Keyboard Builders' Digest / Switch trends
Best-selling keyboard switches of March, 2025
In this month's overview of community-favorite mechanical switches, here are March's top picks, based on real sales data provided by vendors and manufacturers.
Published April 8, 2025
(Cover: Akko Botany switches shot by StacksKB.)
Hey fellow switch enthusiasts! Many shops have gotten back to me with their top lists and other sales statistics, so let's continue our series highlighting the community's favorite switch models! This time, we're diving into March's best-selling switches. Discussion over at r/mk if you'd like to share your experiences or opinion.
Summary (updated): 18 contributors from all around the globe, representing almost 1 million switches sold, with 125 switch models mentioned and 18 new switch models appearing first in the top lists.
The article is quite long, feel free to jump to the list of contributors, to my market overview, the aggregated top10 list, the shooting stars, the detailed results by shops, or to the disclaimer, aggregation rules used by the algorithm, or my closing thoughts with new features and developments.
Switch testers
Many of you asked for switch testers. While I'm not a merchant myself, Clackify (US) specializes in exactly that – custom switch testers. Give them a shot. Or there's Unikeys (CN) with a massive selection, and also Monacokeys (DE) and CoffeeKeys (IT) in the EU. Other shops offer more specific switch testers too, e.g. Beaverkeys (CA) or Keebz N Cables (AU). In addition, SwitchTest.shop is a relatively new service – for US customers only.
PSA
I’ve added some new features to the switch database – now listing more than 300 switch models. Most importantly, you can now sort the database and filtered lists by price. This function uses the lowest in-stock price across all the shops involved in the project. (Though this may not be very useful for US folks these days.)
Contributors
Welcome StacksKB, first-time data provider, representing India!
And of course many thanks to all the shops who contributed this month! Detailed stats are mandatory now since exact sales volumes (rather than mere rankings) make life easier and the aggregated list more accurate. Thank you for your confidence on behalf of the community – we all know how sensitive this data is.
Clicking the links takes you to the individual top lists:
MonacoKeys (DE), BeaverKeys (CA), Mechboards (UK), Lume Keebs (US), SerpentKeys (UK), Clackify (US), UniKeys (CN), Ikasaya (US), Keebz N Cables (AU), The Thocc Exchange (UK), AKKO EU (CN), Coffeekeys (IT), StacksKB (IN), Mechanical Keyboards (US), YourKBD (CN), Gateron (CN), TALPKEYBOARD (JP), CandyKeys (DE).
General market trends
Based on the sales volumes provided, I can identify some interesting trends: e.g. after many stores reporting significantly lower sales last time, the overall sales trend for the past month shows a noticeable rebound. An overwhelming majority of our contributing vendors reported growing sales figures, while 15% experienced stable performance, and only 23% saw a decline compared to the previous month. This marks a positive shift following last month’s clear slowdown, suggesting renewed interest and momentum in the market.
In addition, after months of linear hegemony, with March came the time of tactile switches. Many shops mentioned this observation independently. Half of the best-sellers at Monacokeys, BeaverKeys and Lume Keebs were tactiles, claiming the top or even top two positions. Mechboards? Sunsets at the top. 4 out of 10 tactiles at Ikasaya, Thocc Exchange, and StacksKB. The aggregated top10 features five tactiles too. Lastly, the fact that 80 percent(!) of Clackify's top list consists of tactiles might hint at some interesting trends for the future as well.
Novelties & Database updates
Several new-old switch models have been added to the database, and I had the opportunity to try some of them – thanks to Coffeekeys!
Riccardo and Tommaso sent me this very nice 20-switch tester with a cool acrylic tester base with lid, featuring their newly stocked Gateron Magnetic Jade Ruby and Green Dragon switches.
Some notable additions to the database last month:
- Gateron EF Silent Yellow appears at Coffeekeys.
- BSUN Olive and Aflion Thunder Shadow made it to beaverkey's top10 for the first time.
- HMX Cowboy at Lume Keebs – making it to the top 10 even as a pre-sale offer.
- The Keebhut Tropical Waters V3 at SerpentKeys.
- Gateron X debuted at mechanicalkeyboards.com.
- As always, lots of new and exciting models at Unikeys: Siliworks X HMX Sonja HC, OWlab Ti HE magnetic, and Keygeek Cyan as best sellers.
