Split Keyboard reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 263 Reddit reviews across 8 subreddits and 64 posts to rank the best Split Keyboard brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/ErgoMechKeyboards, r/MechanicalKeyboards, r/buildapc, r/keyboards, r/neovim. Top-rated brands include Corne (4.4/5), ZSA (4.5/5), Kinesis (4.2/5).

Stats

Reviews263

Subreddits8

Posts64

Brands73

Products54

Top communities

r/ErgoMechKeyboards193 r/MechanicalKeyboards32 r/buildapc16 r/keyboards11 r/neovim6

263 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Corne

4.4

(23)

"I bought a presoldered Corne."

"I’ve sworn by the Magic Trackpad between my Corne for years."

"Playing csgo on a corne for years now and never looked back."

"If you only need a 3x5+2, a corne would probably work well for you."

"I also use a Corne and love it so much I built two, one for home and one for work."

"I use 5x3 Corne with Miryoku and works great with neovim."

"I love my Corne, and also really loved my Sofle."

"I’d go with a Corne or perhaps Ferris sweep."

"I went with the corne and have never looked back."

"I code for a living and went with a Corne with hotswap Kailh Choc low profile switches."

ZSA

4.5

(22)

"The Moonlander was the perfect introduction to split keyboards for me."

"I use a ZSA Voyager as my daily driver, I love this keyboard."

"My favourite and current go to at work and home is the ZSA Moonlander with some custom 3D printed risers for the perfect angle for me."

"The ZSA Voyager is an excellent option."

"My Voyager is my first split and it's a great starter board. Build quality is premium and everything just works out the box."

"Moonlander! I've had it for a few years now and love it. Easily customizable, super ergo, and just works if you don't want to go down the DIY path."

"Moonlander or Kinesis."

"Can’t be more happy."

"Actually yes, it was my daily driver before the moonlander. IMHO the moonlander is superior."

"IMHO the Moonlander checks most/all of your boxes. Factory-built, no soldering / 3d-printing / building, delivered worldwide."

Kinesis

4.2

(22)

"I just went from Ergodox to kinesis 360. It’s really nice! I was concerned the key wells would be a pain point for gaming and I guess my hand just instantly adjusted and it was a complete non issue"

"I started on an Ergodox and really enjoyed the layout. For whatever reason I really wanted a keywell and just switched to a kinesis advantage 360 for the keywell and damn is it comfortable after a little use."

"Glove80 or the Kinesis 360 is the best configuration for large hands. I wear a 2XL glove and have never been more comfortable than I am on an Advantage."

"Kinesis Advantage 360 Pro. I've owned two of the non-split versions and loved them."

"Kinesis Advantage gets you split, column stagger, keywells, and practically all the keys so that you don’t also after learn a lot of layers and/or chording out of them gate while also having the flexibility to dig deeper if you choose to."

"Kinesis Advantage 360. It has keywells and is tented."

"I think Kinesis freestyle pro would be a good choice."

"Maybe Royal Kludge, Keychron Q11, Kinesis Freestyle Pro, or Matias. These all have a standard staggered layout and will be an easier adjustment."

"Then there are the expensive pre-built options like Glove80, Kinesis Advantage and Dygma Defy."

"I was a happy Kinesis user for about a year"

Dygma

4.5

(15)

"I used the Moonlander, Voyager, Dygma Defy, Glove80, and my end game is the Cyboard Imprint."

"I have a Dygma Raise I absolutely love."

"Dgyma Raise 2"

"Dygma Raise 2? There are some photos of it with ISO Enter in here"

"I am a clear dygma defy guy."

"Dygma Raise."

"I have chosen the Dygma Raise and I love it."

"I'd highly recommend the Dygma Defy - it's been a fantastic purchase for me."

"Then there are the expensive pre-built options like Glove80, Kinesis Advantage and Dygma Defy."

"A used dygma raise might be a good start."

