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Our editorial team selected the products on this list based on a mix of our own reviews, as well as weighing professional reviews and consumer reviews against each other. This accumulated data set was used to pick our overall winners for each keyboard category.
There isn't an absolute, 100% dead cert "best" keyboard for everyone… but the Logitech G915 comes remarkably close. It matches up wireless flexibility across 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with low profile quiet keys and media access for office workers, and runs very well as a gaming rig as well. It's a superbly customisable keyboard that also happens to look smart so you can easily switch it from your everyday spreadsheet work over to your evening gaming or online pursuits at ease when working from home.
Even though it's in no way an inexpensive keyboard, you still need to remember to keep it charged like any other wireless keyboard. Those who favour the more machine-gun approach of heavy mechanical keys may also find its lower profile keys more of an issue. Which gets back to that whole "no 100% dead cert" matter, really. Still, for most users, if your budget can run to it, you won't go wrong with the Logitech G915 Lightspeed.
Razer has serious credibility in the gaming keyboard space, and its latest Huntsman set of gaming keyboards, available either as a full deck or smaller tenkeyless model shows just how good it can make a keyboard. With a choice of either clicky optical or linear optical switches there's a choice to suit most gaming actuation needs. However, it's in the way that it incorporates extra sound baffling that makes the Huntsman V2 really stand out. Well, that and the relatively subdued RGB lighting, at least.
Mechanical keyboards are of course defined by that clacky sound, but not everyone loves that, especially in confined spaces or if you need your gaming keyboard to be your everyday keyboard as well.
It's not just a question of softer sounds that makes the Razer Huntsman V2 stand out, either. With up to 8000Hz polling (overkill for many), it's just as fast and responsive as you could possibly want any keyboard to be. The one downside here is that if you do want to tweak specific keyboard settings, that's only done through Razer's software, and you need a Razer account to even get started.
You can pick up some ludicrously cheap keyboards if you really must, but their durability will be suspect and their feature lists will probably include details like "includes full alphabet!" on the side of the box. It's not really a budget buy if it breaks after a few weeks and you have to go purchase another one.
Reviewers liked the Logitech G213 Prodigy for its generally robust build quality, as well as its feature set. It's an older Logitech model that's dropped in price quite a bit over time, making it a good budget buy whether you're after a keyboard for gaming, where its game modes and RGB lighting will come in handy, or general office work, where the inclusion of dedicated media keys and spill resistance could be useful.
There are fancier keyboards in Logitech's line-up, and there are some downsides. Some reviewers noted its included but fixed wrist rest as an issue, whether you need it or not, and because it does make for a larger overall keyboard body. You'll also need to install Logitech's software to take full control of its RGB lighting features.
Choosing the "best" ergonomic keyboard is a tough task, because the ergonomic needs of different users can lead to very different ideal shapes and keyboard positions. There's no shortage of unusually shaped keyboards to meet very specific needs, but they're by definition not for everyone.
If your concern is more broadly ergonomic in the sense of not doing active damage to your body, Microsoft's Wireless Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard is a top general choice. It's often bundled with Microsoft's Sculpt Wireless Mouse too, making for a good value keyboard set. It has soft, quiet keys that can take a lot of wear and tear, and its USB connection is solid and easily stored in the Sculpt Mouse for travel.
The obvious downside is that there's a learning curve bouncing from a regular keyboard to the shape of the Wireless Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard, and it's not particularly well suited for gaming purposes.
Logitech's G915 Lightspeed is a hit with both professional reviewers and consumers alike, with more than 1,300 Google reviews giving it an average score of 4.7 out of 5. Why does it score so highly? It's because it's a very well built, highly configurable keyboard that fits well with both the gaming and productivity crowds, accentuated by simple Bluetooth or wireless pairing meaning that it will work with just about any device you can name if you have a need to type on it.
The star attraction for the Logitech G915 Lightspeed is its low profile keys that lead to fast actuation without the typical machine gun sound of some gaming-suitable keyboards. That's both a blessing and a curse, because some users did note that they'd prefer just a little more key travel. While it's a superbly built keyboard with lots of customisable features, it's also not an inexpensive option. However, in this case, you are getting what you pay for.
If your budget can stretch to it, the Logitech G915 Lightspeed is a superb, Bluetooth-enabled keyboard. However, it is expensive, and if you require Bluetooth for cross-device compatibility reasons, you can save a serious chunk of cash opting for the Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard instead.
One of the key reasons that you'd want a Bluetooth-specific keyboard would be for tablet and phone pairing, and the Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard makes this particularly easy, with support for pairing to up to 3 devices at once, switching between them with dedicated function keys. If you do need a mixed mode support, it will do 2 Bluetooth and 1 Wi-Fi connection at once too.
