Head to head · Prices checked Nov 11, 2026

KBDFans Athena vs Keychron Q1

Get the Keychron Q1 for knob and qmk.

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KBDFans Athena

5.0 (8)5.0 · 8 reviews

from$159at Divinikey

Compare 2 stores

Knob

Keychron Q1

4.9 (10)4.9 · 10 reviews

from$109at Keychron

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.

$159 at Divinikey

Get the

Keychron Q1

Knob

Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.

$109 at Keychron

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 Q1

Mount style
Top Mount
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Knob
No
Yes
Display
LCD
None
A case display rather than a typing feature
Weight
2,200 g
1,825 g
Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel
QMK
No
Yes
The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score

KBDFans Athena
Keychron Q1

Performance: 70
72
Build quality: 84
89
Productivity: 75
97
Customizability: 88
98
Portability: 63
65

What they share

Layout size: 75%
Connection: Wired
Hot-swappable
Case material: Aluminum
VIA
Sound dampening

See every spec side by side

From real owners

What owners say

Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.

KBDFans Athena

5.0

8 owner reviews

Praise

“What a piece of art. The cnc and attention to detail is immacualte. Gif screen and VIA software could use some love, but it's perfectly fine for what it is.”

CHARLES D.Verified buyer· via Divinikey

Keychron Q1

4.9

10 owner reviews

Praise

“Very pretty and good quality, only con is it's kind of pingy but it's easy to mod and fix with some tape, force break mod.”

Nico R.Verified buyer· via Keychron

Full specs

KBDFans Athena vs Keychron Q1 specs

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

14 of 26 specs differ

Spec

KBDFans Athena

Keychron Q1

Typing & switches

Switch options

—

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Top Mount

Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%

Layout standard

ANSI

ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, ISO-SW, ISO-UK, JIS

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

LCD

None

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired

Max polling rate

—

1,000 Hz

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate

Aluminum, Polycarbonate, Steel

Keycaps

—

ABS, PBT

Weight

2,200 g

1,825 g

Dimensions

—

22 x 145 x 328 mm

Typing angle

9°

5°

Backlight

RGB

RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

VIAL

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2026

2022

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 Q1

Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW
In stockShips to you
MK
ISO
Out of stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW
Out of stockDoes not ship to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO
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