9 Best Standing Desks for 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Other standing desks to consider

Photo: Henri Robbins

Beflo Tenon Premium for $3,636: Although incredibly expensive (and heavy!), this smart hardwood desk is both sturdy and well-designed. Assembly was easy, and once the desk was up and running, I found that all the features (touchscreen controls, built-in power strip, audio pass-through, and LED lighting) worked well and were placed in convenient locations. Touchscreen controls are intuitive (iOS-like), and features like a sit/stand timer and phone tethering provide added functionality. The desk supports over 200 pounds of stuff even when moving, and the height adjustment motors will temporarily disable if they overheat, rather than risk damaging the desk. The table also looks fantastic and numerous first party accessories allow you to customize the desk according to your specific needs. My biggest problem with this table is the noise. While it wasn’t loud by any means, it was certainly more audible than the “quiet whisper” descriptor that Beflo uses in its marketing. Additionally, the lighting color setting had some difficulty creating specific colors using the built-in touchscreen, and the audio cable was too short to reach a desktop computer on the floor at even the lowest height. That said, the Tenon is still a great, if expensive, option to look into. —Henry Robbins

Flexispot E7 Pro for $420+: Standing desks can get expensive, but Flexispot routinely offers similar functionality at a lower cost. At first glance, E7 Pro it looks a lot like a Herman Miller Jarvis, but look closer and you’ll find that the base option has a shallow 23-inch desktop, the control unit looks a bit cheap, and it makes a high-pitched whine during operation. I also had some trouble fitting larger power adapters into the cable box and it can wobble when fully extended. But even when fully configured, the E7 Pro is cheaper than many competitors. Minor flaws aside, this is a perfectly decent standing desk. —Simon Hill

Charcoal standing desk for $1199: This desk is meant to remind you when to take breaks from work so you have the mental focus to get through your pile during the day. It uses your health and sleep data in an app, plus lights and haptic feedback to track and tell you when to get some rest. At first this feature seemed interesting, but functionally it’s not much better than a timer on your phone that reminds you to get up and go for a walk. The build quality of the Swedish-made desk frame is excellent, with smooth, quiet operation that reaches almost to the floor, which is perfect for those of us who like to sit on the ground and work sometimes. It has dual motors with three-stage columns and piezo sensors, so it does not crush children. I like the rounded edges of the white rectangular tabletop, which never accidentally poke my thighs when I walk past the desk, and the white plastic surface finish is easy to clean. At nearly double the price of a similar standing desk, I’m not sure it’s worth it—definitely don’t buy it because of the company’s “overload” claims—but you won’t be disappointed with the desktop. —Parker Hall

Ergonofis Sway standing desk for $1,445: Here’s another nice looking solid wood standing desk from Canadian brand Ergonofis. Like Grovemade, there was so much packaging left over after unpacking the desk that it was a little overwhelming. There were also a lot of parts, and the assembly was just weird. (I had to step on the part with my foot, which meant I had to put on shoes to complete the assembly.) It’s a lovely desk, but I also found the company’s control panel confusing to operate, and the desk didn’t always respond to touch panel to move it up or down.

Accessories for a standing desk

Photo: Julian Chokkattu

Branch power supply for $89: This simple and elegant bracket attaches to your desktop and adds three AC outlets, USB-C and USB-A so you don’t have so many cables running to the ground.

$40 Monster Workshop Plug: This powerful power strip and surge protector from Monster is built to protect the Working Man’s expensive power tools, which means it can handle the needs of your sweet yellow Mac. The reason to buy it for your standing setup is the integrated mounting handle that can hang from your desk with C-clampkeeping your connections off the dirty floor without using up valuable space. —Martin Shoemaker

LumeCube EdgeLight 2.0 for $150: Why would a lamp take up valuable desk space when you can attach the lamp to your desk? These task lights from LumeCube are great for illuminating your desktop and even your face during late night Zoom calls. You can adjust the color temperature and brightness.

Photo: Julian Chokkattu

BenQ ScreenBar lamp for $139: Alternatively, you can put these ScreenBar lamps above your computer monitor and will illuminate your desktop, no clamping required. The ScreenBar Pro also has a motion sensor, so when you leave your desk, the light will turn off and turn on when you return. You can adjust the brightness and color temperature, and the automatic setting makes it adjust these controls based on the ambient lighting in the room.

Secretlab Premium Footrest for $79: I have been using this footrest for several years and it is excellent. The plush memory foam is a soft and pleasant rest for my feet and is easy to clean with a vacuum and a damp cloth. Has not shown much wear despite years of use.

Monoprice Adjustable Single Monitor Gas Spring Desk Stand for $66: I’ve had several of these WorkStream hand rests for years and they’ve reliably gotten the job done. You can adjust the tension with a hex key and move the monitor to your desired position. Just make sure you don’t exceed the recommended weight for a large and heavy screen.

Harber London Professional Desk Mat for $180: Keep your desktop protected with a large desk pad like this one. I’ve used several Harber London doormats over the years and this latest model is my favourite. Pebble leather is supple and soft, and the mat remains immobile. It is also easy to clean.

Avoid those standing desks

Photo: Julian Chokkattu

Corsair platform: 6 desk for $1400: Where do I start? I liked the Corsair standing desk because it’s roomy, has a fun board design for mounting your tchotchkes, and even has an interesting rail system that lets you mount and slide things across the desktop, like your monitors. Unfortunately, a few months after mounting two monitors on the included dual monitor arms, this rail system leaned forward due to the weight. (Me too not the only one experiencing this.) It doesn’t help that I’ve never found this rail all that useful. The portrait function works fine and you get two presets, but sometimes the small screen gives me an error message “rE5”. Pressing and holding the down button fixed it, but none of these issues should concern the insanely high price. That’s the real problem. It’s just so expensive, and the five-year warranty feels like a slap in the face.

ErgoAV standing desk for $1870: I’ve wanted a standing desk for years, so I was super excited to try this one from ErgoFx. For nearly two grand, it comes packed with features, including a wireless charging pad that automatically lifts and swivels towards you, a five-outlet power strip, and a built-in drawer to hold all your office supplies. You can also control through the companion app. It has a super durable laminated MDF top and carbon steel frame and looks elegant. Unfortunately, after just a few months of using it, I started having issues where the desk would get stuck at a certain height. This usually happens if I don’t fix it for a few days or weeks. The only way to fix this was to unplug the power cord and plug it back in. After each reset it would work normally again. But this problem comes up every time so I stopped trying to fix it. It’s become more trouble than it’s worth – especially at this price. — Brenda Carpenter