Comes with stool, stand, power supply, and headphones but the sound quality is lower than other options

Helpful practice aids like a metronome and recording mode built right in but the response of the piano is somewhat lacking

Can get similar features and sound for less

Great sound out of the on-board speakers and it comes with the stand, bench, and power adapter

Not as many voice options as other models

Can use multiple voices together in Dual Mode and its simple single-button operation for many settings

He works as a DJ at night. The main work on a music label. He plays the guitar and a real music lover.

When you buy one, you want it to last for a long time, and you don’t want to have to lug it to a repair shop. We listened to what actual owners had to say about the durability and long-term performance of each instrument. The combination of these factors is what led to the rankings below.

Finally, we thought about the fact that a piano is a big purchase.

Since sound is important, too, we also compared the sound of both the main piano tone and the alternate voices, with an ear toward realism and authenticity in the modeling.

That’s the first thing we focused on when we were conducting our research: which pianos the professionals say they like to play.

You want a musical instrument to feel good when you play it.

To help you on your way, we’ve picked out ten of our favorite digital pianos here. Whether you plan to play the piano on-stage with a band or just by yourself in your living room, you’ll find something on the list below that catches your eye.

When it comes to digital pianos, you’ll find a huge range of different sizes and features, costing anywhere from a hundred bucks to several thousand dollars. Navigating this vast landscape can be an overwhelming proposition if you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for.

The piano is one of the most versatile and popular instruments in the world, but acoustic pianos do have their drawbacks. They’re heavy, for one thing, and they require regular maintenance from a professional to keep them in top playing shape. Digital pianos are far more convenient, and are also more affordable, making them a great alternative to a bulk upright. The best digital piano will sound practically identical to the real thing, thanks to advancements in recording technology.

But if you just want something to play around on (or a tester instrument to gauge interest before you invest too much money) you’ll have a lot of fun with this RockJam keyboard.

If you’re serious about playing the piano, you’ll probably want to get one that feels and sounds more like the real thing.

It comes with loads of songs you can play along with on the included Piano Maestro app . The on-piano interface is clearly laid-out, in a way that even a child can understand, with an easy to read LCD display for lessons and settings information.

And for what it is, it’s well designed.

We can say this though...

It has more voices than many of the pricier pianos above—about 100 all told—but the sound quality across them is equally mediocre.

The key action isn’t weighted or touch-responsive, and the sound lacks the resonance and depth that makes higher-end digital pianos sound so much like the real thing.

But there’s a reason this is so much cheaper than the others.

Not only do you get the keyboard itself, you’ll also get the power source, a keyboard stand, a playing stool, a pair of headphones, and two months of lessons.

If your primary concern is getting the most stuff for the least money, this RockJam SuperKit is the hands-down winner.

For value and versatility, this piano is your answer.

What’s more, you can play this keyboard anywhere, thanks to its compact size and battery powered option.

It has hundreds of voice options and around 150 different rhythms, between the main rhythm function and the electronica-oriented Dance Music Mode.

This integrates with the keyboard’s display, giving you a guide for playing popular songs.

The Lesson Function brings you a few helpful tools, including a fingering guide and a scoring system to track your progress. You can expand these functions by connecting your keyboard to the Chordana Play app .

There are features beyond the basics that make this a great choice for students, too.

The sound is the same quality as the feel, too. The two 3.9” speakers and on-board amplification put out a good amount of volume, and have a realistic, pleasant tone.

The CTK-3500 isn’t just the toy keyboard you might expect when you see the price and size. Its touch-sensitive keys are responsive to dynamic and pressure changes, and there are two different levels of sensitivity to choose from so you can adjust the feel to suit your playing.

Despite the reduced range, a smaller keyboard can have its advantages. It’s easier to carry around and more comfortable for young kids to play.

A full 88-key keyboard is typically recommended if you’re serious about learning to play the piano.

The excellent value of this keyboard is just the icing on the cake that makes it the ideal digital piano for a beginning player.

Helpful features for at home practice include a metronome and a recording mode, that lets you record and listen to your playing so you can better hear trouble areas.

The student-friendly aspects of the Alesis Recital are its most impressive features. The keyboard can be split into two zones that use the same range, letting a student and teacher play together on the same instrument.

The 128-note polyphony means you won’t have any trouble playing multiple lines at the same time, just like you would on an acoustic piano.

It doesn’t have a huge array of different voices, but the ones it does have sound realistic.

