The 15 Best Keycaps for Your Keyboard (for Every Budget)

Swapping your keycaps is probably the fastest and easiest way to get your keyboard looking sexy and sleek.

But choose the wrong keycaps–and you’ll find them warping, fading, or even causing wrist pain.

As a long-time mechanical keyboard nerd, I’ve put together a list of the best keycaps you can find in 2023–that are both affordable (mostly) and of the highest quality.

(and keep reading after the list to learn way more about keycaps 👍)

Let’s clack.

Keycap Buying Guide: What to Look For

As you go through the list of keycaps, you’ll want to pay attention to a few things:

Design

Obviously, you’ll want to get keycaps based on how they look! Aside from how they feel (see below), keycaps are 99% about design!

Material

99% of the keycaps you’ll see are one of two materials:

• ABS Plastic - Lighter, feels very smooth, gets shiny with age
• PBT Plastic - Feels textured, matte finish that ages well

Which one you buy should come down to preference! Personally, I LIKE the aged shiny look of ABS plastic.

RGB Shine-Through

Most keycaps will at least let some RGB backlighting shine through from the keyboard PCB, but some more than others.

If you see “Double-shot PBT” mentioned, these keycaps are made from two separate pieces of plastic (injection molded together). This allows RGB light to shine through the transparent keycap legends (letters on top of the keycaps, for example).

“Pudding keycaps” are keycaps with a solid color on top, but with semi-transparent sides that let a LOT of RGB backlight through. It all comes down to personal preference!

Keycap Profile

Keycap “profiles” refer to different shapes & sizes, including flat, curved, sculpted, or uniform, etc. Keycap heights range from very short (like a laptop keyboard) to very tall.

some different keycap profiles

Profiles make a huge difference in how your keyboard will feel (and can even lead to a bad experience, i.e. purchasing tall keycaps that end up hurting your fingers or wrist).

Keyboard Compatibility

ANSI or ISO? Double-check your keyboard to make sure you’re buying keycaps for the correct layout!

(Different keyboards have different-sized space bars, shift keys, etc!)

Cost

You can pick up cheap PBT keycaps on Amazon these days, and they’re great! But some brands (*cough GMK) like to charge $150+ for a set of keycaps. You should set a budget and stick to it.

The Best Keycaps List:

These aren’t in a certain order! 

Just browse through and find some that you think look cool. 😎

Akko Black on White

Cost

Material

Profile

Link to buy

$

PBT Dye sub

XDA

Amazon

“Matcha” keycaps are generally have a color scheme like matcha tea, and many brands release a design like this, but I like this budget-friendly option.

For one, their cheap. For two, the XDA keycap profile is surprinsgly rare, but feels great to type on (it’s a uniform profile).

What Are Keycap “Group Buys?”

In the mechanical keyboard world, “group buys” basically just means “pre-order.”

Before keycap brands actually manufacture a new design, they’ll often make some digital mock-ups for an “interest check.” If that goes well, they will take pre-orders in the “group buy,” and the keycaps then get manufactured and delivered (sometimes it takes months or even years though)!

Personally, I hate group buys and don’t buy into them.

Why Get a New Keycap Set?

First, it’s fun!

I love trying to optimize the design of a new keyboard–searching around for the best keycaps that’ll match the case, etc.

Mechanical keyboards are all about style.

Second, if you suffer from carpal tunnel, wrist pain, or finger pain when typing or gaming–a new keycap set could be much more comfortable.

You’ll want to research keycap profiles (see below) and find a shape/height that might alleviate your pain.

What is the Best Keycap Material?

There’s no correct answer, as it depends on the look and feel that you’re going for!

Here are the materials you’ll see most often:

ABS Plastic

These are usually cheaper. They’re thinner plastic that’s smooth and can wear “shiny” with more use.

PBT Plastic

More expensive, but more durable and won’t change over time. They’re thicker and feel “textured” and with a matte finish.

Polycarbonate (PC):

PC is used a lot in mechanical keyboards (from cases to switches to keycaps). Most transparent or translucent keycaps are likely made from PC!

My recommendation: Don’t make a purchasing decision based on materials! 99% of keycaps are either ABS or PBT, both of which will last a long time. (But if it’s ABS plastic, do a Google search to see how “shiny” they’ll look in the future).

