# Microsoft SwiftKey 21 Hacker News commenters recommended Microsoft SwiftKey and 31 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 8 years (7 owners). **Verdict:** Recommended for multilingual typing, sync across devices and good swipe and autocomplete. The most common caveat is Microsoft account prompts and Bing ads. ## Why people recommend it - Multilingual and mixed-language typing (3 comments): "has dictionaries for languages that the native keyboard doesn't have" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48656402)) "If you are multilingual, you can also try SwiftKey" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46241820)) "In SwiftKey you can mix languages." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48656777)) - Settings sync across devices (3 comments): "replacing the OS keyboard with Swiftkey (for which I have a data folder with over a decade of training in it)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46234753)) "logging into my SwiftKey account ensures my typing experience doesn't change almost at all" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46242106)) "I've been using swiftkey on android since before MS bought it so I kept using it on ipad." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47006455)) - Autocomplete and swipe typing (2 comments): "SwiftKey lets you swipe left to delete a word, which is very useful" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48653331)) "how good (at least SwiftKey's) autocomplete and swipe typing is" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47005805)) - Better suggestions than stock keyboard (2 comments): "SwiftKey's suggestions are still a lot better in my opinion." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48652684)) "It's sooooo much better than the stock keyboard." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47003875)) ## What people warn about - Bing ads and search insertions (3 comments): "they added a "Ask Bing" context menu item to all my selections after an update" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46233147)) "sabotages the use of a competing search engine (DuckDuckGo) in Firefox in Android" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47991022)) "Microsoft has started embedding ads and dark pattern redirects to Bing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650759)) - Pushes Microsoft account and backup login (3 comments): "they introduced a requirement to be logged in "for data backup", you get a banner on top of the keyboard that cannot be permanently turned off" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538403)) "it reads like MS is interested in consolidating all digital accounts data to onedrive" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47428886)) "I wasn getting a constant panel from them regarding using the backup feature" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48651218)) - Pop-ups and cluttered suggestions (3 comments): "Swiftkey likes to open a full soft keyboard interface for no reason no matter how many ways I try to disable it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46469417)) "a mash of all four, which makes the default swiped word and the suggestions exactly useless" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47016800)) "SwiftKey got annoying with pushing Ai image Gen and sometimes pop-ups." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48651549)) - Autocorrects correct words (2 comments): "it will often autocorrect my correctly spelled, correctly used, words, to words that probably don't exist in any language" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47835106)) "instead adds two words: the one you erased and the second attempt after it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46242092)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Gboard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gboard.md): 59 recommend - [FUTO Keyboard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/futo-keyboard.md): 51 recommend - [FUTO Swipe](https://hackerapproved.com/p/futo-swipe.md): 40 recommend - [Keybee keyboard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/keybee.md): 8 recommend - [Thumb-Key](https://hackerapproved.com/p/thumb-key.md): 6 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Microsoft SwiftKey", https://hackerapproved.com/p/swiftkey/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).