- StacksKB, as a new contributor, added KTT Cabbage Tofu, Akko's CS Crystal Silver, and CS Crystal Wine Red to the mix.
- Another new Akko contender was the AKKO V3 Crystal Pro, listed by their most responsive branch: Akko EU.
- Gateron Green Apple at Candykeys.
For even more new mentions, take a look at the lists below.
Results
March's Top 10 – aggregated
Beside this Top10 feel free to check out the Top 300 list too. (About the ranking: switch models appearing in multiple shop lists are prioritized over high sales in a single shop.)
| 1 |  | Gateron Oil King linear | buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | buy |
| 3 |  | Gateron Quinn tactile | buy |
| 4 |  | Kailh Deep Sea Silent Mini White/Islet Low-Profile silent linear | buy |
| 5 |  | Akko Penguin Silent silent tactile | buy |
| 6 |  | TTC Bluish White (V2) Silent silent tactile | buy |
| 7 |  | Gateron Smoothie linear | buy |
| 8 |  | Outemu Silent Lemon/Lime V3 silent tactile | buy |
| 9 |  | Wuque Studio WS Morandi linear | buy |
| 10 |  | Gateron Milky Yellow Pro linear | buy |
As you'll see, there's not much overlapping in the individual shop lists, and because of the relatively few repetitions, it's no surprise that the well-known, widely available, recurring models made it into the aggregated list above.
Anyway, here is a more interesting list: the shooting stars.
Shooting stars
These are the switches with the highest gain in rank from February to March.
| 1 |  | Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro Hall-effect | 83 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | TTC Venus linear | 56 | buy |
| 3 |  | Sillyworks x Gateron Type R tactile | 53 | buy |
| 4 |  | Akko Lavender Purple Pro V3 tactile | 52 | buy |
| 5 |  | HMX Xinhai (heavy) linear | 45 | buy |
| 6 |  | Akko Mirror linear | 45 | buy |
| 7 |  | Gazzew U4 Black silent tactile | 44 | buy |
| 8 |  | Outemu Feather silent tactile | 39 | buy |
| 9 |  | Akko Cream Blue Pro V3 tactile | 35 | buy |
| 10 |  | Kailh Choc (V1) Brown tactile | 33 | buy |
And now let's take a look at the individual lists.
MonacoKeys (Germany)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
Here is the collection of Monaco's best sellers so you can find them all at once.
HMX Canglan V3 and Outemu Feather silent tactile have been added this month and already made a good start. The HMX Canglan V3 are even better than the Canglan V2 if you ask me and the Feather is the newest switch added to Outemu's silent lineup – Michael.
| 1 | | Outemu Silent Lemon/Lime V3 silent tactile | 2 | €0.38 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Outemu Silent Honey Peach V3 silent linear | 2 | €0.38 | buy |
| 3 |  | HMX Canglan V3 linear | new | €0.42 | buy |
| 4 |  | Neo Oat linear | -3 | €0.32 | buy |
| 5 |  | MMD Princess Tactile V4 tactile | - | €0.34 | buy |
| 6 |  | Outemu Cream Yellow Pro silent tactile | -4 | €0.31 | buy |
| 7 | | Akko Penguin Silent silent tactile | new | €0.42 | buy |
| 8 | | Gateron Smoothie linear | 1 | €0.37 | buy |
| 9 | | Outemu Feather silent tactile | new | €0.45 | buy |
| 10 |  | Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie linear | new | €0.37 | buy |
BeaverKeys (Canada)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
March was the month of the tactiles at BeaverKeys with Gateron Baby Kangaroo V2 and Gateron Quinn claiming the first and second spot on the list. Remarkably, 5 out of the 10 best selling switches this month were tactiles. The love for tactiles at BeaverKeys will continue as I'm looking forward to Akko Cilantro (manufactured by HMX) arriving later in April. This is one of HMXs first tactile switches and given their track record, I'm sure they will deliver a great switch for the tactile gang! – Peter.
