The 8 Best Digital Piano Under $500, According to Our Testing

Even if you're a total newbie, buying the lowest-priced keyboard available with light-weighted keys isn't the most excellent choice. If learning the piano is your primary objective, you'll need a piano with fully loaded keys.

You may be thinking about what fully weighted keys are all about. We'll be there in a flash!  This post will help you through every step of the process of selecting your first digital piano, ensuring that you are well informed. We'll also take a hard look at the market and choose the best digital piano under $500, making your search much simpler.

Best Digital Piano Under $500 Reviews

#1. Yamaha P45 88-Key Weighted Digital Piano - Best Value

Important Specifications

• Brand: Yamaha

• Color: Black

• Style: P45

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 52.25 x 11.5 x 6 inches

• Item Weight: 33 Pounds

Product’s Highlights

That Yamaha P-45 is the most basic yet most famous online piano in Yamaha's portable range. It was also the only digital piano in Yamaha's lineup that cost only around $500.

Although the P-45 was released many years ago, it has maintained its popularity. It's one of the most popular Yamaha digital pianos on the market. I'm not shocked by this.

When you combine a well-known company with a good reputation for producing high-quality digital stringed instruments for years at a low price, the P-45 is now one of the class winners.

Its AWM stereo sampling innovation is at the heart of the P-45, ensuring a rich, realistic piano performance as well as eight other stunning tones such as organs, strings, electric pianos, and a few more sounds. It's difficult to compare the audio to the competition because the sound is such a personal and subjective experience, but in terms of realism, it's on par with the FP-10 and B2.

Nonetheless, each sound has its own personality, so listen for yourself and pick which one appeals to you the most.

What We Like

• Lightweight and compact

• 88 Graded Hammer Standard action keys with no extras

• The tone of Yamaha's trademark piano is ideal for novices

Things to Consider

•  There's no MIDI recorder

• The speakers are not very loud (enough for most situations)

• Split Mode isn't available

#2. YAMAHA P71 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano - Best Overall

Important Specifications

• Brand: Yamaha

• Color: Black

• Style: P71

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 52.25 x 11.5 x 6 inches

• Item Weight: 25 Pounds

Product’s Highlights

The P71 and P45 are made from the same block of wood. They are highly similar and have many of the same characteristics, making them ideal for beginners.

The digital piano has become a best-seller since its introduction in 2016. This keyboard is popular among beginners and musicians searching for a portable device.

The P71 is both small and light. You also receive a sustain pedal and a power adaptor in the bundle, which is already a good deal. As you'll see, this is a really amazing value, especially considering the keyboard also has a lot of cool functions.

What We Like

• It's small, light, and portable

• Excellent keyboard

• The Control panel and interface are simple and straightforward

Things to Consider

• There is no lesson function

• Speakers could be more effective

• The sustain pedal may be improved

#3. Alesis Recital – 88 Key Digital Piano - Best Sound-Quality

Important Specifications

• Brand: Alesis

• Color: Black

• Style: Piano Only

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3.6 x 11.52 x 50.52 inches

• Item Weight: 7.1 Kilograms

Product’s Highlights

This Alesis Recital keyboard is an 88-key digital piano with a beautiful design. It's from the Alesis piano line, which, while not one of the most well-known in the piano world, is nevertheless a fantastic brand. With its high-quality entry-level pianos, this brand has been a tremendous aid to starting pianists all around the world.

The Alesis Recital costs less than the Yamaha and Casio models we've seen thus far. However, even at its low price, it has some major features that we think you should look into. So, if you don't have enough money to buy Yamaha, Casio, and other high-end brands, this is a great compromise.

There are 88 semi-weighted keys on the Alesis Recital. By semi-weighted, we imply that the buttons do not provide the same resistance level as the P45, for example. Nevertheless, they aren't designed to be springy like the ones on the NP11.

What We Like

• The tone of this piano is perfectly balanced and genuine

• The keys are responsive to movement

• The lesson mode is well-designed and comprehensive, so even a total newbie may follow along.

• The organ voice is fantastic

• Lightweight and compact

• It runs on batteries, which makes it more portable

Things to Consider

• There aren't many bells and whistles

• The motion on the keyboard is terrible, and it is more springy than semi-weighted

• Speakers aren't always the greatest

#4. Yamaha Piaggero NP11 - Best Portable Piano

Important Specifications

• Brand: Yamaha

• Color: Black

• Style: 61-Key

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 46.89 x 14.09 x 7.68 inches

• Item Weight: 14.11 Pounds

Product’s Highlights

The Yamaha NP11 may be described in one word: portable. It's a small, compact laptop with excellent usability, which makes the keyboard particularly appealing to newcomers.

This is the younger brother of the NP31, and it has all of the same characteristics as its older brother virtually. This time, though, it arrives in smaller packaging.

Therefore, remember to keep your expectations in check. This isn't a full-sized digital piano, so if the NP11 disappoints you, it's because you had unrealistic expectations. In fact, if we were to make a recommendation, we'd say this is a fantastic keyboard to get your youngsters started with.

