Buying one of the best standing desk converters is a brilliant solution if you want to spend some time standing up at your desk. Instead of buying an expensive standing desk, you just place the converter atop your normal desk and voila! You can now reap the health and comfort benefits of being on your feet.
Standing up while working helps tone your muscles, reduces back pain, lowers your blood pressure and will improve your mood and energy levels. Plus, you can have a little dance, which is bound to increase your creativity. As well as upping your productivity and creativity, standing can lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. So a standing desk converter is an investment that's well worth making in both your wellbeing and your career. (Just like buying the best office chairs, the best office chairs for back pain and the best desks). Read on for our pick of the best options, or if you want to see our guide to the best standing desks (those that can go up and down as you wish), we've got you covered.
This high-quality standing desk converter transforms your regular desk into one you can stand at quickly, easily and at a very reasonable price. With its concertina scissor mechanism and gas lift strut, it’s able to support up to 15kg of equipment and lift it anywhere between 4.5 and 20in higher than your regular desk.
There’s a generous 31.5 x 15.8-in surface area, which makes it suitable for both a monitor and a laptop, if needed. There’s also a second tray (26 x 10.3in) for your keyboard and mouse, making this a beautifully ergonomic setup overall.
It comes almost fully assembled: just attach the keyboard tray and you’re ready to go. All in all, this provides everything that you’d expect from the best sit to stand desk converter on the market today.
This standing desk converter from VariDesk is one of the most expensive on our list, but our testing reveals you you get a premium product for your cash. We love the huge workspace with an enormous upper tier (40 x 15in), which gives you enough space for two monitors, a laptop and notebook. It also has a lower tier for a standard keyboard, mouse, and other devices, papers, etc. We have it in a stylish cream colour, which looks much nicer than the overbearing black of some other models. It also comes in a range of sizes, including a super-spacious 48-inch version.
With nine height settings, it opens up and outwards, so you can position yourself away from the desk (we found this very comfortable). Featuring a patented, spring-loaded lift and dual handle design, it's easy to move, though we did find it quite heavy. Its weighted base and high-quality steel construction make it sturdy and stable, but it is quite bulky so be prepared to lose your entire desk space.
Want to use a large monitor, and maybe a laptop too, while standing? Then the best standing desk converter for you is the Vivo Black Height Adjustable 36in. This boasts a generous 36 x 22in of surfaces for all your kit, and can hold an impressive 15kg (33lbs) of equipment.
There’s also a 25 x 10.5-in keyboard tray, which raises in sync with the top surface. Height can be adjusted from 6.5 to 17in. The whole thing comes almost fully assembled: just place it on your existing desk, attach the keyboard and feet, and start organising your workstation.
We've extensively tested this model and can vouch for its surprisingly sturdy design, for the money. It moves up and down smoothly and has an excellent height range. We have an iMac monitor on the top and there is still plenty of space for a water bottle and laptop so is perfect for those using two screens – as long as you don't mind the mouse sitting on the keyboard tray (it just about has space for a mouse mat and keyboard). If you only have one screen, there is loads of room for the mouse next to the monitor.
The keyboard tray does feel a bit wobbly when typing but after a year and a half of use, there have been no disasters yet. It also has some handy wire holes to keep everything neat and tidy. All in all, we give this one a big thumbs up, even if it isn't the most elegant solution.
If you just want to use a laptop, rather than a full desktop PC, the best standing converter for you probably doesn’t need a keyboard tray. In which case, we’d recommend the Cora Standing Desk Converter. It’s a well-constructed, quality device that lets you create your own standing desk on any surface (traditional desk, kitchen table, hotel room table) and tuck it away when not in use.
Just press the side levers to raise the work surface anywhere between 3.4cm and 39.4cm. The desktop is made from liquid-resistant laminate, with a lightweight but sturdy aluminium base. It supports up to 10kg, and comes with non-skid pads to prevent damage to surfaces. It looks very attractive, too, and this all comes in at a very reasonable price. It's available from fully.com in the US and the UK.
Got a heavy load that you need to support? Then the best standing converter we can recommend is the Ergotron WorkFit-T, which supports an astonishing 18.1kg (40lbs). That makes it the strongest standing desk converter on our list.
It provides a large amount of surface area in both its main platform (35.75 x 23.25in) and keyboard tray (25 x 9in). It requires no assembly and is easy to use: just release hand-brake levers on either side of the unit to raise the surface between 5 and 20in above the desk. In fact, the only thing that counts against the WorkFit-T is the price, which is considerably higher than other models on this list.
Flexispot's Adjustable Standing Desk Converter offers a great balance between quality construction and affordability. Despite its reasonable price, it offers a lot of surface area that can host multiple pieces of equipment.
The gas spring levitation system allows for smooth movement across a generous height range (5 to 20in). And the keyboard tray can be removed quickly and easily when you don't need it. This standing desk converter is tested to over 6,000 lift/lower cycles and comes with a five-year warranty and 24/7 support.
The X-Elite Pro sit-stand workstation is a best-seller at Walmart in the US, and for good reason. It arrives fully assembled, fits on top of your existing desk, and makes it easy for you to transition from sitting to standing while you work, using a pneumatic pump. Its minimalist cherry frame makes for a simple yet attractive design that should fit in with any home workplace. And it comes fully assembled too.
Note, however, that there’s no keyboard tray, so this is only really suitable for laptop use. Plus, while the price for US customers seems very reasonable, at the time of press the cost in the UK seems overly high due to import fees. British readers should still keep an eye on this page, though, because our pricing widgets update in real time, so if prices drop, you’ll be the first to know about it.
Looking for the best standing desk converter at a budget price? Then this is probably it. We say probably, because there are a lot of standing desk converters close to this price point, some featured on this page, and prices do rise and fall.
But given that this is the Amazon Basics range, we'd expect on any given day that this will be the cheapest around. As a result, you pretty much get what you pay for. The materials feel cheap, the movement is clunky, it looks unattractive, and on the whole, it lacks the sophistication of the other models on this list.
It does the job, however, coming fully assembled and allowing you to support up to 9kg of equipment on your desk. So if you prefer to save some money and choose a purposely basic standing desk converter over a pricier option, this isn't a bad choice. It's been out of stock recently, but may be available again when you read this, so check the link above.
How to choose the best standing desk converter
Which is the best standing desk for home office use? In this article, we've selected models to suit different budgets and to match a variety of different needs, depending on how heavy your devices are.
If you just want to use a laptop, you'll be happy with an adjustable standing desk converter with just one raised desk area. If you want a desktop monitor and keyboard, though, you'll prefer one with two. You'll also need to think about how much space you need for your equipment and how heavy it is.
Alternatively, if you need a new desk anyway, you may just prefer to check out the best standing desks.
Read more:
- The best under desk treadmills and treadmill desks
- 10 crucial desk exercises for designers
- The best desk for small spaces: Compact options for small rooms