| 1 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | new | 0.85CAD | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Quinn tactile | 1 | 0.85CAD | buy |
| 3 | | Gateron Oil King linear | -1 | 0.87CAD | buy |
| 4 | | Akko Mirror linear | 5 | 0.40CAD | buy |
| 5 |  | BSUN Holy Panda V2 tactile | new | 0.60CAD | buy |
| 6 |  | KEYGEEK X MZ Y3 linear | 2 | 0.37CAD | buy |
| 7 |  | BSUN Olive tactile | new | 0.65CAD | buy |
| 8 |  | KTT Strawberry V2 linear | new | 0.70CAD | buy |
| 9 |  | Durock Ice King Linear linear | new | 0.75CAD | buy |
| 10 |  | Aflion Thunder Shadow tactile | new | 0.70CAD | buy |
Mechboards (UK)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
Notes: Sunsets claim the top spot as we ran out of Ambients. Oil Kings reclaim their spot as king of the MX switches. The Choc Red and Brown switches are much higher this month as they were purchased often in our March Madness sale – Ben.
| 1 |  | lowprokb Choc (V1) Sunset tactile | 1 | £0.85 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Oil King linear | new | £0.65 | buy |
| 3 | | Gateron Smoothie linear | 1 | £0.30 | buy |
| 4 |  | Kailh Choc (V1) Red linear | 3 | £0.55 | buy |
| 5 |  | lowprokb Choc (V1) Ambients Twilight silent linear | -4 | £1.00 | buy |
| 6 | | Kailh Choc (V1) Brown tactile | 4 | £0.55 | buy |
| 7 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | 1 | £0.55 | buy |
| 8 |  | Gateron Ink Black V2 linear | new | £0.75 | buy |
| 9 |  | Alpaca V2 linear | -3 | £0.55 | buy |
| 10 |  | lowprokb Choc (V1) Ambients Nocturnal silent linear | -5 | £0.95 | buy |
Lume Keebs (US)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
New Switches on the Rise: Some of our latest switches have quickly gained popularity, including the MMD Vivian, Neo Keygeek Oat, and the HMX Cowboy. Trends & Insights: We’re seeing a notable rise in demand for silent switches. Additionally, pre-lubed switches continue to be a favorite, with users looking for a smoother stock experience right out of the box. Behind the Scenes: We’re expanding our offerings with more switches, keycaps, and keyboards. On the content side, we’re ramping up sound tests, switch comparisons, and build guides to help the community stay informed. – Emily.
| 1 |  | GAZZEW Boba U4T tactile | - | $0.65 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | TTC Bluish White (V2) Silent silent tactile | 7 | $0.53 | buy |
| 3 |  | MMD Vivian linear | new | $0.35 | buy |
| 4 |  | MMD Matcha Ice Cream V3 linear | new | $0.30 | buy |
| 5 |  | TTC Frozen V2 Silent (TTC Silent Glacier) linear | -3 | $0.53 | buy |
| 6 |  | Kailh Cocoa linear | - | $0.35 | buy |
| 7 |  | Durock Ice King Tactile tactile | -3 | $0.42 | buy |
| 8 |  | Durock Silent T1 - Shrimp silent tactile | new | $0.56 | buy |
| 9 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | -2 | $0.55 | buy |
| 10 |  | HMX x EILAB West Cowboy linear | new | $0.35 | buy |
SerpentKeys (UK)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
Tactile taking the top spot?! Yep you read that right, it didn’t take long for the Hojicha Reserve from Invokeys to climb back up the list, if you’re a tactile enjoyer you should definitely give them a go! Really great to see the Tropical Waters V3 making an appearance as well, one of personal favourites at the moment – Ollie.
| 1 |  | Invokeys Hojicha Reserve tactile | new | £0.47 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Oil King linear | - | £0.60 | buy |
| 3 |  | Invokeys x Alas Daydreamer silent tactile | - | £0.60 | buy |
| 4 | | HMX Xinhai (heavy) linear | new | £0.33 | buy |
| 5 |  | Invokeys Matcha Reserve linear | 4 | £0.47 | buy |
| 6 | | Gateron Milky Yellow Pro linear | -5 | £0.23 | buy |
| 7 |  | Keebhut Tropical Waters V3 linear | new | £0.44 | buy |
| 8 |  | HMX Caramel Pudding linear | -4 | £0.33 | buy |
| 9 |  | Invokeys x Alas Nightshade silent linear | new | £0.60 | buy |
| 10 | | KTT Strawberry V2 linear | -3 | £0.38 | buy |
Clackify (US)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
Switches overall remain similar this month. I did want to point out, however, that there were some standouts that did not quite make the top 10 cut. Gateron Type R, Huano Sakura, and Invokeys Hojicha Reserve all saw big jumps in popularity with good reason. I'd recommend trying some of them out! - Calvin.
