10 Perfect Digital Pianos Under $1000 – Choose Wisely in 2021

How does this fully keyed Yamaha stack up to the competition?

Read on and discover more!

The Yamaha YPG-535 88-Key Portable Grand Piano with Stand and Power Adapter is a full-sized digital keyboard with a lot to offer. From an LCD screen that can display your music to a USB port that offers connection to and from your other devices, there’s a lot more here than just a great piano with quality sound.

This large keyboard really needs a stand– good thing this one has a built-in set of legs. Access to a number of voices, Yamaha’s patented educational system, and more make this a great combo production computer and keyboard. Use it to learn to play or to build a track and play a melody from one of dozens of voice options. This is a powerhouse piece from a quality company, no doubt.

Conclusion

A strong contender that appears to have everything; does it deliver?

This Yamaha comes with everything you need for a higher-end piece. This includes digital piano pedals to cover reverb, a stand, high-end recording software equipment plus the ability to talk to other devices or storage USB sticks and great music in the form of several different instruments.

Its full keyboard and functionality rival the instruments a price range above. The one drawback is that the digital piano hammer action causes a slight click when played. Overall, this is a solid contender that you’re likely to love.

Excellent! You won’t believe what’s coming up next!

What we liked:

• Full set of 88 keys for a full piano experience
• Great quality, especially for the price
• Use your laptop as a MIDI source through USB connectivity
• A high-quality piece that’s comparable to pieces in another price range

What could be better:

• Can be a bit fragile; requires care with young pianists
• Some are complaining about clicking when playing

A high-end piano from a powerhouse of a company.

Does it live up to the hype?

Yamaha has long been known as a leader in the digital piano industry. Merging top-quality acoustics with realistic fingering, the company offers high-end digital electronics. The Yamaha YPG-235 76-Key Portable Grand Piano is no exception.

This is as much a piano as it is an opportunity to learn play style with digital feedback and a recording studio with a host of built-in tracks plus room to record and import your own sounds. This is a digital piano touch sensitive as they come; a great option if heavy piano keys are difficult for your fingers.

Conclusion

How does this keyboard do overall?

Make no mistake; Yamaha got this one right. This is a great device that can grow with any musician in your family. Use it to teach your beginner fingering techniques with the built-in lessons from Y.E.S., to import and export music to your software, and to create symphonies or other original music with the built-in production components.

From those who haven’t played a note to the college music major, this is one instrument that offers a bit of everything!

What we liked:

• Solid construction
• Good volume and quality sound
• Great for kids and adults, newbies and music majors
• Comes with lessons and digital grading checks
• Can be used as both a piano and a composition/production tool

What could be better:

• Not all versions come with the A/C charger included- you need to double check before purchase.
• Box ships printed with contents on the outside- something to consider when purchasing presents.
• Keys are unweighted; doesn’t have the same feel as a piano.
• Only 76 of 88 keys

Does the Alesis have what it takes to be our top contender?

Read more and find out!

The Alesis Recital 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano with Full-Size Semi-Weighted Keys and Included Power Supply has a lot going for it. To begin with, it offers the full slate of piano keys and includes the A/C charge cord– a feature that is an optional add-on for many other models.

Add to that a number of different production modes, a lesson component, and pedal reverb functionality, and you’ve got a powerful musical instrument.

Conclusion

Is the Alesis your dream digital piano? Here’s what we think.

This is a great digital piano with MIDI capabilities through the USB port. It is a great option for beginners, with a lesson mode, the ability to layer sound and music, the ability to split the keyboard for more functionality, and five instrument voices.

While the speakers project well and offer the ability to add more sound as needed through the stereo ports, the sound that it makes is not of professional quality. That said, it’s solidly built and a great option for those who want something that is sturdy, basic, and works well.

A great basic keyboard for the new musician in your life!

What we liked:

• Solid construction
• Great for beginners to get started and of a high-enough quality to offer a lot to experts
• A quality company that makes good, reliable music gear
• Split feature is great for learning single-hand fingering
• Use the built-in speakers or add your own
• USB MIDI connectivity

What could be better:

• Notes at the outer ranges can be a bit thin; adding your own speakers helps a bit
• Half-weight keys are still not the feel of a real piano

An all-in-one package that’s a great portable, compact instrument!

