Akko V3 Piano Pro vs NovelKeys NK Cream
The Akko V3 Piano Pro and the NovelKeys NK Cream sit in different price brackets, which across the 70-odd switches a board needs is a bigger difference than most of the spec sheet. Our switch library links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec table and the verdict.
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 Piano Pro | NovelKeys NK Cream |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g (our estimate) | 70 g |
| Pre-travel | 1.9 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.1 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Premium |
| 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 Piano Pro, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Akko V3 Piano Pro and the NovelKeys NK Cream share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. Budget also has a say, since the Akko V3 Piano Pro is budget friendly and the NovelKeys NK Cream is premium priced. Weight separates them clearly: measured at actuation, the NovelKeys NK Cream is 10 g heavier than the Akko V3 Piano Pro, which changes both fatigue and sound. We land on the Akko V3 Piano Pro for every use we score, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room, so the NovelKeys NK Cream makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Akko V3 Piano Pro
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Akko V3 Piano Pro, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
Akko V3 Piano 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.
NovelKeys NK Cream
Akko V3 Piano Pro or NovelKeys NK Cream: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The Akko V3 Piano Pro is budget friendly, while the NovelKeys NK Cream is premium priced. Only the Akko V3 Piano Pro comes factory lubed, so the NovelKeys NK Cream asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
The specs are the smaller half of this pair, but they are not nothing. Springs split them by 10 g at actuation: 55 g for the NovelKeys NK Cream, 45 g for the Akko V3 Piano Pro. Travel differs at both ends, with the Akko V3 Piano Pro registering first at 1.9 mm and the NovelKeys NK Cream running deepest at 4.0 mm. The stroke itself is shared: nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
The ears usually get the last word here. Played back to back, the Akko V3 Piano Pro is deep resonant thock, low-note landing against unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant from the NovelKeys NK Cream. 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.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Akko V3 Piano Pro is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation go its way. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the NovelKeys NK Cream to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Akko V3 Piano Pro page and the NovelKeys NK Cream page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Akko V3 Piano Pro or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
We pick the Akko V3 Piano Pro for gaming. The scoring gives it a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation against the NovelKeys NK Cream, and both of those show up in a fast game.
Is the Akko V3 Piano Pro quieter than the NovelKeys NK Cream?
Neither is dampened, so volume comes down to your board and your typing force. The one audible difference on the spec sheet is lube: the Akko V3 Piano Pro is lubed at the factory, which takes out spring ping and scratch rather than loudness.
Which switch is heavier, the Akko V3 Piano Pro or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
The NovelKeys NK Cream, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 55 g to 45 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Akko V3 Piano Pro or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
The Akko V3 Piano Pro sits in the budget friendly bracket and the NovelKeys NK Cream in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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