The three main contenders
Gboard (Google) is the most widely used Android keyboard, built into many Android phones. It has excellent swipe typing, Google search built in, and solid autocorrect. Microsoft SwiftKey has powerful next-word prediction and long-form AI writing integration via Bing/Copilot. AiType is newer and focuses specifically on AI dictation speed and cleanup, plus a full suite of productivity features.
Feature comparison
| Feature | AiType | Gboard | SwiftKey |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI dictation (with cleanup) | ✓ ~250ms, cleans filler + punctuation | Verbatim only | Verbatim only |
| Swipe / glide typing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI rewrite / Reply | ✓ One-tap Reply and rewrite | Limited (Magic Rewrite) | ✓ Copilot integration |
| GIF search | ✓ GIPHY + Tenor | ✓ Google GIFs | ✓ |
| Clipboard manager | ✓ Saved clips | ✓ Recent items | ✓ |
| Voice history | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cross-platform (Mac/Windows) | ✓ Same account + history on desktop | ✗ | ✗ |
| Multilingual typing | Keyboard language + separate AI language | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Excellent |
| Emoji keyboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline mode | Typing only (AI needs network) | ✓ Full offline | ✓ Core features offline |
| Price | Free trial, then $9.99/mo | Free | Free |
| Data collection | Minimal (see privacy policy) | Google account data | Microsoft account data |
When Gboard is the right choice
- You want a free, reliable default keyboard with excellent swipe accuracy.
- You type in multiple languages and want seamless switching.
- You need full offline functionality.
- You're already in the Google ecosystem and want one-tap Google Search from the keyboard.
When SwiftKey is the right choice
- You want strong next-word prediction that learns your writing style over time.
- You use Microsoft 365 heavily and want Copilot AI integration in your keyboard.
- You want a free keyboard with more AI writing features than Gboard.
When AiType is the right choice
- AI dictation is your primary use case. AiType's ~250ms transcription + cleanup is significantly better than the verbatim dictation in Gboard and SwiftKey.
- You use Mac or Windows too. AiType is the only keyboard that syncs voice history and clipboard across desktop and mobile under one account.
- You're dyslexic or prefer not to edit dictation. The AI cleanup pass is the key differentiator — output is paste-ready without corrections.
- You want one-tap Reply. AiType can draft a contextual reply to a message with one tap, which neither Gboard nor SwiftKey does well.
Our take
For pure swipe typing and free daily use, Gboard remains the default winner on Android. For AI dictation with cleanup, cross-platform sync, and Reply features, AiType is in a different category — it's not just a keyboard, it's a voice-first communication tool. The 14-day free trial makes it easy to compare them yourself.
Try AiType on Android
Free to install. 14-day trial. No credit card required.