The Best Cheap Keyboards for 2025

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Keyboards are essential to any PC setup, but once you start getting particular about typing comfort and features, their prices can rise quickly. (Some elite gaming and productivity mechanical keyboards cost $150 or more.) Replacing a worn-out keyboard with a decent new one for minimal money is an exercise in compromises, but you can land a value champ if you know what to look for. At PCMag, we've been testing keyboards for decades, evaluating then on myriad features such as connectivity, typing comfort, supporting software, layout, and ergonomics, so you can trust our advice on what's essential and what's not. Our current favorite budget keyboard for productivity is the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard, and for gaming, the Corsair K55 RGB Pro. Check out those and other top picks for different scenarios, followed by detailed buying advice on how to land the best budget keyboard.

How Much Money to Spend on a Cheap Keyboard?

What makes for a budget keyboard, price-wise? The sweet spot is around $50—but if that seems high, know that if you shop carefully, you can go as low as $20 and still come away with a usable typing experience. A low price doesn't mean a keyboard can't be a good performer, as our list of favorites demonstrates.

To keep these keyboards in budget territory, manufacturers must make some concessions. For example, an affordable wireless keyboard may use disposable AA or AAA batteries rather than an internal battery pack you recharge. Or you may not have a choice of key switches, the physical mechanisms under each key that determine travel time, sound, and overall typing comfort. (Most won't be mechanical in this price range.) Also expect a lack of robust utility software, which allows for things like macro customization.

As a result, a budget keyboard is not for everyone. Serious esports players will likely scoff at the lack of game-improving features and customization options, while productivity hounds may roll their eyes at the absence of macros or automated commands. And plenty of people who care about desk aesthetics will bemoan the less-than-stylish designs of most cheap options.

But if you're shopping for a cheap keyboard because you've got a hard line capping your budget, most of these cons won't be deal-breakers. On the contrary, you'll be able to overlook many of them given a keyboard's price. And if you shop carefully, you can find a few models that strike a perfect balance between cost and features.

What to Look for in a Budget Keyboard

Keyboards, whether cheap, mainstream, or elite, come in three main size classes: full-size, TKL (short for "tenkeyless"), and 60 percent. Full-size keyboards offer a complete layout: a 10-key numeric pad, a full row of function keys, dedicated buttons for secondary commands like Page Up and Page Down, and maybe a few shortcut keys that users can program themselves. Some models at this size may offer dedicated media controls and other creature comforts. The downside, of course: Full-size keyboards require more desk space.

In the name of downsizing, TKL keyboards remove the numeric keypad (the ten keys in "tenkeyless") along with roughly 20% to 30% of the rest of the board, letting you reclaim that desk space. Keep in mind that losing keys doesn't always mean losing functionality. On some models, shortcut functions are moved onto other keys, as key combos.

Is TKL still too much keyboard to handle? You can trim all the fat away and opt for a "60 percent" design, which shrinks a keyboard even smaller than a TKL model. These smaller keyboards are favorites of programmers and the hard-core gaming crowd, but they do have a slight learning curve. Check out our 60 percent keyboard guide for everything you need to know about the category.

Once you've found the size of keyboard that suits you best, you can dig into the details. Today's upper-end gaming keyboards, for example, mostly use mechanical key switches, which pair each key to its own spring-loaded switch. The traditional pace-setters among mechanical switches are from a company called Cherry, but you'll find plenty of alternatives to them, each with a slightly different design tweaked to provide a specific feel and sound. Common alt-switch names to look for here include Kailh and Gateron.

If you see mechanical key switches in a budget gaming keyboard, they are likely to be from one of these lesser-known brands. More likely, though, in the under-$50 keyboard market you'll have to settle for rubber-dome membrane switches, which use a sheet of springy material with domes molded into it to provide the bounce under the keys, versus individual springs on each key. These switches are less tactile and tend toward a softer feel, not delivering the loud click that many mechanicals do when pressed. But they get the typing done.

Budget productivity keyboards will almost exclusively rely on rubber-dome or scissor switches (a type of switch that isn't strictly mechanical but usually has an X-shaped stabilizer under each key). You can find some budget models with dedicated shortcut keys and even wireless connectivity, but expect them to be limited in what they can do, versus a $100-and-up alternative. Although you'll find exceptions, Bluetooth connectivity tends to give way in favor of a 2.4GHz wireless link requiring a USB dongle. And forget about rugged metal frames—most economy productivity keyboards are plastic and lightweight.

If you're reading this and wondering if a cheap keyboard is worth the trade-offs, don't count one out until you ask yourself whether a basic feature set isn't exactly what you need. Keyboard makers do tend to pile on the features to pump up the price, and maybe adjustable polling rates, a volume roller, or a plush wrist rest aren't worth an extra $50 to you.

It's all about how you use your PC and what kind of keyboard you're coming from. A budget keyboard should be able to provide the basics at a price that doesn't sap your wallet, and $30 to $50 should get you a board that's a marked step upward from the flimsy economy models bundled with most desktop PCs.

Ready to Buy the Right Budget Keyboard for You?

Savvy techies will never let a tight budget hold them back from decking out a PC setup. The keyboards we've collected here aren't the finest money can buy, but that's not why you're here. They're all solid performers we can recommend if you're strapped.

If you're looking to fully deck out your work or battle station on the cheap, also check out our frugal picks for computer mice and budget monitors. And if you're searching for other budget gear, see our picks for the best budget laptops and cheap gaming laptops.