Keychron

4.3

(11)

"Keychron K8 is a game changer for split keyboards."

"I have a keychron q11 and had a quefrency. Both incredibly ergonomic."

"I gave up on my Lily58 and went with Keychron Q11, which I do not regret and could not recommend it more!"

"Could try split keyboards from keychron.co.nz or from extremepc."

"Currently daily a Keychron Q10 (or search any 'alice' layout)."

"Maybe Royal Kludge, Keychron Q11, Kinesis Freestyle Pro, or Matias. These all have a standard staggered layout and will be an easier adjustment."

"In the meantime I have purchased a Keychron Q11..."

"Keychron Q11 is more expensive, but fits the bill. If "alice" layout (fixed-split) is sufficient (it might be), there are 75% layout options within your budget."

"I think the keychron Q11 has more to offer than the kinesis freestyle"

"Keychron Q11 (75%)."

Lily

4.0

(11)

"4 row with 3+ thumb keys: Lily58, Iris, Sofle definitely towards the top."

"I'd go with the Lily. It has enough (but not too many) keys, and you can dirt buy cheap parts from Aliexpress."

"I just completed my Lily58 build I like it a lot i think its a good entry point."

"I would suggest starting with a 60% board, such as the Lily58, Sofle, or Iris."

"If you want more than 34/36 keys, get a Lily or something similar."

"Lily58 58key(MX or Choc, Sofle 58key + 2 Encoders(60 including encoder push MX or Choc), Lotus58 mix between lily58 & Sofle(MX my preferred for larger keyboards)"

"I started with a Lily58 and I immediately thought it's got too many keys. Embrace layering fully and get a Corne if you're looking for a small form factor."

"The recs for a lily58 or a corne I think could serve you very well :)"

"You can have lily58 or corne from typeractive without soldering."

"I started with a Lily58 about 3 months ago. I was coming from a full size keyboard so it was a bit if an adjustment period."

Keebio

4.0

(11)

"Take a look at the Iris CE from keebio. For about 150 you get something really nice."

"The Keebio Iris CE is similar to the Voyager and is around your budget."

"Keebio's kits are even easier builds because they are factory-soldered."

"Anything from Keeb.io or BoardSource.xyz is good quality and well supported."

"Check out keebio.com. Great shop and great build guides that can help you along the way."

"Keebio Iris"

"I went with Iris from keebio. It is wired, but apart from that fully satisfied my needs."

"The Keebio Sinc rev4 fulfills most of OP's requirements... split keyboard, some kind of “silent” keys, VIA supported firmware, function keys, no numpad, some macro keys"

"Keebio Sinc and KBO-5000 are in similar price range and actually DIY."

"Keebio has a great lineup up diy split boards."

Ergodox

3.9

(10)

"I find the Ergodox to be a great size, totally recommend."

"I like my Ergodox. All three of them."

"I've got the original design: Ergodox, and frankly I couldn't live with less keys."

"Ergodox EZ."

"You could try, in descending order of number of keys: ergodox, sofle, kyria, corne, sweep..."

"Did you consider the Ergodox EZ, maybe with a nice macropad in between?"

"Ergodox is slick. If you need wireless this looks like an option."

"As for the Ergodox, I recommend that, but the Infinity version."

"The Ergodox is pretty good, but it takes a while to get used to."

"Stay away from ergodox unless you have giant hands"

Mistel

3.9

(9)

"I am a happy Mistel MD770 user. Comparatively cheap, mostly looks and works like a normal keyboard, but split in half."

"Try a Mistel Barocco MD770."

"Is also a great option."

"Mistel borocco is a decent choice."

"Mistel Barocco?"

"I currently use a Mistel Barroco with Silver switches, very nice board."

"Seconding the Barocco, I have a co-worker that has one and loves it."

"Most any kit will be at least as expensive."

"Mistel Barocco MD770 has more limited features, but might work with a programmable dongle."

