Comparison with Alternatives

The following table compares Lokey with two popular keyboard firmware alternatives: QMK and ZMK.

✅ = supported, ❌ = not supported

Feature	Lokey	QMK	ZMK
USB	✅	✅	✅
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)	✅	❌	✅
BLE Dongle	✅	❌	✅
Dynamic BLE Roles¹	✅	❌	❌
Split Keyboard	✅²	✅	✅
Runtime Remapping	❌	✅³	✅⁴
Rotary Encoder	❌	✅	✅
Display	❌	✅	✅
Backlight/RGB	❌	✅	✅
Behaviour: Layers	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Conditional Layers / Tri-Layers	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Hold-Tap	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Media Keys	❌	✅	✅
Behaviour: Sticky / One-Shot	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Toggle / Lock	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Tap-Dance	❌	✅	✅
Behaviour: Key Overrides / Mod-Morph	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Key Repeat	❌	✅	✅
Behaviour: Combos	❌	✅	✅
Behaviour: Macros	✅	✅	✅
Behaviour: Mouse emulation	✅	✅	✅
Scanning: Matrix	✅	✅	✅
Scanning: Direct Pin	✅	✅	✅
Scanning: Charlieplex	❌	✅	✅

Dynamic BLE roles let a device switch between central and peripheral roles at runtime. For example, this allows switching between using a BLE dongle and connecting directly to a host over BLE without reflashing the device. Lokey supports this at runtime, while in ZMK the role is fixed at compile time. ↩
Lokey currently only supports split keyboards where the halves communicate over BLE. Serial communication between halves is planned. ↩
QMK can be remapped at runtime with Via/Vial ↩
ZMK can be remapped at runtime with ZMK Studio ↩

Footnotes