It has two 20-watt speakers built in, which put out plenty of sound for in-home practice and play.

We were impressed with the sound this piano puts out for the price.

The keys are semi-weighted and have a hammer action, and the response is adjustable—a nice touch that makes it more versatile for players of all ages and experience levels.

The response on this Alesis model is admittedly not as close to a real piano as some of the other (more expensive) options on the list.

It’s a fantastic bargain for beginning players, especially, with loads of included features aimed at students and novices.

With the Alesis Recital, you’ll get the entire range of the piano at a very reasonable price

Getting a full 88-key keyboard doesn’t have to mean wiping out your savings account.

For the home user, though, this piano gives you everything you need to play comfortably and sound fantastic.

It doesn’t have line-level inputs or outputs, and professionals may find the max polyphony of 64 limiting.

You can change voices, adjust the tone, and even record yourself playing—all right on your phone.

The inclusion of the Digital Piano Controller app . This app is free to install on any iOS device, and gives you easy access to a whole host of different settings that either don’t exist or are hard to find on the piano itself.

What really impressed us about this piano?

There are ten different voices included, two of which can be used at once in Dual Mode.

The pedal mechanism enhances this realism, giving you the option of half-damper control just like a baby grand and giving you more control over the musicality.

Combined, this means it both sounds and feels like an acoustic piano.

Like other Yamaha keyboards, the YDP103R uses a Graded Hammer Standard for the response and Advanced Wave Memory for the sound.

This is a solid intermediate-level piano for the advanced student or serious hobbyist, and it takes advantage of advancements in technology to make it even more user friendly.

With the YDP103R, they also prove they’re an innovative company.

Yamaha has long been admired for the consistently high build quality of their instruments.

Can get similar features and sound for less

In terms of functionality, though, you can get the same features for less elsewhere.

If sound quality is your main concern, this piano has it.

Most companies would not consider this to be an entry-level instrument—both based on the sound quality and the price tag.

Korg is known for their authentic sound modeling, so it would have been nice to hear more of their range. The voices that are included do live up to Korg’s high reputation, especially the main piano voice, which is rich in the low end and vibrant in the treble.

We were a bit disappointed they only included eight voices on this piano, all of which are variants on keyboards (five piano models, two organ models, and a harpsichord).

It also comes with a full three-pedal board, a rarity for a pedal at this price.

What that extra money gets you is a more responsive and realistic instrument. The hammer action is weighted nicely and feels natural, and you can adjust the dynamic sensitivity to suit your style.

Korg instruments aren’t cheap. The B1SP is one of their entry-level models, and it still relatively pricey.

They’re known best for their synthesizers, which are some of the most sought after in the industry, but they also offer more traditional digital keyboards, ranging from starter to professional models, and offer the same consistent quality in all their instruments.

Korg is another name you’ll probably see come up quite a bit as you’re looking for digital pianos.

Not as many voice options as other models

Whichever way you go, this is a versatile piano that’s equally at home as a pro’s travel instrument as it is in a hobbyist’s living room.

Every Yamaha P71 comes with the power adapter and sustain pedal included. If you need more accessories, like a stand and bench, you can get them for a bit more by buying one of the bundle packages.

All ten voices are created using this same advanced methods, and you can even use two voices at the same time in Dual Mode.

The voices are created using Advanced Wave Memory sampling, which uses a stereo image of the tone to give you a richer tone with more resonance and warmth than you’ll get out of most digital pianos.

While the P71 is a great choice for students, it’s equally viable as an on-stage performance instrument.

The build quality is especially impressive considering how compact it is—only 12 inches deep, much slimmer than the majority of digital keyboards.

The keys on this model use a fully-weighted action, based on Yamaha’s proprietary Graded Hammer Standard. This gives them the most realistic response of any keyboard you’ll find in the beginner market.

Far more than you might expect to get for the money.

Like the other keyboards in the line it offers a full 88 keys, professional-level sound, and a rich array of features.

You can think of it as a slightly streamlined, low-cost version of the P115 above.

The P-71 from Yamaha is a prime example of this rule and the most affordable option from the company’s “P” line of digital keyboards.

Amazon Exclusive products can be a great way to get quality equipment for a great value.

Has the sound quality and features to be used on-stage or in the studio

We love the versatility of the Yamaha P-115. It’s light enough to take to gigs and sturdy enough to survive the journey, with useful included features that students, teachers, and performers will appreciate.

