If you’re looking for the best budget keyboard piano, you’re in the right place!
We spent dozens of hours researching cheap (but good!) keyboards, and in this complete guide we look at the top 17 models, starting with our 4 best-of-the-best:Best budget piano keyboard (overall): LAGRIMA Electric Piano KeyboardBest digital piano under 100: Hamzer Digital PianoBest budget digital piano with weighted keys: Yamaha P71Best budget stage piano: Casio PX350
We also cover some excellent “runners-up” – 13 instruments that are inexpensive but solid quality.
Let’s jump in!
Best Budget Keyboard Pianos: Summary Table
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Best Budget Keyboard Pianos: Reviews
Best Budget Piano Keyboard (Overall): LAGRIMA Electric Piano Keyboard
Please click image for more info
The LAGRIMA Electric Piano Keyboard is an electric console piano with all the style and presence of a classic upright piano, for a fraction of the cost. The handsome black console with a sliding key cover, three-pedal board, red trim at the keys and pedals, folding sheet rest, and discrete LCD display merges the best traditional piano style with the latest digital features and advancements, so it’s the best of both worlds.
The LAGRIMA Electric Piano Keyboard has all the features that a beginner or advanced piano player is looking for. It has a whopping 960 tones, 200 rhythms, 64 chords, 80 preset songs, and 128 levels of polyphony. It also has advanced DSP, including reverb and chorus effects. The three metal pedals have realistic half-pedal functions for intuitive play.
Beginners have customizable metronomes, teaching functions, and dual keyboards for lessons. You can record and playback on the piano, use the USB/MIDI terminal to export and share your music, or connect an external speaker for performances and recitals.
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Console stand isn’t very well-made, and may have stability and alignment problems. The LAGRIMA Electric Piano Keyboard has great traditional upright piano style, along with a rich array of digital features and functions.
It’s a great piano for intermediate beginners of all ages, who can get accustomed to a full-size 88 key keyboard, along with pedal and half-pedal functions, an adjustable metronome, and built-in lessons.
It’s perfect for sharing side-by-side during lessons or practice, where the keyboard can be split and both players can use headphones. This piano has everything traditional piano players love, at an affordable price.
Best Digital Piano Under 100: Hamzer 61-Key Digital Music Piano Keyboard
The Hamzer 61-Key Digital Music Piano Keyboard is not just an affordable keyboard; it’s a complete music studio setup in one convenient kit. The keyboard comes with a sturdy x-style keyboard stand, with 7 levels of height adjustment. It comes with transparent keyboard stickers, so beginners can label the keys to help trigger memory and accelerate learning, and then peel the stickers off with no residue once they are no longer needed.
It also comes with a microphone with a 4 foot cord, so you or a friend can sing along with your favorite songs, and even record and share your performances.
The Hamzer 61-Key Digital Music Piano Keyboard has a lot of great digital piano features. With 61 standard-sized keys, It has 255 tones, 255 rhythms, 61 keyboard percussions, and additional effects like vibrato and ensemble, there are plenty of options to explore different musical genres.
The 24 demo songs provide accompaniment and facilitate learning. You can program and edit rhythms, adjust tempo and other settings, and control master volume and accompaniment volume independently.
Onboard recording and playback functions help you track progress, and it has ports for microphone, headphones, and other accessories. It can be used with the stand and AC power at home, or removed from the stand and take batteries for portable play.
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The Hamzer 61-Key Digital Music Piano Keyboard is designed for beginners and young learners who want an instrument that is fun, simple to play, and helps stimulate an interest in music. The all-in-one bundle of the keyboard, microphone, and stand can create a fun, professional-looking studio setup in your home in no time, and kids love to sing along with their favorite songs while they play. It’s an affordable way to get children excited about playing and learning the piano.
