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I've tested countless mechanical keyboards — these are the only ones I'd buy
Need a better keyboard for your home office or heading back to school or college? Of course you do. You're going to be blazing through essays, theses and dissertations. And you need a solid workhorse to do them on.
I spend a sizable amount of my time reviewing the very best mechanical keyboards at all different price ranges. Thocky, clacky, silent, gaming — you name it. I've rounded up a few of my top picks here for anyone heading back to their studies.
Now, I'll be honest. I haven't just included mechanical keyboards. These days, the best gaming keyboards are magnetic rather than mechanical, while the most affordable boards use scissor switches. So I've thrown in one or two of those in case you need something for gaming or are on a super tight budget.
All of the boards below should work on macOS and Windows. Certain manufacturers, like Keychron and NuPhy, have a Mac bias with macOS legends out of the box — although both usually ship with Windows keycaps included. Other brands like Wooting, Wobkey and Epomaker have a Windows bias out of the box but don't usually ship with macOS replacement keycaps. Just keep that in mind.
Without further ado, here are my top picks for mechanical keyboards.
When it comes to affordability, the Keychron B1 Pro is about as cheap as it gets without seriously sacrificing quality. The B1 Pro will set you back just $39, so it's a perfect choice if you're on a tight budget.
This is a scissor switch keyboard, so it's not really a mechanical, but it's difficult to find super cheap mechanical keyboards that aren't anything but, well, cruddy (looking at you, MageGee Sky87).
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This deck scored 4.5 stars in our Keychron B1 Pro review. It's comfortable to type on, lightweight and has awesome battery life. Its software is also fully customizable thanks to its open source QMK firmware. And for just $39, it's ideal for those on a budget.
Our reviewer Erin Bashford tested the B1 Pro back in July last year. She's written hundreds of articles since then and hundreds of thousands of words, and the B1 Pro is still holding up just fine!
She could also have any of the keyboards that come through our office, but chooses to stick with the B1 Pro. It's comfortable to type on, has excellent battery life, can connect to four devices and is compatible with macOS and PC. Additionally, it's small and compact, making it ideal for taking to school or college in your bag.
This is a 75% keyboard, but the B Pro range also includes the 100% Keychron B6 Pro and 96% Keychron B2 Pro.
If you're after a keyboard primarily for gaming, the Wooting 80HE is my top pick. I know, I know, this is a back-to-school list, but the 80HE is also excellent for typing and productivity.
The Wooting 80HE uses magnetic Lekker switches with 0.1mm actuation for ultra snappy and responsive gameplay. Those actuation points can be customized and backed off to better suit typing in the awesome Wooting companion software, though. And the Wooting 80HE is just as good for typing as it is for gaming, thanks to its gasket-mounted PCB.
The Wooting 80HE is an absolute beast for gaming, thanks to its magnetic switches. It's not a bad board for typing either, thanks to its gasket-mounted PCB and adjustable key actuation. It's pricey, but this is an elite-tier gaming board, so well worth it in my eyes.
When testing for my Wooting 80HE review, I utterly fell in love with this keyboard. It looks phenomenal, with gorgeous RGB backlighting, understated keys and a frosted case. Thanks to its premium build quality, it sounds good too.
Most importantly, the 80HE has gaming performance in spades. Alongside its customizable actuation points, it offers elite gaming features including rapid trigger, last key prioritization (A.K.A 'snap tap') and 8,000Hz polling.
This keyboard is compatible with macOS, but I'd recommend it for people who spend most of their time on Windows. If you want a hybrid/gaming keyboard that's more inclined to productivity and/or macOS, yet can switch to being a ruthless gaming monster on Windows, check out the Keychron K2 HE. This is also a more affordable option, although it isn't as fast polling as the Wooting.
Going to college or gonna be writing a lot of essays? You need a keyboard that's built entirely around typing. Enter the Keychron Q1 Pro. This is by far the bounciest, most comfortable and easy-typing deck of any I've tested.
I do quite a bit of typing, as you can imagine, and I always crack out the Q1 Pro for long articles or entire days of typing. That's despite owning around 30 keyboards — they have their own wall in my house, although I have so many that there are keyboards stashed in cupboards and under beds, so I don't know my actual total.
The Keychron Q1 Pro is the bounciest keyboard I've ever used, thanks to an incredibly soft gasket mount and a flexible polycarbonate plate. Its KSA profile keycaps are steeply raked to reduce finger fatigue, and it boasts the usual slew of connectivity and QMK firmware features as most modern Keychron decks. It's currently on sale for $42 off at Amazon, so make sure to grab it while it's on offer.
