Best Affordable Digital Piano In 2025

Released in November of 2024, the Kawai ES60 is the best digital piano in its price range, in my opinion. The portable digital piano market currently (as of Summer 2025) boasts three standout models priced around $500: the Yamaha P145 (or the nearly identical P143), the Roland F10 and the Kawai ES60. There are ten reasons why I would recommend the Kawai over the other two, with the first three being especially important: 1) better piano sound – a higher quality piano sample (recording) that contains more “information,” which translates to a richer and more detailed sonic experience, 2) better action – a more realistic key feel (although the action on the Roland is also very good), the benchmark being that of a typical acoustic piano, 3) better speaker system, boasting more power and an overall greater response in all registers (lows, mids and highs), 4) greater polyphony, or the number of tones that the piano can sound at once, which is an important spec for various reasons, 5) the inclusion of 1/4” line out jacks – important for connecting to an external sound system, for those who wish to amplify and/or enrich the sound of the instrument, 6) the inclusion of a “split function” (absent on the Yamaha), which enables the player to use different sounds in different registers of the instrument, 7) more on-board sounds, 8) the inclusion of half-pedaling capability (absent on the Yamaha), 9) the inclusion of rhythm patterns (drum beats), and 10) a longer warranty period. While the Yamaha and Roland are certainly high-quality instruments, there is no doubt in my mind that the Kawai is superior and the best choice for any beginning or intermediate piano student on a budget.