Quick Answer: The best clicky switch overall in 2026 is the Kailh Box White (about $0.30-0.45 each) — a 45g box-stem switch with genuine IP56 dust and water resistance that most clicky switches don’t have. Buyers who want the loudest, heaviest click on the market should get the Kailh Box Navy (60g, about $0.35-0.70), anyone who wants the universally recognized reference click needs Cherry MX2A Blue (about $0.35-0.40 each), bulk builders on a budget should get Gateron Blue (about $0.18-0.25 each), and the absolute cheapest option is Outemu Blue (roughly $0.19-0.31 each depending on quantity and retailer).
“Clicky” switches add an audible click on top of a tactile bump, which is why open-plan-office villains and satisfying-sound enthusiasts alike reach for them over our best tactile or best linear picks. The catch this time isn’t a naming trap between two nearly identical switches — it’s that two of the five brands this site tracks closely, Durock and JWK, don’t make a clicky switch at all. Below are the five worth knowing from the brands that do, plus why Durock/JWK sit this category out entirely.
Best clicky switches at a glance
| Switch | Best for | Force / Travel | Factory lube | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kailh Box White | Best overall / dust-resistant | 45g actuation / n/a | Light | ~$0.30-0.45 each |
| Kailh Box Navy | Best loudest / heaviest | 60g bottom-out / 3.6mm | Light | ~$0.35-0.70 each |
| Cherry MX2A Blue | Best known/reference | 60g actuation / 4.0mm | Yes, full | ~$0.35-0.40 each |
| Gateron Blue | Best budget | 60g actuation / 4.0mm | No | ~$0.18-0.25 each |
| Outemu Blue | Best ultra-budget / bulk | 50g actuation / 4.0mm | Yes, light | ~$0.19-0.31 each |
1. Kailh Box White — Best Overall / Dust-Resistant
Kailh Box White Clicky
- Kailh's enclosed "box" stem housing carries an IP56 dust and water resistance rating per Kailh's own buying guide — a genuine protection spec none of the other four switches here share.
- A click-bar mechanism registers on both the press and the release of the keystroke, which is why Box switches sound noticeably different from Cherry-style click-jacket switches at a similar price.
- Lighter 45g actuation than Box Navy or MX2A Blue, making it the easiest of the louder switches here to type on for a full workday.
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Our best Kailh switches guide covers Box White alongside Speed Silver, Box Navy and the Midnight Pro Silent line in more depth, including the warning that “Kailh Choc” is a physically different, incompatible low-profile switch family — never assume a Kailh listing with “Choc” in the name drops into a standard MX hot-swap socket.
2. Kailh Box Navy — Best Loudest / Heaviest
Kailh Box Navy Clicky
- The heaviest clicky switch on this list by actuation force, with a thick, deliberate click enthusiast retailers consistently describe as the most "authoritative" in the entire Box family.
- Same click-bar mechanism as Box White, registering on both press and release — but a heavier spring makes each click land harder and louder.
- Distinct from Box White by spring weight rather than mechanism, so switching between the two mid-build only changes feel and volume, not compatibility.
If even Box Navy isn’t loud enough for your taste, there isn’t a louder switch on this list — the next step up in intensity is really a question of a louder keyboard case or plate, not a different switch. See our best keyboard case guide for how an aluminum or polycarbonate case changes a board’s overall sound.
3. Cherry MX2A Blue — Best Known/Reference
Cherry MX2A Blue
- Cherry's click-jacket mechanism is a different physical design from Kailh's click-bar, producing a sharper, more "ticky" click character rather than the Box switches' deeper, bassier one.
- Factory pre-lubed with Cherry's retooled MX2A housing and stem, carrying the same consistency improvements over the older MX1A generation that MX2A Red and Brown received.
- The reference every other brand's clicky switch gets informally compared against, since Cherry invented the modern MX click-jacket format decades ago.
Our best Cherry MX switches guide ranks MX2A Blue alongside Red, Brown, Speed Silver and Silent Red for the rest of Cherry’s mainstream lineup — and flags the MX1A-vs-MX2A generation naming trap worth checking before you buy a bulk pack.
