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Apple announced a new 5th-generation iPad Air, with a physical body identical to the previous generation model. Only our picks from the iPad Pro keyboard case guide will be compatible.

An iPad can do almost everything a laptop can, but to truly replace a computer, you need a great physical keyboard, too. We’ve tested more than 100 iPad keyboard cases over the past few years, and we’ve found that the Zagg Pro Keys is the one you should get for any non-Pro iPad. The Pro Keys is as pleasant to type on as any of the competition, and it feels more like a typical laptop keyboard. It also provides thorough protection.

With comfortable, responsive, and backlit keys, as well as a removable inner case, two viewing angles, and the ability to pair with two devices, the Zagg Pro Keys is the keyboard case to beat.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.

In addition to providing a great typing experience, the Pro Keys offers some benefits other keyboard cases don’t. Its keys are backlit, and they allow you to cycle through colors and brightness levels. The case itself is separable from the keyboard setup, so you can use just the protector when you don’t need to type. Two viewing angles mean you don’t have to settle for a fixed position in every situation. And you can pair it with two devices, such as the iPad and your phone, toggling between them as needed. Dedicated iPadOS function keys provide quick access to commonly used features, and an Apple Pencil holder lets you easily carry the stylus around. Although the Pro Keys is wider and heavier than some competitors, that extra bulk isn’t severe, and it brings extra functionality.

Great keys, a smart auto-wake feature, a four-year battery life, and good looks make this one of the best iPad keyboard cases around.

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This version is made for older iPads, but it has the same great keys, battery, and design that we like in the newest version, plus a fabric exterior that’s especially nice.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $92.

Logitech's Slim Folio has great keys—the number one reason it was our top pick for many years (and remains so for 9.7-inch iPads). It automatically connects with your iPad when it’s properly aligned in the typing position and disconnects when it isn’t, so you never need to worry about turning the keyboard on or off. This clever power management helps the replaceable coin-cell battery last for up to four years, which is very likely the amount of time you’ll use the iPad itself. But there’s only one typing angle, the keys aren’t backlit, and you can’t separate the case from the keyboard.

The Max+ offers a great trackpad and a good keyboard, turning your iPad into a mini laptop with a protective, detachable case.

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You don’t need a trackpad to use an iPad, but having one can make your tablet feel more like a laptop. Brydge’s 10.2 Max+ for iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation) is the best non-Pro iPad keyboard case to feature a trackpad, and it’s a solid upgrade in its own right. The trackpad feels great and fully supports all of iPadOS’s gestures. The keys themselves provide a good typing experience, and the removable OtterBox case is more protective than the Slim Folio. If you want an all-in-one option, the Max+ is worth the price premium.

This standalone Bluetooth keyboard—paired with whatever case you like on your iPad—is cheaper, but it may be less convenient.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $40.

To get the least expensive keyboard case without having to sacrifice a good typing experience, pair our favorite Bluetooth keyboard, the Logitech K380 for Mac Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard, with a good iPad case. The K380 for Mac is bulkier than an all-in-one keyboard case, and it may be less convenient, but this combo costs much less, and it’s great to type on.

With the right keyboard, your iPad can be a workable laptop replacement, and we’ve picked some great options built into a protective case.

With comfortable, responsive, and backlit keys, as well as a removable inner case, two viewing angles, and the ability to pair with two devices, the Zagg Pro Keys is the keyboard case to beat.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.

Great keys, a smart auto-wake feature, a four-year battery life, and good looks make this one of the best iPad keyboard cases around.

May be out of stock

May be out of stock

May be out of stock

This version is made for older iPads, but it has the same great keys, battery, and design that we like in the newest version, plus a fabric exterior that’s especially nice.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $92.

The Max+ offers a great trackpad and a good keyboard, turning your iPad into a mini laptop with a protective, detachable case.

May be out of stock

This standalone Bluetooth keyboard—paired with whatever case you like on your iPad—is cheaper, but it may be less convenient.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $40.