Reviewers, both at the professional level and the more than 3,000 Google reviewers, did note that it's a touch heavy for a Bluetooth model, making it more of a desktop option than a true travel alternative. Beyond its 3-devices-at-once feature, it's also not particularly customisable – but it is affordable.
Apple's iPad Pro is far and away the most powerful tablet money can buy, but it's not ideal if you have a lot of typing to do. You could pair it up with a cheap Bluetooth keyboard with little fuss, but if you want to turn it from a tablet into its own laptop in its own right, the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro stands out from the competition.
That's partly down to the innovative design that "floats" your iPad Pro (of either size) above the keys, making for both a striking visual and a very comfortable typing position. You also get a sturdy trackpad to further expand the creative possibilities of the iPad Pro, as well as a secondary USB C port for charging up the iPad. The Magic Keyboard itself uses the iPad Pro as the battery, so there's no issue charging there, although it's a pity that the secondary USB C port also doesn't carry data for additional peripheral connectivity.
You can read our full review of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro here.
If you're a Mac user, you can use any standard HID-compliant keyboard you want to, but that all too often means using models designed for Windows and puzzling out the Mac keyboard equivalents, or fussing with keyboard swapping set-ups to get them working the way that works best with macOS.
That's where Apple's Magic Keyboard excels, because it's rather specifically designed to work with macOS first and foremost, so everything makes sense and works best inside Apple's walled garden. Reviewers noted the way it seamlessly works within macOS as a key selling point, as well as rather liking the new colour options that accompany the M1 iMac for adding a touch of style.
Some reviewers were less happy, noting that it's essentially the same keyboard you get on an M1 MacBook Air, so it's less relevant for laptop users. You also can't buy the fancy coloured versions unless you purchase it with the same colour iMac, so for many it's a much more plainly styled unit.
Amazon prices last updated on 2 December, 2023 at 03:01 pmeBay prices last updated on 2 December, 2023 at 06:16 am
Methodology
34 Brands considered
109 Keyboards compared
6 Best products chosen
We compared computer keyboards that could be purchased online by Australian consumers.
Some keyboards that were not easily sourced from Australian retailers or merchants selling to Australia were excluded from comparison.
The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.
We compared a total of 109 different keyboards that were on sale to Australian consumers at the time of writing, a selection that included models stocked locally and some that you would have to order overseas.
Where models were highly regarded overseas but not easily available for Australians to at least order, they were excluded from contention.
Brands that were considered include the following:
Logitech
Microsoft
Apple
Amazon
Arteck
J Burrows
HP
Cooler Master
Anko
Corsair
Kensington
SteelSeries
Minix
Obinslab
Razer
Mad Catz
Omoton
Satechi
We used our own expertise, drawing on more than 20 years of reviewing technology peripherals, as well as the reviews from consumer-focused sites alongside real-world consumer reviews from the likes of Amazon to make our choices for each keyboard category. What we've assembled as a result is what we consider to be the best keyboard choices for consumers in Australia.
We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. However, Finder may receive compensation when you click some links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners and why you can trust our guides.
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Every standard keyboard tailored for the English language, and most keyboards with different character sets, will cover the basics that were on any typewriter 100 years ago, but there's a lot more to a keyboard than just being able to type on it or how much it costs. Your own needs may vary, so when you're picking the next keyboard to work from, consider the following:
Wired vs wireless
The first computer keyboards were all wired, but we no longer live in a tethered world. Wireless keyboards require less desk clutter and can work from a good range away from your PC, whether you're working with a 2.4GHz USB dongle or via Bluetooth. However, there is some key latency involved, and you've got to keep them charged, something you never have to worry about with a wired keyboard.
Extra function keys
Plenty of keyboards include more than the expected F1-F12 keys, typically suited around multimedia or gaming functions. They can be useful for specific functions, especially if you can map them to app shortcuts, but equally they take up keyboard space if you prefer a smaller desk imprint.
Type of key
Most cheap keyboards just employ simple actuation switches, but more complex mechanical keyboards include full switches that give lots of key travel and durability, which is important not only for gamers but also those who are going to do a lot of typing on them. Select switch types offer quieter actuation, so you're not stuck with sounding like a machine gun when you're working away.
10-keyless vs full number pad
If you do a lot of spreadsheet work, having a number pad is a bit of a must, but it does make for a longer keyboard that's less portable and takes up more space on your desk. If your needs are more character-based, a smaller 10-keyless keyboard could be a good match.
Mice
A lot of home office keyboards are bundled with wired or wireless mice, which is great if you need both and less so if you're happy with your existing pointing device. However, they're often cheaper models of mouse, and it is worth checking to see if your keyboard of choice can be purchased solo.
A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.
Low-resistance keys and a wealth of handy features make the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 a capable general-purpose keyboard, but its ultra-sensitive switches are a poor fit for precision gaming.
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