Journal · Shop Notes

Linear vs tactile vs clicky switches: how each one feels

Shop Notes, from the Key Bored workshop · October 18, 2026 · 3 min read

Linear switches move smoothly from top to bottom. Tactile switches put a small bump in the way, partway down. Clicky switches add that bump plus a sharp audible click. None of them is best. The right one depends on what you want your finger to feel and what the people around you are willing to hear.

How a switch works, briefly

Inside an MX-style switch, a plastic stem rides in a housing on top of a spring. Press it and the stem slides down about 4 mm until it hits the bottom of the housing. Around 2 mm down, two metal contacts touch, and on a real keyboard that's when the computer registers the keystroke.

Everything people argue about happens in those 4 mm: how hard the spring pushes back, whether anything interrupts the slide, and what noise the stem makes when it bottoms out and when it springs back.

Linear: smooth all the way down

A linear switch has nothing in the way. The only resistance is the spring, which gets a little stiffer the further down you press. The classic example is the Cherry MX Red, rated at 45 centinewtons of force to actuate, which is light.

Linears feel fast and even. The sound comes mostly from the bottom-out and the return, so they're moderate in volume. Gamers like them because nothing slows the press. Plenty of people who just like smoothness end up here too, and many never leave.

Tactile: a bump you can feel

A tactile switch adds a small bump on the stem's leg. As you press, the leg rides over a metal leaf, and you feel a brief resistance that gives way. That bump tells your finger the press happened, without much extra noise.

Tactile switches vary a lot more than linears. Some have a soft, rounded bump you barely notice. Others have a sharp, pronounced one that feels like a small step. If someone tells you they hate tactile switches, there's a decent chance they tried a mushy one.

Clicky: a bump and a click

Clicky switches add a mechanism that snaps as you pass the bump. In the Cherry MX Blue it's a small plastic jacket around the stem. Other makers use a separate click bar, which tends to sound crisper and wear more evenly.

They're the most satisfying switches to press, by a wide margin, if you're the one pressing. Anyone within a few meters will have a different opinion. A clicky switch in a single key is a lot more acceptable than a full clicky keyboard, though, because one key is only one click at a time.

What else changes the feel

Spring weight matters more than people expect. A light spring makes a key feel quick and almost floaty. A heavy one makes every press feel deliberate. If a switch feels wrong, a different spring weight is often the fix.

Lubrication changes the sound. Factory-lubed switches tend to sound smoother and less scratchy. Some enthusiasts lube switches by hand, one at a time, which tells you a lot about the hobby.

The body around the switch changes the sound too. The same switch sounds higher and thinner in a light plastic shell and deeper and fuller in a heavy metal one. That's why the OneKey Pro carries a brass weight, and why we put a tuned air chamber under the switch in the OneKey.

So which one?

If you share a room or spend your day on calls, try a silent linear or a soft tactile. If you work alone and want feedback, a clicky switch is hard to beat. If you have no idea, start with a tactile. It sits in the middle and tells you quickly which way you lean.

The nice thing about a hot-swappable single key is that the decision isn't permanent. Pull the switch, push in another, and you've changed the whole object in about ten seconds.