The NP11 is not a toy, unlike other child keyboards. It's well-made, with sturdy construction and kid-friendly features. Of course, there aren't a lot of features here, but they're adequate for the job.

Finally, we adore the way this keyboard sounds so lovely and beautiful. The effort Yamaha placed into the NP11 to try and sound so fantastic is clear.

What We Like

• Compact enough to fit in any dorm, tiny room, apartment, or other compact space

• Portable and lightweight

• A fantastic piano lesson for children

• It also runs on batteries

Things to Consider

• For someone who has even a day's worth of piano expertise, this would be insufficient

#5. RockJam 61 Key Keyboard Piano  - Best Overall

Important Specifications

• Brand: RockJam

• Color: Black

• Style: 61 Key Keyboard Kit

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 35.4 x 9.8 x 5.9 inches

• Item Weight: 19.84 Pounds

Product’s Highlights

You'll need an upright piano if you want to compose fantastic music. This RockJam 61-Key Electronic Keyboard is an excellent pick, especially if this is your first time out. It's not as pricey as other high-end synthesizers, but it still has some impressive capabilities.

The controls are fantastic. They are completely integrated, simple to use, extremely adjustable, and provide the user with a wide range of music-making possibilities. There's also an LCD monitor, which means you'll be able to communicate with your keyboard even better.

For those who are just getting started, there are additional tutorials included assisting you in navigating. Additionally, there are demo tracks available to assist you in practicing independently.

It's a massive festival here in terms of noise. There are around 100 sounds and rhythms in all. As you get started on your keyboard, it provides plenty of inspiration. As a result, you can make as many various kinds of tunes as your imagination allows by merely hitting a button.

What We Like

• A massive sound and rhythm collection

• Purchase with great value

• An LCD display is included

• Controls are very adjustable

• Recording and playback capabilities

Things to Consider

• There is no USB port on this device

• Only an iPad is allowed to be used

#6. Casio WK-6600 - Best with Power Supply

Important Specifications

• Brand: Casio

• Color: Black

• Style: WK6600

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 5.4 x 16.25 x 47 inches

• Item Weight: 24 Pounds

Product’s Highlights

The WK-6600 is an excellent choice for studying, performing, and recording music. It's also rather light, making it easy to transport.

Because this is an arranger keyboard with 76 keys, you can accomplish more than with a 61-key keyboard. By the way, the keys are unweighted. So, honey, go ahead if having weighted keys on your keyboard is essential to you.

However, one of the other aspects of this keyboard is that it comes with natural loudspeakers. Furthermore, the built-in learning mechanism is unique. Let's not forget about the scale converter and auto-harmonizer, among other advanced features.

What We Like

• It's reasonably priced, especially considering all you receive in the bundle.

• There are 76 keys included

• You can accomplish more with this keyboard because it has 76 keys

Things to Consider

• There are no weighted keys here

#7. YAMAHA PSR-EW300 - Best High-Quality Voice

Important Specifications

• Brand: Yamaha

• Style: Stand & Power Supply

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 50.3 x 17.3 x 6.9 inches

• Item Weight: 17.2 Pounds

• Connectivity Technology: Auxiliary, USB

Product’s Highlights

The fact that there are just 76 keys is the first trade-off you'll notice. There are 12 keys missing from a full-sized digital piano. Now, how will the 12 keys that are missing influence your performance?

We're going to be completely honest with you. It is. In reality, some instructors may decline your request, especially when the keys are not weighted.

However, you may not require all 88 keys right away. So, 76 keys should be enough for the time being. It's certainly preferable to 61 keys.

This is the first keyboard on our list to include tutorial software. We appreciate that because the majority of the keyboards we'll be looking at today are designed for novices. A lesson program will help you get started on your piano instruction right away.

What We Like

• Great value purchase

• Massive library containing 500 voices and 165 styles

• Lesson program included

• It also comes with USB connectivity

Things to Consider

• It comes with only 76 keys

• Keys are not weighted

#8. The ONE Smart Piano Keyboard - Best High-End

Important Specifications

• Brand: The ONE Music Group

• Color: Onyx Black

• Style: The ONE Light Onyx Black

• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 36 x 13 x 4 inches

• Item Weight: 11 Pounds

Product’s Highlights

The ONE Music group has released a new keyboard type. The term Light alludes to the weight (less than 11 pounds) and the LEDs that show which key to press. Both youngsters and adults will find it pleasant and uncomplicated.

Open-source software for your phone or tablet provides a variety of learning options for everyone. You may split down each song between left and right hands to perform, learn through activities, or watch video lessons to learn from thousands of pieces of sheet music (many of which are free, while others require purchase).

What We Like

• Supports 128 built-in voices

• It has 64 notes of polyphony

• MIDI output

• Recording feature

Things to Consider

• The AC adapter's cord is relatively short