Choosing the Right Keycap Profile

4 different escape keys

Keycap profiles are a VERY important part of buying keycaps.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common keycap profiles:

Keycap Profile

Height

Shape

Top of Keycap

Notes

OEM

Medium: 10mm-12mm

Slightly sculpted

Cylindrical

Common on many keyboards. The center rows of keys are 10mm, the edges are 12mm

Cherry

Medium: 10 mm

Slightly sculpted

Cylindrical

Also very popular. These are probably the most “normal” profiles

SA

Tall: 16.5mm

Heavily sculpted

Slightly spherical

They’re huge! And awesome. I own some Domikey SA keycaps and love them.

XDA

Medium: 9mm

Uniform

Spherical

Similar to DSA, but taller and have larger keytop typing area

DSA

Short: 7.6mm

Uniform

Spherical

Similar to XDA, but much shorter

My recommendation: Unless you have huge hands or use a wrist rest, avoid SA profile keycaps. They’re really tall!

Stick to either OEM or Cherry profile (the two most common ones you’ll see). They’re a great height and should be comfortable for anybody.

If you suffer from wrist pain, you might consider searching for low-profile keycaps (or a low-profile keyboard)!

Click here to learn everything there is to know about keycap profiles!

What are Artisan Keycaps?

“Artisan” keycaps are individual keycaps (not a full set) that are fancier, or even hand-made!

You can find thousands of different designs, from Star Wars keycaps to my vintage Mac computer keycap.

They are expensive but fun.

My recommendation: Try searching Etsy for artisan keycaps, and if you find one you really like, go for it! It might cost $15-50, but would be worth it for THE perfect keycap.

Keycap F.A.Q.s

What are pudding keycaps?

Pudding keycaps are mechanical keyboard keycaps that feature a solid-color top (where your finger touches), but a semi-transparent side that lets RGB backlighting shine through more. The translucent sides diffuse the backlighting, leading to a bright “glow” effect for your RGB light.

What are Doubleshot Keycaps?

Doubleshot keycaps are made from two separate pieces of plastic that are injection molded (stuck together) to create the keycap. This process makes the keycap legend transparent so that RGB backlighting can shine through. Doubleshot keycaps can be either ABS or PBT plastic, but PBT plastic is far more common.

Can any keycaps fit any keyboard?

No. You will need to check compatibility with your switch stems (Cherry MX style is the standard), as well as your keyboard layout (ANSI vs ISO, etc) to make sure that your keycaps will be compatible. Different keyboard layouts have different-sized keys (like the space bar, shift keyboard, etc).

Can you replace keyboard keycaps?

This depends on your keyboard. If you’re using a mechanical keyboard, then yes. There are thousands of different keycaps to purchase! If you’re using a “normal” keyboard (membrane keyboards, Apple magic keyboard, etc), you will need to check with your specific manufacturer. Maybe keycaps can be pulled off and replaced, but it might void the warranty or even damage your keyboard.

How do I choose good keycaps?

When replacing keycaps for your mechanical keyboard, you’ll want to consider design, cost, materials (PBT or ABS plastic), RGB shine-through, as well as keycap profiles (keycaps come in various heights and shapes, some which could be uncomfortable to your hands). You’ll also want to make sure your keycaps are compatible with your specific keyboard layout!

What keycaps are best for typing?

Cherry or OEM profiles are probably the best profiles for typing. These are on the short-to-medium end of the keycap height spectrum, and might make it easier for your fingers to move between keys, improving efficiency. You might also consider the materials: ABS plastic will feel smoother but fade over time, while PBT plastic is more durable but feels more textured. 

What keycaps are best for gaming?

Just about all keycaps will work great for gaming, so you should choose keycaps based on design, and perhaps the height of the keycap profile. If you suffer from wrist pain, you should choose a small keycap such as OEM or Cherry. If you play games where the left side of your keyboard sees more action than the right side, you might consider getting PBT plastic keycaps, to avoid the left side keycaps wearing out and getting “shiny,” which can happen with ABS plastic keycaps.

Why are keycaps so expensive?

First, the design, tooling, and manufacturing process for keycaps does cost more than you might think. Second, many of the more premium keycap sets are limited designs that might not be available in the future, and will naturally cost more.

Are GMK keycaps worth it?

GMK is a popular premium brand of mechanical keyboard keycaps, and their keycap sets often run $150 or more. These keycaps are not better from a technical standpoint; they’re generally the same materials, profiles, and layouts as other, cheaper sets. However, the designs are often one-time productions and are only available for a limited time. If you want those keycap sets, you’ll need to pay the premium price!