Best digital piano: Our favourite digital pianos, keyboards and MIDI controllers
Whether you’re a serious pianist or just want to tickle the ivories, we’ve got you covered with our picks of the best digital pianos
From classical and jazz, to contemporary pop music; whatever your forte, the best digital piano is a versatile instrument. Going digital means you don’t have to worry so much about issues such as space, transport, or tuning that come with owning the real thing.
Nevertheless, there are still a lot of questions to ask yourself when buying a digital piano, particularly if you’re considering buying your first piano. What size keyboard is right for you? Are you looking for something portable? Do you want lots of voice options, or just a realistic piano sound? Do you need pedals? Whether you’re after a beginner’s keyboard or something more serious, there are a lot of options out there.
No need to worry, though. We’ve put together a handy buyer’s guide to answer any questions you might have, and to help you find the right digital piano for you.
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The best digital pianos: At a glance
- Best digital piano under £1,000: Yamaha YDP-145 | £779
- Best cheap folding keyboard: Carry-On Folding Piano | From £70
- Best budget keyboard: Yamaha NP-12 | £195
- Best mid-range keyboard for beginners: Casio CT-S1 | £255
- Best entry level MIDI controller: Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol | From £129
- Best if money is no object: Casio PX-S7000 | £2,009
How to choose the best digital piano for you
Keyboard vs digital piano?
This really depends on what you want out of your piano. If you’re after an authentic feel and sound, or you’re serious about learning the piano, it’s worth getting yourself a decent digital model. Naturally, these are going to cost a bit more, but – if your budget allows it – the experience of playing on a full-size piano with pedals can’t be beaten.
On the other hand, if you’re a beginner or you’re dealing with a tight budget, you might not want to make such an investment. Cheaper keyboards might not have the full 88 keys, nor will they feel like you’re playing on a real piano, but they’re a good option if you’re just looking to play around and have some fun – they’re usually more portable too.
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What size keyboard do I need?
A standard piano is 88 keys (seven octaves), but you might not necessarily need a full-size keyboard – particularly if you’re just starting out. You can also buy digital pianos with 76, 61 and even 49 keys.
What about MIDI keyboards?
If you’re into music production, then you’ll likely want a MIDI keyboard or keyboard controller. These can be used in tandem with a computer and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software to record and edit your performances, and allow you to transform your keyboard into a vast range of acoustic and electrical instruments using virtual instruments.
As with other keyboards, MIDI controllers can be full size keyboards with 88 weighted keys, or much smaller controllers (sometimes even just one octave long) with semi-weighted or unweighted keys. They are sometimes also kitted out with various buttons, knobs, sliders and drum pads to control sounds and effects.
The key word in all this is “controller”. MIDI keyboards are not standalone digital pianos; they don’t have speakers and they won’t work on their own.
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What software do I need?
If you want to get the best from a MIDI keyboard, and you’re keen to get into recording and producing your own music, you’ll need DAW software. This allows you to record MIDI notes from a connected keyboard or controller, and you can combine these MIDI performances with audio from a microphone, or audio files on your computer. We’ve listed a few popular options below:
- Ableton Live 11 Suite – Around £539, with free 90 day trial
- FL Studio – From £85, with free trial version
- Cubase 12 – From £85
- GarageBand – Free for the Apple Mac
- Apple Logic Pro – £175, with 90 day free trial
Many DAWs come with their own virtual instruments and software synthesizers bundled as standard, and these can replicate everything from vintage synthesizers to a concert grand piano. If you want the most advanced – and most realistic-sounding – virtual instruments, however, you’ll likely need to purchase a standalone package. These can integrate seamlessly into any DAW, or you can usually run them in standalone mode if you just wish to practice. Here are a few examples:
- Spectrasonics Keyscape – £279 – A realistic piano and keyboard virtual instrument
- Tyrell N6 – Free – A free, fun software synthesizer
How much money should I spend?
Again, this is largely down to what you want from your digital piano, and how serious you are about playing. The pianos on our list range from £58 to £2,399, so there is a lot of room for movement budget-wise. But, ultimately, if you don’t need a full-size authentic-feeling digital piano, there’s no need to spend thousands of pounds on one.
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The best digital pianos you can buy in 2023
1. Yamaha YDP-145: Best digital piano under £1,000
Price: £779 | Buy now from Musicroom
When it comes to digital pianos, Yamaha is a household name. The company’s Arius series offers a range of upright cabinet style digital pianos, suitable for the beginner and intermediate player, that will give you an authentic feel and sound without breaking the bank. Plus, they’ll look nice in your home too.
