The best standing desks may very well change your life for the better. Having used them on our team since the working from home explosion a few years ago, we've big fans of the awesome health benefits from the best standing desks.
And as many of them are pricey, we're also always on the lookout for the best standing desk deals. Personally, I feel healthier using a standing desk (especially when alongside one of the best office chairs for back pain). The constant, minute movements that you make while standing at a desk make me feel less like a potato, and actually feel engaged physically (though on a very low, constant and consistent level). In short, with increased blood flow and lack of slouching, the best standing desks are great for your back health. Of course, that's my anecdotal take on things. Go down to the bottom of this page to see what the professionals say (it's pretty much the same!)
Below you can see the best standing desks in the US, and then the UK. And if you want to combine your new standing desk with a seat, our guides to the best office chairs and best ergonomic chairs may be of interest too.
The best standing desks available today
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Best standing desks in the US
The Nolan Standing Desk from Fully, the US company based in Portland, Oregon, and it's by far the best looking standing desk out there. We're a bit obsessed with both function and design here at Creative Bloq, and though there are many excellent standing desks to choose from on this page, for us there's something about the Nolan Standing desk that combines classic beauty with a modern twist that we absolutely love.
First off, the Nolan Standing Desk eschews the rather cumbersome two-legged, flat-footed base of the majority (if not all) of competitive standing desks, for a classic four-leg, minimal footing design. This writer has long used the former model type, and though it's perfectly fine in use, there is something ungainly about the two tree trunks holding your table top up – something that's at the fore of your mind if you're regularly using the standing desk. The Nolan looks far better, in standing and sitting mode. And, with its four powerful motors, and four-leg design, it's both sturdy and dependable.
For our money, the Flexispot E7 standing desk is one of the best standing desks you can buy right now. It's a motorised desk, operated via a clear LED display, which allows you to input up to four pre-set height options, and it even includes an alarm that reminds you to take a screen break. It's the one that this writer owns, and having used it for around a year now, I can genuinely say it's been a positive addition to my working day.
With motorised desks, it's important to remember the weight they can support so that you don't overload them. Fortunately, the 3-stage, dual-motor E7 frame supports up to 100kg (200 lbs), which is going to be more than enough for basically anyone. I have a hefty Acer Predator monitor, a PS4, keyboard and mouse and speakers, and the desk moves up and down with ease.
It also doesn't hurt that you get a range of finish options, with the Flexispot desk offering laminated, bamboo and various solid wood tops to choose from. In terms of dimensions, you can opt for 48x24in (122x61cm) or up to 60x30in (152x76cm). The Creative Bloq team have opted for stylish black walnut wood in the 48x24 variety, and it's fantastic. For the tallest among us, it can get as high as 50 inches.
Assembly is easy too – it took us about half an hour to get from unboxing to fine-tuning height adjustment. Available at a pretty reasonable price, this is the best standing desk you can buy.
If you've got a little bit of money set aside for a premium build standing desk, the Uplift V2 is a great option. It will do all the things that the number one standing desk will do, above, but with an added focus on silky smooth movement and stability. With dual motors, the Uplift V2 is also quite responsive in its movement. As with the top choice, there's also a feature that will stop the desk moving if it detects that it's 'hit' something on the way down (your chair, your knees, etc).
There are more options for attachments in the Uplift V2, allowing you to attach and hold your desktop computer, for example, under and to the side of the desk. This is particularly great if, like me, your desk is already nicely filled.
Constructed from recycled steel, and made without any toxic chemicals, the Humanscale Float is an environmentally sound choice of premium standing desk. It doesn't use a crank or a motor, but rather a counterbalance mechanism not dissimilar to that of a sash window, making height changes the work of effortless seconds.
It can be adjusted with one hand, even if you've absolutely laden it with heavy equipment and fat books, like we have. All you need to do is turn the weight adjustment handle a few times to compensate, press the handle under the desktop, then lift or lower it.
It's a tough desk too, just in case you do plan on subjecting it to some cruel and unusual punishment.
This is another option that isn't cheap, but an L-shaped desk offers a lot more space than a conventional desk, and it can be particularly useful if you have a setup that involves more than one screen. And it's an area where there's very little competition since there just aren't many L-shaped standing desks around. Our reviewer tried out Brödan's offering for a couple of weeks in his home office and was impressed with its quality and convenience. The electric motor allows you to preset three heights, and there are some nice touches such as power outlets and cable management.
It's big and heavy and not the easiest to manoeuvre once assembled, but then much of that is because of the quality of the materials. All in all, if you’ve got the money to spend and need the flexible space that comes with an L-shaped desk, this is a great option.
See our full Brödan Electric Standing L Desk review for more details.
When we got our hands on ChopValue and Fnatic's unique standing desk, we were eager to find out what the hell a desk made out of chopsticks would look and feel like. Turns out, it can look sleek and beautiful, and feel like a prestige quality product.
Some would say that the REvive Essential and Pro models of this desk are on the smaller side (at 111.5cm wide, 74cm deep). You certainly couldn't say that about the mega Revive XL model! But of course, this 140cm x 74cm table will come with an XL price tag – currently $1,345 over at the ChopValue website. But you do get 9,565 chopsticks with ever XL model! Check out our hand on review for more information on the unique Revive standing desk.
If you're facing the prospect of spending a lot of long hours slogging away on your next creative project, the Ergotron WorkFit-TX is a good choice of standing desk. Its adjustable drop-down tray makes it easy to consistently maintain the correct distance between your hands and monitor, and can also be used when you're sitting.
