Keychron Q5 vs Qwertykeys Neo98Wired or Wireless?
Choose the Keychron Q5 for wired RGB and its programmable knob, or the Qwertykeys Neo98 if wireless connectivity matters more.
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4.8 · 17 reviews
from$119at Keychron
5.0 · 6 reviews
from$83at Divinikey
Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron Q5
Knob
Build quality in the top 5% of 96% boards under $150.
- Wired connectivity with a listed 1000 Hz polling rate.
- South-facing RGB backlighting and a programmable knob.
- QMK and VIA support, plus hot-swappable 3-pin and 5-pin MX switches.
- South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
- Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.
Get the
Qwertykeys Neo98
Build quality in the top 5% of 98% boards under $100.
- Tri-mode option supports wireless, wired and 2.4 GHz connectivity, with an 8000mAh battery listed in its metadata.
- Poron gasket, silicone gasket and top-mount options.
- Hot-swappable PCB options and QMK/VIA support.
- 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.
Pick the Keychron Q5 if you want a wired board with south-facing RGB, a programmable knob and broader regional layout choices. Choose the Qwertykeys Neo98 if wireless connectivity and adjustable mounting styles are higher priorities. Both support hot-swapping and QMK/VIA, so those features alone do not separate them.
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 Q5
Qwertykeys Neo98
Layout size
96%
98%
Connection
Wired
2.4 GHz, Wired, Bluetooth
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Case material
Aluminum
Aluminum, Brass, Copper, Steel
Mount style
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Gasket Mount
Knob
Yes
No
- Keychron Q5
- Qwertykeys Neo98
- Performance
- 7254
- Build quality
- 8994
- Productivity
- 9789
- Customizability
- 9886
- Portability
- 4662
- Hot-swappable
- QMK
- VIA
- Sound dampening
- Keycaps: ABS, PBT
What will you mostly use it for?
The Q5 takes the edge for gaming, office work, programming and content creation through its wired polling specification, knob, RGB and broader regional layout selection. The Neo98 is the more travel-oriented option because it supports wireless connections and is listed as lighter. For hands-on building, the Neo98's selectable mount styles and plate choices give it a wider range of configuration options. Both share hot-swappable switches and QMK/VIA support.
Pick the Keychron Q5
- The Q5 is wired and lists a 1000 Hz polling rate.
- The Q5 has south-facing RGB, while the Neo98 has no RGB.
What owners say
Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.
Keychron Q5
17 owner reviews
“I really like this keyboard. I have a couple of Q1s, and I like this layout better. The key caps on the silver gray model look terrific.”
Qwertykeys Neo98
6 owner reviews
“excellent board. build quality, sound, feel, options, aesthetics - I'm completely satisfied.”
Keychron Q5 vs Qwertykeys Neo98 specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
14 of 26 specs differ
Keychron Q5
Qwertykeys Neo98
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Sound dampening
Screw-in stabilizers
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Typing angle
Backlight
QMK
VIA
Mac & Windows
Released
ISO layouts by store
Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.
Keychron Q5
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW
In stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW
Out of stockDoes not ship to you
Qwertykeys Neo98
MonacoKeys
ISO
In stockDoes not ship to you
Compare prices
Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.
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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.
Keychron Q5 vs Qwertykeys Neo98: your questions
No. The Q5 is wired only and connects over USB-C. The Qwertykeys Neo98 offers wireless connectivity options.
Yes. Its metadata lists 2.4 GHz, wired and Bluetooth connectivity, along with an 8000mAh battery. The vendor description specifies a battery and 2.4 GHz dongle for the tri-mode PCB option.
The Keychron Q5 has south-facing RGB lighting. The Neo98 is listed without RGB, and its vendor description specifies no per-key RGB.
The Q5 is listed with knob support, and the vendor describes its knob as programmable through VIA. Example uses include zooming, changing brush size and adjusting volume.
The Neo98 is listed at 1798g, compared with 2310g for the Q5. The Neo98 vendor description identifies its 1798g figure as the tri-mode case-only weight.
Yes, both are listed as hot-swappable. The Q5 vendor says its sockets support 3-pin and 5-pin MX switches, while the Neo98 vendor describes hot-swap PCB options.
The Neo98 offers Poron gasket, silicone gasket and top-mount configurations in the vendor description. The Q5 is listed with gasket and plate mounting, and its vendor description details a double-gasket design.
Both keyboards list QMK and VIA support. The Q5 vendor also describes using VIA to customize its knob and Keychron Launcher for key remapping and macros.
The Q5 is listed in ISO-DE and ISO-UK, as well as ISO-Nordic and other layouts. The Neo98 compatibility notes identify ISO-DE, ISO-UK and ISO-Nordic as missing regional options.
The Q5 vendor specifies ABS backlight shine-through keycaps. Its south-facing LEDs may leave shine-through legends dark, and some sculpted keycaps may clip the LED.
The Q5 has a programmable knob that can be assigned to tasks such as selecting video clips, zooming or changing brush size. The Neo98 is not listed with a knob.
They are compact full-size designs, listed as 96% for the Q5 and 98% for the Neo98. Both include a numpad, but their compatibility notes say they do not have the gaps of a full-size board.
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