Best Budget Digital Piano with Weighted Keys: Yamaha P71
The Yamaha P71 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano is a great value for a keyboard in this class. Driven by the famous Yamaha AWM sound engine, that uses high-quality samples from the best instruments, it is designed to mimic the sound and feel of playing a full-size, classic grand piano, in a digital keyboard that is compact, portable, and affordable.
The Yamaha P71 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano has 88 full size, touch sensitive keys, with a realistic GHS keyboard weighting system. This means that the lower keys are heavier than the higher ones, just like an acoustic piano, which creates an authentic feel when playing, and builds the finger strength and techniques necessary to play a classic piano.
It has 10 high-quality piano voices, 64 levels of polyphony, 4 types of reverb, a metronome and transpose and tuning settings. You can split and share the keyboard, and even export your music to other digital devices using the USB port. It weighs 25 pounds and measures 52 x 11.5 inches.
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The Yamaha P71 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano is the perfect digital keyboard for people who want their play and practice to feel and sound like playing a traditional piano. For beginners who are learning, and need to build strength and technique, or for advanced players who want their music to feel and sound like a grand piano, the P71 provides great piano feel in a smaller, more affordable keyboard.
Best Budget Stage Piano: Casio PX350
The Casio PX350 88 Key Digital Stage Piano is a portable keyboard that is simply loaded with digital features and functions, for the full range of musical expression in keyboard that is simple to use and easy to take on the road to lessons, gigs, or anywhere you want to be.
The Casio PX350 88 Key Digital Stage Piano has a tri-sensor scaled hammer action that senses, captures, and replicates all the subtle movements of your fingers, creating resonant response and dynamic play.
With Casio’s AiR sound processing engine, it creates rich, dimensional piano sound down to the sound of the dampers on strings. Onboard speakers, including a pair of tweeters and amplifiers, create stage-worthy sound. It has simulated ebony and ivory keytops that resist slipping.
It has 250 instrument tones, 180 rhythms with a rhythm editor, 6 demo songs and a 10 song user library, a variety of chorus, reverb, brilliance, and other effects, and 128 levels of polyphony. It also has features you may not expect in a piano, like a pitch bend wheel, real-time recording and playback, and USB and MIDI output.
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The Casio PX350 88 Key Digital Stage Piano is designed for professional and amateur musicians who want a fully-featured keyboard that sounds great and can go anywhere. Advanced sound engine and touch sensitivity make it expressive and dynamic to play.
With onboard recording and playback, a rhythm editor, one-touch settings and a pitch bend wheel, it is stage-ready. And the USB and digital features make it studio-ready as well, perfect for performance or practice.
Runners-Up
Plixio 61 Key Electric Music Keyboard Piano
The Plixio 61 Key Electric Music Keyboard Piano is a compact, portable, fun keyboard that can double as a karaoke and party machine to share your favorite music with a crowd. The playful music stand and colorful buttons make it easy to learn and navigate, and battery power lets you enjoy this keyboard at home or on the go.
The Plixio 61 Key Electric Music Keyboard Piano has 61 keys, with 40 instrument tones, 100 rhythms, 8 percussions, and 61 keyboard percussions. It also has effects, chord, and transpose features, along with tempo controls. It can be powered with the included AC adapter or by batteries, and weighs less than 9 pounds. It also has ports for headphones or a microphone so you can sing and play along with the 60 demo songs.
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The Plixio 61 Key Electric Music Keyboard Piano is perfect for young beginners who want a fun, simple to use piano keyboard that they can take anywhere. It’s designed to engage young players and make piano practice easy and enjoyable, with a range of demo songs, instrument voices, and rhythms that will inspire and motivate kids to learn to play the piano.
Casio SA-77 44-Key Portable Keyboard
The Casio SA-77 44-Key Portable Keyboard is so small, colorful, and fun that children will find it irresistible. It’s a compact, 44-key size with smaller-than-standard keys perfect for young fingers. And yet, despite the playful design, it has surprisingly high quality sound that makes it a real, appealing musical instrument, and not merely a toy.