The workspace of the WorkFit-TX is pretty generous, with more than enough room for you to spread out your laptop(s), monitors, tablets, coffee cups, screwed up balls of paper and whatever else. It can support up to 40lb (about 18kg) of equipment with no issues, and that's almost certainly more than you need unless you've started buying titanium monitors.
The Ergotron WorkFit-TX isn't the cheapest standing desk, but it's one of the most versatile and ergonomic ones that are available.
Many of the best standing desks are adjusted by electric motors, but the Ikea SKARSTA has a more manual approach, with a crank handle to raise and lower it. That means you might not want to have to adjust the height every day, but it does make this standing desk a more affordable option because electrical components don't come cheap. It also means that the desk is lighter than many others without compromising on strength.
You can adjust the height between 70cm and 120cm, letting you work comfortably either sitting or standing. The crank can be fitted on either side, depending on whether you're right or left-handed, and can be tucked neatly out of the way when not in use. While it might sound like hard work compared to the electrical options, the crank is easy to use.
Best standing desks in the UK
The best standing desk in the UK is the same model we chose in the US - though it has a slightly different name. Flexispot's adjustable desk has everything you need: a dual-motor E7 frame that can support up to 125kg, a great choice of frames, tops, and colours, and reasonably easy assembly.
We've been using this standing desk for a couple of years now, and find it seems to hit perfectly the space where quality, features and price combine. The desk is raised and lowered via an LED display that'll go into low-power sleep mode when the desk is stationary, and you can set three height options for ease of use (though this writer only really uses two – standing and sitting!) It'll even tell you to go and take a screen break if you want it to; a very welcome feature in our opinion. If you're in the market for a standing desk, want some options as far as design, but don't want to overspend for a quality desk, this should be your first choice.
If you're in the UK and you're looking for a large standing desk that's built from quality materials, at a mid-range price, the Maidesite SC1 Pro is well worth considering. We used the Maidesite SC1 Pro for several weeks, and got to like the exceptionally smooth movement, the ample desk space, and it's unique look, with its black centre, framed with deep, dark wood finish.
And right now, if you go direct to the Maidsite website, you can get £100 slashed off the price of the Maidesite SC1 Pro – now at £459. Remember, this is a 160cm x 75cm desk, so be sure that you have the office space to accommodate it.
Need more space to accommodate an extra screen or peripherals? One of the downsides of standing desks is that you're rather limited for options if you need the flexibility of an L-shaped desk, which gives you more space to work. The best L-shaped standing desk we've tried is this option for Brödan, and a very good option it is too.
Our reviewer found it to boast quality materials, a sound electric mechanism with three presets, and all-round great convenience for a home office, with added extras like cable management and power outlets (not that the desk is an import and comes with US sockets though, so you'll need adapters). The only downsides we found was that it's quite heavy and bulky, and of course, it's also quite expensive.
See our full Brödan Electric Standing L Desk review for more details.
Flytta is a Nordic word meaning 'move', and the smart Flytta 2 standing desk can do exactly that. It features dual motors that adjust its height smoothly, with collision-detection technology to avoid accidents when lowering it. It has a lift capacity of 120kg, making it suitable for even heavy desktop computers, and can store your preferred stitting and standing heights for future use. The Flytta 2 is available as a frame only (if you have an existing top that you want to use) or a complete desk, so make sure you pick the right option when ordering.
This desk also appeared in our top picks for the best standing desk in the US. A hand crank-powered desk, the Ikea SKARSTA doesn't offer the convenience of electric height adjustment, but that makes it very affordable. It has a clean, minimalist design, and it's also very light while remaining a solid support. The hand crank doesn't require any strength as such, and it allows you to adjust the height of the desk between 70cm and 120cm, so you can use it to work both sitting and standing. The crank can be fitted on either side, making it adaptable for whether you're right or left-handed, and can put it out of the way when you're not using it.
The other IKEA option on our list is a lot more expensive but it offers the convenience of remote control, with an app that allows you to adjust the height of the desk. Just tap with your thumb in the app to choose the level you want for sitting or standing, and the desk's motors do the work. The veneer surface isn't going to appeal to everyone's tastes, but it's very sturdy and easy to clean, which would make this ideal for artists working with soft media like charcoal or pastels as much as for those looking for a computer desk. There are contours to support your wrists and a net under the desk is a handy touch for keeping wires and cables out of the way, giving you more room to work.
Like the Ikea SKARSTA above, this option from FlexiSpot has a hand crank, allowing you to add a little more exercise to your standing desk regime. Again, this makes it cheaper than other models from the same brand, and it also frees you from any concern that the motor might eventually fail one day (don't treat the crank too roughly though; it's not invincible either). You get a nice spacious desktop measuring 140 by 71cm, and the desk's weight capacity is 70kg, which should be more than enough for all your office tech. Just note that the desk comes in two separate packages and requires assembly, including a bit of drilling
Why are standing desks good for you?
Wondering what the health benefit is to a standing desk?
The idea of standing all day may seem strange, but studies have indicated a variety of health benefits. For instance, some studies have shown that after a meal, blood sugar returns to normal levels more quickly in a standing person than a sitting person. Standing also burns more calories than sitting, even if you're standing still, and it can also be much better for your posture; sitting for long periods puts pressure on your back and discs. Standing while working may not be for everyone, but there are definitely benefits to doing so.
How high should my standing desk be?
It's all about configuring it to your specific needs.
You should set your standing desk to roughly elbow-height – to a point where your elbows can rest roughly 90 degrees from the floor. As a guide, a person of the rough average height of 5'11" (180cm) should have their standing desk at about 44 inches, or 112cm. Ideally, your fingers should lightly meet the keys of your keyboard, and your monitor should be 20-28 inches (51-71 cm) away from your face.
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