When it comes to clocking time on your rear, the results are in — and rife with gloom. Prolonged sitting has been linked to an increased risk of multiple maladies, including heart disease, anxiety, depression — even early death. If all of this sounds bleak, take heart (and a stand) in this: Spending more time on your feet can boost job performance, work engagement and both mental and physical well-being.
However, standing for long periods can also take its own toll on your comfort and health, so the secret is frequently changing positions throughout the day. Fortunately, many companies now offer sit-to-stand desks for the office or home. Wondering which one best fits your style and needs? We’ve weeded through today’s selection to save you time and stress. Here’s our list of the best standing desks — each selected for its design, ergonomics and ability to quickly toggle between sitting and standing positions.
How We Tested
Our work-from-home configuration at Gear Patrol means our staff is able to work how they want, with the equipment that works best for them. As a result, a number of our editors use standing desks at home, and we gathered their thoughts on how their models function in day-to-day use. We also regularly call in new standing desks as they hit the market to see how they stack up against our current baseline. Our users tested their desks day in and day out in real-life work settings, giving a more accurate representation of what it’s like to live and work with these standing desks every day.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
Fully Jarvis Standing Desk
For years critics and consumers have praised the Jarvis Standing Desk, and for good reason: its stability, design and breadth of customization options make it a worthy investment for the home or office. While some desks offer a limited height range, Jarvis is available in Mid and Extended Height Ranges, the latter of which boasts an impressive 25.5-inch of adjustability, allowing anyone up to 6’7” to stand and work with ease.
For the top, you can choose from either waterproof, scratch-resistant, Greenguard Gold-certified laminate or bamboo that's been harvested from sustainable forests. Both the rectangle and contour shapes are available in multiple sizes, and you can add a laptop and/or monitor arms to accommodate a variety of display setups. Still crave more? You can customize further by adding a powered grommet, anti-fatigue mat, LED desk lamp and more. (Warning: While the base price looks attractive, it quickly climbs as you add more features.)
Our tester has used the Jarvis as his everyday desk for two years and considers it one of the best purchases he's made in that time period. "It's a desk. It's big enough to comfortably fit a screen, laptop, and keyboard. It rises up and lowers without an issue — even with a good deal of stuff on it," our tester says. "I've taken it apart and put it back together twice to move it, and it's still working fine. Not much to say. But then again, that's exactly what you want from this kind of product — to do its job so well, you begin to think it's unremarkable."
Humanscale Float Table
In terms of functionality and aesthetics, Humanscale’s Float Table flies above the competition. First off, it’s a statement piece — the simple, sleek lines ooze modern minimalism and tranquility. But perhaps the desk’s best feature is its innovative counterbalance system, allowing you to lift and lower the top with ease using the weight-adjustment handle — no cumbersome cranks or noisy electric motors necessary. And while some counterbalance tables require a bulky pedestal base, Float does not, allowing more space and freedom of movement below. Need a large work surface? No problem. Float comes in a range of widths up to 72 inches. And don’t be fooled by its pretty, clean look—this height adjustable desk is anything but dainty: its steel and aluminum construction can support up to a whopping 130 pounds. For optimal ergonomics, you can add on the brand’s other beloved accessories like their height- and angle-adjustable keyboard trays and articulating monitor arms.
Seville Classics AirLift Tempered Glass Standing Desk
On a budget, but still covet the convenience of an electric sit-stand desk? Try Seville Classics’ Tempered Glass Standing Desk. Attractively priced at under $300, the desk lacks the customizability of its pricier competitors, but it’s pretty, practical and it gets the job done. It features dual electric motors and a touchscreen controller to raise the desk from 29 to 47 inches, with infinite stops along the way. (You can also save up to three height settings.) Some cool features include dual USB charging ports at 2.4 amps to quickly—and simultaneously—charge your devices, as well as a pull-out storage drawer to stash supplies. Available in white and black, the desk’s powder-coated tempered glass offers a sleek, polished look as well as supreme strength and durability. Note: The top is only available in one size (48″ W x 24″ D), but it’s enough to fit 1 – 2 monitors and a keyboard.
