Best Digital Pianos Under $1,000 For Your Apartment/Home

Today we’re looking at the best digital pianos under $1,000. The good news is that this budget gets you a solid digital piano these days. When you get into this price range, you start to see a couple of different styles of digital pianos. You will notice slim and sleek portable options, and to the contrary, you will notice console-style digital pianos, which are larger and meant for your home.

Having spent two weeks reviewing and playing these options, I am confident in my listed picks.

This article will cover both console and portable options under $1,000. After reading this, you can decide which you should choose and feel confident in doing so.

I am confident that most options near this price point will last you several years as you grow as a pianist, so let’s get into finding you your next digital piano without further ado.

At Keyboardkraze, we take pride in reviewing every digital piano at each price point. Check out our roundup of digital pianos for every price point here.

How Did I Grade My Favorite Digital Pianos Under $1,000?

It’s important to note that I have over 25 years of playing experience, including ten years of playing in a major label signed band with Vinyl Theatre. I believe this sets me apart from other websites which list Amazon’s top-rated products.

Below are the criteria I used to grade each of these options:

• Sound
• Key Action
• Speakers
• Features

As mentioned above, we will review three different console-style and portable options.

Console VS Portable Digital Pianos

Above is me with my Donner DDP-80, which you can see is more of a console style that is perfect for homes/apartments.

Let’s quickly look at the difference between console and portable pianos. Both styles have pros and cons and will work better depending on your needs.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of console-style digital pianos:

Pros Of Console-Style

• Design: Console-style digital pianos look closer to a traditional acoustic piano than a portable digital piano. Some may prefer this as it adds to an apartment or house look.
• Sound: The sound can sometimes be better on a console-style digital piano as more resonance will be throughout the cabinet. 
• Pedals: Console-style digital pianos have three pedals attached, which can save you money should you go the portable route. Remember that you typically really only need a sustain pedal, and most portable options come with one included nowadays.

Cons Of Console-Style

• Lack of portability: The biggest downfall of console-style digital pianos is that they are typically large and heavy, so you can’t travel with them as quickly. They also might be too big for your living situation, should you have a smaller place.

Portable-Style Pros

• Portability: While this might seem a no-brainer, portable digital pianos have become slimmer and lighter over the years, making them perfect for smaller homes and gigging.
• More connectivity: I find that portable digital pianos sometimes have more connectivity as brand manufacturers understand musicians playing portable options might be using them for gigging.

So, what is the better pick for under $1,000? This ultimately comes down to the buyer’s needs. I would almost always pick the portable route for this price range, but there are plenty who prefer console-style. There will not be much difference in terms of playing and feel.

Best Console Digital Pianos For Under $1,000

Below are our top picks for under $1,000, including three console-style and three portable options.

1) Kawai KDP75 – Best Console Digital Piano Under $1,000

Pros

• Impressive key action
• Low-end sounds great
• Realistic piano samples
• Robust speaker cabinet to fill large rooms
• 192 note polyphony

Cons

• Heavy
• Limited sounds

The Kawai KDP75 gets my pick for the best console digital piano under $1,000. Weighing in just under 80 lbs and boasting incredible piano sounds for this price point, the KDP75 is not to be overlooked.

Kawai makes incredible console-style digital pianos. The KDP75 is one of their latest creations, which is impressive for the price.

The KDP75 struck a soft spot with me with the sound of its stock pianos. These truly are next level and nearly unmatched near $1,000.

The sound not only fills the room, boasting 2×4.72″ speakers and two amplifiers with 9 watts, but it is crystal clear. 

While there aren’t a ton of presets, the pianos sound tremendous and are balanced. 

So, why do I have this as one of my top choices? The KDP75 has incredible key action with an improved responsive hammer compact action key bed. 

Kawai also balanced the low-end, so it’s capable of more expression with the bass notes.

2) Casio Privia PX-770 – Best Compact Console Style Under $1,000

The Casio Privia PX-770 is one of Casio’s most successful creations in recent years. What caught my eyes initially when playing the PX-770 was the size. I’ve noticed a trend in the last few years: portability becoming king. 

Casio has been tackling this head-on with their portable digital pianos and console, and the PX-770 is a prime example here. 

Pros

• Extremely compact
• Lightweight
• Solid speaker system
• 11 effect types to dial in sounds
• Great for coffee houses/small gigs
• A split keyboard mode is perfect for lessons

Cons

• Few sounds
• Noisy key action compared to competitors
• No USB to device port

Here Are Some Of Its Notable Features

• 88 scaled hammer action keys
• Simulated ebony and ivory textures for keys
• AiR processing 
• 60 Builtin songs
• Onboard reverb/chorus
• 2-track MIDI recorder
• Sliding key cover

Realistic Piano Sound

The PX-770 competes with the other console styles near $1,000. If you’re a fan of brighter piano sounds, you will dig the PX-770.

The AIR processor (acoustic and intelligent resonator) is one of Casio’s staples as of late, and for a good reason: it sounds surprisingly great. The AIR processor utilizes grand piano samples that have been recorded at four different levels to capture the realism that an acoustic piano gives pianists.

The PX-770 also adds realism that you would expect from an acoustic piano by simulating the sound of open piano strings as the pedal release raises dampers.

Great For Beginners To Intermediate Level

With only 19 preset sounds and a sleek design, the PX-770 focuses on providing pianists with a quality option for a budget price tag. 

I believe they did this perfectly, especially with the addition of sixty playback songs built-in. You can also split the keyboard quickly should you practice or attend a virtual lesson.

The speaker system also blows others near its price point out of the water, such as the Arius, which is next up on our list.

