Report updated May 5, 2026
Gboard – the Google Keyboard
For smartphone users seeking faster, integrated typing and search capabilities across multiple languages.
Gboard – the Google Keyboard is an established utilities app that is completely free. With a 4.0/5 rating from 57.5K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate extensive keyboard customization options allow users to create personalized visual themes using their own photos, though lack of recent updates causes compatibility issues and feature stagnation on the latest mobile operating systems remains a common concern.
What is Gboard – the Google Keyboard?
Gboard is a utility keyboard for iOS and Android that integrates Google Search, glide typing, and multi-language support.
Users hire Gboard to consolidate search, translation, and typing into one interface, reducing the need to switch between apps for information retrieval.
Current Momentum
v2.3 · 48mo ago
Zombie- Shipped language improvements for Cantonese.
- Quiet 3 years — bug fixes only.
Active Nemesis
Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard
By SwiftKey
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
UtilitiesRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Embedded search bar for web results, weather, and media.
Gesture-based input for faster word formation.
Keyboard layouts for over 50 languages.
How much does it cost?
- Free
The app functions as a data-collection and distribution mechanism for Google search and voice services.
Who Built It?
Providing the essential digital infrastructure for the Android ecosystem and global productivity. Empowering users with integrated tools for communication, search, and content creation.
Portfolio
13
Apps
What other apps does Google make?
Explore the full Google report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Google.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 147 total reviews analyzed · Based on 147 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate extensive keyboard customization options allow users to create personalized visual themes using their own photos, but report lack of recent updates causes compatibility issues and feature stagnation on the latest mobile operating systems.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What Users Want
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Gboard – the Google Keyboard?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (20)
How's The Utilities Market?
How does it evolve in the Utilities market?
Gboard holds a #100 Free position in the Utilities category. The lack of updates since 2022 relative to competitors like SwiftKey signals a shift toward maintenance-mode, risking long-term chart relevance.
Rank progression
88 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
The primary rival for Gboard, leveraging deep Microsoft ecosystem integration and aggressive AI feature deployment.
Differentiators
- Deep integration with Microsoft Copilot for real-time AI text generation and tone adjustment
- Seamless clipboard and text expansion syncing across Windows and mobile environments
- High-frequency update cadence significantly outpacing Gboard's current release cycle
Head to head
Gboard is losing the 'AI-first' battle to SwiftKey. To remain competitive, Gboard must pivot from being a search-centric keyboard to an AI-assistant keyboard by integrating Gemini-powered drafting and editing tools directly into the typing interface.
Contenders(3)
Thingthing Ltd
A long-standing competitor known for its unique gesture-based typing system and privacy focus.
Differentiators
- Patented gesture system for rapid text manipulation without lifting a finger
- Mini-app ecosystem allowing for integrated search and content sharing within the keyboard
EKATOX LIMITED
A high-growth alternative focused on heavy customization, themes, and social expression.
Differentiators
- Extensive library of DIY themes, custom fonts, and niche content packs
- Integrated 'Game Mode' for quick-fire phrases in mobile gaming chats
Grammarly, Inc.
The leading choice for users who prioritize professional writing quality and tone correction over general search integration.
Differentiators
- Advanced real-time grammar, spelling, and professional tone suggestions
- Cloud-based personal dictionary and writing style profiles that persist across devices
Same space(2)
Fonts Collective
A popular utility keyboard used specifically for aesthetic customization on social media profiles.
Differentiators
- Provides hundreds of stylized Unicode fonts that work in any app
- Focus on social media bio and caption decoration rather than utility typing
A dominant force in visual communication, competing for keyboard real estate through personalized avatar stickers.
Differentiators
- Personalized avatar stickers that integrate directly into messaging apps
- Friendmoji feature allowing for collaborative sticker creation
New entrants(1)
Disrupts the space with a patented hexagonal layout designed to reduce typos on mobile screens.
Differentiators
- Hexagonal key design with 70% larger hit area than standard QWERTY
- 100% offline processing for maximum privacy
Compare Gboard – the Google Keyboard against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Gboard – the Google Keyboard
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Google Search integration drives query volume
- 50+ language support captures global market share
Critical Frictions
- Three-year update gap
- Inaccurate autocorrect logic
- Feature disparity vs native keyboards
Growth Levers
- Integrate Gemini for AI-assisted drafting
- Add regional language support
Market Threats
- SwiftKey's Copilot AI integration
- Grammarly's professional tone-correction dominance
What are the next best moves?
Ship Gemini-powered drafting tools because SwiftKey's Copilot integration is siphoning power users → recover competitive parity.
SwiftKey's AI-first strategy is the primary threat to Gboard's search-centric model.
Trade-off: Pause the regional language expansion sprint — AI-drafting has higher retention impact than niche language support.
Audit autocorrect dictionary logic because it is the #2 complaint theme → reduce churn among power users.
User reviews cite inaccurate word substitution as a primary driver of negative sentiment.
Trade-off: Deprioritize new theme-customization features — core typing accuracy is a higher retention lever.
A counter-intuitive read
Gboard's lack of updates is not just technical neglect; it is a strategic choice to prioritize search-query data collection over the high-cost maintenance of a feature-heavy keyboard.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Real-time AI text generation (available in SwiftKey)
- Professional tone adjustment (available in Grammarly)
Key Takeaways
- Gboard's search-centric value proposition is losing relevance to AI-drafting tools.
- Technical debt from the three-year update gap is the primary driver of negative sentiment.
- Immediate investment in generative AI features is required to defend against SwiftKey.
Gboard maintains a strong search-centric utility but risks obsolescence due to a three-year update gap, so the team must pivot to AI-assisted drafting to compete with SwiftKey's Copilot.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The mobile keyboard market is consolidating around AI-first drafting tools, leaving search-centric utilities like Gboard exposed. Without a shift to generative AI integration, Gboard will continue to lose power users to competitors that offer real-time editing and tone adjustment.
The three-year update gap causes persistent autocorrect errors, which erodes user trust and drives negative sentiment.
SwiftKey's Copilot integration pulls AI-forward users away from Gboard, accelerating churn pressure on the core typing base.