Key to the Q1's comfort is its gasket mount setup — basically, the PCB is floating on rubber gaskets. On the Q1 Pro, the gasket mount is very soft. Combined with a flexible polycarbonate (PC) plate, and you've got a supremely bouncy keyboard that visibly juggles as you type. This means the gaskets are actively absorbing and damping the impact of your fingers, making the board more comfortable than a firmly mounted deck.
I tested the board with Gateron K Pro linear switches, which have a soft actuation force of just 45g, again complementing the board's soft, bouncy nature. The keycaps use the highly sculpted KSA profile, which rakes steeply outwards from the center, reducing the amount your fingers have to move to hit the top and bottom row.
The Q1 Pro is currently on sale, but if you're looking for a budget alternative, I'd recommend the extremely soft Gamakay LK75, which is cheaper.
NuPhy makes some of the finest low-profile keyboards around, and the Kick75 is the best of the brand's offerings so far. It's a joy to type on, game on and modify, and best of all it only costs $99 (although I've seen it for as little as $89)! When I first got my hands on this board for my NuPhy Kick75 review, I thought NuPhy would be charging double that.
This board can be purchased as either high- or low-profile, and it can be easily modified to switch between the two later on (you simply need to swap the top case and PCB, but NuPhy offers modding parts to facilitate this).
The Kick75 is NuPhy's best low-profile keyboard yet, and comes in at under $100. It can be purchased as low- or standard-profile, and you can swap between the two later. It's effortless to type on, sounds good and looks even better.
In a low-profile guide, this board is lightweight and compact, and its low-profile keycaps make for highly accurate typing. Its PCB is gasket-mounted for a nicely damped and comfortable type feel. And while it doesn't have the most addictive sound of the boards I own, it doesn't sound bad by any means.
As with all NuPhy boards, the Kick75 is built beautifully, so you won't experience shakes or rattles. Its design is super retro, with classic Nintendo-inspired design elements — and it looks the part, you'll no doubt agree. It also polls at 1,000Hz, making it suitable for most gamers, and runs QMK open source firmware so you can customize and remap keys to your heart's content.
A close second was the Chilkey ND75 LP, which is currently $39 off at Amazon with a voucher. If you're on a budget, check out the Hexgears Immersion A3, which is currently reduced from $89 to $49 at Amazon.
So you want a thocky board, huh? Now we're talking. While I get to test a huge variety of gaming, magnetic, scissor and membrane keyboards, I'm a custom keyboard enthusiast at heart, and I love nothing more than a good thock sound.
Getting a perfect thock can involve lots of modding and fettling to get the acoustics just right. But there are a few boards that offer a super creamy thock straight out of the box. My favorite is the Wobkey Rainy 75.
This thing. Sounds. Immense.
The Rainy 75 is the king of thock, with its soft yet thocky sound being truly addictive. It's a fantastic board for productivity, and we loved its beautiful type feel and long battery life, not to mention the sleek looks and excellent build quality. This board is designed to be customized, so it's a great base for modders.
It isn't the loudest thocky board we've tested, but the Rainy 75's sound profile is utterly addictive. The clue is in the name: "Rainy". Wobkey claims this board sounds thocky rainfall — heavy rain, as we point out in our Wobkey Rainy 75 review, but yeah, we can get on board with that description.
A major part of the board's sound is its Kailh switches, which are as glorious to type on as the sound they make. Also to thank are the heavy double-shot PBT keycaps and numerous layers of acoustic dampening on the inside.
If you want a slightly louder thock, I would recommend the MCHOSE GX87, which is incredibly thocky and also a little cheaper. There's also the Royal Kludge S85, which is currently $28 off at Amazon, making it a great budget option. And of course, the drop-dead-gorgeous NuPhy Halo75 V2, which offers a more balanced sound profile — although it definitely errs on the side of thockiness.
Oh, I see. You're actually a clacky fan. Well, listen: I won't judge you (too much). I'm just kidding. What is life without a little clack to balance out all the thock we hear in the world today?
While I prefer the thocky sound profile, I own and very much appreciate numerous clacky keyboards. In fact, I'm typing on a clacker right now: the Keychron Q1 Pro I mentioned earlier. The most clacky board in my arsenal, though (yes, it's part of my personal collection), is the Keychron Q3 Max.
The Keychron Q3 Max is an excellent keyboard, and if you're craving that clacky sound, it'll deliver. That's primarily thanks to its polycarbonate plate, which results in a lightweight tapping sound as you type. It's pricey, but it is currently on sale at Amazon!
Crucial to the Keychron Q3 Max's clacky sound are its layers of sound-absorbing foam, Gateron linear switches, its heavy double-shot PBT keycaps and its thick polycarbonate plate, which generates a lightweight tapping sound as the keys are pressed. This doesn't go too far into a pinging sound, as you'll find on boards with metal plates like the Keychron Q6.
