A keycap profile is the height and shape of the caps — not the material, and not the colorway. It is the single biggest factor in how a board feels and sounds once you have picked your switches. Here is every profile we cover, side by side, with a link through to the full guide for each one.
The two questions that decide it
| Profile | Sculpted? | Height | Top shape | Best for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA | Both versions exist | Very tall | Deep spherical dish | The full vintage-terminal look | Read |
| MT3 | Sculpted by row | Tall | Deep spherical scoop | The most locked-in typing feel | Read |
| OEM | Sculpted by row | ~11.5 mm | Cylindrical | Default feel, easy to find | Read |
| MOA | Uniform | ~9.8 mm* | Spherical | Artwork sets, cute and novelty builds | Read |
| Cherry | Sculpted by row | ~9.4 mm | Cylindrical | Typists, enthusiasts, thock | Read |
| XDA | Uniform | ~9.1 mm | Spherical | Minimalist and artwork builds | Read |
| DSA | Uniform | ~7.6 mm | Spherical | The shortest, flattest uniform look | Read |
| Low profile | Not comparable | Slim | Flat | NuPhy Air, Keychron K-series, Choc builds | Read |
Heights are measured at the front of the cap and are approximate. *No vendor publishes an official MOA measurement — Akko's own profile guide uses relative descriptors only, so the ~9.8 mm figure is the one the community consistently cites rather than a spec sheet number. SA and MT3 are listed by descriptor for the same reason: both sit above OEM height, but neither is published as a single millimetre figure across the sets you can actually buy.
The full vintage-terminal look
The tallest spherical profile in common use. True SA runs are still mostly group-buy, but Apos Audio now stocks a genuine SA-profile set (the Matt3o-designed SA Granite) — otherwise the buyable options are the vendor family: Keychron KSA (tallest), Akko ASA (mid-height), and Keychron OSA (OEM height with a spherical scoop).
SA & SA-family guide
The most locked-in typing feel
Drop's high-commitment profile, designed by Matt3o. Sits in SA height territory with a pronounced concave dish on every key, so each fingertip drops into a distinct pocket. Expect a real adjustment period and a wrist rest.
MT3 keycaps guide
Default feel, easy to find
What most keyboards ship with. Medium-tall and contoured differently for each row, so it is the truest drop-in swap: better caps, zero change to how your board feels under your hands.
OEM keycaps guide
Artwork sets, cute and novelty builds
A uniform spherical profile that sits a little above Cherry and well below OEM, with more pronounced walls around the dish than XDA. It is the profile behind most of the artwork-heavy dye-sub sets sold on Amazon.
MOA profile guide
Typists, enthusiasts, thock
The enthusiast default. Lower than OEM with the same familiar cylindrical dip, so your hands sit flatter and the board sounds deeper. If you are unsure where to start, start here.
Cherry profile guide
Minimalist and artwork builds
Flat, uniform, and widely stocked. Every row is the same height, which gives a notably cleaner silhouette, and the wide top surface gives dye-sub artwork more canvas than any sculpted profile.
XDA keycaps guide
The shortest, flattest uniform look
The shortest of the common profiles — about 1.5 mm below XDA, with a gently spherical top. It is the flattest way to type before you move to true low-profile switches, though XDA is far easier to actually buy.
DSA & uniform profiles guide
NuPhy Air, Keychron K-series, Choc builds
Not a profile in the same sense as the rest of this table — low-profile boards use different switches and stem heights, so none of the sets above will fit. Slim boards need sets made specifically for them.
Low profile keycapsQuick routing
Keep the feel you have: stay on OEM. It is what your board shipped with, so a new set changes the look and the material without changing anything under your fingers.
Go lower and deeper-sounding: Cherry is the most-tested step down from OEM and the safest enthusiast default.
Want the flat, all-one-height look: XDA is the uniform profile you can actually buy in volume; DSA is shorter still but far scarcer, and MOA is the uniform profile most artwork and novelty sets are moulded in.
Want to change the feel on purpose: the tall spherical end is SA and its KSA/ASA/OSA family for the retro silhouette, or MT3 for the deepest scoop. Both take days to adjust to. On a slim board none of this applies — you need low profile keycaps made for those switches.
Before you buy