Alps SKCL Green vs Gateron Yellow
The Alps SKCL Green and the Gateron Yellow do not fit the same keyboard, so this comparison starts with what you already own rather than with how either one sounds. 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 | Alps SKCL Green | Gateron Yellow |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 1.7 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.5 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | No | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | 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.
Verdict
Both the Alps SKCL Green and the Gateron Yellow are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Check your board first: the Alps SKCL Green does not use an MX style stem, so the two are not interchangeable in the same keyboard. 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. Split by use: the Alps SKCL Green for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Yellow for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Alps SKCL Green
- Typing pick
- Gateron Yellow
- Office pick
- Alps SKCL Green
Force curves
Alps SKCL Green
Alps 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.
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.
Alps SKCL Green or Gateron Yellow: the long answer
This pair has a fit problem to clear before feel or sound matter. The Alps SKCL Green does not use an MX style stem, so it will not drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps. The Alps SKCL Green is premium priced, while the Gateron Yellow is budget friendly. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
Now the part the spec table measures. Travel differs at both ends, with the Alps SKCL Green registering first at 1.7 mm and the Gateron Yellow running deepest at 4.0 mm. Alps and Gateron are both selling you linears here, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Both come out at 50 g at actuation, and actuation is the only point with a figure for each of them, so the tie is on the spec sheet rather than proven in the hand. Neither one out-feels the other on type, so the small differences in the table are where the decision lives.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Through the A/B player above, the Alps SKCL Green comes through as smooth dry vintage glide, muted landing, while the Gateron Yellow reads as smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Alps SKCL Green, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. Writing points at the Gateron Yellow, since its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. A shared room points at the Alps SKCL Green, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
For either one on its own terms, read the Alps SKCL Green page and the Gateron Yellow page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Alps SKCL Green or Gateron Yellow for gaming?
We pick the Alps SKCL Green for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Alps SKCL Green or Gateron Yellow: which one is quieter?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Alps SKCL Green vs Gateron Yellow: which one is the heavier press?
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.
Can the Alps SKCL Green and the Gateron Yellow go in the same keyboard?
No. The Alps SKCL Green does not use an MX style stem, so it needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps, while the Gateron Yellow is a standard MX switch. Whichever you pick decides the keyboard, not the other way round.
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