Best Standing Desks of 2023

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Adjust your workspace to the perfect height with the best standing desks of 2023.

It can feel constricting to sit for long periods of time. Standing desks give you the freedom to choose what position you'd like to work in. Need deep focus to finish a time-sensitive project? Maybe you want to sit. Feeling restless at your desk? Raise the height and stand to switch things up while staying productive. But there are other benefits to standing desks beyond mixing up your day as you move through your to-do list.

Sitting for long stretches isn't healthy; it's associated with cardiovascular disease, obesity and other potential health risks. That's bad news for office workers, but swapping out a regular desk for a standing version can make a difference. Scientists are still studying the extent of the health difference between sitting and standing, but some research shows that an average person burns 8 additional calories per hour of standing instead of sitting. Other estimates are significantly higher.

Right now, the best standing desk you can buy is the Branch Standing Desk. With a mid-level price tag and high-end build quality, the Branch fits most people's standing desk needs perfectly. It has four programmable heights, and the base is so sturdy the desk feels solid even at full extension.

While standing instead of sitting might not lead to weight loss, it's still shown to help moderate blood sugar faster following a meal and reduce the potential for back or shoulder pain (although you might be trading that for leg or foot pain). Check out these tips on how to position your desk for maximum comfort, whether you're sitting or standing.

I tested a lot of standing desks of various prices, styles and options to get to this list of favorites. Each model is a little different, but they all share one key feature: the ability to raise or lower on demand to suit your specific home office needs.

At first glance, the Branch standing desk looks pretty generic, but the level of craftsmanship is apparent on closer inspection. All of the materials feel premium, with a weight that only comes from good engineering.

At $850, the Vari Electric Standing Desk is expensive, but it's also the best standing desk I tested. Measuring 60 inches wide, with a depth of 30 inches, providing ample desktop area and a weight capacity of 200 pounds, the Vari electric desk can easily hold a dual monitor work setup using monitor arms and pretty much any other office accessories or desktop options you need. This stable standing desk looks nice, too. I got the "reclaimed wood" finish, but the top is really made of plastic (although it doesn't look cheap). The steel legs are very sturdy and you can adjust the feet if there's any wobbling.

The Branch Duo is the company's latest line of standing desks and uses a very simple control mechanism to set heights. The display is simple and clean, and all of the accessories just ooze quality. Building it was simple, taking less than 30 minutes, and the size is perfect for smaller spaces. It's big enough for a couple of smaller monitors or one big one, with plenty of room on the top for a laptop.I especially like the notifications that you can set to remind you to stand or sit throughout the day. Standing desks are designed to help with your health, but they only work if you remember to do it! The Branch Duo removes that problem.

The Ikea Trotten is an excellent option when you need a larger standing desk, but don't want to spend too much money. This simple sit-stand desk nails the basics.

Not only was this model easier to install than expected (you only need a few tools, and Uplift includes accessories for no extra cost to organize all those pesky device cables), it was by far the most customizable standing desk of the bunch.

I have used a lot of desks over the course of my career, but I can honestly say I've never used a desk quite like the Magnus Pro XL. It is at once the most industrial-looking table, while also giving off huge gamer energy. Measuring 70 inches long and made almost exclusively of metal parts, this desk is not meant for one-person assembly. It took nearly two hours to put it all together, but once it is finished, it's a work of art.It has a five-setting standing system and the motors are some of the quietest I've heard while testing. The motion is smooth, and even though the desk weighs quite a lot, it rises quickly and without hassle. I never thought of using a standing desk for gaming before, but it really helps to break up the hours of sitting.

I selected desks of different sizes and styles. Some are controlled manually, while others have electric motors for height adjustment. To test each standing desk, I started out by building each one and noting the ease or difficulty, including whether I needed help with any of the steps. Then I spent a full day working at each one -- switching between sitting and standing -- making notes when something worked particularly well or caused a problem.

Of the others I tested -- the Seville Classics Airlift Height Adjustable Desk with Glass Top, the Seville Classics Airlift Pro S3 Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk, the Steelcase Solo Sit-To-Stand Desk and the Fezibo Height Adjustable Electric Standing Desk with Double Drawer -- didn't make the cut. The Airlift with Glass Top came close to earning a spot above. It's a beautiful, sturdy desk at a midrange price. It also features a small center drawer for holding the basics. Unfortunately, its built-in touchscreen wasn't very responsive and the two USB-A ports, while a nice tech feature in theory, are outdated for today's phones and tablets.

The Airlift Pro S3 was a decent desk, too, but it was a little tougher to install than the others in its size range and it had a cheaper-looking finish than the overall winner for best standing desk (the Vari desk).

The Steelcase Solo desk was surprisingly simple to install for its size (the same as the Vari desk). Instead of using screws to install the legs, these simply lock into place. The desk is sturdy, looks nice and is quiet when raising and lowering. But the Vari has a more sophisticated control panel, a nicer-looking finish and comes with desk accessories.

The Fezibo model intrigued me due to its built-in storage, but I found this model more difficult to assemble than many of the others. Still, it's a reasonable option if you'd like storage compartments integrated into your desk and two levels -- one for holding your monitor and the other for your keyboard and related accessories.

As always, consider your specific needs before you buy a sit-stand desk. Do you have a lot of space and a higher budget? Consider the Vari or Uplift models. The Ikea model is a fantastic midsize manual desk at a great price. The Latitude Run Amilcar is the best option when you want a sturdy standing desk that won't take up a ton of space. Regardless of your home setup, one of these models is bound to suit your needs. But if you aren't sold on a standing desk, consider a standing desk converter for your existing desk instead.

As with any new piece of furniture, you'll want to take a little time to balance your needs with the space and budget you have for it.

Prices range widely for standing desks, but you can find a great one to suit your needs at almost any budget. As noted above, the Latitude Run Amilcar and Ikea Trotten Standing Desk were my favorite options under $300.

Make sure you have enough space for your standing desk before you make your purchase. Don't just consider the room it's going in, either. Also think about the doors, stairwells and other places the box must pass through. It might fit in your planned office space, but if you can't get it up your third-floor walk-up, you'll be in trouble.

All adjustable-height desks have a low and a high range for sitting and standing, but the height adjustment ranges aren't universal across different styles and brands. If you're on the shorter or taller end, certain models might not be comfortable for you, so check the specs beforehand to determine if you'll be comfortable using the desk, both sitting and standing.

Electric standing desks cost more than manual desks, so your budget will absolutely come into play here, but there's more to consider. Manual desks, which have pneumatic pedals, hand cranks or other manual controls, are lighter and quieter (because there's no heavy, noise-making motor mounted under your desk). Manual desks also don't require proximity to an outlet to work. Electric desks allow for easy raising and lowering with the press of a button; some even have digital height readouts so you can always return your desk to the exact same sitting or standing height settings.

Some standing desks (typically the smaller ones) come with wheel attachments for better mobility. Others allow you to mount the electric or manual height control to the left or right side, to favor your dominant hand. Some even have two levels so you can put a monitor on the higher level and your keyboard and mouse on the lower one. If any of these sound appealing, factor those into your purchase decisions.