A great keyboard should be comfortable and satisfying to type on all day long, but which one you should get depends on a number of your preferences. We’ve spent thousands of hours typing on keyboards of all kinds to help you narrow down your search, whether you want a compact keyboard to save desk space or an ergonomic keyboard to mitigate or prevent discomfort. We also have advice for deciding which type to get if you’re not sure where to start.
We have over a dozen recommendations for a variety of needs—wireless setups, ergonomic designs, and more—so we’ve provided the full list here grouped together with Windows layouts or with Mac layouts.
If you want to shop for a mechanical keyboard on your own, we have an entire article dedicated to diving into the terminology and details.
There’s no such thing as one perfect keyboard for everyone. The kind of keyboard you should get depends on what you’ll use it for, your aesthetic preference, your computer or device, and your own anatomy.
Wired/wireless: Wireless keyboards are more portable and versatile than wired keyboards, and they reduce clutter on a desk. If you take your keyboard on the road with you or use it with mobile devices such as tablets or phones, a wireless keyboard is the more convenient option. But wireless models are less ideal for gaming than wired keyboards because their wireless connection can introduce input delays, and they can struggle to register simultaneous keystrokes.
We recommend compact keyboards for most people because they’re the closest thing to a laptop keyboard, and they take up the least space on a desk. They also offer the most ergonomic benefits compared with other standard keyboard layouts because they prevent your mouse from sitting too far to the side. However, compact keyboards typically sacrifice a number pad and a handful of other keys, such as navigation and function keys.
Why we like this one: The Logitech K380 is comfortable, compact, and inexpensive, and we’ve recommended it for more than five years. It can switch between up to three paired devices seamlessly with the push of a button, and it’s small and light enough to carry around in a bag wherever you go. Though its round keys take a little while to get used to, it’s comfortable to type on for long periods of time, and its battery life is outstanding—multiple Wirecutter staffers have used it daily for two or more years before needing to change the batteries.
Why we like this one: If you’re willing to spend more than twice as much over the K380 for a better typing experience and backlit keys, we recommend the Logitech MX Keys Mini and MX Keys Mini for Mac. The keys are a more traditional size and square shape compared with the K380’s round keys, and they’re well spaced and comfortable to type on. And like the K380, the MX Keys Mini can pair with and switch between three devices via Bluetooth.
Where it falls short: The MX Keys Mini won’t last nearly as long on a charge as the K380—Logitech claims five months of battery life with the backlight off but only 10 days with the backlight on, compared to the K380’s two years. The internal battery is rechargeable, but not replaceable, and we expect that the battery life will degrade over time like in previous models we’ve tested. The MX Keys Mini also takes up a bit more desk space than the K380, and doesn’t come with a USB dongle. (If you need one, you’ll have to buy the Bolt USB Receiver separately for $15.)
You can read more about the Logitech MX Keys Mini and our other picks in our guide to the best wireless keyboards.
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