Whether you’re a beginner or a trained classical musician, pianos can be a source of endless joy and entertainment. But it’s not always practical to buy an expensive acoustic piano.
Digital pianos are a great alternative to acoustic instruments. And you don’t have to pay much for them.
We’ve playtested several instruments and found some of the best ones around. Here are our top 4 picks for the best digital pianos under $1000.
1. Kawai KDP75 (Best Console Piano)
- Excellent-sounding piano that looks great in the home
- 88 grade-weighted keys
- Includes sounds from SK-EX grand piano and other instruments
- Virtual Technician via iOS and Android app
- Built-in songs and lessons from Alfred Music
Hands-down, the KDP75 is one of the best budget-friendly digital pianos on the market today. It’s one of the best feeling pianos that looks great in any home.
For one, the KDP75 has grade-weighted keys, which is an absolute must for a digital piano. Kawai developed their Responsive Hammer Compact action to mimic the feel of an acoustic grand piano – and they get extremely close to replicating it!
This piano is loaded with some excellent sounds, including the rich, warm sounds of the Shigeru Kawai EX grand piano. There are also 11 other piano and keyboard sounds to play around with.
Are you a beginner wanting to learn piano? The KDP75 also includes built-in songs and lessons from Alfred Music’s Basic, Adult, and Premiere piano method books.
If you want to get more out of your piano, Kawai has you covered. Want to tweak sounds just a little? You can connect to Kawai’s PianoRemote app for iOS and Android to access their Virtual Technician. Customize the sounds by changing the tuning, pedal noises, resonance, and more.
All in all, this is an excellent, no-frills digital piano that’ll do everything you need it to.
2. Roland FP-30X (Best Portable Keyboard)
- 56 premium keyboard sounds from Roland’s history
- Portable design
- 88 fully-weighted keys
- Seemless Bluetooth and USB connectivity to apps & DAWs
Roland has been making electronic instruments since the 1970s. So they know a thing or two about what makes a great-sounding piano. And The FP-30X is no exception.
This thing sports 12 pianos, 20 electric pianos, and 24 other tones – a much wider range of sounds than other pianos in this price range. These all come from Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound engine and have an incredible life-like feel to them.
The FP-30X has high-quality speakers built-in – something that isn’t always a given with portable and stage pianos.
If you want to get the most out of this keyboard, you can connect via Bluetooth to various mobile apps like Apple’s Garageband or Roland’s Piano Every Day. You can also connect it to your computer via USB and use it as a MIDI controller with any DAW like Logic Pro X or Cubase.
And as with any good piano, it has fully-weighted keys that accurately replicate the feel of an acoustic piano.
Being portable, the FP-30X has some advantages. You can easily store it when you’re done using it. Or you can carry it out to gigs if you want.
That said, if you think you’ll keep your FP-30X in a permanent location, you can get an optional stand and pedal unit and convert it into a console piano.
3. Korg B2SP
- Simple design with all the needed features
- 12 piano, electric piano, and keyboard sounds
- 88 fully-weighted keys
- Includes software bundle from Korg
The Korg B2SP is a pretty powerful package with an affordable price tag.
It includes everything a budding pianist needs, including weighted keys, a music stand, and a three pedal unit for added functionality.
You can keep this anywhere in the home. Or you can use it in a classroom setting. And at only 46 lbs, it’s incredibly easy to move around.
As a bonus, the B2 series pianos come bundled with additional software from Korg:
- A 3-month premium plan trial for Skoove Online Piano Lessons.
- Korg Module app for iOS, which expands the range of sounds you can play with your keyboard.
- Korg Gadget 2 Le, a DAW music production app for iOS devices.
This is a pretty generous offering of apps.
4. Alesis Recital Pro
- Portable design
- Hammer-action keyboard
- 12 built-in voices
- Very affordable price
For a digital piano, this instrument is almost too good for the price.
Normally, you don’t expect portable pianos like this to have weighted keys in any form. But the Alesis Recital Pro uses hammer-action keys. So it does a good job of replicating that acoustic piano feel.
The Recital Pro has 12 built-in voices, including pianos, electric pianos, and other sounds. You can also customize the sounds by changing the response and effects. The built-in speakers aren’t half-bad either.
All in all, this is a hearty little piano that can compete with other digitals that cost twice as much.
