Case is plastic, but it comes with a couple layers of foam inside and a silicone filler at the bottom. I also tape-modded to help remove some of the higher frequencies you get with plastic cases.

The obvious competitor in this price range is the Keychron V1, which starts at $64. The V1 uses screws rather than clips, which make disassembly/modding a lot easier. It also has south-facing LEDs, so better if you want Cherry keycaps. If you want a knob it's $74, and you get an extra switch with the Akko. The V1 also has QMK/VIA support, while the Akko has its own software, which is not as full featured.

If I were buying the keyboard for myself I probably would've gone for the Keychron, but most of my viewers aren't keyboard enthusiasts, and I thought the color & side glow RGB would be more eye-catching.