Branch Duo Standing Desk
With two size options, this desk is perfect for those trying to make the most of their small space as even the larger size is smaller than our top pick. Our tester liked the desk's simple, clean style, and its surface seems very durable — our tester isn't not worried about scratching or denting it. Navigating the handset options is not super intuitive as there are just two side buttons that are kind of hidden under the desk, but the customization options, like a saved sit/stand height setting and sedentary reminders, are easy to adjust once you get the hang of it.
Although initially our reviewer thought that the desk would be easy to put together (the bigger parts arrived neatly in separate boxes), it was a bit of a struggle. While many of the holes under the desk were threaded, the control box and handset had to be screwed in by hand, which was pretty challenging. And within the first week of using the desk, our tester already had to tighten some screws as the desktop was tilting when she leaned on it. (There's also a bit of sway from side to side.) Additionally, our tester had no problem with the collision detection until she tried moving to my preset sitting position and it kept bumping into the obstructing object.
For the price of $499 – $599, the desk doesn't offer too many game-changing features that distinguish it from other more budget-friendly desks in our guide. But it does offer the ability to fit more compact spaces and customize with add-on accessories like a drawer and cable organizer.
Flexispot Kana Bamboo Standing Desk
The Kana is an affordable standing desk that is jam-packed with features. It has a powerful motor that manages to stay quiet, and users can set their favorite height settings for quick and easy sit-to-stand transitioning. There's even a built-in reminder that tells you when it's time to get on your feet or sit down. The desk has a 220-pound weight capacity and an under-desk cable management system, plus a bevy of customization means you can tailor the desk to fit your at-home setup. The bamboo top is elegant to look at and work on, but the desk can be a bit troublesome to assemble.
Herman Miller Passport Work Table
Released in 2023, Herman Miller's Passport Work Table is designed to support the way people work today. Sitting, standing and moving from room to room. To accommodate this work style, the desk is compact (the small version offers a 22” x 16” work surface, while the large size has a 27” x 20” desktop), has 12 – 18 inches of adjustable height for moving from sitting to standing and can be outfitted with add-ons like privacy screens and bag hooks and options like choosing between gliders and caster wheels. The versatile little desk is designed for today's post-pandemic workers, either at home or in the office, and it features Herman Miller's typical outstanding build quality and innovative design.
Lillipad 48 Workstation
The Lillipad Standing Desk is fairly sturdy and easily adjusts across its 27 – 48-inch height range, allowing for both seated and standing work setups. The desk’s major perk, however, lies in its wheeled design that rolls easily around your home, perfect for switching up your workstation and keeping things fresh. Our tester also appreciated how this desk requires no assembly after unboxing and folds neatly into itself for storage under a couch or bed frame once the workday is over.
Price-wise, our tester feels this desk is in the middle of the category — not overly expensive yet not cheap, either. It is worth noting, though, that a majority of the weight from the monitor mount and adjusting legs is held at the back, so this desk can jostle and shake if you type on it heavily.
Read our full Lilipad 48 Workstation review.
Herman Miller Renew Sit-To-Stand Desk
As the practical inventor of office ergonomics as we know them today, it's no surprise that Herman Miller has several sit-to-stand desks in their catalog that are tailored toward making your workday as healthy as can be. And the Renew is the best of them.
The desk is visually a stunner, but its true claim to fame is its powerful and smooth one-touch operation that quietly rises to your preferred height, handling even the heftiest monitor setups with ease. An absurd amount of customization options are available on the Renew — integrated cord management, hidden power, multiple colors and finishes, you name it. But keep in mind that this is a Herman Miller desk, meaning it's effectively a luxury product and is priced as such.
Uplift Desk V2 Bamboo Standing Desk
The V2 is one of the most stable standing desks on the market. A big issue with this style of desk is that the higher it gets, the more wobbly it can be. Not Uplift's V2, which offers a thicker desktop and a stability brace so you don't have to worry about toppling over while you're working. It's available in a range of widths so it can fit in even the smallest home or accommodate a large space. You can set up to four pre-set heights, so you're not constantly fumbling with getting that perfect height every time, and there's an anti-collision system so the desk doesn't bang into anything. The most shocking thing about the desk? You can buy a hammock that attaches underneath the desk that you can actually lie in, though there's probably something to be said against that for the sake of work-life balance.
