Futo Keyboard review — offline keyboard with no voice data leak
Who is this for? Android users who want voice dictation or swipe typing without that input going to external servers. Futo Keyboard is an alternative to Gboard and SwiftKey where all processing happens locally on the device.
Futo Keyboard review
Who is this for? Android users who want voice dictation or swipe typing without that input going to external servers. Futo Keyboard is an alternative to Gboard and SwiftKey where all processing happens locally on the device.
Futo Keyboard is a project by Futo, a US-based company that develops and funds software as a counterweight to surveillance-driven tech. It is free to use, with no account, no subscription, and no backend processing your input.
A note on “open source”: Futo describes its apps as open source, but Futo Keyboard is released under the “Futo Source First License” — the full source is published and auditable, but the licence restricts commercial use and paid redistribution, so it is not open source by the OSI / Free Software Foundation definition. This is why F-Droid’s main index does not carry it (F-Droid requires a genuinely free licence); you install it from Google Play, the Futo repo, or the Futo website. For this review’s purpose — can the code be inspected to verify the offline claims — source-available is enough; if a genuinely FOSS-licensed keyboard matters to you, HeliBoard or AnySoftKeyboard are the alternatives below.
What makes it different
The core difference from Gboard: all processing — keyboard predictions, swipe recognition, and speech recognition — happens locally on your phone. No keystroke, no voice, and no word goes to an external server.
| Futo Keyboard | HeliBoard | AnySoftKeyboard | Gboard (Google) | SwiftKey (Microsoft) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speech recognition local | Yes — fully offline | No | No | No — sent to Google servers | No — sent to Microsoft servers |
| Word prediction local | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (partly, model downloaded) | Yes (partly) |
| Licence | Source-available (Futo Source First) | Open source (GPL) | Open source (Apache) | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| No account required | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (Google account) | No (Microsoft account) |
| Personalised learning model | No | No | No | Yes — synced via Google | Yes — synced via Microsoft |
| Swipe typing | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Android 7+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| F-Droid default repo | No (Futo repo required) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| iOS available | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Gboard sends voice recordings to Google servers for transcription. Online speech recognition is more accurate for many users, but the audio leaves your device. SwiftKey does the same via Microsoft.
HeliBoard is a genuinely open-source (GPL) AOSP fork with swipe typing (via a proprietary gesture library you add manually) and no network access. It is in the default F-Droid index with no extra repo required. No speech recognition, but otherwise comparable to Futo for everyday typing — and the right pick if a FOSS licence is non-negotiable.
AnySoftKeyboard is the most minimal open-source option: no network access, no speech recognition, no swipe typing. Also available in the default F-Droid index. The right choice if you want a keyboard that simply does nothing except type.
Offline speech recognition
Futo Keyboard uses a local version of the Whisper model (from OpenAI, open-source) for speech recognition. The model is downloaded on first use and then works entirely offline.
In practice:
- Quality: for ordinary dictation in English, quality is comparable to online alternatives. For other languages, recognition is usable but less accurate than Gboard’s online model.
- Speed: processing takes more time than online recognition, depending on the device. On recent Pixels (6+) the delay is limited; on older or weaker hardware it is noticeable.
- Model size: Futo offers multiple model sizes. Smaller model = faster, lower quality. Larger model = slower startup but better accuracy.
Swipe typing and word prediction
Swipe typing works at the level of modern commercial keyboards. Word prediction uses a local statistical model. That model does not learn from your input and syncs nothing — which means it does not get more personal over time the way Gboard does.
If you are used to Gboard’s strongly personalised predictions, the cold start is noticeable. After a few weeks of use the keyboard feels more natural, but it will not reach the level of a model that has tracked years of your typing behaviour.
Installing
Futo Keyboard is available on Google Play, the Futo F-Droid repo, and the Futo website. For a privacy-conscious installation, the Futo repo in F-Droid is the better option — no Google account. (It is not in F-Droid’s main index because of its licence — see the note above.)