I’ve been covering Apple products and accessories professionally since 2011, and in that time I’ve reviewed more than 2,000 products, including keyboard cases for every model of the iPad. I’m also responsible for Wirecutter’s iPad case coverage, among many related topics.

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t like typing on this iPad screen—I wish I had a real keyboard,” odds are, you’ll benefit from a keyboard case. You can dramatically increase your iPad productivity with real, tactile keys that let you type (almost) as quickly and with (almost) as few errors as you can on your computer.

A keyboard case combines the advantages of a physical keyboard with a protective case—instead of having to carry a separate keyboard, you have a keyboard built right into a case that’s similar to the one you’re likely already using (though a keyboard case can be a bit bulkier since it has to accommodate the keyboard). And most keyboard cases are specifically designed to let you type on your lap, as you would with a laptop, making a keyboard case better for portable use than an iPad with a separate keyboard and stand.

You should get a keyboard case only if you need to use a physical keyboard regularly and you want one with you most of the time. Even then, you should at least consider a standalone Bluetooth keyboard instead.

But before you rush out and buy a keyboard case, consider the drawbacks and temper your expectations, because adding a keyboard case to your iPad is all about making compromises. You get the superior productivity and typing experience of a physical keyboard, but you also add noticeable bulk and weight. And many keyboard cases are designed to stay on your iPad, so you can’t easily leave the keyboard behind when you don’t need it—which eliminates one of the big advantages of using a tablet over a laptop.

An iPad keyboard case is worth getting if you need to use a physical keyboard regularly and you want one with you most of the time. Even then, you should at least consider a standalone Bluetooth keyboard instead. If you’ll be doing much of your typing on a desk, table, or other flat surface, a separate keyboard will give you a larger keyboard with better keys. You’ll also be able to create a much more ergonomic setup by elevating the iPad and putting the keyboard at the ideal typing position; when you don’t need the keyboard, you can leave it behind to travel light. You can also keep using your favorite iPad case, and if you ever upgrade your iPad, you won’t have to buy a new keyboard case to fit it. (The biggest downside to a separate keyboard is that you can’t easily type on your lap.)

If you prefer separate options, we have recommendations for compact standalone keyboards and iPad stands.

We’ve covered iPad keyboards since not long after the first iPad came out in 2010, and since then, we’ve tried pretty much every offering from every major brand, as well as dozens from brands you’ve likely never heard of. Here are the things an iPad keyboard case should offer:

Testing keyboards requires extended use, because switching to a new keyboard requires a period of adjustment—you need to be sure that a keyboard that doesn’t feel good at first is really a bad keyboard and not just one that’s different from what you’re used to. Of the models that met our criteria, we tested each for a minimum of two weeks of regular use, and we used each of the top contenders for much longer. We tested the keyboard cases both for longer sessions, which are important for getting a feel for how good the overall experience is, and for quick hits, to see how convenient a keyboard case was for “Pull out your iPad, do something, and put it away” tasks. Sometimes a great overall design is ruined by a bad typing experience; sometimes a fantastic keyboard is hampered by a poorly designed case or stand.

With comfortable, responsive, and backlit keys, as well as a removable inner case, two viewing angles, and the ability to pair with two devices, the Zagg Pro Keys is the keyboard case to beat.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.

The Zagg Pro Keys is the best iPad keyboard for people who type a lot. In a relatively small field of trustworthy competition, the Pro Keys is one of the best models to type on thanks to great keyboard hardware and a proper key layout. What sets it apart are the extra features on top of the great typing experience: backlit keys, a removable inner case, two viewing angles, and the ability to pair with two devices. It does everything the next-best option, the Logitech Slim Folio, does just as well, and it does many things better.

