Gaming or working on one of the best keyboards can be a real upgrade for your day-to-day. They’re more comfortable, more accurate, and come with a range of exciting features, including mechanical switches, RGB lighting, media keys, and OLED displays. Whatever you’re looking for, the latest and greatest keyboards have it.
Whether you need a gaming keyboard, a mechanical keyboard, a wireless keyboard, or even just a basic work keyboard, our complete list of the best keyboards has the ideal choice for everyone.
Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard
The best keyboard for work
Pros
- Excellent typing experience
- Works with Windows and MacOS
- Pairs with up to three devices at once
- Adaptive, useful backlight
- Pairing is a breeze
Cons
- A bit expensive
- Limited key remapping options
- No hot-swappable switches
Why should gamers have all the fun and comfort of a mechanical keyboard? Logitech’s MX Mechanical might not have the flashiest looks, but this is a professional tool for professional typists and workers. It’s fast and responsive, comfortable to use over long periods, and is super durable. It pairs with up to three devices at once for easy device switching, and it works just as well with Windows and macOS, so there’s no problem with using it with whatever platform you prefer.
While it might not have RGB lighting that would distract you from work, there is some tasteful lighting you can use if you want to work in the dark. That will drain the battery quicker, though. It lasts up to 15 days with the lighting enabled, or a monstrous 10 months without it. It recharges quickly over USB-C, though, so you’ll never be without charge for long.
Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard
The best keyboard for work
Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96
The best gaming keyboard
Pros
- Wonderful typing and gaming experience
- Space-saving 96% layout
- Comfy wrist rest
The Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 wireless has a long name, but it well deserves such gravitas. This is a full-size keyboard crammed into a 96% form factor, giving you all the keys in much less space. It feels great to type and game on, as Digital Trends’ Jacob Roach found in his hands-on time with it. That’s partly down to the board foam, which stops you getting that hollow pinging sound that some gaming keyboards have.
It’s also a premium wireless gaming keyboard, untethering you from your desk. Its battery life is long enough not to be a pain, and the switches are super fast and responsive, helping you to be a better, more competitive player in fast-paced games. It comes with a comfy wrist rest, too, and the RGB lighting is some of the best in the business for customization.
Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96
The best gaming keyboard
HyperX Alloy Origins Core
The best cheap mechanical keyboard
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Aluminum frame and body
- Bright, vibrant RGB lighting
- True mechanical switches
Cons
- Full-sized option is more expensive
- No wrist rest
Mechanical keyboards are all the rage these days, and that’s meant that as well as pushing boundaries of capabilities at the top end, they’re also becoming more affordable at the entry level. The best of those in 2024 is the HyperX Alloy Origins Core. It’s a full RGB mechanical keyboard with incredible longevity, strong build quality, and a great typing and gaming experience, all for less than $70.
You can choose between the classic clicky, linear, or tactile switches, it has per-key lighting that’s fully customizable in the HyperX software, and it even has a detachable USB-C cable. You do have to sacrifice dedicated media keys, and there’s no wrist rest, but for what you do get for your money, it’s a steal.
HyperX Alloy Origins Core
The best cheap mechanical keyboard
Razer Pro Type Ultra Wireless Mechanical Keyboard
The best wireless keyboard
Pros
- Much improved battery life
- Professional look and feel
- Responsive switches
- Tasteful lighting
Cons
- Battery still doesn’t last as long as other wireless keyboards
The best wireless keyboards are natural companions to more flexible computing arrangements and more casual positions, but people sometimes worry about performance issues or lack of quality when going wireless. That’s no concern with Razer’s Pro Type Ultra, which combines excellent design choices, with fantastically responsive switches and an understated aesthetic that will look great in a gamer’s bedroom or on an office desk.
There’s a super comfortable wrist rest, and Razer massively improved the battery with this model over the standard Pro Type, extending it to well over 200 hours in Bluetooth mode. Unlike most black keyboards, the white design resists fingerprints more readily, helping the keyboard stay clean looking for a little longer.
Razer Pro Type Ultra Wireless Mechanical Keyboard
The best wireless keyboard
Apple Magic Keyboard
Best keyboard for iPad
Pros
- Tactile, precise typing experience
- Responsive trackpad
- Perfectly weighted for desk or lap use
- Genuinely increases productivity on iPad Pro
Cons
- An expensive accessory
- Screen angle adjustment is limited
Apple has an array of Magic Keyboards for various Mac and iOS devices, all durable, flat keyboards with quick responses and a general Apple aesthetic. But when it came to the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro, Apple understood that people expect a bit more. And it delivers.
This iPad keyboard is made to both magnetically connect to and prop up iPad Pro models for serious, long-term work. The keys are full size, backlit, and use a scissor mechanism with a 1mm travel time. That magnetic attachment also can charge the iPad Pro via a USB-C connection on the keyboard, which leaves the USB-C port on the iPad open for other attachments (something many professional users desperately need). It even has a trackpad, which you’ll want if you plan to use your iPad as a laptop replacement.
Apple Magic Keyboard
Best keyboard for iPad
Logitech Ergo K860
The best ergonomic keyboard
Pros
- Adjustable palm lift
- Comfortable keycaps
- Lots of wrist support
- Appealing design
- Can connect to multiple devices
Cons
- Not backlit
- Not rechargable
Ergonomic keyboards can come in a bewildering number of shapes and sizes, but Logitech hit gold with this Ergo model, which provides important wrist support without being intimidating to use. The angled key sections, plus the cushioned rest, help keep carpal tunnel at bay, while the sloped design and scooped keys ensure your fingers won’t easily get tired even during long sessions of work.