Casio SA-77 44-Key Portable Keyboard has the high quality LSI sound engine that produces clear, vibrant piano voices. It has 100 instrument tones, 50 rhythms, 8 note polyphony, and 10 demo songs. The 5 button drum pad makes it two instruments in one, allowing exploration of drums and rhythms along with piano melodies.
The built-in speakers provide good sound quality, or use the headphone jack to practice in private. The LCD screen makes it easy to set and navigate, or use the simple one-button switch to change from piano to organ tones.
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The Casio SA-77 44-Key Portable Keyboard is designed for children, with a small size, small keys, and colorful design perfect for young beginners. However, it has surprisingly good sound quality for a child’s keyboard, which makes learning more satisfying and enjoyable. With the built in drum pad, kids can explore a variety of musical compositions and expression, and take their favorite instrument anywhere they go.
RockJam 54-Key Portable Electronic Keyboard
The RockJam 54-Key Portable Electronic Keyboard is a portable, fun keyboard that is designed for compatibility with your own iOS or Android tablet computer. Use the Piano Maestro app to expand the keyboard’s song library, and to access incredibly popular piano education features that make it fun and easy to learn to play the piano.
Piano Maestro doesn’t just help people learn to play music, but to read music, perfect rhythm and timing, and learn from a huge library of songs. It tracks progress, gives feedback, and makes learning to play piano into a fun interactive game.
The RockJam 54-Key Portable Electronic Keyboard has 54 full size keys, an easy-to-read LCD screen, and two built-in stereo speakers. It has 100 instrument tones, 100 rhythms, 8 percussion effects, sustain, vibrato, and more.
The onboard library has 8 demo songs, and you can use Piano Maestro to access 30 more songs for free, or pay for access to the thousands of songs in the Piano Maestro app. The keyboard also lets you record and playback up to 41 notes. It has ports for a microphone and for headphones or external speakers.
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The RockJam 54-Key Portable Electronic Keyboard is designed for kids, with simple functions, playful design, and onboard lessons and practice functions.
App compatibility makes it even more appealing to kids, and the award-winning Piano Maestro app was developed by music teachers specifically to help kids learn and progress in their musical education. The combination of the app and the keyboard will give kids a great head start in music.
Goplus Classical Kids Piano
The Goplus Classical Kids Piano is a toy piano, with adorable grand piano style in a small package. It comes with the piano with opening lid, music rest, and bench. It is made of durable MDF and wood, for a sturdy design that will last for years.
ABS keys and non-toxic paints and smooth surfaces make it safe for young children, and the lid hinge is specially designed to not pinch small fingers. It is scaled to fit children from 2-7 years old, and comes in black or pink to appeal to any child.
The Goplus Classical Kids Piano doesn’t require any electricity, and produces a bell-like sound. It has 30 small keys, perfect for small hands. Just like an adult grand piano, the sound is louder when the lid is open and quieter when it’s closed. It is easy to assemble and fun to play.
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The Goplus Classical Kids Piano is designed to appeal to kids below the age of 7, to stimulate an interest in music and improve hand-eye coordination in small children. It’s an attractive piano, scaled down to child size, and in colors that will please kids and match all kinds of décor.
Yamaha P37D 37-Key Pianica
The Yamaha P37D pianica is Yamaha’s name for an instrument that is also called a melodica. Using the power of your breath, works something like an air-powered harmonica, and operates on similar principles to the bagpipes.
The melodica is an increasingly popular instrument in many genres of music, and it has gained a huge following in recent decades. It combines the properties of a wind instrument with the properties of a keyboard, making it a versatile instrument to learn.
The Yamaha P37D 37-Key Pianica is a new redesign of Yamaha’s popular earlier pianica model. The update has improved the resonance, build quality, tuning stability and tactile feel of the pianica. New organic materials produce a richer and more resonant sound, and a sleeker style makes it look like a more serious, mature instrument.
