5 Best Budget Mechanical Keyboards Under $50

If you are a gamer and on a budget, then feast your eyes on our in-depth guide to the best gaming mechanical keyboards that are all under $50.

Gamers everywhere prefer to play using mechanical keyboards due to high performance, comfort, aesthetics, and excellent key feel. This contributes to a great gaming experience that other types of keyboards can’t provide together.

Still, If you want to know more, then visit our beginner’s guide for more information.

The downside of a mechanical keyboard is it can get quite expensive, though you do get the quality and durability of what you are paying for. Besides, for a quick comparison of our top 5 list, check out our chart below complete with images and links. Also, If you’re looking for a more comprehensive review of the best mechanical keyboards under $50 – check out our buying guide below the chart.

Without further adieu, here is our guide to the best mechanical keyboards under $50.

1. Redragon K552 KUMARA LED Backlit 

First on our list is the Redragon K552 KUMARA LED Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Black).

It’s your typical heavyset mechanical keyboard but costs only a little over $30, and you get that durable gaming mechanical keyboard that will cater for all your gaming needs. Although the company is less well known, the cost combined with its impressive ratings makes it an easy purchase for those on a budget.

What you will get:

  • Cherry blue equivalent mechanical switches that cater for the ultimate performance in your gaming
  • Crystal clear, adjustable, LED backlighting thanks to double shot molded keycaps
  • Made of metal and ABS, with mechanical keys and a gold-plated USB connector that can cater to hardcore gaming
  • Designed for longevity, durability, and high responsiveness. Tactile feedback and audible clicking sound. Keys have medium resistance
  • Splash-proof design
  • 12 multimedia keys and 87 conflict-free keys!

No wonder it made the list of Best Gaming Mechanical Keyboard Under 50. It got all the benefits of a standard mechanical keyboard for an affordable price. Note that it does not have the number pad and has that slight clicking sound and tactile feel but that is only a consequence of some and a great deal for others. You decide! Its performance tested and has 4.5-star user ratings from over 1,200 verified owners – one of the safer purchases on this list. With such an excellent review and rating, you can feel confident in the quality of this mechanical keyboard relative to its low cost.

PROSCONS
  • Good build quality
  • RGB backlighting
  • Durable double-shot ABS keys
  • Hotkeys for convenient media control
  • No official software support
  • No memory

2. EagleTec KG010 104 Key

If you are looking for an affordable mechanical keyboard with a Numpad, then look no further! EagleTec KG010 Gaming / Industrial / Office Mechanical Keyboard With LED Backlit 104 Key (Black) is number 4 on our list because it has what you need at the price of less than $40!

Like all other mechanical keyboards on this list, don`t expect a fully-fledged beast of a keyboard. This should do the trick for everyday users and regular gamers.

What you will get:

  • Custom mechanical switches built for durability
  • Crystal clear backlighting with blue LED adjustable light and double-shot injection molded keycaps
  • Made of Aluminum and ABS with plate-mounted mechanical keys that can withstand hardcore conditions
  • Durable custom mechanical switches that are designed for longevity and responsiveness
  • Mechanical keys have medium resistance. It has an audible clicking sound and tactile feedback
  • Splash-proof keys with full numeric keypad

This mechanical keyboard is built for durability. It made its way to our under $50 list for its great value to performance ratio. The only downside is that that it does not come with extra features and has limited layer programming, but it’s not something most people are concerned about unless you`re a hardcore gamer or coder.

PROSCONS
  • Premium build quality
  • Futuristic keycaps
  • Consistent actuation points
  • Affordable
  • Long USB cable with velcro strap
  • Illumination does not seem bright

3. E-Element Z-88

This is China made mechanical keyboard that includes a full 104-key layout and Outemu Blue switches. It comes in a minimal design with floating keys, meaning cleaning the keyboard is going to be pretty easy. Moreover, it resembles very much to Redragon mechanical keyboard mentioned above.

In addition, it features programmable RGB LED lighting. You can change the color of individual keys by pressing function key with numbers 1 to 5 (not the Numpad ones). Besides, it will also help you custom save each slot. If you want to override the saved slot, you can simply press the function key (FN) in combination with the Home key.

