Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB vs ZSA Moonlander

Which Keyboard Is Better?

Products

Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB
ZSA Moonlander

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Nov 27, 2023 05:22 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 18, 2025 05:47 PM

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  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Ergonomic

Our Verdict

Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB

ZSA Moonlander

The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB and the ZSA Moonlander are both fully split mechanical keyboards, but the ZSA has better ergonomics since it has incline feet that let you angle the board in whichever way you feel most comfortable. The Kinesis is available with Cherry MX Brown, Blue, and Red switches, and the ZSA is available with Cherry MX Brown, Blue, and a variety of Kailh switches. Also, the ZSA is hot-swappable, so you can use any switch you like. However, while all of the keys on both boards are macro-programmable, there's a limit of five key sequences on the ZSA, which may be annoying if you need longer strings. The ZSA has a much higher latency, so the Kinesis might be a better choice for gaming.

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Variants

  • Freestyle Edge RGB (Black)
  • Moonlander (Mark Matter)
  • Moonlander (Moonlit)

Check Price

Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mark Matter
Moonlander
Amazon.com
Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Moonlit
Moonlander
Amazon.com
Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
B&H
 
Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
BestBuy.com
 

Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.0
8.5

Chord Split 
 

6.6
8.9

Backlight Features 
 

10
8.5

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.5

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Size 
 

TenKeyLess (80%)
TenKeyLess (80%)

Height 
 

1.1" (2.7 cm)
1.1" (2.9 cm)

Width  

15.4" (39.1 cm)
13.3" (33.9 cm)

Depth 
 

7.2" (18.3 cm)
6.5" (16.6 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

10.1" (25.6 cm)
9.7" (24.6 cm)

Weight 
 

2.65 lbs (1.200 kg)
1.76 lbs (0.800 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Keycap Material  

ABS
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

8.0
9.0

Side Picture  

Curved/Angled 
 

No
Yes

Split Keyboard 
 

Yes
Yes

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered
Columnar

Minimum Incline 
 

-15°

Medium Incline 
 

N/A

Maximum Incline 
 

N/A
17°

Home Row Height 
 

26.7 mm (1.1")
28.0 mm (1.1")
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

4.6
5.8

Customizability Overview  

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes
No

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Plate-Mounted
Non-Customizable Design

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

Non-Customizable Design
No Stabilizer

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

Non-Standard
1u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

No
Yes

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style
Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

Soldered
5-pin Cherry

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlight Features 
 

10
8.5

Backlighting Picture  

Brightness Max  

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

RGB 
 

Yes
Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

9.0
9.0

White Shot  

Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wired

Detachable 
 

No
Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)

Length  

5.9 ft (1.8 m)
7.5 ft (2.3 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

Not Detachable
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
No Batteries
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

9.1
0.0

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

8
0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

Yes
No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes
No

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Non-Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No
No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

No
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

No
No

Lock Indicator  

Caps & Scroll Lock
No Indicator
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.5

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

7.9
7.8

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

50.5 dBA
50.8 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Cherry MX Brown
Cherry MX Brown

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical
Mechanical

Feel 
 

Tactile
Tactile

Analog 
 

No
No

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details
See details

Operating Force 
 

53 gf
53 gf

Actuation Force 
 

44 gf
41 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.0 mm
1.9 mm

Total Travel 
 

4.0 mm
4.1 mm
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

8.1
8.3

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details
See details

Best Connection 
 

14.0 ms
11.2 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±0.6 ms
±0.6 ms

Wired 
 

14.0 ms
11.2 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

PCB (Estimated) 
 

12.1 ms
9.4 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

7.5
7.9

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details
See details

Connection Evaluated  

Wired
Wired

Key Press 
 

14.1 ms
11.1 ms

Key Release 
 

19.4 ms
14.5 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

7.5
8.2

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Connection Evaluated  

Wired
Wired

USB Polling Rate 
 

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

250 Hz
1,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes
Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Chord Split 
 

6.6
8.9

Chord Split Graph  

See details
See details

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

9.3 ms
3.0 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

16.1 ms
8.9 ms
Show Text 
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Tour  

Software Name  

RGB SmartSet
No Software

Software Windows Compatible 
 

Yes
No

Software macOS Compatible 
 

Yes
No

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
No

Profiles 
 

6+
No Profile
Show Text 

Computer Compatibility 
 

10
10

Windows 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

macOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux
Windows, MacOS & Linux
Show Text 

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

0.0
0.0

Android 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

iOS 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

iPadOS 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

Check Price

Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mark Matter
Moonlander
Amazon.com
Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Moonlit
Moonlander
Amazon.com
Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
B&H
 
Black
Freestyle Edge RGB
BestBuy.com
 

Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB

ZSA Moonlander

Comments

  1. Comparison

Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB vs ZSA Moonlander: Main Discussion

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