When comparing Gboard - the Google Keyboard vs Fleksy, the Slant community recommends Gboard - the Google Keyboard for most people. In the question“What are the best Android soft keyboards?” Gboard - the Google Keyboard is ranked 1st while Fleksy is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Gboard - the Google Keyboard is:
This keyboard is not a free trial nor will it hold back any new features to sell you a paid version. The keyboard is completely 100% free.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro 100% free from Google
This keyboard is not a free trial nor will it hold back any new features to sell you a paid version. The keyboard is completely 100% free.
Pro Learns preferred words
After using a gesture a few times and clicking the correct word, Google Keyboard learns that the gesture should result in the word you've manually selected as the correct word. Swype doesn't seem to learn this, so even after 100 times clicking 'this' instead of 'thesis', it still produces 'thesis', where Google Keyboard learns that you meant to say 'this'.
Pro Swipe support
The Google Keyboard supports swiping along the keyboard to spell out whole words.
Pro Minimalistic design
While other keyboard options may be very functional, their visual design tends to differ from the rest of your Google device. The Google Keyboard was designed by Google and it looks like it.
Pro Fast, low memory usage
Alternative keyboards tend to suck up system resources, often making them nearly unusable on older phones. Google Keyboard is very quick to open when typing and the keys rarely lag.
Pro Material Design
Google Keyboard has material design themes the user can skin the keyboard with.
Pro Has built-in Google search
The keyboard has button that allows searching Google straight from the keyboard, and use the search results in the currently used app.
Pro Dynamic floating preview
The dynamic floating preview appears while gesture typing. Most gesture keyboards only show the preview above the keyboard in the suggested corrections. The dynamic floating preview is great because it makes it easier to gesture type by keeping your eyes focused on what you are typing.
Pro Emoji search
The GBoard has an emoji search that's very convenient, saves time looking for a specific one if you don't know/remember what category it's in.
Pro Suggestions don't get worse over time
Google keyboard does not promise to be as "smart" as other keyboards besides offering a personalized dictionary. Surprisingly this is actually a good thing for some because with many "smart" keyboards predictions and corrections actually worsen over time. With Google Keyboard the experience will remain constant because it requires you to manually "touch again to save" before it changes your personal dictionary. This prevents mistakes from becoming part of your personal dictionary.
Pro One-handed mode
Makes it easier to type with no more than a thumb.
Pro Swipe to punctuation
Hold down the key in the lower left hand corner and a keyboard if punctuation appears. Swipe over to the one you want, lift your finger, and the original keyboard pops back. It's very fast, and makes it much easier to spot the punctuation mark you want - instead of trying to squint at the secondary symbols in the keys.
Pro Can use alternative layouts not just QWERTY
For those that are used to typing on a Dvorak keyboard or prefer not to need multiple key presses to access special symbols they can enable these as additional quick switch options. Using the English PC layout for example gives the user a number row.
Pro Type without looking at the keyboard
Fleksy is made by the creators of the alternative keyboard BlindType that was acquired by Google. As a result many of the technologies developed in BlindType are reinvented in Fleksy. The combination of accurate prediction and gestures allow you to focus on the text you are actually typing not the keyboard.
Pro Modern design
The Fleksy experience from the opening tutorial to the design of the keyboard is extremely well developed and very modern. Almost all reviews note the appearance as one of it's best features.
Pro Gesture system
The most unique aspect about Fleksy is it's gesture system. The middle row of keys that is grayed out serves as the gesture row. The gesture row uses swipes to input spaces, periods, and correction all while you are typing. Of course this new way of typing will definitely take some to get used to.
Pro Personalization
Like other alternative keyboards Fleksy can personalize your predictions based on your social media, Gmail, SMS, and device dictionary.
Pro Minimalist design
Pro Light, dark, and blue themes
The Fleksy themes can be changed in the look feel section of the settings.
Pro "Mini" mode
Fleksy is able to offer a "mini" sized keyboard that is shorter in height because the whole row of keys with the spacebar is hidden. Fleksy is able to do this because spaces, periods, and corrections can all be performed with simple gestures. "Mini" mode can be accessed at any time by swiping the keyboard down with two fingers. "Mini" mode saves critical screen real estate.
Pro Emoji support
Fleksy features over 800 emoji that the user can use when typing.
Pro Smooth Popup keypress
Fleksy has a very smooth keypress.
Pro Extremely accurate autocorrect
Fleksy uses a very accurate auto correct that has allowed the app to break the speed typing record on a mobile keyboard as well as allow users to type without even looking at the screen.
Pro Holds world record for fastest typing on a touchscreen
Fleksy broke the world record by typing "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."
The record holder typed this message in just 18.19 seconds, beating the old record by 1/4 of a second.
Pro Support extensions
Extensions enable user to customize the keyboard according to their need.
Pro Works on Gear 2 smartwatch
Fleksy is able to be installed on Gear 2 watches, making for a whole new way to type to ones phone or tablet.
Cons
Con Very little customization
Google Keyboard allows you to enable or disable
vibrate on keypress
sound on keypress
popup on keypress
double space period
These are pretty useful basic settings but most other keyboards offer more options. Google also allows you to edit the personal dictionary.
Con Typing is not always smooth
Sometimes typing lags.
Con Horrible Word Prediction
Con Symbol order is (slightly) different from full-sized QWERTY keyboard
Instead of the first four symbols being !@#$%^& (i.e. shift+1 through 7 on a QWERTY keyboard), they're @#$%&. This is fine if you know the symbols in your password, but if you're like me and you just hold the SHIFT key and type a long number, you'll have to consult a real keyboard to figure out your password.
Con Uses a lot of RAM
Con Can't pop out keyboard
The keyboard can't float above an app and is instead docked to the bottom. Other keyboard apps allow for the keyboard to do this.
Con Restricted customization (few skins)
Con Prediction isn't as good as SwiftKey
Con Other languages not available in transliteration mode
Unlike Google Indic Keyboard where you can type by transliteration, compact, and handwriting, you only get the fixed layout for other languages.
Con Takes up a lot of storage
If you are using multiple languages and predictive text, the app can use up a lot of storage.
Con It doesn't have arrow keys
Several times it is much better to navigate through a long text using arrow keys than scrolling and tapping the place where you want the cursor to be. SwiftKey has arrow keys (via an option), Gboard has not.
Con Only 26 languages
While a keyboard available in 26 languages is nothing to be ashamed of, other keyboard options simply offer more. SwiftKey is available in 61 languages and Swype is available in 71. Fortunately, if your language is one of the 26, you're good.
Con Google, via the keyboard app, might be collecting data on us that it then sells to third parties which in turn can use that data to influence us
Con No swipe input
Fleksy does not use the popular swype function for typing.
Con No updates
Unfortunately, no development is going on anymore.
Con Free version is only a trial
The free version of Fleksy is only a one month free tiral, to use the app past that one month the user would either need to pay for the app through an in app purchase or purchase the paid version from the Play Store.
Con No next word prediction
Fleksy does not use a next word prediction, so each word will have to be typed.
Con Few languages are supported
Fleksy supports English, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. Although because Fleksy is still in development you can vote online for your language to be released faster.