When Apple announced iOS 8 earlier in 2014, they revealed plenty of oft-requested features, including support for third-party keyboards. Now that iOS 8 is available, and people are getting their download on, it’s good to look at some of the options coming down the pipe.

First, it should be noted that, as of the time of this writing, the majority of these applications are not showing up within a search in the iOS App Store, for the iPhone or the iPad. Many, in fact, still say that the app is coming soon on their official websites, and many App Store links simply mention that the app is not available in the U.S. Store just yet. However, these apps will more than likely be trickling out into the App Store (or already available elsewhere) throughout the day, and obviously more are coming in the following days and weeks.

With that in mind, here’s what you can expect to find for third-party keyboard options in the days ahead:

SwiftKey

SwiftKey is a big name when it comes to third-party keyboards in the Android world, so it’s no surprise that the ‘board would make an appearance on iOS when it had the opportunity. Actually, it’s been known for some time that SwiftKey would be launching for iOS 8 on September 17, both for the iPhone and the iPad. For anyone new to SwiftKey, here’s a brief rundown of what to expect:

“For those of you who are new to SwiftKey; welcome! SwiftKey’s philosophy is that you should be able to spend less time correcting your typos and more time expressing what you really mean. Our keyboard learns the way you type and the words and phrases that matter to you, constantly adapting to your personal writing style for a smarter typing experience.“

When SwiftKey does become available for everyone, it will be a free download.

Swype

Swype was another popular name that got dropped immediately following the announcement for third-party keyboard support in iOS 8, and, for many, not a surprise at all. Over the course of many years, the Swype keyboard has become an almost stalwart addition on many devices out in the world, and now it will be making a splash on iOS-based handsets as well. With Swype, you can simply slide your finger from one letter to another and spell out what you’re trying to say, without having to worry about tapping away at individual letters all day long.

When it becomes available, Swype will cost $.99.

Minuum

Minuum has recently made a name for itself in the Android world with a very interesting keyboard, which is designed to take up a minimal amount of space on your phone’s display, and offer up a simple row of letters for you to touch and spell out words. As you type at the minimized letters, the full words close to what you’re spelling, with a powerful engine behind the scenes to offer up suggestions as you go, you’ll see them pop up above the ‘board for an easy selection. You can also use gestures, like swiping to the right, to make a space, or swiping to the left to delete what came before. Swiping up on the board will reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, too, if you prefer to see the whole show while you’re typing something out.

When Minuum becomes available to download, it will cost $1.99

TouchPal

TouchPal is another third-party keyboard option that was initially demoed back in early June of this year. Like Swype, you can simply slide your finger along the keyboard to choose the word you want, or slide up to gain access to a specific number, or down for a symbol you might be looking for:

“TouchPal Keyboard is now running on iOS 8! It is the first iOS 8 keyboard with gesture/sliding input. Slide over letters for a word, up for a number and down for a symbol.“

When TouchPal becomes available, it will be a free download.

Fleksy

Fleksy has actually been available on iOS for a little while now, dating back to at least the end of 2013, but never in such a large capacity. Before the release of iOS 8 and full support for third-party keyboards, it was up to developers to include Fleksy in their own individual apps. Now, though, Fleksy will become a standalone third-party keyboard for iOS 8, available to download for anyone’s pleasure if they so desire.

One of the first things anyone will notice about Fleksy is the lack of differentiators between keys. This is done by design, as Fleksy’s real draw is the ability to gauge your inaccuracy, and pick the right word. The software accounts for this. The keyboard can actually be minimized, in a way, too, almost like Minuum, to give a more minimalist look if that’s your thing. The spacebar, as you can see in the image above, can be removed, too.

When Fleksy becomes available, it, too, will be a free download.

KuaiBoard

KuaiBoard is an interesting keyboard replacement, as it’s main draw is the ability to allow you to pre-load information into the ‘board, so that it can automatically insert that said text into whatever you’re typing it out. For instance, you can include your own address, or someone else’s address, so that if you need to type it out, KuaiBoard can simply paste it right where you need it, without you having to worry about copying it from some other app. It can store things like names, addresses, phone numbers, and it can even attach addresses to the Maps app for quick reference.

KuaiBoard is now available and it will run you $1.99.

(As noted earlier, as this article was first published, many of these apps were not available. However, as they become available, we’ll be adding the appropriate links and updating the article accordingly.)

As the day goes on, we’ll be adding more keyboards to the list as they become known. If you’ve seen any in the App Store, be sure to let us know, as we’ll add them accordingly. If you’ve managed to get your fingers under any of these keyboards for your iOs device running iOS 8, which one is your favorite? Which one do you plan on downloading?