| 1 | | TTC Bluish White (V2) Silent silent tactile | - | buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Oil King linear | 2 | buy | |
| 3 |  | GAZZEW U4T tactile | -1 | buy | |
| 4 | | Gateron Quinn tactile | 1 | buy | |
| 5 | | Gazzew U4 Black silent tactile | 5 | buy | |
| 6 | | TTC Frozen V2 Silent (TTC Silent Glacier) linear | - | buy | |
| 7 | | Akko Penguin Silent silent tactile | - | buy | |
| 8 |  | Everglide Aqua King (V3) 62g linear | 1 | buy | |
| 9 |  | Gateron Beer tactile | new | buy | |
| 10 |  | KTT Matcha tactile | new | buy |
UniKeys (China)
[7% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
We got some very exciting new releases for March. All of them are instock and ready to ship: e.g. the Keygeek Matcha Pudding and Keygeek Little Ghost. Besides the new products, a few very popular switches also got restocked including HMX Sonja, Gateron Type R tactile, HMX Snow Crash, Keygeek Cyan, Keygeek Oat, etc. – Dashan.
| 1 |  | HMX Snow Crash linear | new | $0.29 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Siliworks X HMX Sonja linear | -1 | $0.35 | buy |
| 3 | | Sillyworks x Gateron Type R tactile | 5 | $0.44 | buy |
| 4 |  | Siliworks X HMX Sonja HC linear | new | $0.35 | buy |
| 5 |  | UNIKEYS x HMX Sugar Rush linear | -1 | $0.29 | buy |
| 6 |  | OWlab Ti HE linear, Hall-effect | new | $0.48 | buy |
| 7 |  | Keygeek Higanbana linear | 2 | $0.35 | buy |
| 8 |  | Keygeek Cyan linear | new | $0.25 | buy |
| 9 | | KEYGEEK X MZ Y3 linear | -4 | $0.21 | buy |
| 10 | | HMX Canglan V3 linear | -8 | $0.35 | buy |
Ikasaya (US)
[10% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
| 1 |  | KTT Kang White V3 linear | - | $0.26 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Smoothie linear | - | $0.30 | buy |
| 3 | | Gateron Quinn tactile | 2 | $0.59 | buy |
| 4 | | Gateron Oil King linear | -1 | $0.65 | buy |
| 5 | | Gateron Milky Yellow Pro linear | -1 | $0.25 | buy |
| 6 |  | Akko Cream Yellow Pro V3 linear | new | $0.25 | buy |
| 7 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | 94 | $0.55 | buy |
| 8 |  | Gateron EF EverFree Grayish tactile | new | $0.27 | buy |
| 9 | | Gateron Ink Black V2 linear | new | $0.96 | buy |
| 10 |  | Gateron Mini i tactile | new | $0.55 | buy |
Keebz N Cables (Australia)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
In March, Keygeek Blue Cheese continues to be a crowd favourite. We've sold out and are waiting for V2 to finish production. Our in-house range of switches are all in our Top 10 this month as we have introduced permanent price drops of 11-56% as we get ready for the release of our 2025 switches, two tactiles – Icey Ice MangoBerry and Long Mac Clacked Up – Jason.
| 1 |  | Keebz N Cables Ice Kachang V2 tactile | 5 | 0.45AUD | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Keebz N Cables x BSUN Taro N Sweet Potato linear | -1 | 0.67AUD | buy |
| 3 |  | Keygeek Blue Cheese linear | -1 | 0.60AUD | buy |
| 4 |  | HMX Noire linear | new | 0.58AUD | buy |
| 5 |  | Keebz N Cables Ice Kachang Linear linear | new | 0.30AUD | buy |
| 6 | | Wuque Studio WS Morandi linear | new | 0.66AUD | buy |
| 7 |  | HMX YG Macchiato linear | new | 0.50AUD | buy |
| 8 | | KTT Kang White V3 linear | -1 | 0.28AUD | buy |
| 9 |  | HMX Ice Cendol linear | new | 0.35AUD | buy |
| 10 |  | Keebz N Cables Mountain King tactile | new | 0.40AUD | buy |
The Thocc Exchange (UK)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
No surprises seeing Cherry MX Oranges and HMX Hades leading the pack again this month! Zuoce switches are really gaining popularity along with the Outemu x XCJZ Butterfly silent linears. We have a HUGE stock drop happening this month and Typeplus Stabs in stock – Matty.
