Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro vs Gateron Yellow
Stroke depth is the widest real gap between the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro and the Gateron Yellow, 0.7 mm of it, and it shapes the bottom-out you hear in the player below. Our library of every switch we simulate already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro | Gateron Yellow |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g (our estimate) | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.3 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis. Akko publishes no bottom-out figure for the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Akko and Gateron are selling the same stroke here, so the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro and the Gateron Yellow separate on spring, distance and voice instead. The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro also stops sooner, 3.3 mm of total travel against 4.0 mm. Weight is hard to separate here: each is rated 50 g at actuation, and that is the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Nothing here separates by use case: the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room. Take the Gateron Yellow only if you specifically want smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money.
- Overall pick
- Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro
Akko publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
Gateron Yellow
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or Gateron Yellow: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. Actuation lands at 2.0 mm on both, but the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro bottoms out 0.7 mm sooner, 3.3 mm against 4.0 mm. Akko and Gateron are both selling you linears here, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. They land on the same 50 g at actuation. That is the only measuring point with a figure for each of them, and bottom-out is exactly where two switches matched at actuation tend to separate. Akko publishes no bottom-out figure, so treat that 55 g as our estimate. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Played back to back, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro is muted creamy thock, budget icon against smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money from the Gateron Yellow. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are budget friendly. One of them has already been lubed for you and one has not, which is worth more than the price gap if you were not planning to open 70 switches.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the Gateron Yellow to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro page and the Gateron Yellow page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or the Gateron Yellow the better gaming switch?
We pick the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Which is quieter, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or the Gateron Yellow?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro leans toward muted creamy thock, budget icon, while the Gateron Yellow is smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money.
Which switch is heavier, the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro or the Gateron Yellow?
Neither, as far as the published numbers go: both are rated 50 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Bottom-out is where two switches matched at actuation often diverge, but neither switch here has a published bottom-out figure at all. Treat this as a tie on the spec sheet rather than a proven match in the hand.
Do the Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro and the Gateron Yellow need lubing?
The Akko V3 Cream Yellow Pro arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Gateron Yellow does not, and on a full board that is an evening of work if you want it at its smoothest. Plenty of people run unlubed switches happily; it is a question of whether a slightly drier stroke bothers you.
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