Head to head · Prices checked Nov 10, 2026

KBDFans Athena vs Keychron K8 Max

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KBDFans Athena

5.0 (8)5.0 · 8 reviews

from$159at Divinikey

Compare 2 stores

Keychron K8 Max

No reviews

from$124at MK

Compare 4 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena

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

Rules this board out

No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
No numpad.

$159 at Divinikey

Get the

Keychron K8 Max

Build quality in the top 5% of 80% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
No numpad.

$124 at MK

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 K8 Max

Layout size
75%
80%
Connection
Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Case material
Aluminum
ABS, Aluminum, Steel
Mount style
Top Mount
PCB Mount, Plate Mount
Display
LCD
None
A case display rather than a typing feature

KeebFinder scores

How we score

KBDFans Athena
Keychron K8 Max

Performance: 70
80
Build quality: 84
87
Productivity: 75
94
Customizability: 88
91
Portability: 63
76

What they share

Hot-swappable
VIA
Sound dampening

See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Athena vs Keychron K8 Max specs

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

17 of 27 specs differ

Spec

KBDFans Athena

Keychron K8 Max

Typing & switches

Switch options

—

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Top Mount

PCB Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%

80%

Layout standard

ANSI

ANSI, ISO, ISO-CH, ISO-DE, ISO-SW, ISO-UK

Ergonomics

Standard

Display

LCD

None

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—

1,000 Hz

Battery

Wired only

4,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum

ABS, Aluminum, Steel

Plate material

Aluminum, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate

Steel

Keycaps

—

PBT

Weight

2,200 g

1,308 g

Dimensions

—

43 x 359 x 129 mm

Typing angle

9°

11°, 3°

Backlight

RGB

RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

VIAL

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2026

2024

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

KBDFans Athena

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron K8 Max

Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-CH
In stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-CH
Out of stockDoes not ship to you

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.

KBDFans Athena2 stores