The Yamaha PSRE453 61-Key Portable Keyboard with Stand, Bench, and Power Supply is a smaller device that offers a slim, 61-key design that’s great for playing the middle range. It also offers a lot of music production capabilities as well.

A compact alternative to 88-key keyboards, this digital piano with bench offers a number of digital enhancements that make it as perfect for composing the next viral hit as it is for learning to play the scales. Add the full slate of features to the mix– a stand for the keyboard, a bench, and an A/C power supply and you’ll be well set-up.

Conclusion

Is this the piano for you? Here’s what we thought:

If you want to learn the basics of how to play on a high-end instrument, but you also want something simple and compact, this is a great starting point. It offers a small size, 61 keys, a number of different voices, ports for headphones, pedals, and additional speakers, and more.

While it won’t be the piece that takes you through your whole Grammy-winning recording career, it offers the quality sound that Yamaha is known for at a price and size that is accessible to everybody.

And who doesn’t love that?

Another quality contender!

What we liked:

• Good sound quality in both speakers and instrument voice
• Solidly built from a high-quality manufacturer
• Fun for both kids and adults
• Compact size overall
• The additional items, bench, stand, and A/C cord, don’t come with all versions of this and are a bonus

What could be better:

• Not a full 88 keys
• Only a basic set of recording features, good for beginners but not those doing high-end composing

You won’t believe what this Yamaha has to offer!

The Yamaha P45 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano with Sustain Pedal and Power Supply is another full-size keyboard with a bunch of perks. The digital piano hammer action is weighted based on the part of the scale.

Like a real piano, it’s harder to push down at the low end and easier at the high end of the scale. Play one of several voices or combine multiple instruments for a unique sound combination. Use the keys as a piano or to play different samples, each with their own unique volume and timbre.

Conclusion

A full digital piano for a budget price sounds great- what were our overall thoughts?

This is a great beginner piano if you want more piano and less recording function. The budget price is appealing, and if you’re looking for something to pretty much be a digital piano with a full range of playability, you’ve found it here.

If, however, you need a high level of production and sampling equipment, this may not be quite the piece you need. Overall a strong contender that doesn’t try to be more than what it is – a digital instrument.

What we liked:

• A great 88-key option on a budget
• Quality Yamaha sound for all voices
• Multiple voice options
• Simple button controls

What could be better:

• Voice changing on keyboard makes it hard to change during a performance
• Touch control keys require some practice compared to a piano to get volume control based on pressure

This well-known company has made keyboards for decades- how does it compare here?

The Casio Privia PX160BK 88-Key Full Size Digital Piano comes from a legacy of machines dating back several decades. If you owned a keyboard or synthesizer in the 80s, chances are it was a Casio. The company continues to improve upon itself, upgrading its speakers and speaker hookup functionalities with this latest version.

IT adds to this weighted keys with touch-sensitive volume that work with three sensors to give you as realistic a feel as you can find in a digital piano. Add to this the recording of a 9 foot grand and their proprietary sound technology, and you have one powerful instrument.

Conclusion

It’s a lot better than the Casio of the 80s, with a lot to offer.

There is a reason Casio has stayed in the digital piano game for so long; this is one great example of why they’re such a contender. The sound is excellent, the choices unique, and the keys responsive. This is definitely a great piano for the price level. Whether you loved your first Casio and you want to introduce this kind of instrument to the next generation, this is a great option.

You really can’t go wrong with this choice.

What we liked:

• Great sound- one of the few that offers a choice of several different subtle piano tone differences
• Great key action- real and reliable
• Full size yet light, portable, and conveniently narrow
• It’s simple to use straight out of the box

What could be better:

• Some slow reactions when keys are played at high speed
• Sustain pedal could be better

Another strong Yamaha piano to choose from!

With 10 voices to choose from and 88 weighted keys, there’s a lot to like about the Yamaha P71 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano with Sustain Pedal and Power Supply. This contender from Yamaha fits in the middle of our favorite items from this brand. It’s slim, light, and offers some of the favorite digital piano features.

A great starting point into the digital piano market!

