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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 28, 2026

8BitDo Retro87 vs Unity Community

Get the 8BitDo Retro87 for hot-swappable. Get the Unity Community for qmk.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

8BitDo Retro87

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the bottom 40% of 80% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • No numpad.

Get the

Unity Community

QMK

Build quality in the bottom 50% of 40% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
  • Compact layout only. No function row, dedicated arrow keys, or numpad.

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

8BitDo Retro87

Unity Community

  • Layout size

    80%

    40%

  • Hot-swappable

    Yes

    No

    Switch changes without soldering

  • Ergonomics

    Standard

    Split Spacebar

  • Case material

    Aluminum, Plastic

    Aluminum

  • QMK

    No

    Yes

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • 8BitDo Retro87
  • Unity Community
Performance
63
57
Build quality
53
72
Productivity
73
50
Customizability
68
74
Portability
77
63

What they share

  • Knob
See every spec side by side

Full specs

8BitDo Retro87 vs Unity Community specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

10 of 23 specs differ

8BitDo Retro87

Unity Community

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky
—

Hot-swappable

Yes
No

Mount style

Top Mount
—

Layout

Layout size

80%
40%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Split Spacebar

Knob

Yes
Yes

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
—

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
—

Battery

4,000 mAh
—

USB-C

Yes
No

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Plastic
Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum
—

Keycaps

ABS
PBT

Weight

1,100 g
—

Dimensions

46 x 169 x 376 mm
—

Backlight

RGB
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2024
2024

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

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