The Best Keyboards for Every Model of iPad

• Reliable Bluetooth pairing
• Stands your tablet up without a kickstand
• Faux leather exterior

• Not our favorite trackpad

If you're going for the Pro iPad, you probably need a pro keyboard case. The Belkin Pro Keyboard Case is the budget-friendly keyboard that has all the same perks and features (Bluetooth, backlighting, USB-C pass-through charging, etc.) as the Magic Keyboard. It uses a cantilever, the same kickstand-less method Apple's uses, to support the iPad, letting you make micro-adjustments easily. The $200 tag you see is for the 13-inch iPad Pro. But if you have the 11-inch model you will only have to shell out $150.

We love that the Belkin Pro has a punchier and more compact keyboard than Apple's. Where it doesn't match the Magic Keyboard (Or Logitech's excellent Combo Touch, but more on that soon) is in the trackpad. It's smaller and not quite as responsive as those others we mentioned.

Buy the 11-inch for $149.99

• Trackpad you can count on
• Keyboard is comfortable, backlit, and detachable
• Available for all current iPad models

• Kickstand is nice, but it's hard to go back from the lever

My favorite of the iPad keyboards hands down is the second priciest. Still, I think Logitech's Combo Touch straight up beats the Magic Keyboard in every category that matters. It's an excellent keyboard case across the board and Logitech makes also them for the iPad Pro and A16 chip iPad. But I found it to be the perfect, lightweight companion to the iPad Air.

If you're using a keyboard with your iPad Air you likely aren't doing it for work. (At least not work that needs high computer performance.) The Combo Touch is the perfect keyboard folio for using with the Apple Pencil if your an artist, and its large multi-touch trackpad makes it perfect for casual browsing.

Buy the 11-inch for $199

Buy the 13-inch for $229

• Use Smart Connector instead of Bluetooth
• Compatible with current and last gen iPads
• Drop proof and spill proof

• No trackpad
• No backlight

If the words Air and Pro hold no meaning to you and you are rocking a regular (no labels) 11-inch iPad, you're in luck. Keyboard folio cases come a lot cheaper. Plus, it doesn't matter if you have a tenth (A14 chip) or 11th gen (A16) iPad, the Slim and Rugged Folios from Logitech work for both interchangeably.

We recommend the rugged folio for your shiny new A16. It will protect your $400 purchase from water spills and falls. Hence the ruggedness. It's also got a palm rest (no trackpad), so typing doesn't become a literal pain. None of that is why we adore the Rugged Folio. No, that honor goes to the Smart Connector. None of the Bluetooth shenanigans that will lead to the inevitable hiccup or delay. This case magnetically plugs directly into your device, keeping the two seamlessly connected without any worry of signal dropping.

• Backlit Bluetooth keyboard
• Trackpad
• Built-in storage space for your Apple Pencil

• ...master of none

If you're not rocking the highest tech gadgets, you don't need the highest tech accessories. You have an everyday iPad and so naturally you need the Everyday Keyboard Case. It's a pretty straightforward iPad keyboard, but it does have extra space to store your Apple Pencil, so that's an added bonus.

Aside from that, you get what you're looking at—a portable keyboard and trackpad. They aren't the best and they aren't the worst. What they are is less than $100.

• Compatible with all 10.2" sized iPads
• A solid feeling keyboard

• No trackpad
• Some customers complain of connection issues

If you want a keyboard without a trackpad, the Pro Keys series from ZAGG is an affordable option. We recommend this one for those older 8th and 9th gen iPad users. If you find yourself needing to get a keyboard in a pinch from Amazon for a one-time use work trip or a short-term replacement for a laptop, this won't break the bank and will get the job done.

ZAGG also makes a version of the keyboard compatible with older Pro and Air models. And if that price range sounds appealing to you and you own one of the newer iPads, ZAGG just dropped the new Pro Keys 2 for the iPad Air M3 and iPad Pro M4.

On the Esquire shopping team, experience is everything. Our testing process and combined expertise are what make us the authorities in recommending the best tech for your hard-earned money. We compile our product lists and guides by performing heavy research, and the gadgets we choose to award are the ones we'd choose to spend our own money on.