Overall Thoughts

For this price point, the PX-770 is one of the best console-style digital pianos you can get. The key action is realistic, and the sounds are great as well.

3) Yamaha Arius YDP-103 

The Yamaha Arius YDP-103 is currently one of the best options under $1,000. Where this keyboard shines is in its sound. 

In terms of key action, it provides pianists with a balanced play that is perfect for the beginner to intermediate range. 

Like most console-style digital pianos near this price, the Arius is limited in its sound choice, with only ten presets to pick from.

Pros

• Incredible piano sounds
• Good key action
• Easy to set up
• Built-in pedal unit
• Four built-in reverbs to pick from to dial in your tone
• Digital piano controller app

Cons

• Limited sounds
• Lacks portability
• Heavy

AWM sampling

The most significant selling point of most Yamaha’s to me has always been the realistic sampled pianos. Yamaha uses Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) sampling to record an acoustic piano and then applies digital filters to the samples. By doing this, Yamaha can create realistic instrument sounds that are recorded for different velocities.

Sound Layering

While console-style pianos are typically not considered instruments you would want to layer sounds, you can do it effortlessly with the YDP-103. 

This is effective if you want to layer a warm pad/string patch with a piano or electric piano.

Dislikes

My only hesitancy with this keyboard is that the keyboard bed isn’t the newest from Yamaha. However, with this being said, it’s also one of their more budget products. 

If you’re in a smaller place, this might also be difficult to work with as it is heavy and large.

Overall

You get a reliable console digital piano with this; however, I wouldn’t take it over the two options I have listed in front of it.

Portable Digital Pianos Under $1,000

Below are our top picks currently available. I’ve included all options which I’ve personally tested out. 

1) Roland FP-30X – Best Key-Action Under $1,000

Starting off the list for best portable under $1,000 is one of the top picks I recommend to my friends/clients. From a powerful speaker system to incredible key action and portability, the FP-30X offers excellent play for beginners and even advanced players.

Pros

• Incredible key action
• Great feeling keys
• 256 note polyphony
• 56 preset sounds
• Portable
• Bluetooth

Cons

Regarding cons, it’s tough to find any for this price point. If I had to pick somewhere to complain, I would say it would be the speaker department, which is still solid for what you pay. 

Key Action

The key bed and action are Roland’s digital pianos’ most significant selling point. They feel the closest to an acoustic piano. The FP-30x plays like an instrument that costs thousands of dollars.

The action is the right amount of heaviness, and the keys themselves have the classic Roland synthetic ivory touch feel. 

When comparing digital pianos against one another, one of the main things to pay attention to is how the keys feel on your fingers, as you can always use piano VSTs to get a new sound.

Portability

The fact that you get such a powerful digital piano with great keys and sounds is fantastic. When you pair that with only weighing 32 lbs, you get the FP-30x. 

Overall

If I were picking, I would choose the FP-30X for the keys and ultimate portability. You can quickly transfer this in your car from one space to the next and have any controls you want.

2) Kawai ES110

Some favor the Kawai ES110 in the piano community over the FP-30X. The ES110 is another look at a portable digital piano that weighs only 26 lbs. The ES110 is relatively unmatched for portable near its price in terms of piano sound.

The ES 110 and the KDP75 are two of my personal favorites regarding stock piano sounds as Kawai just does a fantastic job.

Pros

• Incredible piano sounds
• Great key action
• Portable
• Lightweight
• Bluetooth

Cons

• Not the best electric piano sounds

Harmonic Imaging technology delivers

Kawai’s Harmonic Imaging Technology is one of this instrument’s most significant selling points. This technology leads to some of the most realistic digital piano expressiveness you will encounter. 

In terms of capturing the dynamics between playing pianissimo and forte, Kawai always gets the job done at the top level. The ES-110 provides you with a fantastic play for a small price.

Key Action

The ES-110 is on par with the FP-30X in terms of action. While it comes down to preference, you could make the argument that the ES-110 has better action than anything near its price.

On top of great action, this somehow only weighs 26 lbs, giving pianists ultimate portability and an incredible play.

Overall

If you’re searching for lightweight, fantastic keyboard action and realistic piano sounds, the ES-110 needs to be on your radar.

3) Casio Privia PX-S3100 

The Privia PX-S3100 is the lightest digital piano on the market. Weighing in at 25.1 lbs and boasting 192-note polyphony, it has much to offer pianists.

Boasting impressive speakers and over 700 tones to pick from, the Privia PX-S3100 could be argued as the top pick for under 1,000, depending on what you are looking for.

Pros

• Great for gigging
• Solid key action
• Impressive speakers
• Bluetooth capable with adapter
• Over 700 tones
• Most portable on the market

Cons

• In my opinion, piano sounds aren’t as good as Kawai or Roland

Design

The design of the Privia PX-S3100 is different from most. The PX-3100 shows off its sleek build and gives pianists an easy navigation layout. 

On top of a sleek design, you also get a mid-sized interface to see which sounds you are selecting. Many companies neglect this, but I like to see what sound I’m playing, especially on a dark stage.

Sounds

The PX-S3100 comprises over 700 preset sounds, including all-new piano presets. The PX-S3100 has string resonance so that you can hear subtleties of string vibration. You will also hear mechanical dampers when keys are being pressed and lifted to emulate an acoustic piano.

With the PX-S3100, you can also bring in a backband with over 200 onboard rhythms to pick from, ranging from pop to rock. 

Wrapping Up

Digital pianos, near $1,000, have come a long way since I first started learning to play the piano. Now that you know what digital piano is best for your needs, I hope you are happy with your purchase.

Still confused? If so, feel free to email me or leave a question on the article, and I will respond swiftly.