Gateron Green vs Kailh BOX Navy
The Gateron Green and the Kailh BOX Navy are both clicky, but they do not click the same way, and that is where the whole difference lives. 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 | Gateron Green | Kailh BOX Navy |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 80 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2.3 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.6 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Mid-range |
| 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
The type row says clicky twice, which undersells it: these two clicks are produced by different mechanisms. They also click differently: a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Gateron Green against a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX Navy. 20 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Gateron Green carrying the heavier end at 80 g. Our picks: the Kailh BOX Navy for gaming and typing, the Gateron Green for a shared office. Read that office call as relative: the Gateron Green clicks too, just less insistently.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh BOX Navy
- Typing pick
- Kailh BOX Navy
- Office pick
- Gateron Green
Force curves
Gateron Green
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.
Kailh BOX Navy
Kailh 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 Green or Kailh BOX Navy: the long answer
Noise is the headline on this pair, so start there. Put them through the player above and the Gateron Green lands as louder, deeper click backed by a heavy spring where the Kailh BOX Navy lands as the deepest, loudest, most forceful click in production. They do not even click the same way: a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Gateron Green against a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX Navy, which is most of the tonal difference you are hearing. A click you love at your own desk can still be the loudest thing in someone else’s meeting. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
Now the part the spec table measures. The spread at actuation is 20 g, 80 g on the Gateron Green against 60 g on the Kailh BOX Navy, which puts them in different weight brackets rather than two shades of one. Travel differs at both ends, with the Kailh BOX Navy registering first at 1.8 mm and the Gateron Green running deepest at 4.0 mm. The stroke itself is shared: both fire an audible click alongside the bump. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
On the practical side, the Gateron Green is budget friendly, while the Kailh BOX Navy is mid priced. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
Where we land: the Kailh BOX Navy unless noise is the deciding factor. On speed, it wins on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation. On a long draft, the click turns a long writing session into a rhythm, if your room allows it. When other people are listening, the Gateron Green instead, as neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Gateron Green page and the Kailh BOX Navy page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Gateron Green or the Kailh BOX Navy the better gaming switch?
We pick the Kailh BOX Navy for gaming. Of the two it has the quicker, less intrusive stroke, winning on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation.
Is the Gateron Green quieter than the Kailh BOX Navy?
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.
Is the Gateron Green heavier than the Kailh BOX Navy?
The Gateron Green. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 80 g against 60 g an honest 20 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Green or the Kailh BOX Navy?
The Gateron Green sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Kailh BOX Navy 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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