptop-style keys, meaning you don’t have to make compromises if you’ve got larger hands or you’re not the most coordinated typist. Plus, it’s wireless and connects to your device via Bluetooth.
The laptop-style keys make for a stylish finish and a thin design, but you won’t hear that satisfying clack that you get with mechanical keyboards. It also doesn’t feature a touchpad or mouse, only cursor keys, so you’ll need to use an extra peripheral or your laptop’s on-screen controls.
That’s it for our list of the best iPhone keyboards. If you prefer gaming on your iPhone to typing on it, check out our guide to the best gaming iPhone. We’ve also tackled the age-old questions of iPhone vs Samsung and iPhone vs Android to help you find the perfect new phone.
