Keyboards come in numerous sizes, with the standard being 88 keys. Smaller keyboards are available with 76, 61, 49 and even 25 key options out there. When starting out, it's best to go for something that can accommodate two-handed playing straight away, or you'll be wanting to upgrade sooner than you think. For this, you'll need at least 49 keys or four octaves.
For this reason, we've made sure all of beginner keyboards in this guide have a minimum of 49 keys, except for one – the Yamaha PSS-A50, which has 37 mini keys making it suitable for small children or players with small hands.
As a general rule - bigger is always better. Go for as many keys as you have room for, or your budget will allow. Buying a full-sized keyboard piano at the beginning means your new instrument has room to grow with you as you progress on your keyboard-playing adventure.