9 best gifts for programmers
Our selection of unique gifts for programmers: programming gifts such as a mechanical keyboard, a vertical mouse and a monitor light bar. See our range of gifts perfect for the person in your life who loves writing code.
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A compact, low-profile mechanical keyboard with no number pad, so the mouse sits closer. It's backlit, connects by Bluetooth or a Logi Bolt receiver and switches between three devices.
The Lift holds the hand at a 57-degree angle, which keeps the wrist in a more natural position over a long day. It suits small to medium right hands and connects by Bluetooth or Logi Bolt.
A light bar that sits on top of the monitor. The front light is angled so it lights the desk without glare on the screen, a backlight softens the contrast in a dark room, and a wireless dial sets brightness and colour temperature.
The official Arduino kit, with an Uno board, components and a printed project book. It teaches electronics and coding through hands-on projects, with no experience needed.
David Thomas and Andrew Hunt's classic book of practical advice for developers, updated for its 20th anniversary. It's about habits and approach rather than one language, so it suits most programmers.
A zigzag LED strip that fits on the back of a monitor and copies the colours on screen onto the wall behind it. It suits gaming and film setups.
A slim wireless mechanical keyboard with an aluminium frame and long battery life. It pairs with several devices.
A desk pad with six programmable LCD keys. Each key can launch an app, mute a microphone or run a shortcut.
A small hub that adds HDMI, USB-A, SD card and headphone ports to a laptop, with 100W pass-through charging.
Programmers spend long days at a desk, so kit that makes the desk more comfortable is a safe choice. The best gifts for programmers are things they use every working hour, like a good keyboard, mouse or monitor light. Check whether they use a Mac or a PC and whether they are left-handed before buying a mouse. An Arduino kit suits someone who wants to build hardware too.
We picked each product for what programmers enjoy and because it makes sense as a present. The order is our own choice. The pros and cons come from published product details, not customer reviews.
Amazon shows the current price and delivery. Where we've checked that the US listing is the same product, the US link goes there. Otherwise you'll get the UK listing, labelled as such. More about our research.
Christmas shopping? See our Christmas gifts, Secret Santa gifts under £20, Secret Santa gifts under £10 and stocking fillers under £15.
Picks from this guide also appear in gifts for him, gifts for brother, gifts for son and gifts for husband.
Gifts for tech lovers, from a mechanical keyboard and an MX Master mouse to AirTags and a Raspberry Pi 5.
Gifts for home workers, from a monitor light and a laptop stand to noise-cancelling headphones and a desk mat.
Gifts for gamers, from a gaming headset and a gaming mouse to a large mouse mat and Nanoleaf light panels.
Gifts for stargazers, from a tabletop telescope and astronomy binoculars to a home planetarium and a red torch.
Gifts for sudoku and word search fans, from a Kuru Toga pencil and a Pentel GraphGear to a neck reading light, IQ Puzzler Pro, a Hanayama puzzle and a Rubik's Cube.
Gifts for YouTubers, from a Rode Wireless GO microphone and an Elgato Key Light Neo to a Shure MV7+, Stream Deck, Samsung T7 SSD and SanDisk SD card.