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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Dimensions
    2. Build Quality
    3. Ergonomics
    4. Hardware Customizability
    5. Backlight Features
    6. Backlight Clarity
    7. Cable & Connector
    8. Wireless Versatility
    9. Macro Keys And Programming
    10. Extra Features
    11. In The Box
  5. Typing Experience
    1. Typing Quality
    2. Typing Noise
    3. Switches
    4. Keystrokes
  6. Performance
    1. Single-Key Latency
    2. Multi-Key Latency
    3. Data Transmission
    4. Chord Split
  7. Software and Operating System
    1. Configuration Software
    2. Computer Compatibility
    3. Wireless Mobile Compatibility
  8. Comments

Ducky One 3 vs Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Ducky One 3
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Mar 19, 2025 03:57 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 08, 2025 04:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Ducky One 3 Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Ducky

Variants

  • One 3 (Aura)
  • One 3 (Black)
  • One 3 Mini (Black)
  • One 3 SF (Black)
  • One 3 TKL (Black)
  • One 3 RGB (Black)
  • One 3 RGB TKL (Black)
  • One 3 (DayBreak)
  • One 3 SF (Daybreak)
  • One 3 TKL (Daybreak)
  • One 3 (Fuji)
  • One 3 (Matcha)
  • One 3 (Pure White)
  • One 3 RGB (Pure White)
  • One 3 RGB TKL (Pure White)
  • One 3 Mini (White)
  • One 3 SF (White)
  • One 3 TKL (White)
  • One 3 (Yellow)
  • One 3 Mini (Yellow)
  • One 3 SF (Yellow)
  • One 3 TKL (Yellow)
  • K10 Pro (100%)
  • K5 Pro (Low Profile) (100%)
  • K9 Pro (Low Profile) (60%)
  • K12 Pro (60%)
  • K6 Pro (65%)
  • K7 Pro (Low Profile) (65%)
  • K14 Pro (70%)
  • K2 Pro (75%)
  • K3 Pro (Low Profile) (75%)
  • K1 Pro (Low Profile) (80% (TKL))
  • K13 Pro (Numpad) (80% (TKL))
  • K8 Pro (80% (TKL))
  • K4 Pro (96%)
  • K17 Pro (Low Profile) (96%)

Our Verdict

Ducky One 3

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

The Ducky One 3 and the Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] are both customizable mechanical boards but they have some notable differences. The Ducky is wired-only and has much lower latency than the Keychrons, making it better suited to gaming. The Keychrons are wireless and support multi-device pairing with up to three devices via Bluetooth.

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100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
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Black
One 3 Mini
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60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
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65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
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Daybreak
One 3 SF
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75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
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Daybreak
One 3 TKL
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80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
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80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
Searching
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Pure White
One 3 RGB
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96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
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Pure White
One 3 RGB TKL
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White
One 3 Mini
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Yellow
One 3 Mini
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Yellow
One 3 TKL
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Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.3
8.2

Backlight Features 
 

8.5
10

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.0
8.3

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Ducky One 3 Top Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Top Picture

Size 
 

Full-size (100%)
TenKeyLess (80%)

Height 
 

1.5" (3.8 cm)
1.7" (4.3 cm)

Width  

17.9" (45.5 cm)
14.1" (35.8 cm)

Depth 
 

5.4" (13.8 cm)
5.1" (13.0 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

2.86 lbs (1.296 kg)
2.95 lbs (1.336 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Ducky One 3 Build Quality Close Up
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
6.0

Side Picture  

Ducky One 3 Side Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
No

Split Keyboard 
 

No
No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered
Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

Medium Incline 
 

Maximum Incline 
 

12.5°
10.5°

Home Row Height 
 

29.1 mm (1.1")
35.5 mm (1.4")
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

8.9
10

Customizability Overview  

Ducky One 3 Customizability Overview
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes
Yes

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Plate-Mounted
Screw-in

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u
6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u
1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes
Yes

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style
Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

5-pin Cherry
5-pin Cherry

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Backlight Features 
 

8.5
10

Backlighting Picture  

Ducky One 3 Backlighting Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

Ducky One 3 Brightness Max
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

Ducky One 3 Brightness Min
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Min

RGB 
 

Yes
Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

4.0
4.0

White Shot  

Ducky One 3 White Shot
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wireless

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)
Yes (Wired Mode and Charge)

Length  

5.8 ft (1.8 m)
3.9 ft (1.2 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
10

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
3

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
Rechargeable
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

1.5
4.0

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0
0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

Yes
No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Ducky One 3 Extra Features
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Non-Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No
No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

Yes
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

Yes
No

Lock Indicator  

Caps, Scroll & Num lock
Caps Lock
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Ducky One 3 Bundle Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

9.0
8.0

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

7.2
4.3

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

53.4 dBA
55.9 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Cherry MX Brown
Gateron G Pro Blue

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical
Mechanical

Feel 
 

Tactile
Clicky

Analog 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

54 gf
57 gf

Actuation Force 
 

43 gf
43 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.1 mm
2.3 mm

Total Travel 
 

4.1 mm
4.5 mm
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.0
8.3

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

3.7 ms
9.8 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±0.9 ms
±1.0 ms

Wired 
 

3.7 ms
9.8 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
19.9 ms

PCB (Estimated) 
 

1.7 ms
6.6 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.5
8.0

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Wired
Wired

Key Press 
 

3.9 ms
9.9 ms

Key Release 
 

17.7 ms
12.9 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

8.7
8.2

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Ducky One 3 Multi-Key Raw USB
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Multi-Key Raw USB

Connection Evaluated  

Wired
Wired

USB Polling Rate 
 

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes
Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Chord Split 
 

7.9
8.8

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

5.2 ms
3.3 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

16.7 ms
10.8 ms
Show Text 
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Tour  

Software Name  

No Software
VIA

Software Windows Compatible 
 

No
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

No
Yes

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

Profiles 
 

6+
6+
Show Text 

Computer Compatibility 
 

10
10

Windows 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

macOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux
Windows, MacOS & Linux
Show Text 

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

0.0
10

Android 
 

Not Compatible
Fully Compatible

iOS 
 

Not Compatible
Fully Compatible

iPadOS 
 

Not Compatible
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Not Compatible
Android, iPhone & iPad
Show Text 

Check Price

100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
Black
One 3 Mini
Searching
Finding store
60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
Daybreak
One 3 SF
Searching
Finding store
75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
Daybreak
One 3 TKL
Searching
Finding store
80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
Searching
Finding store
Pure White
One 3 RGB
Searching
Finding store
96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
Pure White
One 3 RGB TKL
Searching
Finding store
 
White
One 3 Mini
Searching
Finding store
 
 
 
Yellow
One 3 Mini
Searching
Finding store
 
 
Yellow
One 3 TKL
Searching
Finding store
 

Ducky One 3

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Comments

  1. Comparison

Ducky One 3 vs Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]: Main Discussion

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