Many mechanical keyboards carry a premium price tag, but this isn't always the case. While the best budget or cheap mechanical keyboard models may not have all the high-end features, some are just as sturdy and perform similarly to their more expensive counterparts. Many of the keyboards below come in a variety of switches, while others have hot-swappable PCBs, allowing you to easily change out the stock switches for those of your choosing.
If you're new to mechanical keyboards, we recommend checking out our article Mechanical Switches: How to Choose. Alternatively, if you already know your way around the world of switches and are ready to buy a new set, you may want to see our recommendations for the best mechanical switches. 75 wireless mechanical keyboard
We've bought and tested over 245 keyboards, and below is a list of our top recommendations for the best budget mechanical keyboards. If you're looking for more gaming keyboards, check out the best budget gaming keyboards. Likewise, if you want something cheaper, check out the picks for the best budget and cheap keyboards. Or, if you'd rather look at a wider range of keyboards, see our list of the best mechanical keyboards.
We recommend the Keychron V5 Max as hands down the best budget mechanical keyboard for most people. It has an impressive collection of features typically found on more expensive custom keyboard offerings, including a gasket mount design that produces a softer, slightly cushioned-feeling typing experience. It also has high-quality PBT keycaps and layers of acoustic-dampening material sandwiched inside that help to round out your typing sound profile.
This keyboard is part of a wider V Max lineup that includes bigger and smaller variants. We recommend any of these variants as they share the same basic construction and set of features; the major difference is their size and layout. Each model in the wider series is also built with customizability in mind. Everything from the switches, stabilizers, keycaps, and even the software and firmware are customizable. There's even an included toolkit to help you completely disassemble them, making these keyboards a great budget-friendly base if you're interested in tinkering and adding to your build down the line.
If wireless connectivity isn't something you need, we recommend checking out the original Keychron V Series keyboards instead. These wired-only models don't have a gasket mount design and don't quite deliver the same premium-feeling typing quality, but they're almost always available for cheaper and come in a full variety of sizes and layouts.
We recommend the ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 as the best cheap mechanical keyboard with a wireless connection. It's a compact, lightweight, and highly portable model that makes it well-suited for smaller desks, and it's a great option if you're often taking your keyboard on the go to use remotely or even just jumping between hot desks. Just note that its compact design means it lacks a function row, a numpad, and dedicated arrow keys (although it does have plenty of pre-programmed hotkeys to stand in for these missing keys, including hotkeys that act like arrow keys when you hold down the Fn button).
In addition to its good overall build quality, this keyboard offers excellent connectivity options. You can pair it with up to three devices using Bluetooth, use it wired, or get a variant with a USB receiver to use the keyboard anywhere and with any device with a USB-A port. Other variants of this board are also available, including a hot-swappable version that allows you to change out the stock switches to customize the keyboard for the typing experience you want.
The Keychron C1 Pro is essentially a more basic, wired-only model similar to our top pick, the Keychron V5 Max, and we recommend it as the best cheap mechanical keyboard if you prefer a wired connection. Note that this board is at its best value when available for around $55 USD but is occasionally priced higher on some online retailers, so it's worth checking Keychron's product page to make sure you get the lowest price. Overall, it doesn't quite match it in terms of typing quality since it has a more conventional and slightly stiffer-feeling tray mount design. However, it still packs some surprising features at its price point, including switches that come pre-lubed from the factory, high-quality PBT keycaps, and south-facing LEDs that allow greater flexibility if you're interested in buying aftermarket keycaps.
You can also choose between several different assembly configurations at purchase, with choices between white-only or full RGB backlighting, as well as the option for a hot-swappable PCB that allows you to change out the stock switches easily. For further customization, this keyboard is compatible with VIA software, so you can create custom profiles, adjust the backlighting, and record macros to any key, among other options. If you like this keyboard but need a numpad, check out the Keychron C2 Pro instead. It is a larger, 100% variant that's only a bit more expensive. We recommend whichever size variant works best for your needs, as they're both impressively full-featured and well-built options that provide excellent value at an entry-level price point.
While our top pick, the Keychron V5 Max, is an outstanding out-of-the-box option for general use and gaming alike, you might be looking for something that's entirely gaming-focused. If so, we recommend the Razer Huntsman Mini thanks to its exceptionally low latency and highly responsive clicky optical switches, though quieter linear optical switches are also available. These features are normally on boards with much higher price tags. However, this keyboard is best suited as a dedicated gaming unit since the short pre-travel of the optical switches may cause you to make more typos during regular use due to their sensitivity. Its compact size frees up a bit more space for sweeping, dynamic mouse movements on your desk, but also means it isn't as suitable for general productivity work, like data entry or spreadsheets, due to the lack of arrow keys, a function row, and a numpad.
In addition to its high-performance gaming features, this keyboard offers good build quality. It has a hard plastic frame, an aluminum top plate, and durable double-shot PBT keycaps that aren't prone to fading or becoming slippery over time, though they're a little wobbly. The cable is also detachable and easy to replace if it gets damaged.
The full-size AULA F99 or its smaller sibling, the F75, are wireless models with very soft gasket mount designs, so they're great if you like a very cushioned typing feel. These keyboards are typically a bit less expensive than the Keychron V5 Max. However, their plastic cases do feel a bit cheaper, and they don't perform quite as well for gaming. Furthermore, the buying experience can be a bit confusing and inconsistent with small variations in switch options, colorways, or even case designs, depending on what retailer you're buying from.
We've verified the price and availability of all our picks. While we haven't made any changes to our primary lineup, we've added the AULA F99/F75 to our list of Notable Mentions, which replaces the HyperX Alloy Origins 60.
Sep 17, 2024: We've reviewed all our picks and confirm they remain the best options in terms of price, relevance, and availability. As a result, our lineup remains unchanged.
Jun 19, 2024: We've removed the Obinslab Anne Pro 2 from our recommendations as it's getting older and more difficult to find in stock. We've also added a new 'Best Cheap Wired Mechanical Keyboard' category with the Keychron C1 Pro as our pick.
Apr 19, 2024: We've replaced the Keychron K10 as our top pick with the Keychron V5 Max, which is around the same price but has significantly better build quality and performance and delivers a better overall typing experience. We've also removed our previous 'Best For Programming' category as it no longer fits the article's structure well.
Feb 02, 2024: We've audited all our recommendations for relevance, price, and availability. We aren't changing our lineup with this update, but we've added a new link to our newly updated Mechanical Switches: How to Choose article in the introduction.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best mechanical keyboards at a budget price point for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
pbt keycap set If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our mechanical keyboard reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no keyboard is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.