The app seems to be by far the better options—the on-board controls aren’t labeled clearly, and they’re not very intuitive, our only major complaint about this piano.

There are also a plethora of rhythmic accompaniments to choose from. Both features can be controlled either on the piano or through the Yamaha Digital Piano Controller app.

Choose one of the ten styles and play a chord--it will create an accompaniment figure for you to play over.

As if that’s not enough, the Yamaha P-115 also has some cool features that both students and pros will enjoy.

In addition to the built-in speakers there’s an auxiliary out so you can hook up an amp or cabinet.

Yamaha has also improved the on-board tweeter over previous models so the high end is brighter and livelier.

The main piano sound is modeled after one of Yamaha’s top of the line concert grand pianos, using their advanced Pure CF Sound Engine. This gives it a far more musical, expressive sound than many digital pianos.

Not too pricey, but a viable instrument for a serious musician.

You could call this particular piano an intermediate-level model. It represents a nice middle ground…

The pianos in this line combine the company’s pro-level sound and build with a user-friendly (and budget-friendly) design, making them more accessible for a wider diversity of players.

Here’s another great keyboard from Yamaha, this time from their popular P-series of digital pianos.

You can use Duet Mode to split the keyboard, a great option for instructors. There’s also recording, transposition, and metronome functions—in short, everything an advanced student needs to push their talent to the next level.

The Casio PX-160 is relatively basic in terms of features, but there are a couple of noteworthy additions.

The grand piano tone is especially impressive thanks to the intelligent resonator processor, which has a more natural decay and sustain than past Casio models.

The piano itself is an update of the popular PX-150 model, one of the best-selling options in Casio’s catalog. It has 18 different voices, including both keyboard and string ensemble models.

They’re fine beginner piano tools, but this instrument isn’t necessarily the best option for the absolute beginner.

It comes with all the things you need to start playing. This includes a piano stand, a stool, an SP-33 pedal, and the power adapter. There are also an instructional book and DVD in the box, although these aren’t likely to be as universally useful.

This makes it a good option to look at for an advancing student or serious hobbyist who’s equally concerned with getting a great instrument and getting a good value.

The PX-160 is right in the middle of this range, both in terms of price and when it comes to the features and sound quality.

Casio pianos run the gamut from small, simple keyboards for kids to full-size digital keyboards suitable for pros.

Can control all the features with the Digital Piano Controller app

For the gigging professional, this is a hard keyboard to pass up, and well worth the extra investment.

You’ll get all the standard models, including a variety of vintage keyboards. It’s easy to switch voices or add effects on the fly. Layering and splitting the voices is easy, too, and individual faders give you more control over the balance.

As cool as the MIDI capabilities of this keyboard are, live performers will probably be more interested in its voices and effects.

The interface even offers an EQ fader, pitch and mod wheels, and other handy controls to make this keyboard even more versatile. It also gives you the option of using two expression pedals and has USB connectivity for easy integration into your system.

If you’re a composer or recording engineer, you’ll probably be excited to hear this piano functions equally well as a MIDI controller.

It even uses real wood keys, with synthetic ivory overlays and graded hammer action, effectively simulating the touch of an acoustic.

The build design is solid, managing to be light without being flimsy. Once it’s on its stand, you can play with your usual intensity and not worry you’ll break it or knock it over.

The CP4 weighs less than 40 pounds and is designed for the stage. It also has a more expansive library of voices and effects, making it a versatile keyboard for gigging pros across genres.

Do you like the sound and feel of the Yamaha Arius but need something more portable?

While it might honestly be more piano than most hobbyists need, professionals of all stripes will get a lot of value out of the YDP-184.

Even after all that, we’ve really just scratched the surface of what this piano can do. It has a full complement of on-board effects, along with features like Duo Mode and dual headphone outputs that make it great for teachers.

The YDP-184 is also a fully-functional MIDI recorder. Many digital pianos let you record basic loops, but this model gives you 16 separate tracks, all of which can be played simultaneously for layering and overdubbing. You can export your recordings to your computer or DAW through USB for mixing, editing, and storage.

The YDP-184 achieves a similar realism in terms of the feel. Rather than simply replicating the weight of a hammer action, they use a similar design for the key mechanism to what you’d find inside an acoustic instrument, with a three-sensor set-up for an accurate touch reading. This means the response is more sensitive to the pressure of your fingers, giving you an overall more realistic playing experience.

