The Best Keyboards for Programming (2021)

A smart programmer working a demanding remote job knows better than to use a mediocre keyboard…

Phil from 4 day week
6 min readApr 3, 2021

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A smart programmer working a demanding remote job knows better than to use a mediocre keyboard. Standard keyboards can’t handle hours of heavy usage. At least not without breaking down or injuring your hands.

Coders need a specialized, customizable tool that’ll stand the daily abuse, improve typing speed, and safeguard their health and wellbeing. The ideal programming keyboard lets you handle countless hours of programming tasks in your remote job without sustaining a repetitive strain injury.

We have narrowed down the best keyboards for programming in 2021 to let you work faster, smarter, and efficiently in your remote software engineering job.

Best Full-sized keyboard: Razer BlackWindow Elite

The Razer BlackWindow Elite is ideal for programmers who frequently use the number pad or crave lots of customizable keys. The wired keyboard has a solid build, good spacing, and stable keys for greater typing accuracy.

It’s ergonomically designed with a detachable magnetic wrist rest made of plush leatherette and two incline settings for greater typing comfort. All keys are macro-programmable so that you can customize them to your liking with the companion software.

This mechanical keyboard has silent proprietary switches with great tactile feedback for a smooth, effortless typing. Each key is individually lit to let you work in a dark environment, but the full RGB backlighting lets you customize the keyboard for a personalized touch.

Pros

  • Sturdy and well built
  • Full RGB lighting
  • Macro-programmable keys
  • Light tactile keys

Cons

  • Customization software is limited to Windows

Best Budget Programming keyboard — Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard

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Phil from 4 day week

Founder @ 4dayweek.io - jobs with a better work / life balance.