The YDP-145 has 10 different voices, including one sampled from the company’s own flagship CFX concert grand piano. The Graded Hammer Standard system mimics the feel of an acoustic piano and Virtual Resonance Modeling Lite technology attempts to achieve the timbre of a real grand piano.
Features like these help to provide beginner pianists with an authentic playing experience at a reasonable price. Indeed, at £755, the YDP-145 is our favourite digital piano under the £1,000 mark.
And, as with the (now discontinued) YDP-144, you can use Yamaha’s Smart Pianist app on your phone to control the piano’s tones, access sheet music and inbuilt songs, and more.
Key specs – Dimensions: 1,357mm x 815mm x 422mm; Weight: 38kg; Number of keys: 88; Pedals: 3; Number of voices: 10; Connectivity: Headphones, USB; App functions: Yes; Speakers: 2 x 8W; Power: Mains; Colours: Black, Rosewood, White
2. Casio PX-S1100: Best digital piano under £750
Price: £615 | Buy now from Casio
Branded “the world’s slimmest digital piano”, the PX-S1100 is the latest model in Casio’s Privia range. With a full-length keyboard and solid weighted keys, it feels great to play. It sounds great too, with 18 realistic tone choices (including three grand piano variants, rock piano, jazz organ and harpsichord), and a selection of sound modes to simulate the ambience of a hall or stadium.
Other features include basic metronome and audio recording functions, and more advanced options such as transposing and scale tuning, dual layering and a split mode for playing duets. The PX-S1100 also comes with Casio’s WU-BT10 adapter for Bluetooth audio streaming and MIDI connectivity.
With its streamlined design and minimalist touch-sensitive control panel, the PX-S1100 looks fantastic. However, many of its functions use the keys themselves as control buttons, so it can take a while to get the hang of what does what; the technologically challenged might have a tricky time. Our advice is to make sure you keep the user’s manual handy.
Note too that, while the PX-S1100 is very slim, it’s still quite a hefty instrument, and it felt rather wobbly on the folding stand we tested it on. We recommend you use it on a solid foundation, or partner it with Casio’s dedicated CS-68 stand. We also found that the plastic sustain pedal tended to slip about on hard floors; if you can spare an extra £59, Casio’s SP-34 pedal unit might be better for you.
Key specs – Dimensions: 132.2 x 23.2 x 10.2cm; Weight: 11.2kg; Number of keys: 88; Pedals: 1; Number of voices: 18; Connectivity: Headphones, USB, Bluetooth (with adapter); App functions: Yes; Speakers: 2 x 8W; Power: Mains or 6 x AA batteries
3. Carry-on Folding Piano by Blackstar: Best cheap folding keyboard
Price: £89 (88 keys), £70 (49 keys) | Buy now from Amazon
A ‘folding piano’ might sound like something of a novelty item, but in this instance it’s actually rather ingenious. Blackstar’s Carry-on Folding Piano combines a standalone digital piano with MIDI keyboard functionality to create a clever, folding package that will appeal to beginner pianists and music producers alike.
It’s available in two sizes: a full-sized 88-key version (pictured above), and a smaller 49 key model. Its battery is rechargeable via the included USB cable, and provides up to eight hours of usage in standalone mode. Also included is a small plastic sustain pedal. The full size keyboard comes with a tote bag and a set of notation stickers, which can be handy for the beginner pianist.
The most unusual feature here is that the keyboard has 128 built-in sounds for standalone usage. Its in-built speakers do sound tinny, however, and the lack of velocity sensitive keys (which allow for varying dynamics depending on how hard or soft you play) will be a deal breaker for many. At £90, though, the unusual range of features means that it’s actually pretty good value for money.
Key specs – Dimensions: 1320 x 125 x 18 mm; Weight: 2.28kg; Number of Keys: 88, 49; Pedals: Yes; Number of voices: 128; Connectivity: Headphones, USB; App functions: No; Speakers: 2 x 2W; Power: USB rechargeable battery; Colours: White
4. Yamaha NP-12: Best budget keyboard
Price: £195 | Buy now from Amazon
For our budget choice, we have another Yamaha keyboard, showing the company is as versatile as it is reliable.