If you need a basic piano model, this is a good starting point. It’s small and compact, comparatively, for an 88-key digital instrument. While many of the functions are on the basic side, this is still a great beginning point for those who want a full piano on a budget and who aren’t getting one mainly for music production and recording purposes. This is an Amazon exclusive model, so your search will begin here for a model.

What we liked:

• Amazon-only for easy buying
• A budget-conscious 88 key choice
• Quality Yamaha acoustics and volume
• Change settings with a single push button

What could be better:

• Can’t switch voices mid-play as the keyboard is required
• Better as a piano than a recording or producing device
• Some confusion on Yamaha’s helpsite with the model number unless you tell them you have a P45

A nice combo option!

The Alesis Coda Pro is a good combination of music production and digital piano. It offers a wide variety of voice choices, some special effects like split and layering, and a large library of preset songs.

Two features that are optional in other models, the sustain pedal and the A/C charger, come standard with this piano. If you’re looking for a strong combination piano and recording/producing device, this is a great option.

Conclusion

If you want a high-quality piano, this is an amazing choice, one of the best on the market.

Whether this is the piano for you probably has a lot to do with what your plans are for the piano. If you want to play a quality piano with a lot of voice options, this is a great choice. If you want an accompanying percussion beat, you’re going to need to bring your own or look elsewhere.

Overall, the sound and feel are about as good as you’ll find in a digital piano, and you’ll end up feeling like you’re playing the real thing.

What we liked:

• A lot of features you don’t find in other pianos at this price range
• Fully weighted keys for a real piano feel
• Great piano sound

What could be better:

• No percussion
• Sustain pedal only okay

This is Yamaha’s last piano on the list- is this the one you’ll fall in love with?

The Yamaha DGX-660 88 Key Grand Digital Piano with Knox Piano Bench,Pedal,Dust Cover and Book/DVD is one of the highest-end models in the price range and has all the features to match.

Offering some of Yamaha’s highest-quality sound features, a number of functional hookups, an LED screen, and a large number of accessories to round out the package, you have pretty much everything you need in a great piano.

Conclusion

Nothing bad to say- definitely deserving of one of the top spots!

This is really an excellent digital piano with all the features of an instrument from a much higher price range. From high-end audio to the built-in LED that offers the ability to read and write music on the screen with a MIDI connection.

There are lots of great reviews and nothing bad to say on the subject. The fact that all of the accessories that don’t come standard on most models are included make it even better. Honestly, if you have the money and you want one of the best pianos in this price range, you can’t do much better than this.

What we liked:

• High-end audio
• Lots of ability to connect to Macs and PCs through MIDI interface
• Display your score on the built-in LED screen
• Bonus sustain pedal comes with it
• The features of something in a higher price range
• No negative reviews to speak of

What could be better:

• At the top of the price range- not great for those on a budget

This piano looks a lot like an acoustic model- does it measure up in other ways?

This is a great digital piano with bench option that looks a lot like a classic upright. This 88-key weighted model has a lot to offer in the way of typical features, from a headphone jack to split keyboard to MIDI functionality to triple sustain pedal.

There’s a lot to love about this piano, especially if you want to use it as a digital model in a similar way that you’d use an acoustic piano. It offers all the hookups of other digital functions, but you need to choose how and where to use it carefully.

Conclusion

Is this the piano you’ll fall in love with? Here’s what we thought:

This Korg piano has a lot to offer- the audio that this company brings is something that gets mentioned again and again by satisfied customers. Aesthetically, it is as much a beautiful piece of furniture as it is a musical instrument – a plus if you plan to leave it out all the time.

If you want an all-in-one purchase that offers stand and bench, you’re again in luck. Full key count, triple sustain pedal and MIDI and headphone ports make this a great choice for just about anything you want to do with it. Some recommend adding additional speakers if you really want to project however, many others are pleasantly surprised by the acoustic quality when playing with headphones. Overall, this is a versatile and excellent piano.

What we liked:

• Comes with stand, bench, and sheet music for learning
• Includes damper, sostenuto, and soft pedals
• Looks aesthetically like a real piano and is a good addition to home decor
• High-quality sounds, especially with headphone jacks

What could be better:

• Stand has been known to make some sounds when not assembled tightly enough
• Volume may require speakers to get the amplification you need for large rooms
• MIDI jack is not in the most convenient position