Note: speech recognition is a separate app. Futo Keyboard and Futo Voice Input are two separate apps installed alongside each other. The keyboard works without the voice app; only the speech recognition feature requires the separate Voice Input app.
- F-Droid via Futo repo — recommended; first add the Futo repo (
https://app.futo.org/fdroid/repo/) then search for “Futo Keyboard” and “Futo Voice Input” — not available in the default F-Droid index - Google Play — available, but requires a Google account
- Futo website — direct APK download at keyboard.futo.org
After installing the keyboard:
- Go to Settings → System → Language and input → On-screen keyboard
- Enable Futo Keyboard
- Set it as the default keyboard
On GrapheneOS, Futo Keyboard works without any adjustments. Sideloading is allowed by default and there is no Google dependency.
Language support
Futo Keyboard supports multiple languages for the base keyboard and swipe typing. The offline speech model (Whisper) officially supports more than 90 languages.
In practice, English speech recognition is the most reliable. For other languages, quality is usable for simple sentences but less accurate with names, technical terms, or fast speech.
Caveats
No personalised model. Futo Keyboard does not learn your typing patterns over time. If you are used to a keyboard that has tracked your abbreviations, names and writing style for years, you will notice the difference immediately.
Speech recognition quality varies by language. The Whisper model is strongest in English. For accurate non-English dictation, Gboard — with the accompanying data transfer — remains more accurate.
Processing power required. The offline speech model demands more from the processor than a basic keyboard. On older devices the processing can be noticeably slow.
Android only. There is no iOS version of Futo Keyboard.
Development pace. Futo is a small team. The app is actively developed but not as rapidly iterative as Gboard.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fully offline — no voice data, keystrokes or predictions go to external servers
- Source is published and auditable, so the offline claims can be verified (though the licence is source-available, not FOSS)
- No account, no subscription, no tracking
- Swipe typing and word prediction work well
- Whisper speech recognition for more than 90 languages
- Works well on GrapheneOS
Cons
- No personalised learning model — predictions are less sharp than Gboard after years of use
- Offline processing demands more from the processor — noticeable on older hardware
- Android only
- Smaller team, slower update cycle than large platforms
Conclusion
Futo Keyboard solves a specific problem: you want swipe typing or dictation without that input going to Google or Microsoft. On that front it does what it promises — fully offline, open-source, no account required.
The trade-off is clear: you give up personalised prediction accuracy and online speech recognition quality in exchange for complete data isolation on your device. And if a strictly FOSS licence is a hard requirement, HeliBoard is the closer fit — it just has no offline dictation.
Choose Futo Keyboard if you take the privacy architecture of your keyboard seriously and are willing to accept a small quality loss in prediction sharpness and speech recognition. It is a direct replacement for Gboard for users who mainly type and swipe; for intensive voice dictation it is a meaningful trade.
Getting started
Installing via F-Droid (Futo repo)
Futo Keyboard is not in the default F-Droid index. You need to add the Futo repo first:
- Open F-Droid → Settings → Repositories → +
- Enter:
https://app.futo.org/fdroid/repo/ - Search for “Futo Keyboard” and install
Then go to Settings → System → Language and input → On-screen keyboard, enable Futo Keyboard and set it as the default.
Setting up speech recognition (optional, separate app)
Speech recognition requires a second app: Futo Voice Input.
- Install “Futo Voice Input” via the same Futo repo in F-Droid or via the Futo website
- Open the Voice Input app and download a speech model
- Choose a model size: small for speed, large for accuracy
- After downloading, speech recognition works fully offline through the keyboard
Activating swipe typing
Swipe typing is enabled by default. Slide your finger across the letters without lifting it.
Next step
Chosen Futo Keyboard?
- F-Droid review — the open-source app store (you’ll need to add the Futo repo, since it’s not in the main index)
- GrapheneOS first setup — if you want full control over your Android environment
Similar choices
- Aurora Store review — Play apps without a Google account, as a complement to F-Droid
- Signal and Molly review — privacy-conscious messaging as the next step
- Android privacy without a custom ROM — baseline settings for stock Android alongside a different keyboard