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The Yamaha P37D 37-Key Pianica is an updated and more mature take on a fun, playful instrument that is increasingly found in all types of popular music. The pianica is compact and requires no power, so it’s easy to take, play, and enjoy anywhere.
For younger learners, it’s a great instrument to build musical skill and appreciation, while for musicians who are experienced in other keyboard and wind instruments, it’s a novel and fun alternative.
Alesis Melody 61 MKII
The Alesis Melody 61 MKII comes in a complete kit for a home music studio setup all in one box. In addition to the 61 key keyboard, it comes with a sturdy adjustable x-style keyboard stand, a padded x-style bench, headphones, music rest, power adapter, and even a microphone. With this kit, you can be inspired to create and explore a huge range of music, and even share your compositions with others.
The Alesis Melody 61 MKII has 61 full-size keys, with 300 different instrument voices and 300 built-in accompaniment rhythms. It also comes with 40 demo songs, and you can record and playback your performances, including your singing, right on the keyboard. It comes with 2 months of unlimited online piano lessons so you can learn from scratch or just polish certain skills, with nothing but a web browser.
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The Alesis Melody 61-Key Portable Keyboard is designed for beginners of any age, who want to play, sing, and record their songs in their own music studio at home. Online lessons allow you to learn and practice at your own pace, and access a huge variety of songs to keep lessons engaging no matter what your style.
Yamaha PSR-EW300
The Yamaha PSR-EW300 is a bigger keyboard, with 76 keys for a wider range of compositions and musical expression than possible on a beginner, 61-key keyboard. It has digital connectivity, so you can connect an MP3 or music player to the keyboard, and play along with your favorite songs through the high quality onboard speakers.
The Yamaha PSREW300 has 76 touch-sensitive keys. Driven by Yamaha’s high quality AWM stereo sampling, it has 574 instrument voices, 18 drums and effects, and 154 built-in songs for tremendous versatility and great sound in a portable keyboard. It also has 165 auto-accompaniment styles for real-time backing tracks.
When playing along with your songs, the Melody Suppressor highlights your performances. The built-in Yamaha Education System makes it easy to learn and play, and USB to HOST connectivity for a wide range of digital devices. The keyboard comes with the power supply and an x-style stand, so you can be set up and enjoying your music in minutes.
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The Yamaha PSREW300 is a fully-featured keyboard that is designed for intermediate or advanced learners, who are ready to upgrade to a more advanced instrument. The 76 keys open up more musical possibilities, and the onboard learning system and shared keyboard function make great for both lessons and practice.
The wide range of voices and styles, connectivity options, touch-sensitive keys, onboard recording, and great Yamaha piano sound will satisfy more advanced players.
Joy JK-63M-KIT
The Joy JK-63M-KIT includes the 61-key keyboard, along with a sturdy adjustable keyboard stand, a padded x-style bench, and a pair of comfortable padded headphones. This keyboard setup is stylish and classic, suitable for children or adults who want a more serious studio environment.
The keyboard doubles as a music player, so you can connect an MP3 player and enjoy your music through the keyboard speakers, or play along with your favorite songs. It is also compatible with a wide range of keyboard companion apps, including popular apps like Simply Piano or Piano Maestro.
The Joy JK-63M-KIT has 61 standard size keys, with 255 instrument voices, 255 rhythms, 61 keyboard percussions, 50 demonstration songs, and a wide range of effects and controls. It has onboard lesson functions, recording and playback. and the LED screen makes it easy to navigate settings and functions. Easily control accompaniment, master volume, temp, keyboard percussions, and more.
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The Joy JK-63M-KIT is a complete beginner piano setup, perfect for novices of all ages who want a keyboard and music station with a more classic, mature style.
The included headphones let novices practice in privacy, without disturbing others, and the stand and bench are professional looking. Connect with a wide range of apps to expand the keyboard’s capabilities and learn more over time.
