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3-way comparison · Prices checked Oct 28, 2026

Keychron K17 Max vs K17 Pro vs K5 V2

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron K17 Max

Build quality in the top 20% of 96% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
  • Missing ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic. The other board is sold in those layouts.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

Get the

Keychron K17 Pro

Build quality in the top 15% of 96% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

Get the

Keychron K5 V2

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.

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.

Keychron K17 Max

Keychron K17 Pro

Keychron K5 V2

  • Layout size

    96%

    96%

    100%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Bluetooth, Wired

    Bluetooth, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Case material

    ABS, Aluminum

    ABS, Aluminum, Plastic

    ABS, Aluminum

  • Mount style

    PCB Mount

    Tray Mount

    PCB Mount

  • Knob

    Yes

    Yes

    No

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron K17 Max
  • Keychron K17 Pro
  • Keychron K5 V2
Performance
83
84
82
Build quality
81
82
79
Productivity
93
87
80
Customizability
91
91
88
Portability
53
54
54

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Battery: 2,000 mAh
  • Low profile
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • Switch options: Clicky, Linear, Tactile
  • QMK
See every spec side by side

From real owners

What owners say

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

Keychron K17 Max

4.8

4 owner reviews

Praise
“Wish it was metal but i do love the low profile keyboard”
LyleVerified buyer· via Keychron

Keychron K17 Pro

5.0

2 owner reviews

Praise
“I love this keyboard. It works very well with my setup. The key switches and the knob are perfect. My only feedback is that I wish there was a southpaw version of this keyboard. As a person working with numbers and creativity, the K17 Pro Southpaw version…”
Nora V.· via Keychron

Keychron K5 V2

4.5

8 owner reviews

Praise
“Genuinely happy with the keyboard. Had a low-profile one from another brand that has been used for 12+ years, and it degraded over time. This K5 feels very good. Still have to get used to the distance between the "primary," arrows, and numpad blocks, but…”
Viktor K.Verified buyer· via Keychron
Critique
“Got this keyboard so I could keep my K5 Pro at work and this one at home. Both are the RGB version with brown switches, the K5v2 is quieter than the Pro and just as good to use. It also reports battery state over Bluetooth, which is a nice QoL improvement…”
Alex· via Keychron

Full specs

Keychron K17 Max vs K17 Pro vs K5 V2 specs

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

12 of 26 specs differ

Keychron K17 Max

Keychron K17 Pro

Keychron K5 V2

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes
Yes

Mount style

PCB Mount
Tray Mount
PCB Mount

Low profile

Yes
Yes
Yes

Sound dampening

Yes
No
No

Layout

Layout size

96%
96%
100%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
Yes
No

Display

None
None
None

Media keys

Yes
Yes
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, Wired
Bluetooth, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

2,000 mAh
2,000 mAh
2,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes
Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Aluminum
ABS, Aluminum, Plastic
ABS, Aluminum

Keycaps

PBT
PBT
ABS

Weight

750 g
679 g
732 g

Dimensions

27 x 119 x 387 mm
19 x 120 x 387 mm
25 x 424 x 119 mm

Typing angle

4°
2°
3°

Backlight

RGB, north-facing
RGB, north-facing
RGB, north-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
Yes
Yes

VIA

Yes
Yes
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
Yes
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2024
2023
2024

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Keychron K17 Max

  • Keychron

    ISO

    Out of stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO

    In stockDoes not ship to you

Keychron K17 Pro

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron K5 V2

  • Keychron

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-SW

    In 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.

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