Best quiet mechanical keyboard 2023

The best quiet mechanical keyboards combine the tactile satisfaction of mechanical switches, without the typically associated loud click-clack noise that can often become a distraction while sitting at your desk.

At their heart, mechanical keyboards often make for some of the best gaming keyboards on the market, alongside being handy companions for office use as well thanks to their reliability.

To avoid that distracting noise though, you'll want to keep an eye out for keyboards with Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Brown switches, something we've primarily focused on when putting together our list of the best below.

However, you've also got to consider features like macros, USB pass-throughs, and media controls when seeking out and selecting the right mechanical keyboard to buy. Fortunately, we've taken all this and more into account here, thus kicking off your search for your next PC upgrade in the best way possible.

So, let's get into some of the best quiet mechanical keyboards around.

Best quiet mechanical keyboard

1. Corsair K70 RGB MK.2
2. Logitech G610 Orion
3. NPET K10 Gaming Keyboard
4. Das Professional Keyboard
5. RK Royal Kludge RK61

Credit: Corsair

1. Corsair K70 RGB MK.2

Best quiet mechanical keyboard overall

Aside from having lovely RGB backlighting, which definitely helps you become a better gamer, and maybe even improve your typing... the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 is way more than just a pretty face.

For starters, the Cherry Red switches are incredibly quiet, which means that whether you're working late or gaming early, you'll not disturb anyone else as you type/game away at your desk.

It's also got a low profile, which helps put less pressure on your wrists, and means that you can use it for longer without worrying about incurring the wrath of RSI.

This keyboard also has a slew of other useful features, including media controls, a USB passthrough port, and a detachable wrist rest to boot. It's everything anyone could need from a keyboard, and you can even programme the RGB lights as you want, and match them with other devices as long as they're compatible - the downsides really are few and far between.

Read more: Best wireless keyboards

Credit: Logitech

2. Logitech G610 Orion

Best minimalist mechanical keyboard

This keyboard might not look as flashy as some of the others we've highlighted, but minimalism isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, bright lights and backlit keys can sometimes be a distraction, which is where this understated Logitech G610 Orion really comes into its own.

It's about performance at the end of the day, an area this keyboard thrives. For example, it features customisable settings via Logitech's Gaming Software, which includes being able to use macro programming to adjust the F1 and F12 keys to your advantage while gaming or at work. You can even personalise the brightness of each individual key to keep track of any commands you might need to use, avoiding the need to constantly overthink which keys you need to press in the heat of the action.

It also conveniently comes with easily accessible media controls, so you can play, pause, mute, skip, and adjust the volume on the keyboard, rather than having to use the mouse to select those options on your screen.

In terms of quietness, it's got Cherry MX Red switches to thank, keeping everything nice and hush so you can remain focused on whatever task you've got at hand, thus making it a particularly great minimalist pick for our list.

Read more: Best keyboard cleaners

Credit: NPET

3. NPET K10 Gaming Keyboard

Best mechanical keyboard for gaming

It's safe to say this NPET's K10 Gaming Keyboard is bright and colourful thanks to its RGB backlit keys. What's great about this backlighting though is that it has five pre-set lighting effects, along with the option of fully customising them to ensure this keyboard suits your own personal preference.

But no, we haven't just selected this keyboard as a great option for gaming due to its pretty lighting. There's much more to it than that. Take its anti-ghosting technology as an example, which can come in handy as it essentially means that when you need to press multiple keys one after the other for an in-game command, this thing can send those inputs in the exact order you sent them to avoid any mistakes.

Added to this, it comes with dedicated media keys to control background usage on your PC without needing to come out of any game you're playing.

One of the best things about this keyboard though is that it's water-resistant. If you've ever gone through that terrifying moment of spilling a drink on your keyboard, wondering whether you've wrecked it, then this is definitely a keyboard that's well worth looking into if you ask us.

Read more: Best gaming monitors

Credit: Das

4. Das Professional Keyboard

Best mechanical keyboard for office use

Although this Das Professional Keyboard comes at a more premium price, its quality is plain to see, even if you will have to spend a little extra to buy one.

Unlike the other keyboards featured so far, it's primarily intended to be used in the office, whether that's on-site or at home. Therefore, it has an appearance, free from distracting RGB, to match. It's pretty thin too, for a mechanical keyboard, which should also fit at your desk a little easier than a much larger, chunkier device that can take up the room you may need for other accessories.

The Cherry MX Brown key switches are worth shouting about as well, as they have factory-lubricated stabilisers to make your typing experience as smooth as possible. You should find these key switches help reduce any mistakes you might make when typing quickly as well, owing to the fact they are so stable and tactile to press.

Once again, you get media controls here, including a dedicated knob to adjust the volume, as well as keys to play/pause and skip music or a video. It's basically the complete package when it comes to an office keyboard, making it a worthwhile investment if your work setup needs a bit of an upgrade.

Read More: Best office chairs

Credit: RK Royal Kludge

5. RK Royal Kludge RK61

Best compact mechanical keyboard

The RK Royal Kludge RK61 is a compact, mini, 60% keyboard that really looks the part with its beautiful white design, complete with backlit keys. As it's so small too, you're freeing up way more desk space with this thing, which means you can easily add one of the best wireless mice or full tower PC cases to your setup without your keyboard getting in the way.

For gaming, this keyboard is a particularly good pick once again. You can macro-programme the keys to reduce the effort needed to issue commands that usually require you to press multiple keys in one go. It also has an ergonomic build designed to reduce wrist and hand fatigue, something that can also come in handy at work as fatigue often leads to more typos.

We do have to touch back around to that backlighting though. It's got 20+ effects to choose from, which means you can regularly give your setup a refresh by cycling through the different options. Or, if you'd rather, you can customise the colours to your specific taste from the 18 million to choose from, allowing you to match the device to the rest of your setup.

Finally, Royal Kludge has keystroke-tested this device to its limit, with 100,000,000 presses ensuring absolute longevity if you decide to purchase this excellent mechanical keyboard.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

You probably have a few questions you'd like to ask and, luckily for you, we've answered some of the most frequently asked queries below.

Is a Cherry MX Red keyboard quieter than a Cherry MX Brown?

Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Brown switch mechanical keyboards are probably the two most popular choices of keyboard and perhaps the quietest out of all the Cherry switches. But, it is indeed true that red switch keyboards are quieter than their brown switch counterparts.

Cherry MX Brown switches have a small bump on each keystroke that helps reduce any mistakes and, therefore, should improve typing speed. But, it's also these bumps that tend to make this type of keyboard louder because it produces more vibration.

Cherry MX Red keyboards, however, are smoother to type on and therefore tend to be much quieter.

Are mechanical keyboards good for gaming?

Yes, mechanical keyboards are good for gaming. Gamers tend to prefer mechanical keyboards compared to membrane peripherals because they generally respond quickly and are more tactile.

They can also come with customisable keys, meaning you can programme certain commands to certain keys to act as a shortcut if you struggle with a particular in-game action. This should allow you to remember which keys do what more easily, which is useful for gaming considering you need to think on your feet.

How long do mechanical keyboards last?

As they're often used for gaming, mechanical keyboards are generally designed to be heavy-duty, so should withstand a fair bit of wear and tear. It really depends on how much you use it though and how forcefully you press down on the keys.

To improve longevity, we'd highly recommend keeping your keyboard clean, as this can prevent dirt and dust from getting into the mechanics of it and potentially slowing it down over time.