Grammarly vs. Gboard: Which AI Keyboard for iOS and Android Is Best?

By Nicole Charlotte•May 08, 2025
Comparison of Grammarly and Gboard AI keyboards for mobile devices

Key Takeaways:

  • Grammarly Keyboard excels in grammar correction and writing improvement but lacks some standard keyboard features
  • Gboard offers excellent typing experience with basic AI features but has limited advanced writing assistance
  • Grammarly is better for writers and professionals focused on error-free writing
  • Gboard works better for everyday users who need a reliable, feature-rich keyboard
  • Both keyboards are available on iOS and Android but with slight differences between platforms
  • Premium features of Grammarly require subscription, while Gboard is entirely free
  • Battery impact is higher with Grammarly than with Gboard
  • Privacy considerations exist for both keyboards as they analyze your typing

Tryna figure out which AI keyboard to use on your phone? I've been testin' both Grammarly and Gboard extensively on my devices, and lemme tell ya—the choice ain't as straightforward as you'd think. These two popular keyboard options approach the typing experience from completely different angles, and which one works best really depends on what you're lookin' for.

What Are AI Keyboards and Why Do They Matter?

Remember when phone keyboards were just... keyboards? Those days are long gone. Today's AI keyboards do way more than just let you type—they predict your next words, fix your mistakes, and some even help improve your writing style.

But what exactly makes a keyboard "AI-powered"? Simply put, these keyboards use artificial intelligence to understand context, learn your writing habits, and offer suggestions that go beyond basic autocorrect. Think about it—have you ever been typing and the keyboard somehow knew exactly what you wanted to say next? That's AI at work.

Why does this matter? Well, we spend a ridiculous amount of time typing on our phones—about 3-4 hours daily for the average person, according to some studies. A keyboard that makes this faster and more accurate can literally save you hours every month!

The difference between a basic keyboard and an AI keyboard is like the difference between a bicycle and a car—both get you where you're going, but one makes the journey a whole lot easier and faster.

Grammarly Keyboard: Deep Dive into Features

When I first installed the Grammarly Keyboard, I was skeptical. Could a keyboard app really improve my writing? After using it for several weeks, I gotta say—it's pretty impressive for certain things.

Grammar and Spelling Correction

Let's start with what Grammarly does best: catching your mistakes. The app doesn't just spot misspelled words—it catches contextual spelling errors ("your" vs "you're"), punctuation problems, and even suggests better word choices. This happens in real-time as you type, with little colored indicators (usually red for errors, blue for suggestions) appearing at the top of the keyboard.

What's really cool is how it explains why something is wrong. Tap on a suggestion, and Grammarly tells you the reasoning behind it. This is actually helpful for improving your writing skills over time, not just fixing the immediate error.

Writing Style Improvements

Beyond basic corrections, Grammarly also suggests ways to make your writing clearer, more engaging, and more concise. It might suggest replacing repetitive words, simplifying complex phrases, or rewording sentences for clarity.

The premium version takes this further with tone detection (letting you know if your message sounds friendly, formal, etc.) and advanced suggestions for improving sentence structure and vocabulary. I found this particularly useful when writing important emails or messages.

User Experience on iOS vs Android

Grammarly works pretty similarly on both platforms, but there are some differences:

Privacy Considerations

Here's the thing that gives me pause about Grammarly: to work properly, it needs to "see" everything you type. The company states they encrypt data and don't store full text from most fields, but it's still analyzing all your typing. For some people, this is a dealbreaker, especially when typing sensitive information.

Gboard: Google's AI Keyboard Solution

Gboard takes a totally different approach to the AI keyboard experience. Instead of focusing primarily on writing improvement, Google has built a feature-packed keyboard with some AI elements woven throughout.

Core Typing Experience

The basics are rock-solid with Gboard. The keyboard is responsive, accurate, and offers one of the best swipe typing experiences available. The word prediction is scary-good, especially if you use other Google services (since it learns from your writing style across platforms).

What I love about Gboard is how it handles the fundamentals—spacious key layout, customizable height, haptic feedback that feels just right, and themes that actually look good. These might seem like small details, but they make a huge difference when you're typing all day.

AI-Powered Features

While not marketed explicitly as a writing improvement tool, Gboard packs some impressive AI features:

The translation feature is particularly handy—I've used it countless times when chatting with international friends. It's not perfect, but it's convenient having it right in the keyboard.

Performance Across Devices

One of Gboard's strengths is its consistency across different phones and tablets. It performs well even on budget devices, with minimal lag or battery drain. The iOS version is nearly identical to the Android one, though some Android-specific features (like direct GIF search from certain apps) aren't available on iPhone.

Privacy and Data Collection

Like Grammarly, Gboard processes what you type to provide suggestions. Google's privacy policy indicates they don't send what you type to their servers (except when using voice typing or search), but they do collect usage statistics and learn from your typing patterns. You can disable personalization, but this reduces the keyboard's predictive capabilities.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Real-World Usage

Enough about features—how do these keyboards actually perform in everyday life? I used both exclusively for two weeks each to find out.

Typing Speed and Accuracy

For pure typing speed, Gboard wins hands down. The swipe typing feature, better autocorrect for common typos, and more intuitive layout made me noticeably faster. In a typing test, I averaged about 42 WPM on Gboard versus 36 WPM on Grammarly.

However, if we're talking about producing error-free, well-written text, Grammarly has the edge. What I lost in typing speed, I gained in not having to go back and fix things. Grammarly caught subtle errors that Gboard missed entirely, particularly grammatical issues and word usage problems.

Battery Impact

Neither keyboard is particularly heavy on battery usage, but I did notice a difference. With similar usage patterns:

The difference isn't huge, but it could matter if you're already struggling with battery life.

Special Use Cases

Certain situations clearly favored one keyboard over the other:

When Grammarly shined:

When Gboard excelled:

Customization Options

Both keyboards offer customization, but in very different ways:

Grammarly lets you:

Gboard offers:

For pure customization options, Gboard wins easily.

The Cost Factor: Free vs Premium Options

The cost comparison is pretty straightforward:

Grammarly:

Gboard:

This price difference is significant—$140 a year is substantial for a keyboard app. Whether Grammarly's premium features justify the cost depends entirely on how much you value perfect writing and how often you write important content on your phone.

Who Should Choose Grammarly?

After weeks of testing, I've got a pretty clear idea of who would benefit most from Grammarly's keyboard:

The free version is worth trying, but most of the standout features require the premium subscription.

Who Should Choose Gboard?

Gboard makes more sense for:

The good news is that Gboard is completely free, so there's no downside to giving it a try.

Alternative Options Worth Considering

While Grammarly and Gboard dominate the AI keyboard space, they're not the only options worth considering:

Each offers a different balance of features that might better suit your specific needs.

The Verdict: Which Keyboard Reigns Supreme?

After all this testing and comparison, which keyboard do I recommend? It's not a simple answer because they serve different purposes.

If writing quality is your primary concern and you don't mind losing some convenience features (or paying for premium), Grammarly is the better choice. It genuinely improves writing in ways that other keyboards don't.

If you want a fantastic all-around keyboard with smart features that make typing faster and easier, Gboard is the clear winner. It's also the better choice if you're budget-conscious.

My personal solution? I actually switch between them depending on what I'm doing. Gboard for casual conversations and quick messages, Grammarly when writing anything important. It's a bit of a hassle to switch, but it gives me the best of both worlds.

What about you? Have you tried either of these keyboards? What features matter most in your mobile typing experience? The beauty of smartphone keyboards is that they're easy to try out and switch between—so you can find your perfect match without commitment.

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