The slope and rest are also adjustable to three different levels, so you can change them to find which works best (for sitting versus standing, for example). But the Logitech Ergo keyboard isn’t just comfortable — it also has several features ideal for professionals, including FN keys that can be customized with macros and a full number pad. It can also go wireless up to more than 30 feet. Oh, and it’s fully compatible with Windows or MacOS. Pair it with a Logitech ergonomic mouse for the best results — you can often order them both together in a bundle to save money if you prefer.
Logitech Ergo K860
The best ergonomic keyboard
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL
The best wired gaming keyboard
Pros
- Fantastic adjustable magnetic switches
- In-depth per-key RGB lighting
- Built-in OLED display
- Comfortable wrist rest
Don’t want to worry about wireless battery life? We don’t blame you. You can get an equally fast, and more reliable gaming keyboard with the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL, featuring some of the most advanced switches in the world. These magnetic switches have customizable actuation distances, and you can tweak them individually using the backend software — or just look to the handy OLED display built into the keyboard itself.
There are dedicated media controls with a small volume wheel, excellent RGB lighting, and a comfortable wrist rest round out the package. Its USB-C cable is detachable, making it easy to replace and transporting it a bit more convenient. The tenkeyless design is compact but versatile, too.
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL
The best wired gaming keyboard
Logitech Signature K650
Best affordable office keyboard
Pros
- Works with Bluetooth and wireless dongle
- Understated design
- Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, iOS, and Android
- Extensive battery life with two AA
Cons
- Not rechargeable
- Lacks precision of mechanical keyboards
You don’t need to spend $100+ to get a great office keyboard. The Logitech K650 might not have the mechanical switches of its more-expensive contemporaries, but it offers an excellent, ergonomic office keyboard experience with comfortable typing and extensive battery life. Powered by just two AAs, this keyboard will run for up to 36 months (!) without needing a recharge, and works over Bluetooth or the Logitech wireless dongle for added convenience.
It has a comfortable wrist rest, standalone media controls, and useful time-saving shortcuts. It’s compatible with all major desktop and mobile operating systems, too, so you can connect it to just about anything and enjoy a smooth typing experience.
Logitech Signature K650
Best affordable office keyboard
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a keyboard work?
Underneath each key, there is an electrical switch, and the full array of switches is called a key matrix. These switches come in many different designs, but they all serve the same purpose: When you press down on a key, the key presses down on the switch and completes a circuit.
Wired vs. wireless: Which should I get?
Traditionally, wireless keyboards were easier to move around but somewhat slower to activate due to sending a wireless signal, while wired keyboards were faster but can’t be repositioned as easily. With wireless keyboards you do have to consider battery life, though, which ranges anywhere from just a few hours, to months at a time depending on the keyboard and how you use it (often, whether you have the backlight on or not makes the biggest difference).
What is a mechanical keyboard?
Mechanical keyboards use full switches with metal contacts and a small spring and avoid digital contact designs. This makes them far more responsive than traditional membrane keyboards, cutting down the input lag to just fractions of a millisecond at the top end, where membrane boards could take many times that and can slow you down during competitive gaming.
They’re more comfortable and accurate for typing, too, with tactile keyboards giving you a little bump when the key actuates, which can help improve your typing speed and accuracy. Mechanical keyboards are more expensive, though, especially the high-end ones that use new infrared or magnetic switch technology.
What is a scissor keyboard?
A scissor keyboard uses plastic cross switches shaped a little like a pair of scissors. When pressed, the two pieces close together and activate.
What is a butterfly keyboard?
A butterfly keyboard looks like an inverted scissor keyboard: Two cross switches meet in the middle and are pushed down to activate (like a butterfly’s wings flapping down).
What should I look for in a keyboard?
Start with the most important considerations. If you struggle with finger or wrist pain, look for an ergonomic keyboard or one with wrist support. If you are a competitive gamer, make sure you choose a keyboard that has key remapping and fast switches. If you need a numeric keypad, make sure it’s included.
You also want to consider mechanical switches, whatever kind of keyboard you’re after. They are more accurate, more durable, and more comfortable to type on than traditional membrane designs. They can even make you respond faster if you’re playing high-paced games, which can make all the difference.
Look for RGB lighting or at least some kind of backlighting if you plan to use the keyboard in the dark, and media controls can be handy, too. You’ll also need to decide between wired and wireless. The latter is more convenient, but will need recharging or powering up with new batteries now and again.
Where can you find the best deals on keyboards?
As with many electronics, it’s always a good idea to watch for deals on holiday weekends and similar occasions (Amazon Prime Day, etc.). However, if you want to cut straight to the current discounts, we keep our keyboard deal guides updated with the latest offerings.
What is the best gaming keyboard?
This is debatable as everyone has their favorites. We love the ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 for its impressive performance, comfort during use, and battery life, but there are many excellent gaming keyboards out there. The HyperX Alloy Core is affordable but impressive, while the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL has some of the most advanced switches in the world.
For more help, check out our guide to the best gaming keyboards.
