Royal Kludge M87 vs Zuoya GMK87
Choose the prebuilt Royal Kludge M87 for its larger battery, included linear switches and dual knobs, or the barebones Zuoya GMK87 if you want to build around its ABS case and polycarbonate plate.
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Which one should you get?
Get the
Royal Kludge M87
Battery
Build quality in the top 35% of 80% boards under $100.
- Prebuilt with linear Cream switches and PBT keycaps.
- 7500mAh battery, compared with the GMK87's listed 3000mAh.
- LCD display and dual knobs for status information, keyboard settings and volume.
- South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
Get the
Zuoya GMK87
Build quality in the top 30% of 80% boards under $100.
- DIY kit format leaves switches and keycaps for the builder to select.
- ABS case and polycarbonate plate are specified in the product listing.
- Includes case, plate and PE PCB foam.
- South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
Pick the Royal Kludge M87 if you want a complete keyboard with linear switches, PBT keycaps, dual knobs, an LCD screen and the larger listed battery. Choose the Zuoya GMK87 if assembling a barebones kit is part of the appeal and its specified ABS case, polycarbonate plate and foam layers fit your build plans. Both share an 80% ANSI layout and tri-mode connectivity.
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.
Royal Kludge M87
Zuoya GMK87
Battery
7,500 mAh
3,000 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
Knob
Yes
No
Display
LCD
Yes
A case display rather than a typing feature
Media keys
Yes
No
- Royal Kludge M87
- Zuoya GMK87
- Performance
- 6560
- Build quality
- 6870
- Productivity
- 8375
- Customizability
- 7877
- Portability
- 8573
- Layout size: 80%
- Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
- Hot-swappable
- Mount style: Gasket Mount
- Sound dampening
What will you mostly use it for?
The M87 suits buyers who want a ready-built board with included linear switches, PBT keycaps, a larger battery and added controls. The GMK87 is the more build-focused choice, with its barebones format and specified case, plate and foam materials. Both share the core TKL layout, connection modes, gasket mount and hot-swap capability, so programming can reasonably go either way. For travel, the M87 has the clearer case based on its listed weight and larger battery.
Pick the Royal Kludge M87
- The M87 comes prebuilt with linear Cream switches, so it is ready to use without sourcing switches separately.
- Its vendor description lists five layers of noise-dampening materials and dedicated media controls.
Royal Kludge M87 vs Zuoya GMK87 specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
4 of 21 specs differ
Royal Kludge M87
Zuoya GMK87
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Sound dampening
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Media keys
Connection
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Backlight
Mac & Windows
Released
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Royal Kludge M87 vs Zuoya GMK87: your questions
The M87 is listed as a prebuilt keyboard with linear switches and PBT keycaps, while the GMK87 is a DIY kit. The M87 also has dual knobs and an LCD display, while the GMK87 listing details its ABS case, polycarbonate plate and foam.
The GMK87 is described as a keyboard kit and listed as DIY kit/barebones. The listing mentions a switch and keycap puller, but does not list included switches or keycaps.
The M87 vendor description identifies its included switches as pre-lubed linear Cream switches. It also says the hot-swappable PCB supports 3-pin and 5-pin switches.
The Royal Kludge M87 has a listed 7500mAh battery, while the Zuoya GMK87 has a listed 3000mAh battery. The M87 vendor description claims up to 400 hours of use with RGB off, but that runtime is not given for the GMK87.
Both list Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz and wired connectivity. The M87 vendor page specifies Bluetooth 5.1, while the GMK87 vendor listing specifies Bluetooth 5.0.
Yes, both product listings identify hot-swap support. The M87 vendor description says its PCB supports 3-pin and 5-pin switches; the GMK87 listing describes a hot-swap PCB.
The GMK87 listing specifies an ABS plastic case and a polycarbonate plate. It also lists case, plate and PE PCB foam as included layers.
Yes. Its LCD screen can show information including time, connection status and battery level, and its two knobs provide keyboard-setting and volume controls according to the vendor.
No, both are listed as 80% keyboards with an ANSI layout. The M87 vendor description identifies it as an 88-key TKL board, while the GMK87 listing specifies 87 keys.
Both have south-facing LEDs, and each product's compatibility note warns that shine-through legends stay dark. The note also says some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
The Royal Kludge M87 is listed at 840g. The GMK87 metadata does not provide a weight, so a direct weight comparison is not available.
Both product listings identify Mac and Windows support. The M87 vendor description also names iOS and Android among supported operating systems.
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