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While working at home can be awesome for some reasons, it’s not exactly great for our posture, fitness and weight (anyone else gain that Rona 19?)
What is the Best Standing Desk for Your Home Office?
Because price is a consideration for most people nowadays, I wanted to include some sit/stand options as well. Here are the best sit/stand desk alternatives for your home office.
There is a wide variety of pricing options in the standing desk market, so I made sure to include a few price points for you to choose from.
1. Avantree Neetto Portable Laptop Standing Desk
Best Budget Standing Desk
This is the standing desk alternative I used for a few years when I was just getting started working from home.
I love it for the simplicity of it, how versatile it is - and of course the price! I've posted about this one before on my top gifts for entrepreneurs post because I can't get enough of it!
The Neetto is marketed as an adjustable bed desk/table, but it is a great option for a standing desk.
The great thing about this is it doubles as a portable desk as well if you’re looking for something you can bring on the road with you.
You manually make it higher by using the latches on the sides. It can also tilt forward allowing you to read or make your keyboard more easily accessible.
This is not the most sturdy table you’ve every come across, but for the purposes of having your laptop or monitor on it, it works out great.
2. VIVO Black Height Standing Desk
The ability to add dual monitors onto this desk is what makes it so great. There is room for your mouse, keyboard, and some trinkets if you're into that kind of thing.
This desk has such a reasonable price tag and gets a lot of great reviews.
This is a standing desk converter, meaning you can easily go from sitting to standing up, without committing to an entirely new desk setup.
It is also much more durable and great for two monitors – which is almost necessary when you’re working for yourself.
3. Stand Up Desk Store Crank Adjustable Standing Desk
While this next option is a little pricier, it’s also make out of solid wood (walnut) heavy duty steel, and is a full desk replacement, as opposed to an addition to a desk.
Some of the reviews do mention it takes about a minute and a half of hand cranking to get it into full standing position, so if you swap position multiple times throughout the day, this could be a deal breaker.
But at 48 inches wide, this is a great option for replacing your desk with something more versatile, but that isn’t super expensive.
4. Flexispot Stand Up Desk
Best Standing Desk Converter
This desk gets amazing reviews, 5700 with an average of 4.9 stars at the time of writing this.
This desk gets amazing reviews, 5700 with an average of 4.9 stars at the time of writing this.
You get all the pros of a Varidesk, without the price tag.
Similar to the VIVO listed above and the Varidesk listed below. With the Flexispot, you get almost everything a “premium” VariDesk comes with, but without the $295 price tag.
This one is a standing desk converter from a sitting position to a standing desk pretty quickly, and most love that it goes straight up without coming out towards you when you heighten the desk.
5. Varidesk Pro Plus 30
The Varidesk Pro Plus 30 is great for single monitors and someone who had limited desk space.
If you have dual monitors, go ahead and skip to the Pro Plus 36 below. This model has 11 different height positions so you can find the one that works for you.
I think the best part about this one is that there is no assembly required. 🙂
6. Varidesk 49900 – Pro Plus 36
The Varidesk Pro Plus 36 is great for those of us with dual monitors or who need more space overall.
The width of the desk itself is 36 inches (thus the name) and has lots of room for two monitors, or a monitor and a laptop. From checking out the reviews, it looks like two 27 inch monitors would fit just fine on this space.
This one also comes fully assembled so there is no hassle in setting it up.
7. Flexispot Electric Standing Desk
Best Overall Standing Desk
This is my desk! I bought the legs separate from the table top, and then found a nice slab of wood to attach to the top. The electric motor is pretty quiet and quickly raises to the heights I’ve set up on the control panel.
The desk frame is wide enough for me to fit my desk chair and my treadmill under it at the same time.
I’m a big fan of how easy this is to use and the memory presets/height presets make this desk a winner for me.
I bought this desk last year and could not be happier. It runs great, remembers the height I want it at when I'm standing so I can push one button and it automagically raises to that level. And for the price, it really can't be beat.
8. Varidesk ProDesk 60 Electric Standing Desk
If you’re really looking to go top of the line here – check out the electric standing desk from Varidesk. Yes – it’s electric, as in you push a button and it converts to a higher position automatically. Whoa.
- Push button memory settings so you can quickly switch between heights
- Solid one-piece top made of wood
- 30% greater range in adjustability with 4 programmable height settings it is easy to choose a height between 25.5” to 50.5” high
- Supports up to 200lbs
While the other options above are modifications to a desk, this is a full-sized desk, coming in at 60 inches wide and 30 inches deep.
If you’re looking to get a completely new desk setup, this might be the one for you.
I hope that gave you a good wide range of selections to pick from.
Best Treadmill Desks
Here comes the game-changer for you. I no longer use a standing desk by itself, but have now added a treadmill into the mix.
The overall idea here is to get yourself up and moving. You’re going to be more productive, increase blood flow, and you’ll be more likely to add in a few extra steps throughout the day.
I use my Flexispot desk but I have a walking treadmill underneath it now. The one I bought is no longer available, but I found this one which is pretty close and gets great reviews.
Get those steps in while you work! You can fold the top piece down and get your steps in.
I know walking while you work sounds hard, but you’re not trying to break any landspeed records here. Typing while you walk at a slow pace is so much easier than you think it is, I promise.
The Benefits of a Standing Desk
Not sitting for 8 hours a day while working has been shown to reduce risks of obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that regular exercise does not counteract the negative effects of sitting for extended periods of time.
It’s not advised to go from sitting to standing for 8 hours, and that’s why it’s so great that these desks have both a sitting and standing option. You can ease into this.
The other great option is a treadmill desk, which I cover towards the bottom of the post. This has been a game-changer for me and my health.
What to Look for When Buying a Standing Desk
If you’ve never owned a stand-up desk, it can be quite confusing to know exactly what you need. Here are some things you want to look for:
Adjustable Height
We are all made of different shapes & sizes. Make sure that your desk will allow for some modifications to fit uniquely to you.
Most sit to stand desks come with a few different levels of height to choose from. This is what you want to look for, because not everyone is the same height, and not everyone likes their desk at the same height either.
Keyboard Below Elbow Level
Make sure that the keyboard platform on your standing desk is set slightly below elbow level to maximize your posture. This is how your elbows should be when sitting as well, as it helps reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome – which can be super painful.
Keeping the Monitor 20-30” From Your Face
You want your computer monitor to sit far enough away that you’re not going crosseyed to read it, but you also don’t want to be squinting to read the screen.
Remember how your mom always told you not to sit too close to the TV? Don’t forget that tip when sitting at a computer either!
The Price
You can make your own standing desk out of a cardboard box, or you can spend thousands on the best, so this is going to be a major factor. How much money do you want to spend on a desk like this?
The Type of Desk
There are a few types of standing desks you can choose from:
- Standing desk converters – these are generally desks that can be switched to a
- Electric standing desks
- Manual standing desks