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8 Best Membrane Keyboards (2023)

8 Best Membrane Keyboards (2023)

If you spend a fair amount of time on the computer, chances are pretty good that you have strong opinions about the type of keyboard you prefer.

Office workers everywhere know the feeling when they find the right keyboard, and their hand fatigue and wrist strain disappear.

You might be surprised to learn that membrane keyboards, once thought of as inferior to mechanical ones, are making a comeback. This is our review of the best membrane keyboards for work or gaming.

What is a Membrane Keyboard?

So what is a membrane keyboard, you ask? Membrane keyboards use a single pressure pad, or membrane, to register keystrokes, as opposed to mechanical keyboards, which use separate keys that are each attached to individual sensors.

Membrane keyboards are cheaper to manufacture, easier to clean, and are super portable. Because they don’t contain moving keys, membrane keyboards are also quieter than traditional ones.

If you’re ready to give membrane keyboards a try, take a look at the 8 best membrane keyboards on the market today.

Best Membrane Keyboards for Work or Gaming

Redragon K502 RGB Gaming Keyboard

Best Overall Membrane Keyboard: Redragon K502 RGB Gaming Keyboard

Redragon is known for its gaming accessories, and their membrane keyboards are hard to top. Take the Redragon K502 RGB Gaming Keyboard, for example. This keyboard is durable and responsive, with uber quiet island-style Chiclet keys that let you type with less effort, thanks to their tactile feedback and minimized key travel. 

RGB lighting enables you to change the lighting to set your mood. You have six modes and effects, four brightness levels, and an adjustable breathing speed to choose from. You can also turn the lighting off if you want to keep things simple. 

The ergonomic design and wrist guard allows you to type for hours on end without strain, and the splashproof design keeps spills at bay. The K502 is compatible with most major computer brands.


Membrane Gaming Keyboard

Best Budget Membrane Keyboard: HyperX Alloy Core RGB Membrane Gaming Keyboard

The HyperX Alloy Core RGB Membrane Gaming Keyboard is a stylish keyboard for the budget-conscious gamer. You can adjust its six dynamic lighting effects that to three levels of brightness. The keyboard’s soft-touch keys boast key rollover and gaming-grade anti-ghosting features, and they manage to be quiet while mimicking the feel of a mechanical keyboard. 

The Alloy Core is as functional as it is stylish, with a rigid, reinforced plastic frame and spill-resistant design, making it ideal for gamers who are especially tough on their equipment. Control freaks will love the quick access buttons for Game Mode and lighting and the dedicated media controls.

You can also keep anyone from interfering with your game by using the Keyboard Lock feature if you need to step away. The Alloy Core is a fashionable yet functional membrane keyboard for gamers or anyone else who appreciates a responsive, colorful piece of equipment.


Philips Wired Gaming Keyboard

Best for Wrist Strain: Philips Wired Quiet Gaming Keyboard + LED Optical Mouse

The Philips Wired Quiet Gaming Keyboard features soft, island-style Chiclet keys and a curved, ergonomic shape that reduces wrist strain. RGB lighting backlighting shines through the translucent keys, adding a bit of moodiness to your work or gaming sessions. 

The keys are precise and accurate compared to other membrane keyboards, and naturally, they’re virtually silent. This super slim keyboard is compact enough to save space while giving you plenty of room with which to work. 

You can press multiple keys simultaneously and use the keyboard lock feature to keep it secure. This Philips plug-and-play membrane keyboard is compatible with PCs, Chromebooks, MacBooks, and some gaming consoles.


Razer Cynosa Chroma Gaming Keyboard

Best Membrane Keyboard for Speed: Razer Cynosa Chroma Gaming Keyboard

Razer makes some of the best gaming accessories around, so we were pleased to find that they also do fantastic membrane keyboards. The company’s Cynosa Chroma Gaming Keyboard has a terrific overall performance. 

It has built-in anti-ghosting and key rollover and can execute almost a dozen commands at one time. This keyboard features programmable macros, too, so you can remap keypress combinations to meet your exact needs. 