Branch Standing Desk
Branch's original standing desk offers one of the highest heights in the category, accommodating people up to 6'8". Dual motors and three-stage lift columns help to make height adjustment smooth and quiet, and Branch ensures its movement won't even spill your coffee. There are four memory pre-set options, and like most of Branch's home office furniture, its standing desk is a breeze to assemble.
Steelcase Solo Sit-to-Stand Desk
Steelcase, known for its office chairs (including our favorite), makes a helluva standing desk, with the Solo being one of its most affordable options. It's an easy-to-use standing desk that is just as simple to assemble. It has a clean aesthetic and lacks any bells or whistles, opting to simply do its job well and efficiently without overcomplicating things. Our tester appreciated the ease of use, with the power function working smoothly and automatically detecting when an obstacle might interfere with its rising.
However, our tester also felt that a couple of additional features would be welcome. Namely, he noted a lack of customizable pre-settings, meaning you need to adjust the height anew each time (he suggests using your belly button as a guide). Secondly, he noticed that the lack of cable management was especially obvious when using the desk in its risen position, which has the potential to drive clutter-haters a little nuts.
Vari Electric Standing Desk
Vari's standing desk has a great height range from 25.5 inches to 50.5 inches, and it uses three-stage legs to move up and down without wobbliness. The desktop itself is thick and sturdy, available in five finishes. The brand claims the desk can be put together in under 10 minutes, but some reviewers claim they can do it in even less time. The desk is one of the most stable on the market, owing to its T-style legs with heavy-duty steel feet.
Knoll Hipso Adjustable Standing Desk
A favorite of multiple senior staffers, Knoll's Hipso has been described by one of our testers as a "game-changer," and it's easy to see why: this desk just does everything well, and it does it seamlessly.
Available in a number of sizes and finishes and produced by one of the most storied and dependable names in furniture, Knoll's standing desk offers a rugged yet sleek build that will last you for years, simple controls that work exactly as they are supposed to, assembly that's a breeze and — perhaps best of all — a shockingly affordable price, especially for Knoll.
One of our testers noted that the desk is very easy to adjust, even when it's set up on uneven floors. She also appreciated the variety of attractive colors and sizing options available, noting that her eventual choice fit perfectly into her home office nook. She was also supremely impressed with Knoll's customer service, describing it as "incredible" with "top-notch communication." Of course, every desk has its flaws, and our testers dinged the Hipso for its lack of cord management and noted that the shiny top is a bit of a fingerprint magnet (though it remains easy to clean).
What is the best height for a standing desk?
The optimal height to adjust your standing desk is so that the desk's surface comes up to your elbows. Your elbows should bend to 90 degrees when you're typing, so make sure your desk is at the right height for you to hit that optimal angle. The top of your computer screen should come to about eye level so you aren't slouching or craning your neck. If the right height to get your elbows to bend at 90 degrees doesn't let your computer screen hit the right level, then you'll need a way to elevate your computer screen to achieve the most ergonomic position.
What to look for in a standing desk
Height Range
Depending on how tall you are, you'll probably want to check the height range of a standing desk before you buy it. Some standing desks don't have that much range, which could be bad for those who are either far on the shorter side or taller side.
Electric Versus Manual
Some standing desks use a manual hand crank for you to adjust the desk's height. Nowadays, most people prefer electric versions, which means you can change the desk's height with the push of a button. Electric desks can either have fixed pre-settings so that you can't fine-tune the desk's height, whereas others allow you to set your perfect height so you don't have to look for it every time.
Add-On Features
Standing desks usually come with nothing more than their tabletop and their frame. Many brands will offer add-ons, which will also add to the overall price, like extra storage or, in the case of Uplift, an under-desk hammock.
Standing Desk Alternatives
If you already have a desk that you like, but it doesn't offer the ability to transform it into a standing desk on its own, you're not entirely out of luck. There are plenty of standing desk converters that are available to purchase, which act as a supplemental surface that can be elevated in lieu of your desk having the ability to convert itself. They're not always as pretty as standing desks, but they are typically much more affordable.
