The 5 Best Budget Mechanical Keyboards - Fall 2023 Reviews

The Keychron K10 is the best budget mechanical keyboard that we've tested. It offers a fully wireless experience, connecting with up to three devices using Bluetooth. With an outstanding battery life of up to 70 hours with backlighting on or up to 240 hours with it off, you won't have to worry about charging it frequently. The K10 offers a typing experience that feels and sounds good right out of the box, with the stock Gateron G Pro switches offering good tactile feedback. That said, you can also purchase a hot-swappable version of this board, allowing you to easily change out the switches if you want a different tying experience.

Though made of ABS plastic, the keycaps feel great on the fingertips, and the keys are very stable. Like all other keyboards in Keychron's K-series, it has a compatibility toggle to switch operating systems and includes extra system-specific keycaps. While we recommend the full-sized K10 here, Keychron's K-series has a range of sizes and configurations available, and all of these boards come in at a budget-friendly price point, so it's worth checking out their website to see what configuration works best for you.

While our top pick, the Keychron K10, is an outstanding out-of-the-box option for general use, you might be looking for something geared toward gaming. 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 you might find the optical switches cause you to make more typos during regular use due to their sensitivity. Its compact size allows for dynamic mouse movements, but it isn't a good fit for general productivity work, like data entry or spreadsheets, due to the lack of arrow keys and a number pad.

In addition to its high-performance gaming features, this keyboard offers good build quality, with a hard plastic frame, aluminum top plate, and durable double-shot PBT keycaps that aren't prone to fading or becoming slippery over time, though they are a little wobbly. There's a detachable cable that's easy to replace if it gets damaged.

The Keychron V Series keyboards are a programmer's dream. While they aren't wireless like our top pick, their major selling point is that you can personalize them to your liking, with various available switches, stabilizers, and other internal components to best suit your needs. They also come at a budget price point, meaning you don't need to spend a small fortune to get a bespoke unit. That said, you can also opt for a pre-built unit. V-Series keyboards offer an excellent typing experience with all the stock components, which include PBT keycaps, a layer of sound-dampening foam, and a retro-style transparent plastic frame.

In addition to its physical customizability, V Series boards offer a suite of software customization options. The VIA companion software is available on all major desktop operating systems, including Linux. It lets you program macros to any key, remap key assignments, create layers and profiles, and adjust the RGB lighting effects and colors. You can also save these custom settings to the keyboard's onboard memory for easy access. These keyboards are fully compatible with QMK, an open-source tool that allows you to build personalized firmware for your board.

As a writer, your keyboard is one of your most important tools, but many premium models also carry premium price tags. That's why we recommend the ROYAL KLUDGE RK61. This solidly built unit offers everything a writer needs right at their fingertips at a price that won't strain your wallet too much. It's a compact, lightweight, and portable unit, making it perfectly suited for writers on the go. It fits naturally in working spaces, like libraries or cafes, and is easy to slip into backpacks. Just note that it lacks dedicated arrow keys (although it does have 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 pretty much anywhere and with any device. Other variants of this board are also available, including a hot-swappable version that allows you to change out the stock switches to get the typing experience you want.

If you're using a mobile device and want a mechanical keyboard, consider the Obinslab Anne Pro 2. It can be hard to find in stock from some online retailers, but they restock it fairly often. This keyboard offers unparalleled wireless connectivity options for something at this low a price point, allowing you to pair with up to four devices using Bluetooth. This makes it an excellent choice for multi-device setups or for use on the go. The whole body of the keyboard is plastic, but it still feels sturdy and high quality, and this plastic construction makes it much lighter to carry around than a keyboard with a mainly metal construction. Its compact form makes it easy to slip into backpacks and use in tight workspaces. Just note that there aren't any dedicated arrow keys (although the WASD keys function like arrow keys when you hold down the Fn key). Also, this keyboard has a fairly small battery compared to some wireless models, so you can expect about eight hours of wireless usage, meaning a few days of regular use between charges.

While this unit isn't hot-swappable, like other recommendations on this list, including the Keychron V Series or ROYAL KLUDGE RK61, it's available with a variety of different switch types from various manufacturers, so you'll find a switch type that works for you. It also has a handful of brightly colored extra keycaps to add visual flair.