The main piano voice is modeled off of the CFX concert grand—and with an impressive degree of realism, we have to say. The tone is lush from top to bottom. Yamaha uses advanced virtual modeling to simulate the sympathetic vibrations of the strings around the note being played. This might seem like a small detail, but it’s a big reason why this piano sounds more like the real thing than others.

The Arius line is the heart of Yamaha’s digital piano catalog. You can think of them like more affordable and lighter-weight alternatives to upright pianos. While they’re designed mostly for use in the home, the high sound quality and modern connectivity also make it a great option for recording studios, private lesson instructors, and other professional applications that don’t demand mobility.

Buyer's Guide

The 30-Second Review

The more you want your digital piano to sound and feel like an acoustic, the more you’re generally going to have to pay.

The cheapest options will be those that don’t offer a full 88 keys.

But don’t be turned off just yet…

These can be viable options for young children, since they’ll have an easier time reaching all the keys.

Not buying for a child?

You’ll want to get a full-size keyboard if you can afford it…

Once you’re within the category of full-size keyboards, the difference between price points will be both in the sound and the feel of the instrument.

You can generally think of these models as fitting within one of three tiers:

entry-level

intermediate

professional

Entry-level instruments tend to cost between $200 and $500. They may offer weighted key action, though it won’t be as sensitive or responsive as pricier models, and the array of voices offered will generally be a bit more limited.

Intermediate models will typically cost in the $500 to $1,000 range, and will have a higher degree of realism as well as a broader array of features compared to cheaper options.

If you want something at the professional level, you should expect to spend at least a grand, and most often will be spending $2,000 or more. In terms of authenticity, though, they’re practically indistinguishable from an acoustic piano, especially to a beginner’s ears.

Whether you need something that performs at that level is a question only you can answer; for many students, even serious students, a well-made entry-level or intermediate instrument should serve your needs just fine.

Choosing a Digital Piano

The digital pianos versatility is a double-edged sword.

With their wide range and versatile tone, pianos are found in almost every genre, and are invaluable tools for composers, arrangers, and songwriters. Because they’re so useful to so many people, though, you’ll find many different models out there, offering a whole slew of different features.

Overwhelmed yet?

We’ve already talked about the obvious basics…

You want an instrument that sounds good, and one that you enjoy playing.

Then what’s the catch?

This can mean different things to different players.

The sections below go into more depth about the features and specifications you can expect to find on a digital piano. Understanding what each feature does and what it brings to the table will help you figure out which ones you need, and help you find the right instrument for your needs.

Keys and Feel

Aside from the authenticity of the sound modeling, the build and feel of the keys on the keyboard is where you’ll find the biggest difference between entry-level and professional instruments.

The most obvious difference will be how many keys you get. Cheaper keyboards often shrink the keyboard down to 61 or even 48 keys, instead of the full array of 88 that you’ll find on acoustic pianos.

Here’s the deal:

Fewer keys doesn’t always mean the instrument is a lower quality.

However, it does mean you won’t have access to all the notes you’ll get on a full keyboard at the same time.

Fortunately, keyboards with an octave transposition feature will let you choose which notes you’re missing, so you can play all the notes with some tweaking. If not as seamlessly as with a full 88 keys.

So is it a problem or not?

The main players who will find this limiting are classical pianists, as many of the works within the repertoire will call for using both the extreme low and the extreme high register within the same piece.

If you’re buying the keyboard for a younger learner, though, a 61-key model might not be a bad idea, especially if the length of an 88-key model exceeds their reach.

In terms of materials, most digital pianos use plastic for the keys. With cheaper models, this can lead to clicking or squeaking when you press them, and this is something that can get worse over time, especially with heavy use.

Higher-end keyboards tend not to have this problem.

Some of them will even feature wood and ivory (or synthetic ivory) keys, just like an acoustic piano, although this is a rarity and not a necessity, so long as the keys are made to a high quality standard.

The only complaint some players have against plastic keys over wood and ivory ones is they can get a bit slippery after sustained play.

Many of Yamahas models use a matte coating on the keys to alleviate this problem—something to look for if this is a concern for you.

More important than the material, though, is the weight.

In other words, the resistance the keys give to your fingers. Not all the keys respond in the same way on an acoustic piano.

The higher you go, the less resistance the keys give.

The lower you go, the heavier you have to press.

This is a side effect of how the piano produces sound. When you press a piano key, a string inside the instrument is struck with a hammer, causing it to resonate through the wood of the instrument and producing the sound.

