We make Flikzi, so read this list with that in mind. We’ve tried to be fair: each entry says who it suits best, and the permissions were read from each project’s source code on 27 September 2026.
Side by side
| Keyboard | Licence | Network access | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flikzi | Closed source, paid (coming to Google Play) | No permissions at all | Gesture typing on hexagon keys; English and Chinese pinyin; foldables |
| FUTO Keyboard | FUTO Source First License (source available, not OSI open source) | No internet permission; it also removes the network-state permission | Offline voice typing and swipe typing |
| HeliBoard | GPL-3.0 | No internet permission | A familiar AOSP-style keyboard with many options |
| FlorisBoard | Apache-2.0 | No internet permission | Open source with heavy customisation |
| Simple Keyboard | Apache-2.0 | No internet permission (its only permission is vibration) | The smallest possible keyboard |
Flikzi
A paid keyboard of hexagon keys with no shift or delete key: flick up for capitals, hold and slide for symbols, and hold and slide the space keys to delete and undelete. It has on-device autocorrect and predictions, Simplified Chinese pinyin, emoji suggestions, and a split layout with a number pad for foldables and tablets. It asks for no permissions at all. It isn’t out yet, and it has no swipe or voice typing. Try the gestures.
FUTO Keyboard
The strongest offline all-rounder, with on-device voice input. Free to use; its licence restricts commercial reuse of the code. FUTO Keyboard.
HeliBoard
Built on the Android Open Source Project keyboard. It asks for contacts permission to learn names, which you can deny. HeliBoard.
FlorisBoard
Actively developed and very themeable, with a large community. Check its release notes for the current state of word suggestions before relying on them. FlorisBoard.
Simple Keyboard
No suggestions, no spell check and no emoji panel, by design. Simple Keyboard.
How we checked
For each keyboard we read the app’s Android manifest in its public source repository and looked for
android.permission.INTERNET. Apps can change between releases, so check the permissions on your own phone
after installing: Settings, Apps, the keyboard, Permissions.
What about Gboard and SwiftKey?
Both are free, capable keyboards that use the network for some features. See Flikzi vs Gboard and Flikzi vs SwiftKey.