Clicky vs Linear · sound comparison
Blue vs Red
sound test.
The two ends of the spectrum: the switch built to be heard against the switch built to disappear. If you are torn between these, you are really choosing what a keyboard is for — feedback or flow. Type on both and find out which one you are.
Now playing
This test needs JavaScript and audio enabled.
Type a sentence on A, then flip to B and type it again
What to listen for
The difference
you'll hear.
No two common Cherry switches sound less alike. The Blue fires a sharp, high click on the press and a second on the release, stacked on top of the bottom-out — three sounds per keystroke. The Red makes exactly one: a soft, low thock as the key lands. Flip between the recordings mid-sentence and it sounds like two different instruments.
They differ in feel just as sharply. The Blue's 60 cN spring and tactile collar make every press an event; the Red's 45 cN linear travel makes typing feel nearly frictionless. Fast typing on Blues sounds like a telegraph office — on Reds, like a soft drum roll.
The player above is loaded with Frost Click (Cherry MX Blue) and Ruby Thock (Cherry MX Red), this site's names for the two recordings. Comparing both on the same typed sentence tells you far more than tapping one key on each.
On paper
Side
by side.
| Cherry MX Blue | Cherry MX Red | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Linear |
| Feel | Tactile bump plus an audible click | Linear — no bump, no click |
| Operating force | 60 cN | 45 cN |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Hear it alone | Blue sound test | Red sound test |
The honest version
Which one
is for you?
Pick the Blue if
- You love the classic clicky sound and work somewhere it will not start a war.
- You want the keyboard to confirm every keystroke by ear as you type.
Pick the Red if
- You type or game for long stretches and want the least fatiguing switch of the four.
- Anyone shares your space or your calls — the Red is the one that will not get you in trouble.
There is no middle ground here, which makes the choice honest. If the click delights you more than it would annoy everyone else, get the Blue. In every shared or quiet environment the Red wins — and its rounded thock is the sound most people end up preferring after a week with each.
Keep comparing
Other
match-ups.
Or open the full keyboard sound lab to play all eight packs, race the clock in the typing speed test, and read the full four-way switch comparison.
Take them with you
Both switches,
on your Mac.
This page only makes sound while the tab is focused. TypeLouder plays the same Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Red recordings system-wide — in your editor, your terminal, your email — on whatever keyboard you already own, so you can live with each sound for a day before buying any hardware.
It never reads or stores your keystrokes, and it has no network access at all.
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Good questions
Blue vs Red
questions.
What is the difference between Cherry MX Blue and Red?
Everything that matters. The Blue is a clicky tactile switch with a 60 cN spring and a collar mechanism that snaps audibly on press and release; the Red is a smooth 45 cN linear with no bump and no click. The Blue is the loudest common Cherry switch and the Red is among the softest.
Which is better for gaming, Blue or Red?
The Red, for most players. Its light linear travel makes rapid repeated presses effortless, while the Blue's click point adds noise and a slight interruption on every keystroke without helping reaction time. Blues are chosen for the typing experience, not for games.
Are Cherry MX Blues too loud for an office?
Usually, yes — the click fires twice per keystroke in a frequency range that carries, and it is the switch most often named in office noise complaints. The Red is the safer choice around other people, and headphones playing the Blue recording give you the click without broadcasting it.
Can I switch between these sounds without owning both keyboards?
Yes. Both recordings on this page come from real boards, and TypeLouder plays them system-wide on a Mac — so you can write email to a Blue click in the morning and code to a Red thock at night, on the same keyboard.
The audio on this page comes from community-recorded sound packs of Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Red boards, used under the MIT licence. Cherry and Cherry MX are trademarks of their respective owner; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.