Every mechanical keyboard switch comes down to one choice: what happens when you press a key. Some switches glide straight down with no interruption. Some give you a bump partway. Some click loudly enough for the next desk to hear. None of these are "better" in a general sense — they're built for different hands and different rooms.
Every mechanical switch type falls into five categories, and once you know them, choosing a switch stops being a guess. This guide covers the keyboard switch types sold at Keyora, so you can match a switch to how you type before you buy.
Mechanical switch types at a glance
| Type | Feel | Sound | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Smooth, no bump | Quiet-moderate | Gaming, fast typing |
| Tactile | Bump at actuation | Moderate | Typing, programming |
| Clicky | Bump + audible click | Loud | Typists who want feedback |
| Silent Linear | Smooth, dampened | Very quiet | Shared spaces, gaming at night |
| Silent Tactile | Bump, dampened | Quiet | Office use, calls |
Linear switches
Linear switches move straight down with constant resistance — no bump, no click, nothing to interrupt the keystroke. That makes them the default choice for gaming, where a switch that catches or hesitates costs you a fraction of a second. Fast typists also tend to prefer linear, since there's nothing physically stopping a rapid double-tap.
Shop linear switches:
- Keygeek Y2 Linear Switch — 48g, everyday linear with a soft, muted sound
- Gateron G Pro 3.0 Red — 45g, light and smooth, a common gaming pick
- Huano Sakura V2 — 35g, factory-lubed, smooth and light under the finger
- HMX Blossoms — 42g, smooth keystroke, solid planted landing
Tactile switches
Tactile switches give you a physical bump right at the actuation point, so you can feel exactly when a keypress registers without pressing all the way down or hearing a click. That feedback is why programmers and heavy typists often reach for tactile — you get confirmation without the noise of a clicky switch.
Shop tactile switches:
- HMX Cream Tea — 48g, gentle mid-stroke bump, muted and full sound
- HMX Sandstorm — 50g, firm snappy bump, bright clacky sound
- Gateron G Pro 3.0 Brown — 55g, balanced all-round tactile
Clicky switches
Clicky switches add an audible click on top of the tactile bump, using a click-bar or click-jacket mechanism. You get both feedback types at once — feel and sound — which some typists find satisfying and others find impossible to use in a shared office. If you've ever heard someone's keyboard from across the room, it was probably a clicky switch.
Shop clicky switches:
- Kailh Box White V2 — 50g, click-bar mechanism, IP56 dust/spill resistant
Silent linear switches
Same straight-down feel as a regular linear switch, but with rubber or silicone pads that dampen the sound on the down-stroke and bottom-out. You lose a bit of the "clean" feel purists like, but you gain a switch you can use late at night without waking anyone up.
Shop silent linear switches:
- Outemu Peach V3 — 40g, a good first silent switch
- TTC Frozen Silent V2 — 39g, soft pillowy feel, near-silent
Silent tactile switches
The bump of a tactile switch with the sound dampened down. This is the switch to pick if you're in a shared office or on calls all day and still want to feel your keystrokes land, rather than typing blind on a linear switch.
Shop silent tactile switches:
- Outemu Lemon V3 — 35g, light bump with a soft dampened landing
- HMX Moonlight — 37g, light and crisp early bump
- TTC Silent Bluish White V2 — 42g, medium tactility, soft dampened sound
Want something that works differently?
Every switch above uses a physical spring and a mechanical contact point. Hall Effect switches don't — they use a magnet and a sensor instead, which allows adjustable actuation points that no mechanical switch can do. Note: HE switches only work in keyboards built for magnetic sensing — they won't register in a standard hot-swap board. It's a different technology with its own tradeoffs. Read our Hall Effect Switches guide to see how it compares.
Browse Linear Mechanical Switches, Tactile Mechanical Switches or Silent Mechanical Switches. For compatible magnetic keyboards, browse Hall Effect Keyboard Switches.