The beautifully backlit keyboard is spill-proof, so you don’t have to worry next time you knock over your drink during an especially exciting moment of gaming. The Cynosa Chroma is fully customizable and boasts compatibility with a range of software, hardware, and over 30 partners.


LANGTU Membrane Gaming Keyboard

Best Membrane Keyboard for Work: LANGTU Membrane Gaming Keyboard

The LANGTU Membrane Gaming Keyboard proves that gaming membrane keyboards are also perfect for the workplace. An aluminum alloy panel improves durability while lending the accessory a sleek, modern look. 

As with many membrane keyboards, this one is spill-proof. Its soft-touch keys are nearly silent, and they’re removable for easy cleaning. This keyboard offers accurate keystrokes and a 5 million click lifespan, making it ideal for the office

The seven-color rainbow backlight adds some flair, and the innovative stair-step keycap design lets you type for hours in comfort. We love this keyboard’s double-color keycaps, anti-ghosting technology, and multimedia keys, too.


Basaltech Mechanical Feeling Keyboard

Best Membrane Keyboard for Mechanical Feel: Basaltech Mechanical-Feeling Keyboard

You can typically tell the difference between the feel of mechanical and membrane keyboards, but the Basaltech Mechanical-Feeling Keyboard offers users the best of both worlds. It’s less showy than most gaming keyboards, with subtle, sophisticated backlighting in seven modes with optional breathing. 

It’s not only water-resistant but sweat-resistant, too, making it perfect for those long, overheated gaming sessions or work deadlines. You can adjust the keyboard height as needed thanks to two angled feet on the back for optimal comfort, plus the keyboard is compatible with most operating systems and features a sleep mode when not used for ten minutes. The Basaltech is one of our favorite work-to-play membrane keyboards.


PICTEK Metal Gaming Keyboard

Most Metal Membrane Keyboard: PICTEK Metal Gaming Keyboard

PICTEK Metal Gaming Keyboard is one of the more ergonomic membrane keyboards on the market, thanks to its well-thought-out typing angle, wrist support, and stepped-key design. The frame is metal, making it incredibly durable compared to weaker plastic keyboards. 

This premium keyboard allows you to press up to 19 keys at the same time, along with giving you a dozen multimedia shortcuts. The PICTEK features the usual rainbow backlighting that membrane keyboards favor, as well as a crater structure that will last through an impressive 10 million keystrokes. 

The keys are whisper-quiet and responsive to even the softest touch. This keyboard is functional enough for work or play and will add a bit of class to your gaming setup.


Redragon K512 Shiva RGB Backlit Membrane Gaming Keyboard

Best Membrane Keyboard for Longevity: Redragon K512 Shiva RGB Backlit Membrane Gaming Keyboard

Redragon is back on our list a second time, this time due to their incredible K512 Shiva RGB Backlit Membrane Gaming Keyboard. The K512 is durable enough to last through 10 million keystrokes, and its keys won’t fade one bit, thanks to the double-shot injection molded keycaps. You’ll also be able to last through 10 million keystrokes, thanks to its ergonomic design complete with detachable wrist rest. 

You can use a whopping 26 keys at one time and control multimedia with the dedicated multimedia keys. Vivid RGB backlighting features seven modes, with the option of customizing an additional six. If you’re looking for a reliable keyboard for home or office use, this is it. It’s quiet, responsive, and will last through marathon work or gaming sessions with ease.


Conclusion

Any one of these whisper-quiet membrane keyboards would make a perfect addition to any office, call center, or computer gaming area.

We know how important it is to find a durable, accurate keyboard when working or playing for long periods of time on the computer, which is why we chose only the very best membrane keyboards around.

How did we decide which ones to include in our list? We judged each one on a variety of factors:

  • Accuracy
  • Quality/durability
  • Keystroke noise (or lack of)
  • Ergonomics
  • Customer reviews
  • Design

The keyboards that made it onto this list are the best of the best, so choosing the right one is only a matter of your personal preferences.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan of membrane keyboards or this is your first foray away from the click-clack of mechanical ones, we’re confident that you’ll find something on this list that will suit your needs.