| 1 |  | Cherry MX2A "Hirose" Orange linear | - | £0.30 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | HMX Hades V2 linear | 1 | £0.35 | buy |
| 3 |  | Keygeek Jasmine Milk Green linear | new | buy | |
| 4 | | TTC Venus linear | 6 | £0.50 | buy |
| 5 | | Outemu Cream Yellow Pro silent tactile | new | £0.30 | buy |
| 6 |  | Zuoce Litchi Milk tactile | new | £0.20 | buy |
| 7 | | Wuque Studio WS Morandi linear | new | £0.33 | buy |
| 8 |  | DK Creamery - Red Velvet tactile | new | £0.40 | buy |
| 9 |  | XCJZ x JKDK Butterfly silent linear | new | £0.35 | buy |
| 10 |  | Cherry MX2A Brown tactile | new | £0.30 | buy |
AKKO EU (China)
[10% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
The Cilantro switches are Akko’s first deep-clack tactile switches and are set to officially launch this week – Albert.
| 1 | | Akko Penguin Silent silent tactile | - | €0.37 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Akko Rosewood linear | - | €0.37 | buy |
| 3 |  | Akko Fairy (silent) silent linear | 1 | €0.37 | buy |
| 4 |  | Akko Creamy Purple Pro V3 tactile | 2 | €0.26 | buy |
| 5 | | Akko Cream Yellow Pro V3 linear | -2 | €0.24 | buy |
| 6 | | Akko Cream Blue Pro V3 tactile | -1 | €0.24 | buy |
| 7 | | Akko Lavender Purple Pro V3 tactile | - | €0.26 | buy |
| 8 |  | Akko x MonsGeek Green Fog linear | new | €0.32 | buy |
| 9 |  | Akko Crystal Pro V3 linear | new | €0.40 | buy |
| 10 |  | Akko Creamy Cyan clicky | -1 | €0.29 | buy |
Coffeekeys (Italy)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
As you can see, WS Morandi remains our best-selling item. Sales remained stable across most categories. As noted last month, we added the Gateron Magnetic Jade Ruby and Gateron Magnetic Green Dragon to our inventory in the magnetic switch category, along with the Gateron EF Silent Yellow for silent switches. We also introduced a switch base for the switch tester which are going to come in hand for those willing to test our switches. Magnetic switches showed moderate demand, while silent switches performed better. Low-profile switches also maintained a strong presence – Tommaso.
| 1 | | Wuque Studio WS Morandi linear | - | €0.39 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Quinn tactile | - | €0.52 | buy |
| 3 | | Gateron Milky Yellow Pro linear | 7 | €0.29 | buy |
| 4 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | 4 | €0.45 | buy |
| 5 |  | BSUN Light Sakura silent linear | new | €0.32 | buy |
| 6 |  | Gateron North Pole linear | new | €0.29 | buy |
| 7 |  | Gateron KS-33 Low Profile Brown tactile | -1 | €0.24 | buy |
| 8 |  | Wuque Studio WS Silent Linear linear | -4 | €0.32 | buy |
| 9 | | Akko Cream Yellow Pro V3 linear | new | €0.25 | buy |
| 10 |  | Gateron EF EverFree Silent Yellow silent linear | new | €0.33 | buy |
StacksKB (India)
Tactiles dominate the ranking, but that also has to do with there being a lot more variety for linears with minor variations when compared to tactiles – speculates Aditya. So sales get split between the different HMX linears for example, with only GAME1989 coming in the ranking.
