Cherry MX Nature White vs Gateron Milky Yellow Pro
The Gateron Milky Yellow Pro and the Cherry MX Nature White 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 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 Nature White | Gateron Milky Yellow Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 62 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | Yes |
| 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. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Both the Cherry MX Nature White and the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Price splits them too: the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro is the budget friendly option while the Cherry MX Nature White sits in the mid priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Cherry MX Nature White the marginally firmer press. We land on the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro for every use we score, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so the Cherry MX Nature White makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Gateron Milky Yellow Pro
This pair does not split by use case: the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro comes out ahead of the Cherry MX Nature White on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
Force curves
Cherry MX Nature White
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 Milky Yellow Pro
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 62 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 Nature White or Gateron Milky Yellow Pro: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Cherry MX Nature White is mid priced, while the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro is budget friendly. Factory lube is on the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Cherry MX Nature White and want it at its best.
The specs are the smaller half of this pair, but they are not nothing. The Cherry MX Nature White carries the heavier spring at actuation, 55 g to 50 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. Both are linears either way, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
The ears usually get the last word here. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Nature White lands as balanced clack, sitting between Red's lightness and Black's depth where the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro lands as deeper, muted, creamy bottom-out from the milky nylon housing. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Cherry MX Nature 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.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Nature White page and the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro 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 Nature White or the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro?
We pick the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro 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 Nature White or the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Cherry MX Nature White reading as balanced clack, sitting between Red's lightness and Black's depth against deeper, muted, creamy bottom-out from the milky nylon housing from the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro.
Cherry MX Nature White vs Gateron Milky Yellow Pro: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Nature White, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 55 g to 50 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Nature White or the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro?
The Gateron Milky Yellow Pro sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Nature White 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.
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