Besides, you can play with 9 different modes and 5 other gaming modes. The keys have decently audible click sound, which is not too loud to feel irritating. Furthermore, its compatibility with all kinds of Windows and Mac makes it worth consideration. Overall, this is a great low budget, functional laptop that can be great for gamers, especially beginners.

PROSCONS
  • Water-resistance and splash-proof
  • Affordable
  • Compatible with Windows and Mac OS
  • Metal and ABS construction
  • USB connection
  • Keyboard gets dusty easily
  • Fonts on the keys are bit odd

4. Velocifire VM01

Manufacturer- Velocifire | Keys – 104 | Switches – Zorro Brown Switches | Dimensions – 14.3 x 5.4 x 1.6 inches | Weight – 2.65 lbs

If you are looking for an affordable full-sized quality mechanical keyboard, then look no further! The Velocifire VM01 is a well known mechanical keyboard that boasts brown switches and features LED backlighting. Velocifire is a company that we’ve covered quite a bit on GoMK and you can find our hands-on unboxing and review of the VM01 here.

Yes, we’ve actually tested this mechanical keyboard ourselves and I highly recommend you check out our review if you’re considering the VM01 by Velocifire. Furthermore, this mechanical keyboard makes our list because of its low price and great quality. As of this writing, it has an average rating of 4/5 stars from 530+ owners.

Again, like all other mechanical keyboards on this list, don`t expect a fully-fledged beast of a keyboard. This should do the trick for everyday users and regular gamers.

What you will get:

  • Brown switches, 104-key mechanical keyboard
  • LED illuminated backlighting
  • Anti-ghosting
  • Doubleshot ABS with a wireless option (also less than $50)

This mechanical keyboard is built for durability. It made its way to our under $50 list for its great value to performance ratio. The only downside is that that it does not come with extra features and has limited layer programming, but it’s not something most people are concerned about unless you`re a hardcore gamer or coder.

PROSCONS
  • Excellent price to value ratio
  • A keycap puller included
  • Multiple backlight modes
  • Short cuts for media control.
  • Switches feel linear with negligible tactile

5. Corsair K55 RGB Gaming

We’ve added this to the list because of its outstanding quality, ratings, and features (relative to its price). As you may already know, Corsair is a longstanding and excellent gaming peripherals company. We’ve personally reviewed many of their mechanical keyboards and can attest to its quality. Note that this keyboard not technically a mechanical keyboard, but it provides most of the same features of a good mechanical keyboard as mentioned above.  In addition, the product comes with a removable armrest inside the box, as well as guides that come with every gaming keyboard sold by Corsair.

The product features the following:

  • RGB Backlighting that has 10+ vivid lighting modes for an immersive effect
  • Programmable macro keys for powerful action, key remapping, and combos
  • Dedicated multimedia and volume controls that allow audio control without game interruption
  • Responsive and quiet keys that provide a satisfying feeling
  • An anti-ghosting feature that allows accurate key presses simultaneously
  • Multi-key anti-ghosting ensures the most accurate simultaneous key presses

According to tech-critter, who tested this product in full, the product is a good find for a rubber dome switch gaming keyboard. Overall, the pros are its decent RGB lighting, media keys that are easily accessible, its dedicated macro keys that allow key recording on the fly, as well as its gaming optimized key matrix. In addition, the cons are its glossy surface which is prone to scratches and the absence of rubber pads on its feet, but that does not say anything about its performance!

PROSCONS
  • Customizable lighting
  • Easy to use software
  • Pre-set RGB configurations for 3 sections
  • Easy to use volume and playback control
  • Backlighting intensity cannot be adjusted

Final Notes

For the most part, it is true that you get what you pay for in the mechanical keyboard industry.

This still holds true even for this list. That being said, we’ve gathered the best mechanical keyboards at the lowest possible prices by comparing features, ratings, and quality. Moreover, getting a more expensive mechanical keyboard will definitely provide a heavier build and additional features that many of these keyboards are missing. Still, if you’re looking for a beginner’s mechanical keyboard or something cheap for your gaming setup, we highly recommend checking out the keyboards on this list.

It is to be noted that many of the companies on this list including HAVIT and Corsair and very well known and we’ve done personal hands-on reviews for their mechanical keyboards (we can attest to their quality).

If you’re looking for more functionality or can spend a little more money, I highly recommend you check out our best under $100 list or overall best mechanical keyboard list.

Please feel free to leave us a comment below!