4. Gateron Blue — Best Budget
Gateron Blue
- Polycarbonate top housing over a nylon bottom housing with a POM stem — Gateron's standard clicky build, not factory-lubed out of the box the way Oil King or Baby Kangaroo are.
- Same 60g actuation force as Cherry MX2A Blue at noticeably less per switch, making it the cheapest way to try a click-jacket-style clicky switch rather than Kailh's click-bar design.
- New to this site's switch coverage — Gateron's own linear and tactile lines (Oil King, Baby Kangaroo 2.0) are covered in our [best Gateron switches](/best/best-gateron-switches/) guide, but this is the brand's clicky entry.
If Gateron’s other switches have impressed you in a linear or tactile build already, Blue is the cheapest way to add the same brand’s housing feel to a clicky board without paying Cherry’s or Kailh’s per-switch premium.
5. Outemu Blue — Best Ultra-Budget / Bulk
Outemu Blue
- PC top housing, nylon bottom housing and a standard stem rated for a minimum 50 million keystrokes per the manufacturer's own spec sheet — a real durability number, not just a marketing claim.
- Ships factory-lubed, unusual at this price point and a step up from Gateron Blue's dry-out-of-the-box state.
- The lightest actuation force of any switch on this list at 50g, making it noticeably easier to bottom out repeatedly than the 60g switches above it.
Outemu is the brand most big-box pre-built boards use to hit a low retail price, so if you’ve typed on a sub-$50 clicky keyboard before, there’s a good chance it already had a switch close to this one installed.
Why Durock and JWK skip clicky entirely
Every other switch category on this site — linear, tactile, silent, hall-effect — has a Durock or JWK entry, because the two sister brands (manufactured out of the same factory) built their whole reputation on switches like T1, POM, Alpaca V2 and Quartz. Clicky is the one category where neither currently lists a dedicated product, per their own catalogs and every major retailer that carries them. If you come across a listing advertising a “Durock clicky” or “JWK clicky” switch, treat it as a red flag worth double-checking — it may be a mislabeled tactile, since T1’s sharp bump is sometimes mistaken for a click by buyers new to the hobby.
How to choose a clicky switch
- Want a genuine IP-rated switch with a balanced click? Kailh Box White is the safest default, and the only switch here built for a dusty or spill-prone desk.
- Chasing the loudest, heaviest click possible? Kailh Box Navy is as far as this category goes — the next step up is case/plate acoustics, not a heavier switch.
- Want the universally recognized reference click? Cherry MX2A Blue is what every other brand’s clicky switch gets informally compared against.
- Building on a budget? Gateron Blue undercuts Cherry at the same 60g actuation force.
- Buying in bulk for the lowest possible per-switch cost? Outemu Blue is the cheapest switch on this list and still ships factory-lubed.
- Looking for a Durock or JWK clicky switch specifically? It doesn’t exist — pick one of the five above instead.
The bottom line
The Kailh Box White (about $0.30-0.45 each) is the best all-round clicky switch — a 45g box-stem switch with genuine IP56 dust and water resistance most of its rivals skip entirely. Buyers who want the loudest, heaviest click on the market should step up to the Kailh Box Navy (about $0.35-0.70 each), and anyone who wants the universally recognized reference click needs Cherry MX2A Blue (about $0.35-0.40 each). On a budget, Gateron Blue (about $0.18-0.25 each) matches MX2A Blue’s 60g actuation at a lower price, and Outemu Blue (roughly $0.19-0.31 each) undercuts everything else here while still shipping factory-lubed. One thing you won’t find in this category: a genuine Durock or JWK clicky switch — both sister brands sit this one out entirely. Still deciding between switch types? Our linear vs tactile switches guide breaks down the full tradeoff, and love the click but not the complaints from your desk neighbors? Our best silent switches guide covers the dampened alternative. See our best Kailh switches, best Cherry MX switches and best Gateron switches guides for each manufacturer’s full lineup, including the linear and tactile options not covered here.