Arturia KeyLab 88 mk3vsArturia KeyLab Essential 88 mk3

Arturia KeyLab 88 mk3 and Arturia KeyLab Essential 88 mk3: 2 Arturia controller keyboards compared side by side. They differ on 12 of 22 compared specifications.

Show differences only(12)+ Add more controller keyboards

2 items	Arturia KeyLab 88 mk3 CurrentView details →	Arturia KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 CurrentView details →
General
Manufacturer	Arturia	Arturia
Status	Current	Current
Released	2025	2024
Keyboard
Keys	88	88
Key size	Full	Full
Key action	Hammer-action	Semi-weighted
Aftertouch	Channel	None
Keybed	Fatar TP/110 fully-weighted with aftertouch	Arturia semi-weighted
Controls
Pads	12	8
Faders	9	9
Knobs / encoders	9	9
Display	Colour LCD	LCD
Pitch / mod	Wheels	Wheels
Connectivity
USB	USB-C	USB-C
MIDI ports	DIN out, DIN in	DIN out
CV / Gate out	No	No
Bluetooth MIDI	No	No
Pedal inputs	Sustain, Expression, Footswitch	Sustain
USB bus powered	Yes	Yes
Features & software
Features	Arpeggiator, Chord mode, Scale mode, DAW transport	Arpeggiator, Chord mode, Scale mode, DAW transport
Bundled software	Analog Lab Pro, Ableton Live Lite, Mini V, Piano V, Augmented Strings, Rev PLATE-140, Loopcloud, Melodics	Analog Lab Pro, Ableton Live Lite, NI The Gentleman, UVI Model D, Loopcloud, Melodics
Size & weight
Colours	Black, White	White
Dimensions (W × D × H)	1295 × 323 × 113 mm	1258 × 255 × 88 mm
Weight	15.7 kg	8.2 kg

Key differences

Key action: KeyLab 88 mk3 – Hammer-action KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 – Semi-weighted
Aftertouch: KeyLab 88 mk3 – Channel KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 – None
Pads: KeyLab 88 mk3 – 12 KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 – 8
Released: KeyLab 88 mk3 – 2025 KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 – 2024
Keybed: KeyLab 88 mk3 – Fatar TP/110 fully-weighted with aftertouch KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 – Arturia semi-weighted
Display: KeyLab 88 mk3 – Colour LCD KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 – LCD

Both are the same on keys (88).

Summary

Key differences