It can feel constricting to sit for long periods. 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. 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.
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.
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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.