Best keyboard layouts April 2024

07 April 2024

The best computer keyboard layouts for English and programming, as at April 2024.

QWERTY is the best keyboard layout ... or is it? Isn't Dvorak better? Or what about Colemak? Or is HandsDown the hands-down winner?

To answer these and other pressing questions, we have evaluated over 700 different keyboard layouts, in ANSI and ergo form factors, and list the winners in different categories. You can peruse the Top 30 in each category from the links below, or see the shorter Top 10s lower down.

The Top 30 pages have links to each layout's analysis.
Your favourite layout not there? Look up how it did in the Internet Letter Layout DB.

See the testing methodology and layout selection.


ANSI Top 30 with picturesErgo Top 30 with pictures
AllAll
ConventionalNo AltGr layer
UnconventionalUses AltGr layer
Conventional + QWERTY shift pairs No letters on thumbs
Conventional + QWERTY shift pairs + ZXCV No letters on thumbs or AltGr
Conventional + QWERTY shift pairs + ZXCV + Colemak punctuation

ANSI Top 10Ergo Top 10

All

  1. full-maks-minimo.en.ansi
  2. hands-down-neu-sym.eu.ansi
  3. hands-down-neu-angle.ts.eu.ansi
  4. hands-down-neu.ts.eu.ansi
  5. g-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  6. uciea-gcsv.en.ansi
  7. uciea-pcrw.en.ansi
  8. kyudi.en.ansi
  9. uiy-g-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  10. kyu-anglemod.en.ansi

All

  1. vckb2.en.ergodox
  2. vckb.en.ergodox
  3. maks-ex.en.ergodox
  4. hands-down-gold-ts.eu.ergodox
  5. maks-sx.en.ergodox
  6. x1.en.ergodox
  7. hands-down-vibranium-ts.en.ergodox
  8. hands-down-vibranium-vp.ts.eu.ergodox
  9. hands-down-titanium-ts.eu.ergodox
  10. x1_atreus-44-keys.en.ergodox

Conventional

  1. g-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  2. uciea-gcsv.en.ansi
  3. uciea-pcrw.en.ansi
  4. kyudi.en.ansi
  5. uiy-g-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  6. uciea-keyboard.en.ansi
  7. n-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  8. uciea-vanilla-mod-gergely.en.ansi
  9. uiy-n-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  10. uciea-vanilla.en.ansi

No AltGr layer

  1. vckb2.en.ergodox
  2. vckb.en.ergodox
  3. hands-down-gold-ts.eu.ergodox
  4. hands-down-vibranium-vp.ts.eu.ergodox
  5. hands-down-titanium-ts.eu.ergodox
  6. hands-down-vibranium-vf.ts.eu.ergodox
  7. hands-down-silver-ts.eu.ergodox
  8. hs-indeks.en.ergodox
  9. full-maks.en.ergodox
  10. hands-down-vibranium-vb.ts.eu.ergodox

Unconventional

  1. full-maks-minimo.en.ansi
  2. hands-down-neu-angle.ts.eu.ansi
  3. hands-down-neu-sym.eu.ansi
  4. hands-down-neu.ts.eu.ansi
  5. kyu-anglemod.en.ansi
  6. kyu.en.ansi
  7. uciea-vanilla-mod-1.en.ansi
  8. uhiea-davison.en.ansi
  9. uciea-vanilla-mod-2.en.ansi
  10. hieaqmtsrn.en.ansi

Uses AltGr layer

  1. maks-ex.en.ergodox
  2. maks-sx.en.ergodox
  3. x1.en.ergodox
  4. hands-down-vibranium-ts.en.ergodox
  5. x1_atreus-44-keys.en.ergodox
  6. hands-down-platinum-ts.en.ergodox
  7. x4.en.matrix
  8. beakl-mod-ctgap.en.ergodox
  9. ctgap-3.en.ergodox
  10. hands-down-alt-tx-ts.en.ergodox

Conventional + QWERTY shift pairs

  1. g-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  2. uciea-gcsv.en.ansi
  3. uciea-pcrw.en.ansi
  4. kyudi.en.ansi
  5. uiy-g-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  6. n-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  7. uciea-vanilla-mod-gergely.en.ansi
  8. uiy-n-ansi-maks.en.ansi
  9. uciea-vanilla.en.ansi
  10. s2-klopt.en.ansi

No letters on thumbs

  1. x1.en.ergodox
  2. x1_atreus-44-keys.en.ergodox
  3. hs-indeks.en.ergodox
  4. full-maks.en.ergodox
  5. x4.en.matrix
  6. beakl-mod-ctgap.en.ergodox
  7. ctgap-3.en.ergodox
  8. dsend-thumbshift.en.ergodox
  9. hands-down-neu.ts.eu.ergodox
  10. iena.en.ergodox

Conventional + QWERTY shift pairs + ZXCV

  1. k-u_tea_shrt-pnct.en.ansi
  2. poqtea-klopt.en.ansi
  3. poqtea-sqp-multi.en.ansi
  4. poqtea.en.ansi
  5. poqtea-qp.en.ansi
  6. poutea.en.ansi
  7. colemak-cousin.en.ansi
  8. zxcv-fingers.en.ansi
  9. middlemak-nh.en.ansi
  10. oneproduct-zxcv.en.ansi

No letters on thumbs or AltGr

  1. hs-indeks.en.ergodox
  2. full-maks.en.ergodox
  3. dsend-thumbshift.en.ergodox
  4. hands-down-neu.ts.eu.ergodox
  5. uciea-vanilla.en.ergodox
  6. beakl-4-mod-ian-1.en.ergodox
  7. poqtea.en.ergodox
  8. hands-down-reference-ts.en.ergodox
  9. beakl-opted36.en.ergodox
  10. hands-down-alt-ts.en.ergodox

Conventional + QWERTY shift pairs + ZXCV + Colemak punctuation

  1. poqtea-qp.en.ansi
  2. zxcv-fingers.en.ansi
  3. middlemak-nh.en.ansi
  4. colemak.en.ansi
  5. colemak-lf.en.ansi
  6. asrt.en.ansi
  7. colemak-asrt.en.ansi
  8. colemak-mod-fox.en.ansi
  9. colemak-lite.en.ansi
  10. colemak-uk.en.ansi