Our best sellers from brands other than Akko were OOS in March, so Akko takes 8/10 spots. Otherwise we would expect more variety in the rankings. If we had stock, Gateron Smoothie, Sea Salt Smoothie, Keygeek Purple Dawn, TTC Bluish Whites, and KTT Kang Whites would likely figure in the rankings. Crystal Wine Red and Crystal Silver sneak in due to them discounted heavily for clearance.
| 1 | | Akko Cream Blue Pro V3 tactile | ₹20 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Akko Creamy Purple Pro V3 tactile | ₹22 | buy |
| 3 | | Akko Lavender Purple Pro V3 tactile | ₹22 | buy |
| 4 | | Akko Rosewood linear | ₹31 | buy |
| 5 |  | Akko CS Crystal Silver linear | ₹38 | buy |
| 6 | | Akko Cream Yellow Pro V3 linear | ₹20 | buy |
| 7 |  | Akko CS Crystal Wine Red linear | ₹33 | buy |
| 8 |  | HMX Game 1989 linear | ₹34 | buy |
| 9 |  | KTT Cabbage Tofu linear | ₹23 | buy |
| 10 | | Akko Penguin Silent silent tactile | ₹31 | buy |
Mechanical Keyboards (US)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
| 1 |  | Cherry MX2A Silent Red (plate-mount RGB) linear | $0.50 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Gateron X linear | $0.35 | buy |
| 3 | | Gateron Oil King linear | $0.65 | buy |
| 4 | | Neo Oat linear | $0.28 | buy |
| 5 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | $0.60 | buy |
| 6 |  | Cherry MX2A Brown RGB tactile | $0.40 | buy |
| 7 | | Cherry MX2A Brown tactile | $0.40 | buy |
| 8 | | Gateron Milky Yellow Pro linear | $0.26 | buy |
| 9 |  | Cherry MX2A Silent Red (PCB-mount RGB) silent linear | $0.40 | buy |
| 10 |  | Cherry Nixie linear | $0.42 | buy |
YourKBD (China)
[7% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
| 1 | | Kailh Deep Sea Silent Mini White/Islet Low-Profile silent linear | - | $0.59 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Kailh Choc (V1) Pro Pink linear | - | $0.55 | buy |
| 3 |  | Chosfox White Fox V2 linear | - | $0.30 | buy |
| 4 |  | Chosfox & HMX Hanami Dango V2 linear | - | $0.36 | buy |
| 5 |  | Hanami Dango Green tactile | - | $0.39 | buy |
| 6 |  | Chosfox Voyager V2 tactile | - | $0.54 | buy |
| 7 | | Outemu Silent Lemon/Lime V3 silent tactile | - | $0.32 | buy |
| 8 | | TTC Frozen V2 Silent (TTC Silent Glacier) linear | - | $0.68 | buy |
| 9 |  | Kailh Deep Sea Silent Pro Box Whale silent tactile | - | $0.55 | buy |
| 10 | | Outemu Silent Honey Peach V3 silent linear | - | $0.24 | buy |
Gateron (China)
[10% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]
| 1 | | Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro Hall-effect | $0.80 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | Gateron Baby Kangaroo (V2) tactile | $0.60 | buy |
| 3 | | Gateron Smoothie linear | $0.30 | buy |
| 4 |  | Gateron Jupiter Banana tactile | $0.28 | buy |
| 5 | | Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie linear | $0.24 | buy |
| 6 |  | Gateron Melodic clicky | $0.65 | buy |
| 7 |  | Gateron KS-33 Low Profile 2.0 Banana tactile | $0.28 | buy |
| 8 | | Gateron Quinn tactile | $0.60 | buy |
| 9 |  | Gateron Magnetic Jade Max Hall-effect | $1.00 | buy |
| 10 |  | Gateron Magnetic Jade Hall-effect | $0.80 | buy |
TALPKEYBOARD (Japan)
Talpkeyboard is taking a break. The shop is scheduled to reopen after mid-May – Yousuke.
| 1 | | Kailh Deep Sea Silent Mini White/Islet Low-Profile silent linear | - | ¥96 | buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Kailh Deep Sea Silent Mini Brown/Whale Low-Profile silent tactile | new | ¥90 | buy |
| 3 | | TTC Frozen V2 Silent (TTC Silent Glacier) linear | -1 | ¥130 | buy |
| 4 |  | Tecsee Pudding Medium linear | 2 | ¥64 | buy |
| 5 |  | Kailh Deep Sea Silent MINI Pink Island silent linear | 2 | ¥116 | buy |
| 6 |  | Kailh Deep Sea Silent Pro Box Islet silent linear | -2 | ¥96 | buy |
| 7 |  | Durock Mocha Chocolate tactile | -2 | ¥54 | buy |
| 8 | | Durock Ice King Linear linear | -5 | ¥80 | buy |
| 9 |  | Kailh Choc V2 Black Cloud low-pro tactile | new | ¥92 | buy |
| 10 |  | Kailh Deep Sea PRO Pink Islet Silent silent linear | - | ¥96 | buy |
CandyKeys (Germany)
People are starting to be wary of prices more and more than ever, cheaper switches generally do better as the quality to price ratio has gone up dramatically. Stock around the world seems to have a influence on the lists here too… – David.