With 61 keys, the NP-12 is smaller and cheaper than its otherwise identical brother, the 76-key NP-32. Its simplistic design – with a minimal control panel focusing on the essentials such as voice controls, reverb, metronome and recording – makes it perfect for beginners or students. Despite this simplicity, however, the NP-12 still produces a decent piano sound that doesn’t sound cheap or tinny.
As with the other Yamaha digital pianos, you can connect your iOS device via the keyboard’s USB to Host function, allowing you to make full use of Yamaha apps such as Digital Piano Controller, Metronome and Notestar. And those wanting to play on-the-go will be pleased to learn that the NP-12 can also run on batteries as well as mains power.
The NP-12 won’t give you the experience of playing on a full 88-key weighted keyboard. But it’s lightweight and portable, making it an excellent budget option.
Key specs – Dimensions: 1,036mm x 105mm x 259mm; Weight: 4.5kg; Number of Keys: 61; Pedals: No; Number of voices: 10; Connectivity: Headphones, USB; App fucntions: Yes; Speakers: 2 x 2.5W; Power: Mains or 6 x AA batteries; Colours: Black, White
5. Casio CT-S1: Best mid-range keyboard for beginners
Price: £255 | Buy now from Casio
The latest in the Casiotone range, the 61-key CT-S1 is not the cheapest keyboard on our roundup but it’s far from the most expensive. And considering what you get for the money, we’ve no complaints. It’s a great choice for the beginner with serious intentions.
Most importantly, the CT-S1 feels very good, thanks to touch sensitive keys with satisfyingly responsive dynamics. And its speaker system produces a clean and authentic sound: the default piano setting, for instance, sounds nice and bright (but not tinny) in the upper register, while it feels richer towards the lower end of the piano. There are 61 different tone options in total, from sensible sounding piano and organ presets to more “out there” synth tones.
The control panel is very easy to use, with buttons to change basic settings, while more advanced functions, such as changing the speed of the metronome, transposing the keyboard, changing key sensitivity and cycling through additional tones are accessed by pressing the keys of the piano itself while holding down one of the main buttons. It also has Bluetooth audio streaming via the bundled WU-BT10 adapter. This is perhaps best used with Casio’s Chordana Play, a free app loaded with MIDI files and on-screen sheet music to play along with and help you learn.
Ultimately, the CT-S1 looks nice, sounds great, and gives you plenty to play around with for £255. Unless you need a full-size 86-key piano, it’s a fantastic mid-range option. Plus, you get some extra goodies with your order, including a plastic pedal unit and free online lessons worth £50.
Key specs – Dimensions: 93 x 26 x 8cm; Weight: 4.5kg; Number of keys: 61; Pedals: 1; Number of voices: 61; Connectivity: Headphones, USB, Bluetooth (with adapter); App functions: Yes; Speakers: 2 x 2.5W; Power: Mains or 6 x AA batteries
6. Casio SA-78: Best keyboard for children
Price: £60 | Buy now from Amazon
The SA-78 has only 44 keys, making it the smallest keyboard in our roundup. Its limited range is perhaps not perfect for budding pianists looking to seriously learn the instrument, but it’s a great introductory keyboard for younger children, and a nice little touch is the SA-78’s LCD screen, which displays notes as they are played.
Despite its stature, the SA-78 has enough features to keep your child occupied, including 100 built-in voices, 50 drum patterns, five live drum pads and ten songs. The quality of these tones isn’t going to be great (certainly no premium grand piano sampling), but they’re fun for kids. With this in mind, parents will be pleased to know that, yes, the keyboard comes with a headphone connector.
On top of all this, the relatively low price means that you aren’t making too big a financial commitment if your child suddenly decides that playing the piano isn’t for them. Should you want to spend even less, Casio’s mini keyboard range begins at £40 RRP with the SA-46.
Key specs – Dimensions: 64 x 23 x 8 cm; Weight: 1.4kg; Number of Keys: 44; Pedals: No; Number of voices: 100; Connectivity: Headphones; App functions: No; Power: 6 x AA batteries, Mains (adapter not included); Colour: Black and pink
7. Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A Series: Best entry level MIDI controller
Price: From £129 | Buy now from Native Instruments
The Komplete Kontrol A Series is a great entry level MIDI controller for budding music producers. It looks great, feels sturdy, and has full integration with Native Instruments’ range of virtual instruments and software as well as a number of popular DAWs (such as Ableton, Garageband and Logic X Pro) – which means you can take advantage of all of its rotary knobs and buttons.
