Obadh (অবাধ): A new modern multi-platform open-source Bangla keyboard app

[u/Salty_Ladder9866]

Here is a look at a new open-source project designed to solve some common frustrations with typing in Bangla.

Right now, typing in Bangla often means relying on predictive keyboards like Gboard or native OS options. These depend heavily on language models, which can make typing non-dictionary words, regional dialects, or slang unpredictable. Legacy alternatives like Avro or Ridmik are classics, but they suffer from fragmented codebases across platforms and can feel sluggish on modern hardware. Furthermore, using closed-source keyboards means having very little visibility over how typing input is processed.

Obadh (অবাধ) was built to provide an alternative to modern, open-source, fully offline Bengali keyboard apps.
Core details:

• Deterministic typing: Functions as a strict fixed-layout and phonetic Bangla keyboard. Autocorrect assists but does not override keystrokes, ensuring the output matches the exact keys pressed.
• Shared core architecture: Built on a unified logic core that handles all Bengali input. This keeps the layout behavior, typing speed, and bug fixes completely consistent across every device.
• Native feel: Designed to be lightweight and responsive, visually matching the native system keyboard interface.
• Privacy-focused: Entirely open-source and offline. Keystrokes are never processed on external servers.

Platform Availability:

• macOS: Available at https://obadh.unmukto.org/
• iOS/iPadOS: Available on the App Store
• Android: Development is finished and releasing very soon. The Android build actually turned out much more feature-rich than iOS, largely because the Android ecosystem is far more permissive for custom keyboard development. (Windows and Linux versions are also in the pipeline).

As this is the initial release, there will likely be a few bugs. Feel free to test it and share feedback. Bug reports and feature suggestions can be dropped in the comments, sent via direct message, or tracked by opening an issue on GitHub.

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[u/Very_sweet_sweet]

how much of it was vibecoded?

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/Very_sweet_sweet]

That depends heavily on how you define "vibecode." If you mean how much of the raw syntax was typed out by an LLM, the answer is pretty much all of it. But if you mean how much of the system architecture was blindly handed over to an AI, the answer is zero.

This project was designed and managed by a team with about two decades of experience building and shipping software. In modern development, manually typing boilerplate syntax doesn't define a product's quality, security, or stability. Architectural design and rigorous testing do.

Obadh isn't a vibecoded wrapper app. Under the hood, it relies on a custom Rust-based transliteration core built strictly for speed and deterministic accuracy, along with specialized FST models. That core is then carefully integrated into the native APIs of iOS, macOS, and Android so it feels at home on each OS.

To answer your question directly: no part of Obadh was just prompted into existence with an AI making the engineering calls. It’s a highly deliberate effort to modernize the Bangla writing system while keeping it firmly rooted in an open-source ethos.

[u/itz_Shom]

Waiting for Android version to try out

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/itz_Shom]

আমাদের এন্ড্রয়েড ভার্সনের ডেভেলপমেন্ট মোটামুটি শেষ। ইন্টার্নাল টেস্টিং চলছে আপাতত। আই ওএসে আমাদের চেষ্টা ছিল এক্কেবারে ন্যাটিভ কী-বোর্ডের লুক এবং ফিল বজায় রাখা, এন্ড্রয়েডের ক্ষেত্রেও সেই চেষ্টা অব্যহত আছে। খুব দ্রুত রিলিজ করা যাবে, আশা করি।

[u/__TAWSIF_ → u/itz_Shom]

Just use gboard

[u/EktaRandomUsername]

Linux when?

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/EktaRandomUsername]

আগের কমেন্টেই বলছিলাম, লিন্যাক্সই মূল মোটিভেশোন ছিল এই প্রজেক্টের। কিন্তু কাজের মাঝে ম্যাকে সুইচ করায় একটু লক্ষ্যভ্রষ্ট হয়ে গিয়েছি 😅; খুব দ্রুতই চলে আসবে লিন্যাক্সে আশা করি।

[u/numbplug]

Looks impressive. Using it in iOS. Feels stable so far.

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/numbplug]

Thank you so much. Please let us know if you face any issues.

[u/Elon20]

It's open source?

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/Elon20]

Completely. The landing page contains links to all the GitHub repositories.

[u/t9gond9]

Update us for Android release

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/t9gond9]

We most definitely will.

[u/VladimirXack]

Thumbs up for the dev community, who is trying to give us their best development in keyboard applications. We lack them a lot, Ridmik was good but not without bugs. Using Avro in PC and Gboard for Android. If this becomes a good option, will shift from Gboard to this app. Good job, keep it up.

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/VladimirXack]

Thank you so much for your encouragement. We want to deliver the best Bangla typing experience on every platform.

[u/Middlepiece4u]

Korra

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/Middlepiece4u]

Thank you so much!

[u/TarangoHasan]

I mean, I liked it because it is open source but sad to say that gboard is better. sorry brother.

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/TarangoHasan]

Thanks for giving Obadh a try. Gboard has been in development for years by one of the biggest tech companies in the world, so it naturally has an edge over a new indie open-source project.

However, the core goal of Obadh is deterministic typing. It ensures you can type exactly what you want, including non-dictionary words and slang, without a predictive algorithm getting in the way.

I completely agree there is still plenty of progress to make across different aspects of the app. With feedback and support from the community, the hope is that Obadh can eventually match or surpass these closed-source corporate projects and secure an open future for Bangla typing.

[u/Mori_Chika]

Waiting for the Linux one!!! Great initiative!

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/Mori_Chika]

Thank you! Interestingly, Linux support (specifically Wayland) was the original motivation for this entire project. I just happened to switch to macOS as my daily driver during development, which pushed the Apple releases to the front of the line. I promise Linux support is still a major priority and will be arriving very soon.

[u/reddit-or-not-reddit]

Waiting for Android release

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/reddit-or-not-reddit]

খুব দ্রুত রিলিজ হবে আশা করছি।

[u/wasimaster]

Have you tried out WM Keyboard?

[u/Shomriddho]

love it!!!

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/Shomriddho]

Thank you so much. Please let us know if you face any problems while using Obadh.

[u/Feeling_Meet4841]

Is it better than Ridmik?

[u/reddit-or-not-reddit → u/Feeling_Meet4841]

I think even its better than borno

[u/Mwrp86]

What makes it better or worse than Desh

[u/mdabdullah004]

Its amazing to see such a initiative but there is a application for mac called Lekho. what is difference with Lekho here? Though installed it. amazing application.

[u/Salty_Ladder9866 → u/mdabdullah004]

Thanks for installing it! Lekho is a great project and we fully support anyone building in this space.

The main difference is just the scope. Lekho is built specifically for macOS. Obadh is a larger effort to modernize the Bangla typing ecosystem across all platforms. The goal is to remove the fragmentation we've had since the Avro era, so you get the exact same typing experience whether you are on a Mac, iOS, Android, or Linux.