Compact and light · Entry-level budget
Yamaha P-45
“I recommend this for younger students and anyone starting on a small budget. The weighted keys are real enough to learn on.”
Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
THE FIRST DECISION
Digital piano or keyboard?
If it does not have 88 fully weighted keys, I do not recommend it for lessons. That is the whole answer. The rest is why.
Start here
Four questions, one digital piano
Budget, space, how often you play, and headphones. The result opens the matching model and the accessories page. A keyboard with fewer than 88 weighted keys is not on that list.
Read the full affiliate notice
I opened each listing below on Amazon.de on 17 October 2026 and kept it only when the product title named the model. The figures are from the manufacturer's specification page. This page does not add a price. Check the retailer for the current one. The Roland FP-30X stays on the instruments page, because no product title both named that model and was the instrument itself.
Three different instruments
A digital piano has 88 weighted keys and a hammer action. A keyboard is usually lighter, often shorter, and the wrong tool for piano lessons: the hand learns a spring, then has to unlearn it. An acoustic piano is the real thing, and in a flat it is loud, and it needs tuning.
For the first years I start students on a digital piano. Headphones exist, nothing has to be tuned, and the key goes down with a weight. An acoustic piano is a wonderful later decision, once you know you will keep playing.
| Feature | Digital piano | Keyboard | Acoustic piano |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keys | 88 | Often 61 | 88 |
| Touch | Weighted, hammer | Usually a spring | The real action |
| Neighbours | Headphones | Headphones, wrong habit | A flat hears it |
| Tuning | None | None | A tuner, regularly |
| On this site | The shortlist below | I do not link one | I do not link one |
The newer compact Yamaha · Entry-level budget
Yamaha P-145
“The P-145 is the current compact Yamaha for a first piano. It is lighter than the P-45 and uses the newer GHC action.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
Roland's compact entry · Entry-level budget
Roland FP-10
“The FP-10 is the small Roland I point to when someone wants that action and has little floor space.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
The slimmest first piano · Entry-level budget
Casio CDP-S110
“The CDP-S110 is the slim Casio for a tight corner. The action is hammer-weighted, and the body is only 23.2 cm deep.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
Slim, for years of practice · Mid-range budget
Casio PX-S1100
“The PX-S1100 stays almost as slim as the CDP-S110 and adds a stronger action and more piano tone.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
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Kawai's compact portable · Mid-range budget
Kawai ES120
“The ES120 is the Kawai I link when someone wants that graded hammer in a body they can still move.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
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Daily practice · Mid-range budget
Yamaha P-225
“For students who practise most days. The GHC action and the CFX piano sound are what you keep.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
Bigger sound, microphone input · Higher budget
Roland FP-60X
“For students who also sing, or who play for other people. The keys are the PHA-4 family. The extra is the sound, the controls on the instrument, and a microphone input.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
Hybrid keys, still slim · Higher budget
Casio PX-S5000
“The PX-S5000 is the slim Casio with wood-and-resin keys, for a small room and a more acoustic touch.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
Roland's portable flagship · Higher budget
Roland FP-90X
“The FP-90X is the portable Roland for an advanced player who wants the wooden hybrid keys and a larger speaker system, and has room for the weight.”
♫ Teaching recommendation
Check the current price with the retailer.
| Yamaha P-45 | Yamaha P-145 | Roland FP-10 | Casio CDP-S110 | Casio PX-S1100 | Kawai ES120 | Yamaha P-225 | Roland FP-60X | Casio PX-S5000 | Roland FP-90X | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Entry-level budget | Entry-level budget | Entry-level budget | Entry-level budget | Mid-range budget | Mid-range budget | Mid-range budget | Higher budget | Higher budget | Higher budget |
| Keys | 88 keys, Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) | 88 keys, Graded Hammer Compact (GHC) | 88 keys, PHA-4 Standard | 88 keys, Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II | 88 keys, Smart Scaled Hammer Action | 88 keys, Responsive Hammer Compact | 88 keys, Graded Hammer Compact (GHC) | 88 keys, PHA-4 Standard | 88 keys, Smart Hybrid Hammer Action | 88 keys, PHA-50 hybrid |
| Weight | 11.5 kg | 11.1 kg | 12.6 kg, music rest off | 10.5 kg | 11.2 kg, without batteries | 12 kg, music rest off | 11.5 kg | 19.3 kg, with music rest | 11.5 kg, without batteries | 23.6 kg, with music rest |
| Key features | 10 voices, USB to host, 6 W × 2. Yamaha P-45 specifications. | 10 voices, CFIIIS piano, USB to host, 7 W × 2. Yamaha P-145 specifications. | SuperNATURAL piano, 15 panel tones, Bluetooth MIDI, 6 W × 2. Roland FP-10 specifications. | 10 tones, USB type B, 8 W + 8 W. Casio CDP-S110 specifications. | 18 tones, 192-note polyphony, 8 W + 8 W, Bluetooth via the included adaptor. Casio PX-S1100 user's guide. | Harmonic Imaging, SK-EX and EX, 25 voices, Bluetooth audio and MIDI, 10 W × 2. Kawai ES120 specifications. | CFX piano, Virtual Resonance Modeling Lite, 24 voices, USB audio. Yamaha P-225 specifications. | SuperNATURAL piano, 13 W × 2, microphone input, Bluetooth audio and MIDI. Roland FP-60X specifications. | Wood and resin keys, 23 tones, 192-note polyphony, 8 W + 8 W. Casio PX-S5000 user's guide. | PureAcoustic piano modeling, 25 W × 2 and 5 W × 2, microphone input. Roland FP-90X specifications. |
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FAQ
The questions that follow the short answer
You run out of them within months. A compact digital piano is about the width of a small desk. If a desk fits, the piano fits.
Yes. You will want weighted keys before the hand settles into the light ones. Bring it up at the trial and we will decide how soon.
Digital, for the first years. You can practise in headphones, and nobody has to tune it. An acoustic piano is the instrument to buy once you know this is staying.
Bring the room, and the budget, in words
Still choosing?
Tell me how much space you have and who will play. Or book the free trial and we will choose with a real keyboard under your hands.