Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Gateron Blue
Weight is the real gap here: 10 g between the Gateron Blue and the Cherry MX Blue MX2A at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our full switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the 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 | Cherry MX Blue MX2A | Gateron Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2.3 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and Gateron both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two clickies feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. The springs are far apart, with the Gateron Blue at 60 g actuation versus 50 g for the Cherry MX Blue MX2A, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. Budget also has a say, since the Gateron Blue is budget friendly and the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is mid priced. We land on the Cherry MX Blue MX2A for every use we score, and it is the one a shared room would forgive first, which is faint praise for two clickies, so the Gateron Blue makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Blue MX2A
This pair does not split by use case: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A comes out ahead of the Gateron Blue on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
Force curves
Cherry MX Blue MX2A
Cherry 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 Blue
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.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Gateron Blue: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. Springs split them by 10 g at actuation: 60 g for the Gateron Blue, 50 g for the Cherry MX Blue MX2A. Both are clickies either way, so both fire an audible click alongside the bump. The Cherry MX Blue MX2A registers earlier, 2.2 mm against 2.3 mm, inside the same 4.0 mm of total travel. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Through the A/B player above, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A comes through as high-pitched two-part click with a faint upstroke rattle, while the Gateron Blue reads as bright, slightly rattly click-jacket snap. Either way, both of these are heard by everyone in the room, so the choice between them is a choice of tone and not of volume. 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 the practical side, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is mid priced, while the Gateron Blue is budget friendly. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, the click turns a long writing session into a rhythm, if your room allows it. On noise, neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. That leaves the Gateron Blue 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.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Cherry MX Blue MX2A page and the Gateron Blue page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Gateron Blue for gaming?
We pick the Cherry MX Blue MX2A for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which is quieter, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A or the Gateron Blue?
Both are loud, so choosing between them is choosing a tone and not a volume. If the room is the constraint, neither of these is the answer and a silent tactile is.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Gateron Blue: which one is the heavier press?
The Gateron Blue is heavier: 60 g against 50 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A or the Gateron Blue?
The Gateron Blue sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Blue MX2A in the mid priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
More comparisons
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More vs Gateron Blue
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.