Cherry MX Green vs Cherry MX White
The Cherry MX Green and the Cherry MX White are separated mostly by spring weight, 5 g of it at bottom-out, with the Cherry MX Green the firmer press and the Cherry MX White the easier one to hold down. Our full switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 White |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 80 g | 80 g |
| Bottom-out force | 105 g (our estimate) | 100 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2.2 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. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two clickies feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at bottom-out, with the Cherry MX Green the marginally firmer press. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. With the numbers this close, the honest tiebreak is the voice: loud, slightly deeper click than Blue with a firm landing on the Cherry MX Green, muted, duller click; a clicky that half-whispers on the Cherry MX White. One pick, not three: the Cherry MX Green takes gaming and typing, and it is the less punishing of the two in a shared room, though neither really belongs in one. The Cherry MX White is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Green
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Cherry MX Green takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
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 White
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 100 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 White: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. Type is not the difference here. Both are clickies, and each announces actuation to your finger and to the room at once. The Cherry MX Green is nominally firmer at bottom-out, 105 g to 100 g, but 5 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.2 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
The ears usually get the last word here. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Green is loud, slightly deeper click than Blue with a firm landing against muted, duller click; a clicky that half-whispers from the Cherry MX White. A click you love at your own desk can still be the loudest thing in someone else’s meeting. Both packs are synthesized rather than recorded, so read the comparison as a faithful sketch of each voice and not as a measurement of it.
On cost and convenience, both are mid priced. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Cherry MX Green is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. 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 Cherry MX White 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.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX Green page and the Cherry MX White page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Cherry MX Green or the Cherry MX White?
We pick the Cherry MX Green for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the Cherry MX Green quieter than the Cherry MX White?
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 Green vs Cherry MX White: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Green, on the numbers we have: 105 g against 100 g at bottom-out. Read that as a guide rather than a like-for-like manufacturer comparison, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces it does publish.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Green
More vs Cherry MX White
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.