Available in 25, 49 and 61-key versions, there are some understandable cut backs compared to Native Instruments’ pricier S Series controllers, most notably the omission of an 88-key model and the loss of two large colour screens to provide visual feedback. Instead, the A series has a much smaller, OLED text display.
There’s a generous software bundle, though. You get NI’s Maschine Essentials, alongside thousands of sounds including The Gentleman, Monark and Reaktor Prism. And, at this price, the combination of semi-weighted keys, a decent control panel, and a 4D encoder knob for browsing through presets and navigating software makes for an impressive package.
Key specs – Dimensions: 488 x 257 x 89 mm; Weight: 2.4kg; Number of Keys: 25, 49, 61; Pedals: No; Number of voices: 6,700+ included; Connectivity: USB; App functions: No; Speakers: N/A; Power: USB; Colours: Black
8. Nektar Impact LX88+: A great value full size MIDI keyboard
Price: £218 | Buy now from Amazon
Although the Impact is available as 25, 49 and 61 key controllers, the full-size LX88+ is designed for keyboard players “looking for extra reach”, says Nektar. With 88 semi-weighted keys, it comes equipped with a comprehensive array of controls, complete with faders, pitch bend, modulation and transpose buttons, and eight drum pads. And it can be integrated smoothly with popular digital audio workstations (DAWs) including Cubase, GarageBand, Bitwig and Sonar.
At just under £198 for a full-size keyboard, it’s pretty great value too. Amazon sells it either on its own or as part of a bundle with other accessories including a keyboard stand and a sustain pedal.
Key specs – Dimensions: 1.27cm x 2.79cm x 8.9cm; Weight: 8.16kg; Number of keys: 88 (semi-weighted); Pedals: No; Controls: 8 x potentiometers, 9 x 30mm faders, 9 x assignable buttons, 6 x dedicated transport buttons, 8 x velocity sensitive pads; Connectivity: 1/4in TS jack footswitch input, USB, MIDI Out; App functions: No; Power: USB, mains
9. Casio PX-S7000: Best digital piano if money is no object
Price: £2,099 | Buy now from Casio
Casio’s new “design-led” digital piano is certainly stylish. With its mid-century modernist-style wooden legs and sleek keyboard design, it’s perhaps the most attractive piano in our roundup (we particularly like the “Harmonious Mustard” model).
But it’s not just a looker. The PX-S7000 sounds and feels great to play. Its weighted keys have a hybrid wood/resin composition which helps to provide a more authentic playing experience. The available tones (a whopping 400 in total) are excellent too, and include classical grands as well as pianos modelled on the studio recordings of such pop classics as John Lennon’s “Imagine” and 10CC’s “I’m Not in Love”, even Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”. What’s more, the piano’s four-way speaker setup can be adjusted to project the sound in the best way possible, whether you have it positioned in the middle of the room or up against the wall.
As far as features and functions go, there’s an awful lot you can do with the PX-S7000, from the usual metronome and split keyboard functions, to the addition of a pitch bend wheel and something Casio calls the “arpeggiator” (a feature that automatically creates arpeggio by playing a chord). The control panel is very nice too. Other Casio keyboards we’ve tested, like the PX-S1100, use the keys themselves as function buttons, which feels awkward and tricky to get the hang of. However, on the PX-S7000 everything is controlled via a sleek digital panel and dial. It still might take a little while to get familiar with everything, but this is a much more intuitive design.
At over £2,000, the PXS7000 won’t be for everyone – it’s a big investment – but, if you’ve got the budget, we’d wholly recommend it.
Key specs – Dimensions: 1,340mm 741mm x 449mm (w/fixed pedal unit); Weight: 29.1kg (w/fixed pedal unit and stand); Number of keys: 88; Pedals: 3; Number of voices: 400; Connectivity: Headphones, USB, Bluetooth; App functions: Yes; Speakers: 2 x 8W + 2 x 8W (2 x 3W + 2 x 3W when using batteries); Power: 8 x AA batteries, Mains; Colours: Black, White, Harmonious Mustard
Also consider: Kawai CA59
This upright digital piano from Kawai also offers an authentic playing experience, with weighted keys and a dynamic yet subtle range of piano voices. Sound quality is excellent too, thanks to a 2 x 50W four-speaker system.
Like the Casio PX-S7000, the CA59 is also a rather hefty investment. But if you’re serious about getting quality sound and feel from a digital piano, it’s another winner.
