The Top 10 Keyboard Apps for iOS 8 Reviewed

by Chris Thomas on 7 October 2014 · 3293 views

Now that iOS has finally added support for third-party keyboards, we're starting to see the App Store fill up with some of the same cool typing tools that Android users have come to know and love, plus a few cool iOS-only keyboards as well.

Most of us are surprised that it took Apple this long to do something that its leading competitor has been doing all along – letting app developers improve one of the most integral parts of the operating system, the keyboard.

Regardless, third-party keyboards for iOS have finally arrived, and the majority of iPhone and iPad users have already downloaded one or more to try out for themselves.

Native Keyboard Improved in iOS 8 – Still Not a Super Keyboard

You might have also noticed the fact that Apple has revamped its own native keyboard in iOS 8 – one of the many new additions. QuickType can now recognize the tone you're typing in and who you're talking to, and then use that information to provide useful and accurate text suggestions.

While the native keyboard has certainly been improved in the functionality department, and it serves well in most situations, is just isn't a super keyboard. It doesn't have any “super powers” that would make it more creative, fun, and dynamic to the average user.

Of course, the keyboard is just one of many parts of iOS that received an upgrade in iOS 8. When an app developer builds a keyboard, they focus solely on making that app as unique, useful, and impressive as possible, which results in keyboards that go far beyond the native keyboard's capabilities, some of which you never saw coming (like the sound effect-making keySonic or emoji translator Keymoji) and others that you've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of (like the famous SwiftKey or Swype).

Below we'll take a closer look at the top 10 third-party keyboard apps for iOS 8:

1. SwiftKey [Free]

This keyboard is not only one of the most popular, it's also one of the most, if not the most accurate. It has been a long-time favorite for Android users, and has already received a warm welcome in the App Store. The reason why SwiftKey is so popular is because it can actually learn your typing style to provide highly accurate word predictions and autocorrections.

Here are a few of the most notable features of SwiftKey for iOS 8:

Type by swiping from letter to letter using SwiftKey Flow (similar to Swype)
Inserts missing spaces for you
Lets you type in up to two languages at once – no need to change any special settings
Learns your writing style and makes autocorrections based on previous typos and corrections
Offers the highest accuracy of any third-party keyboard

2. Swype [$0.99]

Swype is another keyboard that has become a favorite in the Google Play Store, and it's now building a sizable following in the App Store as well. Swype was one of the first keyboards to allow users to type words simply by sliding from letter to letter. It became so popular that it is actually included as an alternative to the native keyboard within the latest versions of Android.

To type a word in Swype you simply slide from the first letter of the word to each of the following letters. If it's not sure what word you're trying to type, Swype will provide a list of words that are closest and let you select. In fact, Swype claims it's auto-correction algorithms are so accurate that users should be able to achieve a highly impressive 50+ words per minute. In addition to swipe-based typing, Swype also supports tap typing for users that don't want to abandon the traditional style. Here are some of the more notable features of Swype:

Available for iPad and iPhone
Use gestures to quickly type punctuation marks, symbols, and capital letters
Highly intuitive typing experience that actively suggest words as you swipe
Lets you add or remove custom words from your personal dictionary

3. Adaptxt [Free]

Adaptxt supports tap typing and swipe typing, and it also can learn which words you frequently use and make error corrections based on your writing habits. Many people have found Adaptxt's swipe typing to be just as good as Swype's. In addition to multiple input types, Adaptxt also supports the creation of custom swipe gestures, text shortcuts, and several different keyboard layouts.

Users can download over 100 different language packs to convert the keyboard to the language of their choice. Another interesting aspect of Adaptxt is that it includes a large amount of specialized dictionaries (i.e. - Business, Baseball, Science, School, Medical, etc.). Here are the main features of Adaptxt summarized:

Enhanced tactile feedback makes it up to 60% faster than traditional text entry methods
Dynamic language detection and support for hundreds of languages
Context awareness, word completion, and predictive text of the highest quality
Support for less popular keyboard layouts, including QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and others
Supports tap typing and swipe typing

4. Minuum [$0.99]

Minuum is a keyboard designed with visibility and space management in mind. The main feature that differentiates this keyboard from the rest is its ability to quickly resize or “squish” itself to accommodate the visual preferences of the user at any given time.

Whenever you want to see more of the screen, simply swipe down on the keyboard and it will collapse into a small horizontal line at the bottom of your screen. Don't be confused though – you're not actually hiding the keyboard, just condensing it, so it can still be typed from even while in this minimized view. To bring Minuum back to full view you would just tap and drag it back up. Surprisingly, this app has one of the best auto-correct engines out there. Here are Minuum's main features summarized:

Predictive text engine offers smart suggestions based on your personal word list and previously used word combinations
Type at your own speed without worrying about errors – highly proficient auto-correct feature replaces typos while you're typing
Quickly delete words from your personal dictionary by pressing and holding a specific word
Can shrink down into a single line that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet, providing the most compact keyboard ever released for mobile devices.

