The best keyboard for you is one that meets your needs, and if your need is a cheap and affordable keyboard that you can rely on to get through the working week, then look no further. In this article, our experts round up the very best budget keyboards in 2024. And when we say budget, we mean it – we’ve included pick starting at £10 and capped it out around the £50 mark.
Once you’ve set a budget, there are a couple more things to consider before purchasing your new keyboard. Firstly consider the size of the keyboard. If you're going to be putting it into a backpack with your laptop, you might want to stay aware of full-size options. Secondly, consider whether you're a regular numeric keypad user, as not all keyboards will have them. Thirdly, look at the extra features you're likely to want – such as specially dedicated buttons for playing music or volume control, or wireless connectivity for a clutter-free setup.
Best budget keyboards of 2024 at a glance:
• Best overall budget keyboard: Trust Ody II - View at Argos
• Best budget compact keyboard: Logitech Pebble 2 - View at Amazon
• Best low budget keyboard: Kensington Wired Keyboard - View at Amazon
How we’ve selected our top picks:
At What's The Best, we have decades of collective experience in consumer technologies. We’ve written hundreds of articles about – and with – keyboards of all shapes, sizes and price tags. We’ve used this hands-on experience to inform our selection. If we wouldn’t feel comfortable buying it ourselves, we won’t recommend it.
Best budget keyboards of 2024
All prices are correct at the time of writing. Prices, stock and deals are subject to change without notice.
The Trust Ody 2 is our favourite budget keyboard. It offers quiet keystrokes, wireless connectivity (via the included dongle), a sleek design, a reliable build and a remarkable price tag. It’s comfortable to use for prolonged periods, and its cushioned keys prevent finger aches. Despite missing flashier features like backlit keys and a rechargeable battery, it remains a keyboard that we strongly recommend.
Adam Binnie reflected on his time reviewing the keyboard: “I used to have a really loud keyboard, so people in the office were over the moon when I switched to this, with its super quiet keystrokes, and I generally found the floating keys great to type with. Just be warned, if you lose or damage that dongle, it’s not replaceable – so keep an eye on it!”
Pros
- Very quiet keystrokes
- Great new design
- Comes with a mouse
Cons
- Not totally silent
Despite its compact size and smaller keys, we were quite impressed with the Pebble 2 keyboard and its great build quality and scissor switches, which offer a satisfying typing experience. As expected from Logitech, connectivity is excellent, allowing seamless switching between paired devices with remarkable speed. Additionally, the disposable battery delivers an impressive runtime of up to two years.
Ryan Houghton, who reviewed the Pebble 2 as part of a mouse and keyboard bundle, said: “This is for anyone who needs a space-efficient keyboard. The build quality is one of the best you’ll get at this price, too.”
Pros
- Beautifully designed to be portable
- Fantastic battery life
- Great connectivity options
Cons
- A little too small, particularly tiny rounded keys
This USB keyboard from Kensington is a simple solution to a simple need, as it provides a full-sized keyboard at an affordable price. A really nice feature of the ValuKeyboard is its sealed membrane, which is spill-resistant and therefore protects the internal electrical components.
Our tester, William Austin-Lobley, said, "This is very cheap, very cheerful. It’s nice and smooth to type on, and the membrane means its not too loud, either. A basic but solid choice.”
Pros
- Cheap but solid enough
- Full-size
- Tactile keys with positive feedback
- Practical 1.5m USB cable
Cons
- Very basic
This wired keyboard from Rii is full-sized with all 104 keys present and correct. It’s plug-and-play, working right out of the box without fuss. For added convenience, there are dedicated buttons for controlling music, volume and opening email. The button press is quiet, which you don’t always get with cheap keyboards, and the feeling is smooth.
Tester William Austin-Lobley noted the following: “I really like this one. The keystrokes are really quiet and smooth, with a bit of a spongy bounce at the bottom – this won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I found it pleasant. It is quite a thick keyboard though, so those with wrist issues may want to combine it with a wrist rest.”
Pros
- Good quality build
- Nice keystrokes
- Extra function buttons
Cons
- Soft key feel won't be for everyone
Best low-budget compact keyboard
TrustFunction and affordability are front and centre with this from Trust. In our test, we found that typing on this compact keyboard was pleasant and responsive. A wireless keyboard supports three connections, which makes switching between devices a breeze. The only issue we found is that, despite being compatible with Apple Macs and Windows PCs, it’s much better for Windows users.
Following his review, William Austin-Lobley notes the following: “If you want a compact keyboard, this is a really nice choice. Especially when paired with a smaller laptop, such as a 14-inch option. The multiple Bluetooth connections are also welcome, letting me easily jump between my work and personal laptops.”
Pros
- Versatile wireless connectivity that can work across devices and operating systems
- Long battery life that can be recharged via USB-C
- It has a decent build quality that feels solid for typing despite only weighing 301g
Cons
- Need for strict button presses can be frustrating for very fast typers
- Layout may cause Apple users confusion due to reversed FN/Control keys
Best budget keyboards of 2024: Buyer's guide
How to pick the best keyboard for typing
There is often no hard and fast rule for this, as it will all come down to actually trying them out for yourself. However, many typists tend to gravitate towards mechanical keyboards as the key switches are very responsive. Spacing between the keys and the lack of tactile marks for touch-typists can also be an issue, so make sure you do your research.
Wireless versus wired keyboard
One final consideration is, of course, wires. If you're frequently annoyed by wiring clutter, then wireless is the way to go. These days batteries last for an age in both the average keyboard and budget mouse, but if you're a gamer (or don't mind the trailing wires), there are a couple of benefits to wired budget keyboards.
Firstly, there's no input lag - meaning that the time it takes from when a gamer hits a key to the time the action happens on-screen - is almost non-existent. Secondly, you'll never have to worry about batteries running out.
Best budget keyboards of 2024: Frequently asked questions
What are the best budget keyboards for gaming?
As we mentioned earlier, we think the Redragon K552 Mechanical Keyboard is an excellent budget option. It combines many of the features gamers want in one affordable unit. That said, if there's one type of keyboard that will swamp you for choice it's gaming keyboards.
As a rule of thumb, especially on a budget, steer clear of those that look too good to be true. Lots of lighting, massive branding or graphics, and oddly shaped cases are a red flag. Go for the quality of the keys and the mainstream brands and you won't go far wrong.
Battery or rechargeable?
Some keyboards have removable batteries, such as AA or AAA. You can, of course, swap these out for your own rechargeable versions, but you'll need two sets so that you can continue to type while the others recharge. Other keyboards have integrated rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion. But these are rarely removable. So, when you run out of juice, you'll normally have a USB charge cable included in the package. The choice between these battery options is yours.
What does WASD mean?
You may hear the term 'WASD' being discussed around keyboards. It might sound like a nasty medical acronym, but these are the set of four keys that are commonly used to control the direction of movement of a player's character in certain video games.
William Lobley is the Editor for What's The Best. Here, he oversees, curates and researches listicles and reviews as many products as his home office can handle.
He has spent nearly five years writing about tech, audio, outdoors and fitness and has reviewed everything from smartphones to ice baths. In addition, he's well-versed in sniffing out the best deals and savings the internet offers.
When not at his desk writing, reviewing or deal-hunting, he'll be relaxing with Japanese crime novels, bingeing some classic anime, strolling the countryside or at the gym listening to the heaviest metal Spotify has to offer.
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