What Switches Are Compatible with Cherry? A Complete Guide for Keyboard Enthusiasts
DashanYuan
"Cherry compatible" is one of those phrases that sounds precise and turns out to mean three different things depending on who is saying it. Before you buy switches for a build, it is worth knowing exactly which kind of compatibility you need.
The good news: because Cherry's patents lapsed and the industry standardised around their design, the overwhelming majority of modern keyboard switches are Cherry-compatible. The detail is where people get caught out.
The Three Kinds of Compatibility
When someone says a switch is "MX compatible," they could mean any of:
- Keycap compatibility — does the switch take standard MX keycaps?
- PCB compatibility — do the pins line up with the circuit board?
- Plate compatibility — does the housing clip into the plate cutout?
Nearly every MX-style switch clears the first and third. The second is the one that actually trips people up.
Keycap Compatibility: The Cross Stem
Cherry MX uses a cross-shaped ( + ) stem. That shape became the universal standard, and essentially every aftermarket keycap set on the market is cut for it.
Any switch with a cross stem will take MX keycaps. This includes Gateron, Kailh, Outemu, TTC, and the enthusiast manufacturers — HMX, Keygeek, BSUN, Wingtree. All of them use the MX cross.
The exceptions: Alps switches and most optical and low-profile switches use different stems entirely. MX keycaps will not fit them. If a keyboard uses optical switches, you are locked into that ecosystem — which is worth knowing before you buy the board.
Fit can vary very slightly between manufacturers. Some brands run a fractionally tighter stem, so keycaps go on firmer and come off harder. It is a minor annoyance, not an incompatibility.
PCB Compatibility: 3-Pin vs 5-Pin
This is the one worth checking before you order.
| Type | What's underneath | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| 3-pin (plate mount) | Two metal pins + one central plastic post | Any MX PCB — 3-pin or 5-pin |
| 5-pin (PCB mount) | Two metal pins + three plastic posts | 5-pin PCBs only, unless you clip the legs |
The two extra plastic legs on a 5-pin switch are purely for stability — they steady the switch against the PCB. They carry no signal.
So if you buy 5-pin switches and your board only takes 3-pin, you are not stuck. Clip the two outer plastic legs off with flush cutters and the switch becomes a 3-pin. It is a routine modification that thousands of people do, and it does not affect how the switch works. Just be tidy about it — a stub of plastic left behind will stop the switch seating flat.
Going the other way — a 3-pin switch into a 5-pin PCB — always works. The extra socket holes simply go unused.
Hot-Swap Sockets
Hot-swap boards use sockets instead of solder joints, so you can change switches by hand. Almost all of them accept MX-style switches.
Two practical notes. First, hot-swap is a property of the keyboard, not the switch — no switch makes a soldered board hot-swappable. Second, insert switches carefully and straight: the commonest way to damage a hot-swap board is jamming a switch in with a bent pin, which can wreck the socket.
If a pin is bent, straighten it with tweezers before inserting. Never force one.
So What Can I Actually Put in My Cherry-Compatible Board?
Almost anything — and this is the genuinely useful takeaway.
If your keyboard is hot-swap and MX-footprint, you are not confined to Cherry, or to whatever the board shipped with. The entire market is open to you, from Cherry itself through to the enthusiast manufacturers, all of it fully MX-compatible.
That is arguably Cherry's biggest contribution: the standard they established is what lets you drop an HMX or Keygeek switch into a board designed decades after Cherry defined the footprint. Because compatibility is close to universal, you can choose purely on sound and feel — which is the only axis that still varies meaningfully.
Browse the full range of keyboard switches — practically all of it will fit.
Common Mistakes
- Not checking 3-pin vs 5-pin. The single most common ordering error. Check your PCB first.
- Assuming optical switches are MX-compatible. They are not. Different actuation, different mount.
- Forcing a bent pin. Straighten it. Forcing it can destroy a hot-swap socket.
- Buying on brand rather than feel. Compatibility is nearly universal, so let sound and feel drive the decision.
FAQs
Are all MX-style switches compatible with Cherry keycaps?
Effectively yes, if they use the cross stem. Minor differences in stem tolerance can make some keycaps fit tighter or looser, but they will fit.
Can I use Cherry switches on any mechanical keyboard PCB?
On any MX-footprint PCB, yes. You just need to match 3-pin or 5-pin, and clip the legs if necessary. Optical and Alps boards will not take them.
What's the difference between Cherry MX and MX-compatible switches?
Cherry MX is the original design. MX-compatible switches from other manufacturers follow the same stem and footprint, but differ in their internals — materials, springs, factory lubrication — which is where the differences in sound and feel come from.