Rank #10 in Best MIDI Keyboard Controller 2026: 10 Ranked on Price Per Key
Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 USB MIDI Controller
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 is a 25-key USB MIDI controller with 16 FSR pads, an OLED display and Scale, Chord and Arpeggiator modes. It sits tenth in this guide, and it is the dearest board here once you count by key rather than by box: £89.00 across 25 keys works out at £3.56 a key, against roughly £1.53 a key for the 49-key M-Audio Keystation 49 MK3 at £75 and £1.31 for the 49-key Nektar SE49 at £64. You are paying for pads, knobs and a software bundle, not for more keys.
The second number worth checking is the rating count. This £89 controller carries 258 ratings, while the £79 25-key Akai MPK Mini MK3 in the same guide carries 30,642 — nearly 120 times as many, on a board that costs £10 less. That does not make the Novation the weaker controller, but it does mean the 4.6 out of 5 here rests on a much smaller sample of buyers. The star breakdown shown in the listing adds up to 100 entries, 80 of them five-star, while the ratings total reads 258, so treat the shape of that breakdown as indicative rather than exact. Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listing, not from testing we carried out ourselves.
How those 258 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.6 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £89.00 |
|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6 out of 5, from 258 ratings |
| Number of keys | 25 |
| Price per key | £3.56 |
| Pads | 16 FSR pads with polyphonic aftertouch |
| Bundled software | Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, Novation Play and sounds from GForce, Klevgrand, Orchestral Tools and Native Instruments, plus Melodics lessons |
| Star breakdown (as listed) | 80 five-star entries out of the 100 shown, against a ratings total of 258 |
| Platform | Mac, Windows 10, Windows 7 |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“This turned out far better than I expected. No more stretching across the room to main keyboards. I was unsure if 25 key was too small. But fits perfectly where I needed it. The knobs have a good resistance to them. The keys though small (not had them this size since the Casio CZ101 back in the day) work well enough for triggering and building instruments in Soundbox.Worked straight out of the box just needed to tick boxes in DAW and others. A good selection of free software. May be me but cannot seem to write custom layouts for example for Arturia without being on line to do so through Components. Otherwise a good choice.”
Verified purchase“Es un teclado midi al que se le puede sacar mucho partido y llevar de viaje. Depende 100% de software en un ordenador o de otro equipo sintetizador midi. Para mi gusto los knobs son bastante duros pero en general da para bastante aprendizaje y horas de diversión. Si no lo vas a usar para viajar y tienes espacio recomiendo la versión con mas octavas en el teclado.”
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best MIDI Keyboard Controller 2026: 10 Ranked on Price Per Key.
Questions people ask
How much does the Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 cost?
£89.00, which works out at £3.56 for each of its 25 keys.
How many keys does the Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 have?
25 mini synth-action keys, as listed, with 16 FSR pads alongside them.
How is the Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 rated?
4.6 out of 5 from 258 ratings on the Amazon listing.
Does the Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 work with my DAW?
The listing says it works with all major DAWs and names Ableton Live, Logic, Cubase, Reason, Reaper, FL Studio and Ardour.
What software comes with the Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4?
Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, Novation Play, sounds from GForce, Klevgrand, Orchestral Tools and Native Instruments, plus free Melodics lessons.
What can the pads on the Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 do?
They are FSR pads with polyphonic aftertouch, and the listing says they also work as step sequencers, clip launchers and chord triggers.
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