The lower the pitch, the longer the string, and the more effort is required to strike it.

This type of weighting is unnecessary for a digital piano, of course.

Pressing a key simply tells the circuits inside the piano which tone to produce, and the effort involved is the same regardless of where you are on the instrument.

The thing is…

For many pianists this change in weight from the bottom to the top is an important part of playing the instrument. Knowing this, many digital piano manufacturers add weighting to the keys of their instruments that simulates, to some degree, the response of a string-and-hammer mechanism.

My advice to you:

If your goal with the keyboard is learning to play piano, you should invest in an instrument with graded hammer action, or at least weighted keys. This will ensure the technique you learn can be seamlessly applied to an upright or grand piano.

If you learn to play on a digital piano without weighted keys, you’ll find the transition to an acoustic keyboard rather jarring, especially in the low end.

This consideration is less important for composers and arrangers, or those primarily using the keyboard as a MIDI controller.

Here’s where it gets good:

Digital pianos offer you some key options that make them even better and more versatile than acoustic pianos.

Most digital pianos will give you some control over the sensitivity and action of the keys, letting you adjust how much they respond to changes in your touch.

As you might expect, the degree of control you get over these settings increases as you move up in price. High-end Yamahas even give you the option of adjusting both the response and the resonance, and use a more sophisticated sensor to make sure it reads the player’s pressure accurately.

Voices

As a piano player, you technically only need one voice.

Indeed, many players will consistently use the same voice every time they sit down at the keyboard, and the primary piano voice on a digital piano is the one companies tend to pay the most attention to when it comes to modeling and sound quality.

The number of voices a piano offers is in no way an indication of quality.

In fact, if you find a keyboard in the budget price range that offers dozens or even hundreds of voices, this is almost certainly a novelty instrument—fine for a kid to play with, but not the best option if you’re serious about music.

Almost all digital pianos will come with at least four or five different voices to give you some sonic variety.

If there are a limited number like this, they’ll usually only be variants of other keyboard instruments—typically a couple piano models, an organ model or two, and a harpsichord setting.

If there are more voice options, you’ll usually find the orchestral strings are the next instruments to be added (violin, viola, cello, and bass).

If you want more voices than that—and you want them to still be at a high sound quality—you’ll want to look at professional stage pianos, like the Yamaha CP4.

These models almost tow the line between a digital piano and a synthesizer, in terms of the variety of voices that are offered. They’ll give you true to life models of various different instruments, including winds, percussion, and a range of string and keyboard voicings.

The key question is what you want to have a lot of voices for, if that’s something that’s on your list.

If you’re a composer, producer, or electronic performer, high sound quality across voices is just as important as how many you get. It will be worth it for you to spend the money on the CP4, which will deliver on both of these counts.

If you’re more of a hobbyist and just want a lot of cool sounds to play around with, something like the RockJam or the Casio CTK-3500 is probably more what you’re looking for.

Recording And Midi Options

One advantage digital pianos have over acoustic pianos is the ability to send their signal directly to a computer or DAW.

Recording an upright or grand piano requires a somewhat complex arrangement of microphones, both inside and around the piano, to capture the full sound.

With a digital piano, you can send the same sound that comes out of the speakers through the line-out, without the intermediary step of a microphone.

Guess what?

An on-board recorder can be a helpful feature for a beginner, too.

Your attention is pulled in a lot of directions when you’re practicing. You’re thinking about your technique, which notes are coming up next, how much pressure to use for the right dynamics— all the little things that go into a good performance.

Being able to record yourself right there on the piano lets you listen to yourself after the fact, which can help you catch small flaws or issues that escaped your attention while you were playing.

Of course, you can still use this practice technique even if you don’t have a recorder on the piano. Most smart phones even have a recording function with a decent audio quality, or you could buy a stand-alone recorder.

In short, you have some options.

It is convenient to have the controls right there on the piano, though. And the ability to overdub tracks is a nice extra feature you won’t have with hand-held recorders.

Many pianos that can record also give you the option to export your recorded tracks as MIDI files.

Is that important to you?

If you want the option to export, look for either a USB or a MIDI I/O hook-up on the features of the piano.

Just as a side note, the ability to export MIDI files isn’t the same thing as being a MIDI controller.

The latter means you can hook up the keyboard to MIDI-enabled devices to trigger effects or sound changes. If that’s what you’re after, your needs will be different, and a digital piano might not actually be your best option.

The Top Digital Pianos: Read Our Full Reviews