#10

Sofle

4.3

(7)

"I just finished building a sofle v2, as my first split keyboard, and first time soldering too. With far less issues than I was anticipating."

"IMO Sofle is the safest choice that would allow"

"Sofle 58key + 2 Encoders(60 including encoder push MX or Choc)"

"There's a lot of splits like sofle on aliexpress nowadays."

"Sofle v2 or corne."

"If you liked the thumb keys on Corne, Sofle V1's thumb key placement is almost identical (but there are more of them) - check out splitkbcompare for comparisons."

"Sofle is one of the most popular keyboards with number row."

#11

Matias

4.1

(7)

"The Matias Ergo Pro is fantastic and offers great feeling and quiet mechanical switches."

"Matias Ergo Pro is a great split ergonomic keyboard."

"Maybe Royal Kludge, Keychron Q11, Kinesis Freestyle Pro, or Matias. These all have a standard staggered layout and will be an easier adjustment."

"Cheapest keyboard (Note: NOT kit or a prebuilt kit) I know of is Matias Ergo Pro at around 250 EUR."

"Honestly, this sounds like my Matias Ergo Pro."

"Matias ergo pro is my go-to keyboard."

"Matias sells assembled split ergo keyboard and they are in Canada."

#12

Iris

4.4

(5)

"I do all my coding on an Iris."

"The Iris meets most of your requirements. I just built one for about $100."

"I’m a fan of the Iris which has hot swap sockets and uses VIA for customization. It is ortholinear which I absolutely love."

"I did the Iris for my first build and it went great. And now they are hot swap so it can be even simpler."

"If you don't want to build it yourself, the Iris is great."

#13

Dactyl

4.4

(5)

"Dactyl manuform and Scylla are really good options."

"I spend most of my time typing and gaming on my Dactyl Manuform 6x6."

"Dactyl manuform."

"I'm gonna throw a bit of a wild card in here for you. Dactyl manuform."

"The Dactyl is pretty damned good."

#14

Ultimate Hacking Keyboard

4.2

(5)

"UHK = Ultimate Hacking Keyboard."

"I bought version 1 of this keyboard some years ago after a wrist injury and it's still going strong today."

"Ultimate hacking keyboard (UHK v2) is often overlooked."

"I use this one https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/."

"Other alternatives (no actual experience): https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/"

#15

Lily58

4.2

(5)

"Started with a Lily58 and fell in love with columnar split."

"Lily58."

"Lots of people started with Lily58 / Corne."

"Personally I'd recommend a Lily58 or Redox to start out."

"+1 for a Lily58 with nice|nanos."

#16

Glove80

4.8

(4)

"A friend recently tried a couple of them and landed on the Glove80."

"I think the glove 80 is the way to go here."

"I've recently got a glove80 with pro red keys and it seems to be best balance of wrist angle and low weight keys."

"Then there are the expensive pre-built options like Glove80, Kinesis Advantage and Dygma Defy."

#17

Kyria

4.3

(4)

"I'm afflicted with small hands and I love the Kyria!"

"You can get a Kyria for €100-€115 depending on how much you are willing to hand solder."

"The kyria and dillemma come to mind first."

"Kyria, you respect the budget, it can be easily done as first handmade project."

#18

Ergodox EZ

4.3

(4)

"Just save a little longer and get an Ergodox EZ."

"I like my Ergodox EZ keyboards."

"ErgoDox EZ is popular but shipped from Taiwan."

"Did you consider the Ergodox EZ, maybe with a nice macropad in between?"

#19

Piantor

4.0

4.0

(3)

"My Lily58 Pro was my first split and it was awesome."

"A good beginner split board could be the lily58 pro."

"If you're coming from the Iris, check out the Lily58 Pro."

#26

3.0

4.0

(1)

"I have 2 Freestyle Pros and I really like them because of the tenting and wrist pads."

#73

Protoarc

4.0

(1)

"At home I use the Protoarc EKM01 with their EM11 vertical mouse."

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