Tactile vs Linear vs Clicky Switches: Which is Right for You?

Overview

Deciding which switches to get for a keyboard build can be overwhelming with the number of choices in today's market. There are several factors that can affect the sound and feel of a keyboard build, and the switch you choose to use is one of the most influential factors especially for the typing feel. There are generally 4 different categories of switches: linear, tactile, clicky, and silent switches.

Linear

Linear switches would be for you if you are looking for the smoothest typing experience. The typing experience feels the same throughout the keypress, in comparison to a tactile or clicky switch. A linear switch would also be a good fit for you if you are a heavy typist since you would bottom out on the switch and don't necessarily need a tactile response to signal a keypress.

Linear switches are not for you if you want to have some sort of feedback when the switch has registered a keypress.

Here are some popular linear switches for your reference:

Cherry MX Black
Gateron Oil King
Everglide Aqua King
Gateron Milky Yellow
HMX Cheese

Tactile

Tactile switches would be for you if you would like to have some feedback on each keypress and don't bottom out when you type. Tactile switches provide a tactile feedback with a small bump on keypress that essentially signals when the key has been actuated. This is helpful for typists who do not bottom out while typing since you would know when the key has been registers, unlike for a linear switch.

Tactile switches are not for you if you don't enjoy feeling a bump in the middle of your keypress and are looking for an uninterrupted and smooth typing experience.

Here are some popular tactile switches for your reference:

Cherry MX Brown
Gazzew Boba U4T
Everglide Moyu Black / Dark Jade
Gateron Baby Kangaroo
Durock Ice King
Invyr Holy Panda (no longer in production)

Clicky

Clicky switches can technically be categorized as a tactile switch as well since it provide feedback when the switch has been actuated with a "clicky" noise. Clicky switches would be for you if you would like to have both a physical and auditory feedback when typing. Tactile switches can also be heard when actuated because of their tactile bumps, but clicky switches usually have a mechanism that produces a distinct "clicky" sound when actuated.

Clicky switches are not for you if you don't want to have a loud auditory "click" for every keypress.

Here are some popular clicky switches for your reference:

Gateron Melodic
Kailh Box Jade Thick Clicky
Kailh Box Navy Thick Clicky
Cherry MX Blue

Silent

Silent switches, as the name suggests, would be on the complete opposite side of the spectrum as a clicky switch. Silent switches aim to have a dampening mechanism to provide a typing feel similar to normal switches but silenced to be able to use in shard spaces. Silent switches have both linear and tactile variants so for silent switches you would need to know if you have a preference for a linear or tactile typing feel. There are different designs of silencing mechanisms that would be fun to try out. The most common silencing mechanism is having silicon dampeners on the stem rails to provide a cushion for both the bottom out and the top out. Other methods of dampening include having a silicon ring round the stem to provide a dampened top out or having flex cuts on the rails of the stem to create a dampening without the use of silicon.

Silent switches are not for you if you do not like the typing feel of the silencing mechanism or if you are looking for a satisfying typing experience that sounds good as well as it sounds.

Here are some popular silent switches for your reference:

Durock Shrimp
Durock Dolphin
TTC Bluish White
Outemu Cream Yellow
Outemu Honey Peach
Akko Fairy
Akko Penguin
Gazzew Bobagum Pink
Gazzew Boba U4
WS Silent
TTC Frozen

Other things to consider

In addition to deciding among a linear, tactile, clicky, or silent switch, some other elements of a switch to consider include:

Springs:

Two main aspects of springs to consider are the spring weight and the spring length. Depending on if you are a heavy typist or a light typist, you would want a heavier or lighter spring weight. Most users generally prefer a spring weight between 55g to 62g so that range would be a good place to start and then depending on your preference you could experiment with heavier and lighter spring weights. Spring length can also make a difference in the typing feel and sound. A shorter spring length usually has a shorter a return speed and a relatively quieter top out compared to a longer spring length which usually has a faster return speed and a relatively louder top out. Switches generally come with spring lengths between about 15mm (Gateron Milky Yellow) to 20mm (HMX Macchiato).

Short travel vs full travel:

If you are coming from a prebuilt keyboard, then you are most likely familiar with a full travel switch like a standard Cherry or Gateron switch. Generally most people prefer a full travel distance switch for the typing feel, but short travel distances can also be appealing for those that like a more sudden bottom out typing feel. The travel distance also makes an impact on the sound keyboard. A shorter travel switch usually has a sharper and harder bottom out while a full travel switch usually has a fuller and softer bottom out.

Conclusion

If you are unsure which type of switch you would prefer, it could be a good idea to find different keyboards to test by going to a meetup. There are also switch samplers that you could get to try out a few before committing to get an entire set. Otherwise linear switches would be a good starting point since it is most similar to the feeling of typing on a laptop keyboard or a desktop keyboard.

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Tactile vs Linear vs Clicky vs Silent Switches: Which is Right for You?