Casio CTK-2550
The Casio CTK-2550 is a full-featured 61 key keyboard that can be battery powered, so it’s comfortable at home or on the road. At just over 7 pounds and with Casio’s popular Dance Music Mode, this keyboard is ideal for taking to parties, practices, and performances, where you can create and share all kinds of music.
It’s compatible with Casio’s powerful Chordana Play app, which provides lessons and practice, tracks your progress, and has fun musical activities that polish your skills with your touchscreen device, even when you are away from the keyboard.
The Casio CTK-2550 has 61 full size touch sensitive keys. It has a library of 400 instrument tones, 100 built-in rhythms, 48 levels of polyphony, and 60 built-in songs. Dance Music Mode uses 50 dance music rhythms and effects to let you quickly create and play your very own party and dance songs.
It has the Casio Lesson Lite system built-in, or connect the keyboard to the powerful Casio Chordana Play app for lessons, music games, and recording and sharing your music with others.
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The Casio CTK-2550 is a portable keyboard that is surprisingly rich in features. The keyboard and Casio’s app make it simple and fun to learn, experiment, and make your own music in a huge range of styles. Dance Music Mode has you creating your own unique party music in just minutes, so it’s a great way to get kids engaged in the world of music.
Yamaha PSR-E263
The Yamaha PSR-E263 is a compact and portable keyboard with premium instrument voices and solid sound quality. You can connect an MP3 player and play your music through the keyboard’s speakers, or play along with your own favorite songs. It can be powered by an AC adapter, or with batteries, so you can take this solid keyboard anywhere.
The Yamaha PSR-E263 61-Key Portable Keyboard has the Yamaha AWM Stereo sound engine and Ultra-Wide Stereo sound for surprisingly good audio in a beginner keyboard. It has 384 instrument voices, 16 drums and effects, 130 preset styles, 32 levels of polyphony, and a library of over 100 songs.
Onboard recording and playback makes practice easy, and it has built-in lesson and learning functions. You can split and layer the keyboard to play two instruments at once, or share the keyboard for duets and practice. It has an aux input and a headphone jack.
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The Yamaha PSR-E263 61-Key Portable Keyboard is a portable keyboard designed for beginners, with the lessons, features, and songs that help newcomers learn to play the piano. However, the high quality sound engine and speaker performance have a lot to offer for even more advanced learners, making it a great first keyboard that will last for years.
Casio CTK-3500
The Casio CTK-3500 has a lot of features and great sound packed into a small, portable size. It can be powered by an AC adapter or with batteries, and has an easy-to-navigate interface. It’s also compatible with Casio’s popular Chordana Play app, which offers a whole new way to learn, play, and enjoy your keyboard while learning how to play the piano.
The Casio CTK-3500 61-Key Touch Sensitive Portable Keyboard has 61 piano-style keys with 2 levels of touch sensitivity, or turn off touch sensitivity altogether. It has 400 instrument voices, 100 built-in rhythms, 48 levels of polyphony, 60 built-in songs, and a wide range of sounds and effects.
Dance Music Mode makes it easy to start playing your own custom dance music right out of the box. It has a pitch bend wheel, a USB port, and onboard lesson functions, in a keyboard that weighs just 7.5 pounds.
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The Casio CTK-3500 61-Key Touch Sensitive Portable Keyboard is a great choice for complete beginners, and also for people who know how to play the piano but want to advance their digital composition skills.
Dance Music Mode and a pitch bend wheel make it party ready, and Chordana Play and USB connectivity unlock new ways to access, export, process, and share your music. It’s a versatile keyboard for players of all ability levels.
Yamaha YPT260
The Yamaha YPT260 is a compact, user-friendly keyboard with the features and versatility to grow along with your skills. The simple interface, downloadable song book, and built-in lessons make it easy to use and learn, and the aux input lets you play along with your favorite songs from your own MP3 or music player.