5. Fleksy [$0.99]

Fleksy is designed to make mobile typing a more intuitive and care-free process that doesn't require constantly staring down at your touch screen. The app uses swipe gestures instead of tap typing, but what it offers over similar swipe keyboards is its speed and accuracy. In fact, earlier this year Fleksy was used to break a Guinness world record: “fastest time to type a text message on a touch-screen mobile phone.” Fleksy's predictive text engine and auto-correction capabilities are so advanced that users can type without even having to look the screen. Here are some of the app's most notable features:

Personalize your keyboard with a variety of colorful themes
Comes equipped with more than 800 emoji symbols
Dynamic language recognition lets you quickly switch between languages while typing
Use swipe gestures to add punctuation, delete words, add spaces, and more
Easily resize the keyboard to accommodate your visual needs and preferences

6. Keymoji [Free]

This is by far one of the coolest and most unique keyboard apps for iOS 8. It automatically translates any text you type into emoji symbols. Obviously, this isn't the most efficient, accurate, or articulate way to communicate with someone, but it sure is entertaining and humorous. Although Keymoji is not yet an exact science (we've seen it put out some pretty off-the-wall translations), the novelty of it always makes for a good joke and it's fun to see what the translator will spit out with each sentence you type. If you haven't yet gotten a good look at the art and language of emoji, we highly recommend you install and play around with Keymoji. Here are some of the app's most notable features:

Utilizes a crowdsourced database of emoji icons and combinations that can be substituted for words and phrases
Eliminates the hassle of having to track down the right emoji icon – in this sense it can be used as a quick emoji search engine: when you're looking for a specific emoji icon just type a related word in Keymoji and voilà, you'll have a list of suggested emoji icons to choose from
Lets you add your own emoji translations for any word or phrase, and the added translations are then kept in the global database, making Keymoji increasingly useful as users add more translation possibilities

7. PopKey [Free]

PopKey is an extremely cool keyboard that helps you quickly find GIFs that match your mood or response. It gives you the ability to chat with someone using nothing more than GIF memes from around the web. Right now there is really only one app that can compete with PopKey, and that's the Riffsy GIF Keyboard.

However, PopKey excels over Riffsy in two categories – it lets you upload your own GIFs to the keyboard's library (a feature not yet available in Riffsy), and instead of displaying a clunky, battery-draining wall of moving GIFs (as Riffsy does), PopKey lets you pick from a list of words, emotions, and responses that range from happy to shocked to facepalm. Once you've selected the word closest to the type of GIF you're trying to find, you'll then be presented with a grid of still thumbnails that represent each GIF. To see a GIF move and copy it to your clipboard simply tap it once. You can then paste it into your chat or email and tap send. Here are some of the most notable features in PopKey:

Lets you add your own GIFs to the PopKey library – however, you'll need to invite a friend to use the app in order for this feature to become available
Doesn't waste space, memory, or battery life with a wall of GIFs – keeps GIFs still until selected
Lets you select favorite GIFS for easy access in the future
Makes it easy to find the GIFs you're looking for without having to leave the chat or email interface

8. Ginger [Free]

Ginger deserves a spot on any top mobile keyboard list simply because it offers the unique advantage of being able to correct bad grammar and rephrase poorly written sentences. In fact, the app was originally designed to help non-native English speakers text as if English was their first language. As such, it is actually listed as a writing compass, translator and dictionary app in the App Store. After typing a phrase in Ginger you have a few options to choose from: Rephrase, Review, Write, and Translate.

There's also a Themes option (but that just lets you change the color and aesthetic appearance of the keyboard itself - by the way, this is one of the most visually diverse keyboards as well). If you tap the Review button, possible errors will be highlighted in blue and you'll be shown a list of possible corrections to choose from Alternatively, you can tap the Rephrase button and Ginger will automatically rephrase the sentence for you. Here are some of the coolest features in Ginger:

Offers a variety of aesthetically appealing keyboard themes
Best keyboard for grammar correction. If English is your second language and you want to look more professional in your chats and emails, we strongly recommend Ginger.
Makes it easy to quickly spot and correct grammar mistakes
Goes beyond the standard typo correction and predictive text seen in other keyboards

9. MyScript Stack [Free]

MyScript Stack is the most popular handwriting keyboard for iOS 8 so far. The way it works is simple – you just start writing in the blank area using your finger or a stylus and the app will recognize the characters you're drawing and transfer them to the text box. Even if your handwriting is horrible you should have no problems using MyScript Stack, as the app does a great job of recognizing sloppy letters and words using predictive word suggestions.

You can even change the color of the ink that shows up while you're writing. While this app isn't the most ideal for speed typing, it is useful for people who are terrible at other typing methods, and it offers a nostalgic throwback to the days when people used to jot down notes in their PDA's. These are some of the most notable features in MyScript Stack:

Can recognize letters one at a time as you're writing them on top of each other – this works well when you're trying to input short lines of text
Combines handwriting recognition with predictive word suggestions to help you finish your words and phrases before fully writing them out
Lets you change the color of the handwriting ink that appears as you draw

10. keySonic [Free]

Last but not least, keySonic does what no keyboard has dared to do before in iOS – it lets you assign sound effects to every keyboard tap using a variety of sound sets. Not only does keySonic give your keyboard new sounds, it also completely redesigns it to visually match whatever sound set theme you've chosen. For example, if you choose the basketball sound set then you'll not only hear various basketball sound effects with each key tap, each of the keys on your keyboard will show up as little basketballs, with the background appearing similar to a hardwood court floor. Here are some of the most notable features of keySonic:

Includes 6 sound set themes free – 21 more are available for purchase
Electric guitar and African djembe drum sound sets give this app a musical fun side
New sound set plays Jack Nicholson's laughs from The Shining
Includes matching visual themes with each sound set