The 5 Best Cheap Mechanical Keyboards - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best budget mechanical keyboard that we've tested is the Logitech G413. This full-size gaming keyboard is versatile for other uses as well. Despite its low cost, it's still very well-made with a plastic frame and solid aluminum plate on top, so you shouldn't experience many issues with its build.

It's only available with proprietary Romer-G Tactile switches, which are light to press, have low pre-travel distance, and offer good tactile feedback. Typing quality is good, and the keys are stable, but they can also feel a bit stiff and cause some fatigue after long periods of use. Click latency is very low, which is great for a responsive gaming experience. It has individually lit keys, but sadly it only has red backlighting, which is still good if you game in a dark room.

Unfortunately, even though you can reprogram the function keys, you can't reprogram any other key. That's somewhat expected for a cheap keyboard like this one, and at least the Logitech G HUB software is easy-to-use in case you want to reprogram them. All things considered, this is the best cheap mechanical keyboard that we've tested.

The best budget mechanical keyboard under $100 that we’ve tested is the SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. This wired-only option feels very solid and durable, thanks to its aluminum alloy top and doubleshot ABS keycaps. It also has good ergonomics as it comes with a wrist rest and one adjustable incline setting.

It uses proprietary SteelSeries Hybrid Blue Mechanical switches that feel very responsive and have a satisfying tactile bump as well as an audible click when a key is actuated. The keyboard comes with a good number of extra features, like an OLED screen that can show you almost anything you want and a Windows key lock to prevent you from minimizing your game accidentally. It's also highly customizable within the user-friendly SteelSeries Engine software.

Unfortunately, typing on it is fairly loud due to the audible click of the switches. It also doesn’t have any dedicated macro keys, but you can reprogram any key. It has full RGB backlighting, which is great for dark-room gaming, and you can easily control its brightness directly on the board. If you're looking for an exceptional mechanical gaming keyboard for under $100, this is an excellent choice.

The best wireless mechanical keyboard for less than $100 that we’ve tested is the Corsair K63 Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. It's quite versatile and has good ergonomics thanks to the included wrist rest and the adjustable incline setting. You can connect it with two different devices at the same time, either with the USB receiver or via Bluetooth, and you can easily switch between them directly on the keyboard.

It uses linear Cherry MX Red switches, which require a bit of force to actuate and don’t offer any tactile feedback. The switches feel very responsive, and typing on it shouldn’t cause any fatigue. It also has a few extra features, like dedicated media keys and a Windows key lock, and although there aren’t any dedicated macro keys for MMO players, it's possible to reprogram any key.

Unfortunately, the build quality is only decent, as it’s entirely made out of plastic that feels a bit cheap. Also, there isn’t any onboard memory or cloud sync feature, so you can’t keep your customization settings when you switch devices. Note that this keyboard has blue backlighting only, so fans of RGB may be disappointed. That said, among all the wireless options we've tested, this is the best cheap mechanical keyboard.