The Yamaha YPT260 61-Key Portable Keyboard Bundle has 61full-size keys and the Yamaha AWM stereo sound engine for great piano sound in a portable keyboard. It has 400 instrument tones, 16 rhythms, 130 auto-accompaniment settings, and 112 songs in the onboard library.
With 6 master EQ settings, 32 levels of polyphony, and ultra-wide stereo sound from the onboard speakers, it sounds surprisingly good for a keyboard in its class. It has onboard recording and playback capability, and comes with the Yamaha Education System for built-in lessons.
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The Yamaha YPT260 is a great choice for kids and older musicians alike, with high quality sound and more advanced features that will continue to provide enjoyment and learning opportunities for years to come. It’s a starter instrument that will continue to excite and challenge learners for a long time.
Yamaha YPT360
The Yamaha YPT360 has a futuristic style and compact size, with robust features and big capabilities. It has a USB port and is compatible with a number of free Yamaha music apps that will enhance a music education, or provide more opportunities to learn, share, and explore your own creative inspiration.
The Yamaha YPT360 61-Key Touch-Sensitive Portable Keyboard has 61 full size touch sensitive keys and weighs just over 10 pounds without batteries. It is driven by the Yamaha AWM Stereo Sampling sound engine for high quality sound, and it has 48 levels of polyphony. It comes with 574 voices, including panel voices, drum and effects, arpeggio, and XGlite voices. It also has reverb, chorus, harmony, and other effects, and has a library of 150 songs.
The keyboard can be split or layered for two people to share or for playing two voices at once, and it has a melody suppressor function to play along with your favorite songs. It has onboard lesson and practice capability to help beginners learn to play, along with recording and playback to track your progress. USB allows MIDI and two-way audio file transfers.
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The Yamaha YPT360 61-Key Touch-Sensitive Portable Keyboard is another excellent beginner keyboard from Yamaha. It has great Yamaha sound, a compact size, rich features, USB connectivity, and onboard lessons make this keyboard the complete package for beginners and intermediate players alike.
What to Look for When Buying a Budget Keyboard Piano for Beginners
When you’re starting out, it’s a good idea to get a keyboard piano rather than a regular piano for a couple of reasons:
- Keyboard pianos are portable, so you can practice anywhere
- Keyboard pianos are a lot less expensive than a traditional piano
But there are certain things that you need to consider when choosing the best cheap keyboard piano for beginners.
Ask yourself the following questions about each of the models you are considering:
- 1Does it have a full, 88-key keyboard, or as close as possible?
- 2Are the keys the same size as they are on an acoustic piano?
- 3Are the keys weighted and touch sensitive?
- 4Does it come with a lot of unnecessary effects, or is it a basic model that is better for beginners?
Benefits of Using a Keyboard Piano
Did you know that playing the piano has been shown toincrease children’s self-esteem and improve their school marks?
Or that adults feel a sense of accomplishment and skill improvement when playing the piano for leisure?
In terms of using a keyboard piano specifically (versus a full-sized digital or acoustic piano), there are many benefits:
- A keyboard piano is portable. You can’t carry a full-sized piano around (unless you’re the Incredible Hulk!), but you can take a keyboard pretty much anywhere.
- It can be a lot less expensive to buy a keyboard piano than it is to buy the cheapest digital or acoustic piano. This makes learning to play the piano affordable and not just a pipe dream. (And if you’re willing to spend the extra money, you can have a keyboard customized to your specific needs.)
- Size. If you are smaller in stature, it can be easier to learn on a keyboard. These are also great for children.
Changing the brain through music by Geir Olve Skeie | TEDxOslo
Conclusion
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on an instrument if you’re a beginner who wants to try it out.
Any of the digital keyboards covered in this guide are going to be ideal for you to learn and grow with. They all have some pretty great features, and they all cost less than $500!
