If you are planning to buy a digital piano or you are interested in learning how to play the piano, you do not need to spend a fortune in getting the most expensive piano in the market. There are numerous affordable digital pianos that you can use to improve your skills. So, what is the best budget digital piano on the market?
Top 7 Best Budget Digital Piano Reviews
Top 7 Best Budget Digital Piano Reviews
1. Best Overall: Casio Privia PX-160 Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- 88 weighted keyboard keys
- 128-note polyphony
- Easy to connect to other external speakers
- Portable to use in different locations easily
- Compatible with both Mac and Windows and does not need additional drives to promote its compatibility to computers
- Two outputs for headphones that can be used when you need a quieter playing environment
Watch out for
- Its sustain pedal could be improved
Casio Privia PX-160 is considered to be our top pick based on its features and affordability. It comes with an 88-fully weighted keyboard that has simulated ivory and ebony keytops. It has a tri-sensor scaled hammer action II and a multi-dimensional AiR sound source.
The company took an extra step when producing this piano and fixed the imperfections noticed in their previous models and added new features such as the 128-note polyphony and the 18 instrument sounds. 60 preset piano songs allow you to practice.
The PX-160 has two modes, the low-range bass tone, and the duet play. It offers you the ability to practice each hand separately and a 2-track MIDI recorder. It has 17 different types of temperaments and 8W+8W (12cm *2) speakers.
2. Best Portable: Yamaha P71 Budget Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- 88-weighted keys that empower learners to improve their playing techniques
- Smooth and beautiful outline and is portable
- A dual-mode, which allows you to play different sounds and styles
- Headphone output that ensures that you can play your piano in private when in a noisy place
- 10 instrument voices
Watch out for
- No LCD screen display
Yamaha P71 is an affordable digital piano for beginners. It is a portable piano, which combines realistic quality sound, portability, and properly weighted keys. This keyboard will offer you an 88-key fully-weighted hammer action, advanced wave memory sound engine, three different levels of touch sensitivity, 64 polyphony notes, ten instrument sounds, and four reverb sound effects.
The P71 also comes with two different modes, the duo and dual. It has a built-in metronome and offers you USB connection ports, sustain jack, and a headphone’s jack. It has a 6W+6W amplifier and 12*2 cm speakers. It weighs 25 pounds, and some of the accessories that you should expect to receive with the piano include an AC adaptor, a sustain pedal, and music rest.
3. Best Budget: Alesis Recital Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- 88 fully-size and touch-sensitive piano keys
- Great sound quality
- It is fairly affordable when compared with other pianos that offer the same features
- Sleek design that combines the matte look of the black keys with the glossy finish of the white keys
- An auto power-off switch that turns it off after 30 minutes of inactivity
Watch out for
- The keys are semi-weighted
Alesis Recital digital piano is the most budget-friendly piano. It can be used by both beginners and pro piano players. It has 88 full-sized semi-weighted keys with velocity sensitivity. It has 128 polyphony voices and five-voice sounds.
The digital piano comes with a glossy finish on its white keys and a matte finish on the black keys, which makes it appealing and gives it an elegant look. The pressure required for the keys is similar to that required for a grand piano, making it easy for a beginner to transition from this piano to a grand piano.
The sound ranges cover most of the requirements for beginners. Since it focuses on beginners, it has a lesson mode that helps beginners and their teachers to easily split the keyboard into two sections, thereby eliminating the need for using an additional piano. It comes with an auto power-off, which automatically turns off the piano after 30 minutes of inactivity.
4. Best Sounding: Yamaha P125 Weighted Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- Improved sound quality thanks to 4-layer Pure CF sampling and 192-note polyphony
- 24-high-quality instrument sounds
- Realistic tones of the Yamaha CFIIIS 9′ Grand
- Built-in song library with 50 songs
- Great speaker system
- It is compatible with the smart piano app for smart navigation
- USB connectivity
Watch out for
- No Bluetooth connectivity
Yamaha P125 is a budget digital piano with high-quality and rich sound. It has 88-keys that are fully weighted and a graded hammer standard action. The digital piano comes with 192-note polyphony, 24 instrument sounds (4 grand pianos), 50 present piano songs, which include 21 demo songs, and three modes (duo, split, and dual).
It also comes with a lesson function, which ensures that you can practice each hand separately and 20 accompaniment rhythms. The Yamaha 125 also comes with 4-way inbuilt speakers (7W + 7W (12cm x 2 + 4cm x 2)) and pure CF sound engine. It has a sound boost, an intelligent acoustic control, and a stereophonic optimizer. It weighs 26 pounds, which makes it portable. The six dedicated buttons are for each sound section, which includes strings, organ, and E. piano.
5. Best Upright: LAGRIMA Budget Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- Great upright digital piano for beginners
- 3 high-quality metal pedals
- 88 standard size, fully weighted keys
- LCD screen to help you with your lessons
- Built-in stereo
- Comes with 80 demo songs
Watch out for
- Its assemble instructions are not clear
LAGRIMA digital piano is great for beginners who are interested in learning how to play the piano professionally. It has fully-sized 88 keys, which are fully weighted to ensure that it feels like an analog or grand piano. Its petals are operational, to ensure that you can practice and have the same experience as someone who is using an acoustic piano.
