Standing desks are here to stay. Initially dismissed by some as a fad when they first gained popularity a few years ago, most people who’ve actually tried them are converts - being able to change your posture and spend some time working on your feet can be a real boon if you’ve got back pain or just fancy a change.
- Looking for a traditional desk? Check out our best desk list
For our money, the very best standing desks are variable, in that they let you change their height not just to adjust for different sizes of user, but also to revert to traditional, sitting desks when you’re in need of one.
Regardless, we’ve gathered together some of the very best standing desks on the market for you, right here.
Best standing desks: Our top picks
This super motorised standing desk has a variety of options - you can order the Flexispot EQ4 just as a frame or as a complete package. The frame is available in a smart grey finish as well as black and white so it should suit most rooms. The desktop can be ordered in white, black, maple, mahogany (our choice) or a grey wood grain. As standard the desktop is 120 x 60cm, but you can choose 140 x 70cm or 120 x 80cm too.
If you want to add your own desktop you can do that easily - 125kg is the weight limit. The frame also incorporates cable management so your cables won’t be dragging down onto the floor.
The dual-motor height adjustment is automatic as we mentioned and it can move between 60-125cm so quite a range. Four heights can be saved so you can change height with a single touch. We love that there are plenty of options and the control panel is easy to use.
Flexispot also do risers for standard desks as well as various accessories such as monitor mounts and even a desk bike so you can be exercising while you work!
Uplift has grown itself a real reputation as one of the true specialists of the standing desk world, having read the room a few years back and made desks for the masses (although they’re not exactly priced with mass-market appeal in mind). Nonetheless, its desks are superbly made and easy to use.
It has loads of different customisation option as you purchase to make sure that you get the combination of finishes that best suits you, and has attracted rave reviews from all corners, cementing its place at the top of the standing desk food chain.
If you’ve already got a desk that you like, or don’t really want to buy a full, mechanised standing desk, there are thankfully some great solutions out there to let you adapt an existing surface to your work. Vari makes some of the very best, and its best-selling model, the Pro Plus 36, is a great choice. It’s a work unit that can rise to standing height, with different platforms for your monitor, keyboard and mouse or other work matter.
That adaptability makes it a really versatile bit of kit for any home office, although we can’t deny that it does have a rather corporate air to it. Still, though, if you’re serious about your home working this will be a great riser.
Fully’s Jarvis line of tables has a superb reputation, and a few different finishes to choose from, which change the price, but we think the best combination of looks, value and eco-friendliness is offered by its bamboo-topped version.
It’s a dead-simple standing desk that adjusts at the touch of a paddle, and has nice clean design which doesn’t scream out that it’s adjustable at a hundred paces, which can be nice if it’s intended to be part of your home.
The Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk by Monomi sets quite a benchmark for price to feature ratio. It’s not badly priced for any well-designed desk, but also has electric height adjustment, which is a great touch at this price.
It’s a decent size too, allowing for at least two monitors as well as other goodies that you clutter your desk with. The speed at which it raises itself is 1 inch a second, which can be a bit slow, but it does have the option to save certain heights, so you don’t need to faff trying to get it right.
It may take more assembly than some are comfortable with, so this is definitely worth considering. If you like your DIY and are comfortable assembling your furniture, then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Another option of an electric standing desk is the one by Vari. This one stands apart as a definite premium option, however. You can see this firstly with the price, but then the quality of the materials also make it worthwhile.
It uses reclaimed wood for the top, which makes it both very attractive and more eco-friendly than cutting fresh trees down. It’s not actually wood planks or the like, but rather engineered wood, which still looks great, while maintaining a solid structure.
Vari offers a number of size options for its electric standing desks, and this one comes in at 30 x 60 inches for the desktop. It’s plenty big enough for most uses, and will easily fit two monitors.
Not all desks need to be large enough to fit three monitors and a drinks fridge. So, the FEZIBO Height Adjustable Electric Standing Desk is great for those who need a desk for the bare minimum, or who don’t have all the space in the world.
This desk is electrically controlled to raise and drop the height. And so for the price, you wouldn’t expect the best materials. The top is made from particleboard and the legs are of a non-descript metal. Having said that, it does look good.
The Flexispot Standing Desk is a straightforward, no-nonsense standing desk. It comes in a variety of sizes, which is great for you to perfectly match the right size to the space you have available.
Sure, the materials are a bit cheaper than what you get for a desk that’s two or three times the price, but you have to look within your budget. And this desk even comes in a number of finishes too.
Yes, you can get a standing desk without the tech and electronics, as the DEVAISE Adjustable Height Standing Desk shows. This 47" sized option is on the smaller side of the spectrum, but great for little spaces or for those who don’t need more than one monitor.
It uses a crank system to raise or lower the desk, which is actually pretty novel, and reminiscent of older cars and their window winders. This means you don’t need to worry about a power source for your desk, which is one less plug to think about.
The crank design can loosen over time, however, so might not be the best option if you’re constantly moving it up and down.
FlexiSpot Q8
Sitting towards the higher end of the standing desk price spectrum, the Flexispot Q8 feels tangibly more premium than the rivals we’ve tested. The bamboo used for the table top is thick and tactile, while the lifting system is provided by two powerful motors, one mated to each leg.
This does away with any flimsy wobbling that is sometimes found in cheaper variants, and the height adjustability is fantastic, ranging from a mere 60cm to a lofty 125cm.
Above all else, we loved the neat additions, such as wireless device charging and direct charging from the front of the desk, the built-in drawer (although it is quite shallow) and the almost touchscreen nature of the interface.
Despite the plethora of features, the Flexispot Q8 also proved one of the easiest and fastest desks to assemble.
