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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 13, 2026

KBDFans Athena vs Keychron C100

Get the KBDFans Athena for via and sound dampening. Get the Keychron C100 for qmk.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena

VIA

Build quality in the top 15% of 75% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • No numpad.

Get the

Keychron C100

QMK

Rules this board out

  • Macropad only. This is not a full keyboard.

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.

KBDFans Athena

Keychron C100

  • Layout size

    75%

    Macropad

  • Display

    LCD

    None

    A case display rather than a typing feature

  • QMK

    No

    Yes

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

  • VIA

    Yes

    No

    GUI remapping without compiling firmware

  • Sound dampening

    Yes

    No

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Athena
  • Keychron C100
Performance
70
61
Build quality
84
56
Productivity
75
46
Customizability
88
53
Portability
63
63

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Athena vs Keychron C100 specs

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

8 of 20 specs differ

KBDFans Athena

Keychron C100

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Linear

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
—

Sound dampening

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

75%
Macropad

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Display

LCD
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
—

Max polling rate

—
8,000 Hz

USB-C

Yes
No

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
—

Plate material

Aluminum, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate
—

Weight

2,200 g
—

Typing angle

9°
—

Backlight

RGB
None

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

Yes
No

VIAL

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2026
2026

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.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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