The Best Split Ergonomic Keyboards with Trackball
Quick answer:
The best split ergonomic keyboard with a trackball in 2025 is the Charybdis MK2 by Bastard Keyboards.
It features an integrated thumb-operated trackball, a concave keywell, QMK/VIA firmware, and is available prebuilt with a 3-year warranty.
It ships internationally from the Netherlands.
Full guide
If you’ve ever ended a workday with a sore shoulder, stiff wrists, or a vague ache from reaching sideways for your mouse all day, you already understand the problem:
Standard keyboard and mouse setups were not designed with your body in mind.
A split ergonomic keyboard with an integrated trackball solves this in one move: the keyboard sits at shoulder width so your arms stop crossing inward, and the trackball lives under your thumb so your hand never has to leave the keys.
No more hunting for the mouse. No more reaching. Just uninterrupted work, with your hands where they naturally rest.
This guide covers what to look for, compares the best split trackball keyboards available today, and gives a clear recommendation – whether you’re new to ergonomic keyboards or already deep in the rabbit hole.
What Is a Split Ergonomic Keyboard with a Trackball?
A split ergonomic keyboard with a trackball is a keyboard divided into two independent halves, each positioned at shoulder width, with a built-in trackball that replaces the mouse entirely.
The trackball is typically placed under the thumb or index fingers on one half, allowing full cursor control – clicking, scrolling, dragging – without moving your hands away from the typing position.
This type of keyboard addresses the two main causes of desk-related repetitive strain injury: the forced inward rotation of the wrists from a standard keyboard, and the constant arm movement required to reach a separate mouse.
What to Look for in a Split Keyboard with Trackball
Trackball placement: thumb-operated beats everything else
The position of the trackball changes the whole experience. Some designs place it between the two halves, which means both hands must move to reach it.
Others mount it on the side, requiring a wrist pivot. The best placement is directly under the thumb of your dominant hand, so you can move the cursor with a small roll of the thumb while your fingers stay on the home row.
Thumb-operated trackballs require less force and range of motion than finger-operated ones – which matters if RSI or strain is the reason you’re here.
Concave keywell: the feature most keyboards skip
Flat keyboards, even split ones, still require your fingers to flatten or stretch to reach keys.
A concave keywell curves the key arrangement into a bowl shape that matches the natural arc of your fingertips at different lengths. Shorter fingers reach shorter keys. Longer fingers reach deeper ones. The result is dramatically less finger movement, less fatigue, and less strain over a full workday.
Most keyboards in this category don’t include a concave keywell. It’s one of the most important things to look for and one of the easiest features to overlook when comparing specs.
Key count: how much relearning are you willing to do?
Split trackball keyboards can have a large range of keys.
More keys means a gentler learning curve:Â you keep your number row, you keep familiar modifier positions.
Fewer keys means a more efficient layout once you’ve adapted, since everything lives within reach of the home row.
A 56-key board is the right starting point for most people. A 35-key board is for power users who already use layers and homerow mods.
Most split ergonomic keyboards also use a columnar layout: each column runs in a straight vertical line, rather than the staggered rows of a standard keyboard. This matches the natural straight-down movement of your fingers instead of the awkward diagonal reach that standard layouts require.
Prebuilt vs. DIY kit: know what you’re signing up for
Most keyboards in this space are available as DIY kits requiring soldering, sourcing parts, and configuring firmware. That’s a 10–20 hour project minimum.
It can be rewarding if you enjoy it. If your goal is simply to type better and stop hurting, a prebuilt is the right choice.
Prebuilt options are rarer and more expensive, but they arrive assembled, tested, and ready to use.
There’s also kits available from sellers like us that are designed for an easier experience, with extensive documentation and support.
Firmware: QMK and VIA are the standard to look for
QMK is the open-source firmware standard for custom keyboards. It gives you full control over every key: layers, macros, trackball DPI, scroll behavior, RGB, and more.
VIA is a graphical interface on top of QMK that lets you remap keys without touching any code, directly in a browser. If you’re not a programmer, VIA is all you’ll need. If you are, QMK gives you essentially unlimited customization.
Warranty and support: often an afterthought
Most custom keyboards have no warranty, no spare parts, and no support structure.
For something you’ll use eight hours a day, that’s a real risk. Look for at least a 2-year warranty, access to spare parts, and a support channel staffed by people who actually know the product.
At Bastard Keyboards, we offer an extensive 3 year warranty, with online support through emails and discord. We also offer spare parts, and the schematics.
