The best mechanical keyboards, according to hackers
13 mechanical keyboards were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended mechanical keyboard with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Lasts decades and keeps working
People recommend it for its tactile buckling-spring feel and long life. The common caveat is stiff keys that take real force to press.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
All 13 mechanical keyboards, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Keyboard mechanical keyboard | 55 | 11 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| 2 | IBM Model M keyboard | 39 | 10 | 80% | 8 | 18 yrs7 owners | Approved |
| 3 | Keychron keyboard | 29 | 18 | 62% | 8 | — | — |
| 4 | Filco Majestouch TKL | 15 | 2 | 88% | 3 | 15 yrs5 owners | — |
| 5 | Truly Modular Keyboard | 10 | 1 | 91% | 1 | — | — |
| 6 | Altar II mechanical keyboard | 8 | 2 | 80% | 1 | — | — |
| 7 | Model F Labs Model F keyboard | 7 | 3 | 70% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 8 | Keychron Q11 | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 8 | Tex Shinobi | 6 | 1 | 86% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 8 | New Beam Spring Keyboard | 6 | 8 | 43% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard C64 | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | OLKB Planck keyboard | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | Keychron K4 | 5 | 1 | 83% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same mechanical keyboard in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to mechanical keyboards that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.