Honestly speaking, this year was probably one of my worst in the hobby, as I barely got time to work on stuff. Still, there were some keyboards that impressed me to the fullest. This includes both prebuilt and custom boards, in no particular order.

Akko Mineral 01: The best keyboard Akko has released in recent times, and in my opinion, the best keyboard under 120 dollars. Beautiful design and great acoustics, along with a tried-and-tested mounting style, made it one of my favorites. It is also available in barebones, so custom lovers would dig it.

Monsgeek M2 V5 VIA: Basically the M1 V5’s 1800 counterpart. The best part about it is the Akko Cilantro switches.

Mechlands Vibe75: One of the most pleasing and creamy-sounding 75 percent boards out there. The hot-swap knob and display were chef’s kiss.

Chilkey ND TKL: An almost perfect TKL at 100 dollars, with all the best things from the keyboard scene. A nicely designed case, Tsangan bottom row, aluminum plate, 1.6 mm PCB, and dual mounting. What more can you ask for? Only if it had top mount.

Weikav WK87: Without a doubt, the best budget keyboard on the market and the best value keyboard of 2025. It has everything, from great switches to a nice build, solid wireless connectivity, and QMK/VIA. Yes, the cheapest board with QMK/VIA.

Ajazz QS87 Series: A super underrated entry this year. This board has four mounting styles, solid switches, and good build quality. The Max variant has a hot-swap display. Only if it had QMK/VIA.

Lofree Flow Lite: I never thought I would daily drive a low-profile keyboard at the workplace. The reason is simple: great switches with good acoustics and crazy good battery life. Plus, it has tactile switch options too. One of the few low-profile boards to offer that.

8BitDo TKL: The Xbox variant is actually breathtaking. I finally daily drove a clicky switch board after ages.

Lingbao MK75: A breath of fresh air amidst all those same-design 75 percent boards. It ticks all the boxes and has one of the best-feeling tactile knobs.

Aula F65 Pro: The Aula F75 in a more refined form with a hot-swap knob. Only if it had VIA.

Weikav WK68: A very welcome addition in the sub BDT 4,000 or 40 USD range. While it has everything a good board should have, including good switches and a knob, the best thing about it is the colorful shine-through keycaps.

Neo75Cu: My favorite custom board in my collection. From design to mounting to sound, everything is pitch perfect. Loved the isolated bottom mount.

Neo80: Neo boards are solid. This TKL just blew my mind. The hybrid mounting, along with the sleek finish, made this a worthwhile addition to my collection.

GDK Lab DK1 60%: My first HHKB-style board. It has one of the most unique Marbelano finishes with great acoustics.

So yeah, these are my picks. Hoping for a more eventful 2026 in terms of keyboards and content creation as a whole.