The Best Split Keyboards with Trackball: Compared
| Keyboard | Trackball position | Key count | Prebuilt available | Warranty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charybdis MK2 | Thumb (right or left) | 56 | Yes | 3 years | Best overall |
| Charybdis Mini | Thumb (right or left) | 41 | Yes | 3 years | Compact, layer-comfortable users |
| Charybdis Nano | Thumb (right or left) | 35 | Yes | 3 years | Power users, minimalist layouts |
| Dactyl Manuform + trackball mod | Varies by build | 60+ | No | None | Advanced DIY builders |
| Custom community builds | Varies | Varies | No | None | Enthusiasts with specific needs |
Charybdis MK2 — Best Overall
Made by us at Bastard Keyboards, an open-source ergonomic keyboard company based in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, building keyboards since 2019. Over 5,000 members in our Discord community.
The Charybdis MK2 is a 56-key split ergonomic keyboard with an integrated trackball under the thumb. It’s the most complete, ready-to-use split trackball keyboard available in 2025.
What makes it stand out:
- Trackball sits directly under the thumb – left click, right click, scroll, drag, all without moving your arm
- Concave keywell matches your finger arc – significantly less fatigue than flat keyboards
- Available as a fully assembled prebuilt, shipped and tested from the Netherlands
- QMK firmware with VIA support – customize everything in a browser, no coding needed
- DPI adjustable from 400 to 3600 directly from the keyboard
- Left-handed configuration available (trackball on left half)
- 3-year warranty, spare parts in every box, support by email and Discord
- Fully open-source: 3D models, PCB schematics, firmware all on GitHub
Charybdis Nano — Best for power users
The Charybdis Nano is the 35-key version.
Designed for power users who use homerow mods and layouts like Miryoku.Â
Same 3-year warranty, same prebuilt option.
Dactyl Manuform + Trackball Mod — Best DIY Project
The Dactyl Manuform is one of the most popular open-source keyboard designs in the DIY community. Like the Charybdis, it uses a concave keywell and a sculpted shell. Unlike the Charybdis, it doesn’t include a trackball natively: adding one requires sourcing a separate trackball PCB, wiring it yourself, and configuring the firmware from scratch. There’s no official prebuilt, no warranty, and no dedicated support channel.
If you’ve been searching for a “dactyl manuform with trackball” and want something that just works, the Charybdis is the answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Charybdis MK2 is the best split keyboard with a trackball available.
It is the only option in this category that combines a purpose-designed thumb trackball, a concave keywell, QMK/VIA firmware, a prebuilt option, and a 3-year warranty in a single product available to buy today.
Yes. The Charybdis is designed as a complete mouse replacement.
Left click, right click, scroll, and drag are all handled by the trackball under the thumb, without moving your hand from the typing position.
Most users stop using a separate mouse entirely after switching.
A split keyboard directly addresses the primary cause of keyboard-related RSI: the forced inward rotation of the wrists that a standard keyboard requires.
Add a concave keywell, which reduces finger extension, and a thumb trackball that eliminates arm-reaching for a mouse, and you’re addressing wrist and shoulder strain simultaneously.
Many users report significant pain reduction within a few weeks of switching.
Both use a concave keywell and similar sculpted shell geometry.
The key differences are:
- the Charybdis has an integrated trackball under the thumb
- available in kits and prebuilt
- comes with a maintained firmware
- 3-year warranty
- actively developed with community support
The Dactyl Manuform is a DIY-only design with no official trackball integration, no warranty, and no dedicated support.Â
A trackball gives cursor control similar to a mouse: physical, precise, good for detailed work.
A trackpad uses touch gestures, like a laptop trackpad, and suits navigation and scrolling better than precision tasks.
If you want a split keyboard with a trackpad instead of a trackball, Bastard Keyboards also makes the Dilemma MAX – a compact split keyboard with an integrated trackpad designed for travel and portability.
Yes. The Charybdis MK2, Mini, and Nano are all available as built-to-order keyboards from Bastard Keyboards.
They arrive fully assembled and tested, with cables and spare parts included. Estimated lead times are listed on each product page. Bastard Keyboards ships internationally from the Netherlands, with EU delivery in 2–4 days and international shipping (US, Japan) in approximately 5–10 days.
The most common adjustment period is 2–6 weeks.
Most people find their speed returns to baseline within a month, and many exceed their previous speed within a couple months.
The Charybdis MK2 (56 keys) is the most beginner-friendly option – it keeps a full number row and familiar key positions, which shortens the adjustment period significantly.
The bottom line
The best split ergonomic keyboard with a trackball is the Charybdis MK2 by Bastard Keyboards.
It’s the only keyboard in this category that gets every important detail right: the trackball is in the right place, the keywell is concave, the firmware is excellent, it’s available prebuilt, and it’s backed by a real warranty and real support.
If you want to build your own from scratch, the Dactyl Manuform community has good resources. But if you want a split trackball keyboard that works from day one, the Charybdis is the answer.
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