Cherry MX Green vs Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)
This one is a clicky against a tactile: the Cherry MX Green and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) feel different from the first press, and no amount of tuning closes that. Our full switch library 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 | Cherry MX Green | Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 80 g | 80 g |
| Bottom-out force | 105 g (our estimate) | 105 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these, so the two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Start with feel: the Cherry MX Green gives you a clicky stroke and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) a tactile one, and no amount of tuning changes that. Both springs measure 80 g at actuation and match at bottom-out too, so weight will not settle it. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. The Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) also actuates earlier, 2.0 mm of pre-travel against 2.2 mm, which fast players tend to notice. Nothing here separates by use case: the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Cherry MX Green only if you specifically want loud, slightly deeper click than Blue with a firm landing.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)
No use case rescues the Cherry MX Green here. The Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Cherry MX Green
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 105 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.
Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 105 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.
Cherry MX Green or Cherry MX Grey (Tactile): the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. Feel splits them at the root: both raise a bump, but only the Cherry MX Green makes a noise about it. The springs match at both published points, 80 g at actuation and 105 g at bottom-out, so weight is off the table entirely. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. The Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) registers earlier, 2.0 mm against 2.2 mm, inside the same 4.0 mm of total travel. Settle the stroke you want to live with first and treat everything below as a tiebreak.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Green is loud, slightly deeper click than Blue with a firm landing against deep, dense thud; heavyweight tactile landing from the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile). Only one of these announces itself. The Cherry MX Green fires a click every time it registers, and that carries in a way an ordinary bottom-out does not. 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 cost and convenience, both are mid priced. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, it wins on a shorter distance to actuation. On typing feel, the bump gives your fingers a landmark on every keystroke. On noise, it leaves out the click, which is the part coworkers actually complain about. That leaves the Cherry MX Green to anyone who wants a clicky stroke specifically, which the scoring cannot weigh for you. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
For either one on its own terms, read the Cherry MX Green page and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Cherry MX Green or the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)?
We pick the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) for gaming. It takes this one on a shorter distance to actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Cherry MX Green or Cherry MX Grey (Tactile): which one is quieter?
The Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) is quieter. The Cherry MX Green fires an audible click on every keystroke by design, which carries much further than the ordinary tactile sound of the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile).
Which has the heavier spring, the Cherry MX Green or the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)?
Neither: they match at actuation and at bottom-out alike (80 g at actuation), so any difference in feel comes from the stroke rather than the spring. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces it does publish.
Are the Cherry MX Green and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) the same switch?
Not the same, but the spec sheet cannot tell them apart on weight: they match at every published force figure. Both come from Cherry, so the difference is in the parts rather than the maker. Compare the travel rows and the two sound packs above, because that is where the difference actually lives.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Green
More vs Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.