The keyboard has all the keys you’d find on a laptop, and they’re all in the correct location—something many other iPad keyboards get wrong. The entire keyboard is smaller compared with a laptop’s, but the difference is more noticeable with the miniature modifier keys than with the letters. Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, and Command, for example, are still wider than the letter keys, but not by as much as they are on a full-size keyboard. Getting used to slightly smaller keys and their rounded-square shape is easier than having to relearn where a bunch of keys are every time you switch from your computer to your iPad. The Pro Keys also offers a nice array of iPadOS-specific special-function keys in a half-height row across the top. And each key is backlit, with seven colors and four brightness levels.

We enjoyed typing on the Pro Keys, and we found that the physical keys were large enough to be comfortable and easy to press; they provided good tactile feedback, too. Key travel was shallow compared with that of a high-quality laptop keyboard, though it was better than on an older 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Pro with the butterfly-style keyboard. And using the Pro Keys felt more like typing on a “real” keyboard than on an afterthought accessory. The whole thing is sturdier than its competition: Whereas other iPad keyboards we tested flexed under the pressure of our fingers pressing on the keys, the Pro Keys did not.

Although other keyboard cases, including the Logitech Slim Folio, offer a great typing experience, none combine that with a removable design like the Pro Keys does. The segment that holds and protects the iPad magnetically attaches to the rear panel of the Pro Keys, and the keyboard is easy to pull off when you don’t need it. The case isn’t the slimmest or most attractive one around, but it does offer full button protection, the appropriate cutouts for the ports, speaker redirection, and a stylus holder on the right side.

The Pro Keys’s automatic connection is one of its best features. The initial Bluetooth pairing process is identical to that of any other wireless keyboard and takes seconds. But the Zagg keyboard uses a clever system to reconnect whenever you’re ready to type. The iPad’s left edge—the bottom edge, when you have it in typing orientation—magnetically connects to one of the two strips above the top row of keys (at 30-degree and 37-degree angles, respectively). When that happens, the keyboard wakes up and is ready for you to type after a moment. Other models may require you to press a button to wake up the keyboard, whereas this one is ready when you are. And when you lift the iPad off the base, the keyboard automatically disconnects.

This keyboard’s battery life is rated to last for a year, and you can easily recharge it via a USB-C connector. In contrast, Logitech’s Slim Folio offers a four-year battery, but that’s with a user-replaceable coin-cell battery. Either way, you won’t have to worry about charging very often.

As we noted, all iPad keyboard cases require you to make some compromises, and that holds true for the Zagg Pro Keys, as well. Its keys are smaller than standard keys, and they don’t feel as nice to type on as good laptop keys, so the keyboard isn’t as pleasant to use as the best standalone Bluetooth keyboards, especially for extended typing sessions. And though the Pro Keys has one of the best key layouts we’ve seen on an iPad keyboard case, the sizing is just a bit different from that of a regular keyboard, so you may end up making some errors. To be fair, this will happen with pretty much any iPad keyboard case due to universally cramped keys, and we’ve found ourselves making far fewer mistakes with this keyboard than with models that put commonly used keys in unfamiliar locations.

The Pro Keys doesn’t have an Esc key—we often miss having it. But that particular trade-off is very common; few iPad keyboards include an Esc key.

At about 0.9 inch, the Pro Keys isn’t the thinnest keyboard case, but it’s not thicker by much. It is, however, noticeably heavier than Logitech’s Slim Folio—1.5 pounds, compared with 1.09 pounds.

Great keys, a smart auto-wake feature, a four-year battery life, and good looks make this one of the best iPad keyboard cases around.

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This version is made for older iPads, but it has the same great keys, battery, and design that we like in the newest version, plus a fabric exterior that’s especially nice.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $92.

If you are willing to sacrifice the ability to separate your case and your keyboard to have a lighter bundle, or if you have a 5th- or 6th-generation, 9.7-inch iPad, the Logitech Slim Folio is your best choice. Much like the Zagg Pro Keys, it’s excellent to type on. But it offers less flexibility in how you can use it because it has a single typing angle and can pair with only one device at a time.

