Why? It’s not because I enjoy typing that much, but because I still can’t get enough of the Swiftkey style keyboards that predict what you are thinking and continue pushing the boundaries for how quickly people can type. I honestly still miss the days of the Blackberry keyboards, since my fingers could fly on those things–even though the rest of the Blackberry phones were pretty awful. There are tons of keyboard apps that we’ve outlined in the past, but now it’s time to dive in deep to understand the best. It’s the Swiftkey vs Fleksy Android App battle, and I’m going to help you understand which one is perfect for your phone or tablet.
Our Ratings:
Swiftkey: 4.5 out of 5 stars Fleksy: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Google Play Ratings and Links:
Swiftkey: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fleksy: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Swiftkey – The Keyboard With All the Features
The Good
With just a three-step process Swiftkey integrates with your email and social networks to enable better predictions when you type stuff in. You can change languages and themes, which is nice because everyone all over the world can use the app and customize it to look as they see fit. The predictions work nicely. They are definitely the best compared to the other two apps we are reviewing. Since the Swiftkey app syncs with the cloud it reaches into your typing tendencies to understand exactly what words you like to use the most often. The app also searches for trending topics and words since people tend to use these words in their messages. If you look at the image below you’ll see that I chose a dark blue theme, but the app includes tons of crazy colors for you to choose from. It also brings up predictions within seconds, so you don’t have to sit there and wait for the app to figure out what you are trying to say.
Swiftkey offers a settings button right in the keyboard which allows you to change the size and location of your keyboard. You can also pick and change a theme within just a few clicks and go to the full settings page instead of staring at the keyboard the whole time.
In that settings page you have the opportunity to change the location of your keyboard. For example, I changed it to the split screen thumb setup, making it easier for thumb typers to send quick emails and text messages. I enjoyed the fact that all of these different settings took place instantaneously. I noticed in the other keyboard apps that when you chose a setting or tied to modify something it would be little laggy or flash a few times..
The Bad
All of these keyboard apps have privacy issues, so it’s worth mentioning that Swiftkey can tap into your messages such as emails. It also has access to your accounts, so if you send emails through your phone then they might not be all that secure. Swiftkey has lots of features that might not be used by the average user. It might end up seeming overwhelming for those who just want to send a text.
The Bottom Line
Swiftkey is by far the best keyboard app on the market, at least in terms of features and support. It runs smoothly and you don’t have to worry about slow predictions or poor response times. If you are looking for the simplest keyboard on the market, this is not your keyboard. There are plenty of themes and settings to modify, so if you get confused easily by apps, it might be wise to stick with one of the other keyboard options. The quick settings tab makes Swiftkey unique, so you don’t have to exit out of the keyboard in order to change things. You can learn more about Swiftkey in our extensive review.
Fleksy – A Minimalistic Android Keyboard Choice
The Good
Fleksy is the one keyboard I had never heard of before starting this keyboard review. That said, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, since you can sign in with Google and tap into your social accounts to improve your predictions. The setup is quick and flawless, just like the other options. The starting tutorial is one of the areas that makes Fleksy stand out from the rest of the options, since it’s completely interactive, using a digital instructor who walks you through how to use the app, After the instructions it lets you try out the app yourself so that you know exactly how to use it. So if you look at the screenshot below you can see that the app is trying to show me how to make a space without clicking the actual space bar.
The main reason I like Fleksy is because it decreases the amount of buttons by using gestures to do things like delete. For example, the app doesn’t even include a backspace button. Instead, you just swipe to the left and it starts deleting stuff for you. This requires a little learning, so some people might not like it, but if you take the time to learn this system it makes you more productive and versatile on your phone or tablet. Think about when you learn shortcuts on your computer. It takes a while to get used to them, but they always make you faster on the keyboard, instead of moving around on your mouse and trying to find the right tab.
The Bad
The predictions in the Fleksy app weren’t popping up that quickly for me. This might have had something to do with my device, but it was clearly noticeable compared to the other apps. If you have any different experiences with Fleksy then just let me know in the comments section. The main reason I like these new keyboards is because they seem to read your mind. However, if the app is slower than my brain, then it really doesn’t serve me any purpose at all. I’m also not certain what you get for the paid Fleksy version. They still sell you themes in that version, so what’s the point of paying? There isn’t anything else that is noticeably different in the paid version.
The Bottom Line
Fleksy is my least favourite of the keyboard apps, because it doesn’t offer other keyboard technology and it still takes your private information like the other more bloated apps. It’s a shame too, because this is the best looking app out of the lot, and it uses shortcuts nicely so that you can type and work more efficiently. So, who should use this keyboard app? I would recommend it to people who really can’t stand the Swiftkey technology. The support for this sapp is quite interactive and savvy. I’m hoping the app improves on its word predictions, because I wasn’t all that thrilled with how it guessed my words. It actually chose the right words, but it took painfully long for the suggestions to pop up.
Conclusion
Here’s the deal: If you are looking for tons of customization and lots of features for your keyboard then go with Swiftkey. If your can’t stand with other keyboard technology, go with the Fleksy keyboard. It’s a tried and true keyboard that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you would find on Swiftkey. Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions about the Swiftkey vs Fleksy Android app battle. If you have ay input about these apps share your thoughts with everyone.