The digital piano comes with a wide range of demo songs to help you practice. It comes with a 128MB DSP2000 sound sample that promotes clarity and production of stable and vivid sounds. It has 200 preset rhythms and 480 tones. It also comes with 128 standard GM tones and 64-note polyphony. It has an onboard memory for one song or two tracks. It has built-in stereo speakers and touch sensitivity that can be turned off. It also comes with an LCD screen to help you enjoy your lessons. Other additional features of this piano include its three high-quality metal pedals that look like those found in analog pianos, a playback function, multi-tone election, USB connectivity for mobile devices, and a MIDI terminal.
6. Best for Beginners: Alesis Recital Pro 88-Key Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- 88-semi-weighted keys
- Settings for adjusting the sensitivity of your keys
- 128-note polyphony
- An output for external virtual instrument plugins
- A USB connection port and an output where you can plug in your headphones for privacy
Watch out for
- Its keys are not very sensitive unless adjusted for different people’s needs
This piano comes with 88 semi-weighted keys and 128 polyphony notes. Its keys come with an adjustable touch response, which ensures that you can decide the level of sensitivity that you are comfortable with when playing the piano. It also comes with a USB connectivity to help you upload you MIDI or other virtual instrument plugins. It has five-inbuilt voices, a stereo output that you can use for your headphones, and a sustain pedal.
It weighs approximately 20 pounds, making it easy to move around. The digital piano is equipped with 10 demo songs, a built-in speaker, and a combination of amazing features and controls. Its sleek design combined with its semi-weighted keys, and portability makes it an amazing piano for beginners.
7. Best Quality: Korg Home Digital Piano
Brilliant features
- 88-fully weighted keys
- 10 premium piano voices
- Dual-mode for splitting the keyboard
- Advanced wave memory that utilizes digital technologies for acoustic piano sounds
- It is lightweight, making it a portable piano that can be used in different locations
- Easy to use interface
- Affordable price
Watch out for
- The keys weight are not very accurate when compared with other pianos
Korg digital piano has the best quality when compared with other pianos within its price range. It comes with a duo of concert grand sounds. It also provides additional sounds recorded from an organ, electric piano, harpsichord, and ten other instruments. It has three levels of key touch sensitivity to ensure that you can match the keyboard to different playing styles.
The digital piano has 88-weighted keys and offers a natural weighted hammer action that mimics that of acoustic pianos and makes the transition between acoustic and electric quite simple. It does not have the best visual appeal because its frame has a very plastic look that does not leave any doubt that someone is playing an electric piano.
How to Choose the Best Budget Digital Piano?
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Sound Quality
Select a piano that offers quality and diverse sounds. You should consider how many variations you want in the sound preset to ensure that you can replicate the acoustic version of a grand piano. Some of the sounds presents that you might consider include organ, guitar, and electric piano.
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Speaker and Volume
The quality of your speakers will determine the quality of the sound produced by the piano and its volume. Selecting a piano with a high amplifier power rating and big speakers will ensure that your piano offers you quality volume.
Additionally, if you are looking for a stage piano that can be used to perform in front of a crowd, you should consider one that has an auxiliary output.
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Polyphony Number
Polyphony number means the maximum number of notes a digital piano can produce simultaneously. It usually works with sustain pedal and sound effects.
When you use sustain pedal, the notes need enough polyphony number to keep all the notes sounding as you continually add more notes. Additionally, sometimes a digital piano needs two notes for one key to generate sound because of the use of stereo samples.
Using a sustain pedal will ensure that your digital piano will be able to play different notes at once. You will notice that the older notes will sound softer and play in the background while the recently played notes will be more pronounced. Select a digital piano that has an effective sustain pedal and one, which has the maximum polyphony.
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Size
The size and weight of your piano should reflect your needs. You should ensure that you get an instrument with full-sized keys to ensure that you get the same feeling as someone playing the grand piano when using your instrument.
The touch response of your piano is also crucial as you need to hear the variations of different sound levels that will be trying to learn.
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Connectivity
You can either opt to use your digital piano as a stand-alone instrument or you can opt for a piano that offers you different connectivity options to ensure that you enjoy your practice sessions. Some of the connectivity ports that you might consider include a headphone output port, microphones, and amplifiers.
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Piano Pedal
Some pianos have a single sustain pedal while others come with two pedal connection options. Consider the sound quality that you are looking for when playing your piano and acoustic feel that you might be going for, to determine whether you should buy a piano with one or two sustain pedals.
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Learning Tools
If you are a beginner, you might want to opt for a beginner digital piano that offers you a wide range of learning tools such as lesson plans, built-in metronomes, visual aids, and preset songs that you can use for practice.
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Warranty
Buying a piano is quite an investment. Consider the duration of the warranty offered to you when buying your piano to ensure that you get value for your money. A longer warranty is better because it suggests that the company has faith in the longevity of their products.
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Piano Design
The design of your piano will depend on your interests. If you are focused on functionality and do not mind having a piano that has a pronounced plastic-look, then you might not need to focus on the design. A good design should have a sleek look, matted black keys, and glossy while keys that balance each other.
Final Thoughts
Your piano option will likely depend on the amount of money you plan to spend, your interest in playing piano professionally, and the intended purpose or the piano. Digital pianos offer you additional features such as USB connectivity, headphones connectivity, and an opportunity to link your piano with learning apps.
Some digital pianos are portable. They will not require you to hire moving companies when transporting your piano. Unlike grand pianos, digital pianos offer you the added advantage of enjoying a wide range of sounds and tones that had been pre-recorded and uploaded on the piano. Digital pianos also offer you 88-fully or semi-weighted keys action.