The Slim Folio’s keys are the same size as those on the Pro Keys, though they’re full squares, not rounded at the corners. Logitech, much like Zagg, put them all in the right place and included a row of function keys along the top. We’ve spent countless hours over the past several years typing on many iterations of the Slim Folio, and we’ve always found it pleasant. Unfortunately, the keys aren’t backlit, so you may have a tougher time typing in the dark.

The Slim Folio provides only one typing angle for the iPad, with the tablet securely held in place by a magnetic strip much as with the Pro Keys. We found that angle, roughly 30 degrees back from perpendicular, to be comfortable during use. The Slim Folio’s sturdy design allows you to poke and tap at the iPad’s screen without the tablet bouncing back around.

The Slim Folio case’s design looks nice, if somewhat bulky, but despite its size, it’s quite light. With the Slim Folio weighing about 2 pounds with an iPad inside, only Apple’s Smart Keyboard is lighter. The iPad snaps into a hard-plastic shell with cutouts for all the tablet’s ports and buttons and its rear camera. The 10.2- and 10.5-inch models are wrapped in polyurethane, and the 9.7-inch version is covered in a fabric panel stacked on top of the shell. This cover continues around to the underside of the keyboard and acts as the front of the screen cover. The whole package feels nice, especially in comparison with the usual combination of plastic and rubber we see on iPad cases. The Slim Folio’s keyboard and case don’t separate, though, unlike on some models we’ve liked. Thankfully, the design allows you to easily snap the tablet out of the case when you need to. A simple loop on the right edge securely holds the first-generation Apple Pencil, offering a handy way to keep the Pencil from getting lost at the bottom of your bag.

Because Zagg doesn’t make the Pro Keys for the 9.7-inch iPad, the Logitech Slim Folio is the best pick for people who use an older tablet.

The Max+ offers a great trackpad and a good keyboard, turning your iPad into a mini laptop with a protective, detachable case.

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Apple doesn’t make a version of its trackpad-integrated Magic Keyboard for the 10.2-inch iPad, but a handful of third-party accessory makers do. Brydge’s 10.2 Max+ for iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation) is the best case with a trackpad, combining a great typing experience with trackpad support and a fully protective and removable OtterBox case. Although we don’t think a trackpad is a necessary part of the iPad experience, we can easily recommend the Max+ for anyone looking to take advantage of a trackpad on the entry-level iPad.

The 4-by-2.4-inch trackpad is clearly the reason to choose the Max+ over the Pro Keys or the Slim Folio. Like Apple’s laptop and standalone trackpads, the Max+’s trackpad is made of glass, but because it uses a physical hinge rather than haptic feedback, you have to be within the bottom two-thirds or so of the trackpad to click. Otherwise it works well, with the same gesture support you’d get if you were using one of Apple’s Magic Trackpads connected over Bluetooth or the Magic Keyboard with the iPad Pro. Using a cursor in iPadOS feels natural, and the iPad supports the same kind of intuitive multi-finger gestures that you’d use on a Mac. Even though the trackpad is small compared with a laptop’s, it offers enough room for you to scroll and swipe without feeling cramped.

Compared with Logitech’s Combo Touch, the only other 10.2-inch iPad case with a trackpad and our former pick in the category, the Max+ offers a more laptop-like design and a better case. The detachable OtterBox case snaps into two hinges above the top row of keys that magnetically hold it in place. They allow a full range of positions back to about 123 degrees without anything propping up the tablet from behind. The Combo Touch, in contrast, employs a kickstand-style mechanism that takes up more room on your desk and isn’t very lap-friendly.

The Max+ has the same physical dimensions as the Slim Folio (it’s 0.8 inch thick when it’s on an iPad) but weighs about a third of a pound more. You can remove the keyboard when you don’t need it and still keep the iPad’s body protected, and because the keyboard uses Bluetooth, you can still type even when the two pieces are separated. Brydge says the USB-C–rechargeable battery will last for up to six months with two hours of use a day if you don’t use the backlight and for 40 hours of consistent use if you do.

