The action. A digital piano has weighted hammer keys that resist the finger, heavier in the bass than the treble; a keyboard has lighter touch-sensitive keys and usually adds accompaniment styles and hundreds of sounds.
What the action does
A hammer action builds the finger strength and the touch control that transfer to an acoustic piano. Touch sensitivity — volume responding to how hard you play — is a separate feature that both types can have.
What a keyboard does better
Accompaniment styles, hundreds of voices, lighter weight, lower price, and often a lesson system. For songwriting and for playing songs quickly, it is the more useful instrument.
The honest test
Read the listing for the word “weighted” or “hammer”. Where it is absent, the instrument is a keyboard, however many keys it has.
The questions players ask
Is 88 keys enough to make it a piano?
No. There are 88-key instruments with unweighted keys, and they are keyboards with a piano-sized range. The action is the line, not the count.
Which should a beginner buy?
A weighted piano if the goal is piano lessons and technique; a keyboard if the goal is playing songs with accompaniment and exploring sounds.
Last reviewed 2026-08-18