Gboard alternative: Gboard vs Lexo
Gboard is a very good keyboard. It supports hundreds of languages, it has mature swipe typing, GIF and handwriting input, and it costs nothing. People search for a Gboard alternative for one of two reasons: they want to know what leaves the phone when they type, or they want prediction and dictation that run on the phone itself. I make Lexo, which is built for the second reason, so the section on where Lexo is weaker matters more than anything I say in its favor.
I make Lexo, so read the part about where it loses most carefully. Thirty days free, then $9.99 once. Get it on Google Play
The short answer
- You type in a language outside Lexo's nine, you use GIF or handwriting input, or you want the keyboard that costs nothing: stay on Gboard.
- You want the language model and the dictation to run on the phone, you are willing to pay once for that, and your language is on Lexo's list: Lexo.
Most people should stay on Gboard. This page is for the ones who read the next section and decided it matters to them.
Does Gboard send what I type?
As of October 2026, Google's own pages say the typed text is not what gets sent for learning, and that several other things can be. Everything below is quoted from Google, read on 2026-10-04.
- Learning. Google's "Learn how Gboard gets better" page says federated learning "doesn't send the text you speak or type to Google, but will send what it learns to Google." It says it runs "while your phone charges, is connected to Wi-Fi, and isn't in use," and that "Federated learning is turned on by default. You can turn it off at any time."
- Audio donation. The same page says "Data donation is voluntary." If you agree, snippets of up to 15 seconds (25 if there is silence) go to Google, which "won't keep these snippets beyond 18 months." It adds that "human reviewers may listen to or transcribe some snippets."
- Voice typing on Pixel. The advanced voice typing page says "The text you speak stays on your device and isn't sent to Google servers except when you use the 'Fix it' or detailed edits features." For detailed edits, "Both your voice command transcript and the full text from the input field are sent to Google servers to process your request. No audio data is sent." It requires "Pixel 6 or up," and Fix it needs a Pixel 8 or later.
- The Play listing. Gboard's Data safety section says the developer "doesn't share user data with other companies or organizations." It lists data the app may collect: crash logs, diagnostics, other app performance data, app interactions, in-app search history, installed apps, other user-generated content, device or other IDs, and voice or sound recordings. Several of those are marked optional.
I can't tell you what Gboard does beyond what Google wrote down, and I'm not going to guess. If you want an answer that does not depend on anyone's description, see the checking steps at the bottom.
Gboard and Lexo side by side
| Oct 2026 | Gboard | Lexo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Nothing. Its Play listing carries no price | 30-day trial with everything unlocked, then $9.99 once in the US. No subscription |
| Ads | No "Contains ads" label on its Play listing | None |
| Prediction and learning | Federated learning, on by default. Google says it sends what it learns, not the text | A language model that runs on the phone. Nothing you type or say leaves the phone |
| Dictation | On Pixel 6 and up, spoken text stays on the device except for Fix it and detailed edits. Other phones: not checked | Runs on the phone, no audio uploaded. Part of the paid unlock |
| Play data safety | May collect crash logs, diagnostics, app interactions, search history, installed apps, device IDs, voice or sound recordings. No sharing with third parties | May collect crash logs, diagnostics and app interactions, all marked optional. No sharing with third parties |
| Permissions | Not checked | Five: microphone, vibration, notifications, internet, network state |
| Languages | "Hundreds of language varieties" | Nine. English is much stronger than the rest |
| Swipe typing | Glide Typing | Glide typing, new, part of the paid unlock |
| Account needed | Not stated on the pages I read | No sign-up. Buying needs a Google Play account |
"Not checked" means I did not find it on Google's own pages today, not that the answer is no.
Where Gboard is stronger
- Languages. Google's Play listing says "Hundreds of language varieties" and lets you type in several of your enabled languages without switching. Lexo has nine.
- Extra input modes. The listing names Glide Typing, handwriting, emoji search and GIF search. Lexo has no handwriting or GIF search.
- Reach. The listing shows 10B+ downloads and Wear OS support, and Lexo has neither a watch version nor that track record.
- Price. The Play listing (com.google.android.inputmethod.latin) carries no price. Lexo asks for $9.99 once after the trial.
Where Lexo is weaker
- Nine languages, unevenly. English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, French, German, Polish, Turkish and Czech. English is much stronger than the others.
- A big first download. Setup pulls the English typing pack, 545 MB. Dictation downloads its own speech pack the first time you use the microphone.
- Swipe is new. Gboard's has years of use behind it. Try Lexo's during the trial before you rely on it.
- The money. After 30 days without buying, Lexo is an ordinary keyboard: no suggestion strip, no autocorrect, no glide typing, no dictation. That version is worse than Gboard, and I would not stay on it.
- The privacy claim is checkable, not provable. Lexo declares the internet permission, for the model download, Google Play billing and crash reports you have to switch on. It is closed source, so my claim rests on a short permission list and a network monitor.
- It needs Google Play to buy, so it is no help on a phone without it.
What Lexo does differently
Lexo is built on the open-source FlorisBoard. Suggestions come from a language model that runs on the phone, and dictation runs there too. The claim I stand behind is that nothing you type or say leaves the phone, and that once setup is done, typing and dictating generate no network traffic. You can try all of it for 30 days before deciding. For the full permission list and what each one is for, see is Lexo safe.
How to check any keyboard yourself
Turn the network off and type. Anything that still works was running on the phone. Then point PCAPdroid or NetGuard at the keyboard and watch what it does. For Lexo, expect the one-time model download and nothing while you type or dictate. If you see anything else, I want to hear about it.
Lexo is the keyboard this is about. Thirty days free, then $9.99 once, no subscription and no ads. Get it on Google Play
More: SwiftKey vs Lexo, six Android keyboards compared on what each sends, what Android keyboards collect, is Lexo safe, and all writeups.