The keys on the Max+ are slightly narrower than those of the Slim Folio, a difference we noticed when we put the two models side by side. But because the keys are still large enough, and in the right layout, we didn’t have any issues or discomfort while typing from the start. Plus, these keys are backlit, and a full row of function keys sits along the top.

In addition to adding the high-quality trackpad, Brydge made the Max+ feel more premium with a case that we like quite a bit on its own merits, separate from the keyboard. Designed by OtterBox, the plastic and rubber case is slim but offers protection all the way around the iPad, including the buttons, with a raised lip to prevent the screen from making contact with the ground. The case even has an elastic loop on the right side to hold an Apple Pencil. Whereas most detachable cases feel like a mere piece of the total product, this case feels like something that could be sold on its own.

This standalone Bluetooth keyboard—paired with whatever case you like on your iPad—is cheaper, but it may be less convenient.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $40.

The Logitech K380 for Mac Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard is an affordable keyboard option that’s comfortable, compact, and versatile. After trying multiple sub-$50 keyboard cases, we think it’s the best choice if you’re on a budget. But it does require making some compromises. Instead of being housed inside the front cover of a case, it’s a standalone keyboard (our favorite Bluetooth keyboard, in fact). This means that it’s another thing to carry, but also that you can use your own iPad case without having to carry the keyboard when you don’t need it. In addition to the keyboard simply being great to type on, it can pair with up to three devices, including a phone or computer, and two AAA batteries can power it for up to two years.

We have a dedicated guide to the best keyboard cases for the iPad Pro.

As for the iPad mini, there are no great keyboard cases for that tablet, given that all the drawbacks of most keyboard cases for the iPad—cramped keys, odd key layouts, additional bulk, and the like—are even worse on keyboards for Apple’s smallest tablet. Unless you absolutely need an all-in-one design (and you have a lot of patience for typos), you’re much better off using a standalone Bluetooth keyboard and either an iPad stand or a case with a built-in stand, and leaving those accessories behind when you’re on the go.

We’ve tested more than a hundred iPad keyboard cases over the years, so we can’t mention every option we’ve dismissed, but we’ve included some of the more notable models below.

Apple’s Smart Keyboard is available for the iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), and 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and it provides a solid, comfortable typing surface. It’s much more expensive than other cases but offers enough to justify the price. Thanks to Apple’s Smart Connector, it automatically connects without any pairing process, and it doesn’t need its own battery (so you have no battery to charge). But these factors are just barely inconveniences on other keyboard cases. The Smart Keyboard’s folding options allow for only one typing angle, and this model doesn’t protect the back of the iPad. We’d recommend this keyboard case only if you’re concerned about thinness over everything else and you don’t mind paying a premium for it.

Logitech’s Combo Touch for iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation) is our former favorite trackpad case. It takes up more space on a desk than the Brydge 10.2 Max+, and its detachable case isn’t as nice, but we found the larger keys a bit more comfortable to type on. If you prefer the design or it’s on sale, the Combo Touch is still a good choice.

Logitech’s Rugged Folio is the only keyboard case other than Apple’s that uses the iPad’s Smart Connector, meaning no pairing process is necessary and it doesn’t need its own battery. But the keys are rather soft and mushy feeling, and the Rugged Folio requires 10 to 16 inches of desk space to unfurl, compared with only about 8 inches for the Slim Folio. But the Rugged Folio is spillproof and rated to survive drops, according to Logitech, so it’s a good choice if you use your iPad in a rough environment (or around kids).

If you need a keyboard case that can position the iPad in a variety of angles and directions, go with the Yekbee 360 Rotatable. For about the same price as the Slim Folio, you get a case that you can arrange in many more ways, in a similarly sized package. It has two major downsides, though: The keys don’t feel quite as nice, and the maker isn’t as established, so you may be out of luck if you require customer service.