| 1 | | Gateron Oil King linear | - | buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  | Cherry MX Ergo Clear tactile | 1 | buy | |
| 3 |  | Gateron Green Apple tactile | new | buy | |
| 4 | | HMX YG Macchiato linear | new | buy | |
| 5 |  | HMX Xinhai (light) linear | new | buy | |
| 6 | | Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro Hall-effect | new | buy | |
| 7 | | Outemu Feather silent tactile | -2 | buy | |
| 8 | | Outemu Silent Lemon/Lime V3 silent tactile | new | buy | |
| 9 |  | HMX Cloud (42g) linear | new | buy | |
| 10 |  | Gateron Smoothie Silver linear | new | buy |
Disclaimer
Keep in mind that most of the time I'm not in a position to verify the validity and accuracy of the data provided by shop runners. Some of these lists come automatically from their databases, with screenshots, however, some were put together manually. I asked for the numbers of the previous month, but some shops query the past 30 days, etc.
That said, take everything with a grain of salt, but I hope this compilation will still hold some value, highlighting trends, giving you some tips, and as a snapshot of the zeitgeist it will be also interesting to look back at on the long run.
About the algorithm
While contributors provide exact numbers, standardization, normalization, and other techniques remain essential to come up with a ranked list due to some remaining inconsistencies, unfortunately.
The current system:
- incorporates sales volume as a percentage – to mitigate the dominance of a single huge vendor
- rewards switches present in multiple lists – to compensate the effect of some switches being offered in a single shop only, thus reflecting availability
- incorporates the previous months with decaying weights – to rank the products that are in a tie.
As with all such statistical methods, if we were to tamper with the algorithm, it would produce completely different results.
Another source of confusion and inconsistency is the arrival of belated lists. When such datasets come in, I update the database but often not the already published article. While I add the specific list to the database, I don’t update the overall rankings in the write-up.
Final thoughts
Hey, I hope this write-up was useful to some of you because, again, it took me about 19-20 hours to complete. Yep, all this despite the heavy automation wherever possible. (That said, this one involved some developments I can reuse later, so not all of that time went into compiling the article itself.)
Again, the new models were both the best and most challenging part of the process: researching these new switches, adding them to the database, and often diving into desperate investigations about missing actuation forces, pre-travels and whatnot. (I wonder why people don't indicate the tactile force of tactile switches, where operation weight is pretty irrelevant.) It's time-consuming but also the most exciting aspect – discovering all the fresh, shiny, and innovative releases.
Once again, I learned a lot about vendors, switches, and managing the ever-evolving switch database while compiling this article.
I hope you enjoyed reading this piece as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Feel free to use and reference this post and the switch database. Spread the word so it makes sense for me to invest all this time and effort.
- Check out the switch database – with almost 300 switch models – with specs, photos, vendors, prices.
- Some new tweaks, e.g. I started to add sound test videos, and you can order the list by price now. (However, the latest temper tantrum of the dumbest president of all time renders this pretty useless for US folks.)
- All the switch icons are part of a single image sprite now – to improve loading time. (You may hit Ctrl+Shift+R if your browser cached an older version, resulting in some blank icons.)
- More features already implemented earlier: Search by keyword, filter by tags. Even permalinks to custom lists like silent tactiles or light, lubed linears with dust-proof stem and light diffuser. ;)
- Finally, the archive of all the monthly switch compilations is available too, e.g. the previous, February top list as a reference.
Thanks for reading this far, see you next month!
Published on Tue 8th Apr 2025. Featured in KBD #190.
Related
Everglide Aqua/Water King V3
Video review on the Everglide Aqua/Water King V3 by svizify.
Opblack switch review
Opblack switch review (here) by ThereminGoat.
TTC Wild switch review
TTC Wild linear switches reviewed by ThereminGoat.
Switch details you may not know
ThereminGoat presents 25 switch details you may not know.
Tilted Choc stem
u/Gurtmail published a 3D-printed tilted stem for Choc keycaps.