This board is a demon for typing and gaming, and can also be fully customized thanks to hot swappable switches, a fully mod-friendly design and open source QMK firmware.
The catch is that it's pricey. You can currently get it on sale for under $200 at Amazon, but it's still a huge sum to drop on a deck. If you're on a budget, I would instead suggest the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite, which is just $89, although its design is very divisive.
Do you want everyone around you to resent you? Do you want your roommates to leave? Do you want to get thrown out of the library? Yes? Then you need a clicky keyboard!
Listen, I'm being a little facetious, of course. While it's true that the rest of the keyboard community frowns upon clicky keyboard fans, I'm not here to pass judgment. You do you. And if you're gonna do you, do it on the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard. "Clicky" is an understatement: this thing sounds like a Commodore 64 or retro IBM keyboard that's just injected steroids directly into its click glands.
It's loud and proud, but if you want a clicky keyboard, that'll be exactly what you're after anyway. The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical keyboard is as unashamedly clicky as it is beautifully retro. It's a joy to type on, too. But expect to be kicked out of the library when using it.
If you like clicky boards, then it's really difficult to fault the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical. As I mentioned above, this board sounds truly retro and truly clicky. I personally own the C64 version, and I've gotta say, it is very fun to use. Although my partner is working in the room next door often has to close her door.
It's also a fantastic-looking keyboard with the eye-catching retro design. And it's a gorgeous board to type on, too. Its keycaps are double-shot PBT and nicely sculpted, with trapezoid bevels that feel extremely satisfying to the touch. The clicky Kailh Box V2 switches are also dreamy to the touch, with a firm and highly pleasing bounce back after bottoming out.
If you want the retro looks of the 8BitDo without the clicky sound, I'd suggest the Lofree Block.
Do you perhaps want everyone around you to not resent you? Do you want your roommates to not leave? Do you want to not get thrown out of the library? Yes? Very wise. Then you need a silent keyboard!
I've gotta say, I was a little skeptical when we received the Hexgears Immersion A3 for review. "What's a Hexgears?" was the usual reaction around our office.
Well, our skepticism was definitely misplaced. The Immersion A3 was a stellar performer in our testing, and as a silent keyboard, it's perfect for working around other people at school or college.
Sure, it isn't pretty. But it sure is silent. The Hexgears Immersion A3 uses silent Kailh White Rain switches that are an absolute joy to type on, and they won't annoy everyone around you. This board is great for typing and gaming, plus it offers strong battery life and is customizable via a handy TFT display.
So, unlike the boards from 8BitDo, NuPhy and Wobkey, the Hexgears Immersion A3 won't be winning any beauty contests. But this board is all about two things: typing and silence... together.
Using the Kailh White Rain linear switches, the Immersion A3 is extremely quiet, meaning it won't annoy others around you. It was also a joy to type on in our testing, and is an excellent hybrid productivity and gaming board, thanks to 1,000Hz polling.
If you'd prefer a slightly more stylish board, I'd recommend the silent Gamakay LK75.
Not everyone wants to just type. If you're studying a math- or science-based subject at school or college, there's a good chance you'll want a number pad at your disposal. Look no further than the Epomaker RT100, which is one of my favorite full-size decks.
Contrary to the "100" in its name, this keyboard is neither a 100% nor a 100-key deck. It's a 95%, 97-key layout, which means it has the num pad, but has been compacted slightly width-ways. This means some keys have been lost or moved (the middle navigation group), but it makes the board less cumbersome on your desk. And of course, you still get the benefit of the number pad for quick access when doing sums (or whatever math people do).
The RT100 earned itself 4.5 stars and our Editor's Choice award when we tested it. For just over $100, this is a substantial amount of keyboard. Obviously, in size and keys, as it's a 95% deck with a number pad — great for math or science students. But it also offers plenty in the productivity department, including great type feel and even a detachable mini screen to play your favorite motivational GIF on repeat.
In addition to its handy number pad, the RT100 also has a detachable mini screen. If you, like many students, often struggle with motivation, you can use the display to keep your favorite motivational GIF on display at all times (just don't let that slip into procrastination). The display also shows you key settings readouts so you don't have to mess around finding them elsewhere.
Not that you'd have to mess around much, in fairness, as the companion software, Epomaker Driver, is extremely user-friendly and lets you fully customize the board's software.
To top it all off, when you do have to put down the calculator and write an essay or two, the RT100 has you covered. This board is fantastic to type on, with gently beveled keycaps and a gasket-mounted PCB. It can also be purchased with Epomaker's own Sea Salt silent switches, which are ideal if you're working around other people.
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