The keys on the Yekbee Folio feel as cheap and hollow as those on the 360 Rotatable. And its keyboard presses right up against the iPad’s screen, which might damage the screen over time. Plus, it doesn’t automatically lock the tablet’s screen when closed, so you might come back to a dead battery if you don’t manually turn off the iPad.

If you need extra protection from drops, Zagg’s Rugged Messenger is the next-best option in this limited field. It’s around an inch thick when fully assembled and about a half-pound heavier than our main pick, and it offers the second-best typing experience we found. It has a handful of useful features that are uncommon among iPad keyboard cases: The case is detachable from the keyboard, the Bluetooth connection supports two devices for easy switching, and the keys are backlit, making for a better experience when you’re typing in dark settings.

Zagg’s Slim Book Go provides a pleasant typing experience, but the big difference between it and the Logitech Slim Folio is that the Slim Book Go consists of two separate pieces: a case that holds the iPad, and a keyboard that magnetically attaches to the case’s edge and doubles as a cover. It takes up more space than the Slim Folio when open, but it is a good alternative if you value being able to detach the keyboard. The biggest downside to the Slim Book Go is how much desk space it requires—the keyboard and stand are around 12 inches deep when propped up for typing, compared with 7½ inches for the Slim Folio.

Logitech’s Slim Combo is our former pick for a case with a detachable keyboard, and it’s a bit smaller than the Zagg Slim Book Go. But it’s not as stable on a lap, it can’t pair to multiple devices, the battery needs to be charged four times as often, and it’s more expensive.

The Zagg Flex universal keyboard uses the same good-but-not-great keyboard as the rest of Zagg’s lineup, and the case isn’t specifically tailored to any one tablet. At a lower price, this model might be an acceptable choice, but we think it’s too expensive given those compromises.

The Zagg Rugged Book, which fits the iPad Air, iPad Air 2, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 5th-generation iPad, and 6th-generation iPad, is thicker and heavier than every other case we tested, including the Rugged Messenger. That said, if you’re willing to put up with this weight and bulk, you get an exceptionally durable and protective keyboard case that’s great for families with kids, for classroom use, or for work in rough environments.

The Zagg Folio isn’t as nice to type on as our pick. The entire keyboard flexed as we typed, the finish on the keys on our review unit was a dry matte plastic that felt cheap, and the keys sounded unpleasant as we moved our fingers across them. You can’t fold the Folio’s keyboard underneath for a tablet mode, and it slides around on a desk more than better cases. Plus, you have to press the power button to activate the keyboard after it has fallen asleep, as opposed to the automatic re-pairing on our pick.

We tested the Fintie 360 Degree Rotating Case to see how a popular, inexpensive case stacked up. (The same OEM design is available from many different brands on Amazon.) It’s a faux-leather case that’s more than an inch thick, with a big, ugly hole exposing the Apple logo on the back of the tablet. Overall, it just looks and feels cheap, and it takes up far too much room in a bag.

The Brydge 9.7 is a very good keyboard in a laptop-like aluminum body; two small, silicone-lined hinges hold and position your iPad like a laptop screen. It lets you use the iPad on its own, and the same Brydge model works with the 6th- and 5th-generation iPads, both iPad Air versions, and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Aesthetically, it’s also among the nicest keyboard cases we’ve tested: With the “screen” closed, the setup looks almost as if the iPad and keyboard had come in a package together. However, the Brydge doesn’t protect the back of the iPad on its own—the company offers a Slimline Protective Case if you need full protection.

Nick Guy is a former senior staff writer covering Apple and accessories at Wirecutter. He has been reviewing iPhones, iPads, and related tech since 2011—and stopped counting after he tested his 1,000th case. It’s impossible for him not to mentally catalog any case he sees. He once had the bright idea to build and burn down a room to test fireproof safes.

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