The best standing desk for each person is a little different, depending on what’s important to an individual. There are many benefits to a premium standing desk, and after hours of testing, we’ve found the top choices. With a standing desk, you can make small movements throughout the day, which will improve focus and reduce stiffness in your joints. Although this isn’t something to help you meet any weight loss goals, it does help reduce back and shoulder pain.
I tested products from popular standing desk companies like Eureka, Ikea, Branch, and Uplift, evaluating everything from height adjustability and ease of assembly to quality and price. Whether you want better ergonomics, increased productivity, or the convenience of standing while working, these top choices will help you find the right desk for your needs.
Which is the best standing desk
In my testing, I found one desk that stands out from the others, the Branch standing desk. With a mid-range price and high-end build quality, the Branch meets most people’s standing desk needs perfectly. It has four programmable heights, and the base is sturdy enough that the desk feels solid even when fully extended.
At first glance, the Branch standing desk looks pretty generic, but upon closer inspection the level of craftsmanship is evident. All the materials feel premium and the weight only comes from good engineering.
Putting it together was simple and only took about 30 minutes, although I imagine having two people would make it quite a bit slower. It also came very well packaged – something Branch does with all of its products – so once I put it together it was in top shape.
The Branch desk can remember four different heights and there’s a handy cable door on the back to keep your desk clean and tidy. The desk might look a little too commercial, but it would fit better in your home office if you chose one of the warm woods and gray legs.
The Branch desk and Verve office chair from our best office chairs list make a great combination if you’re furnishing an office.
When you need a large standing desk but don’t want to spend a lot of money, the Ikea Trotten is a great option. This simple sit-stand desk gets the basics right. This standing desk option is relatively easy to set up, but I did need help attaching some stubborn hardware — and had to flip the finished desk over after I completed setup. The Trotten measures 47.25 by 27.5 inches.
I haven’t had much luck finding desks that can be called executive. To be an executive desk a product must feel expensive and add some class to the room it’s in. Most of the desks I’ve tested for this category have fallen short of that mark, with some of them missing parts or looking cheap despite the price. However, Eureka’s Arc ES is not like that. After the (admittedly very long) build, the desk looks amazing and is incredibly sturdy.
The Branch Duo is the company’s latest line of standing desks and uses a very simple control mechanism to set the height. The display is simple and clean, and all the accessories are top quality. It was easy to build, took me less than 30 minutes, and the size is perfect for small spaces. It’s big enough for two small monitors or one large monitor, and there’s plenty of room for a laptop on top.
I especially like the notifications you can set to remind you to stand or sit throughout the day.
Not only was this model easier to install than expected (I just needed a few tools, and Uplift includes accessories at no extra cost to organize all those annoying device cables), but it was the most customizable standing desk I’ve ever used.
The Branch Four Leg Standing Desk is a sleek, lightweight, motorized standing desk made from the finest materials. The moment I took it out of the box and started assembling it, I could tell these parts would last a long time.
The touch screen responds very quickly, making it easy to make small adjustments to the height, and it displays what height it currently is, so it’s easy to see how much adjustment is needed.