Tapping away at a standing desk at home or in the office was once thought to be a wacky work practice, but the best standing desks are now believed to offer real benefits. They can help us live less sedentary lives, reduce back and neck strain, and feel more focused throughout the day.
There’s growing research to back the switch. Regular movement throughout the workday has been linked to improved posture, reduced fatigue and even lower blood sugar levels. A recent study from the University of Waterloo in Canada recommends alternating between sitting and standing every 30 to 60 minutes, aiming for a 1:1 ratio across the day to reduce the strain and stiffness that comes from staying in one position too long.
So, what should you look out for? Firstly, a good height range, especially if more than one person is using the desk. Some models go low enough for children or shorter users, while others extend to suit taller adults. Stability is key. Cheaper desks tend to wobble at full height, particularly when you start typing, which can be distracting and bad for your posture. You also need Whether you’re using a crank or a motor, you want to be able to transition between sitting and standing quickly.
Desk space matters, too. You’ll need room for your laptop, monitor, maybe a second screen, a notebook, possibly a nice plant, and all the usual clutter, without feeling like you’re balancing it all on a tray table. Bonus points if it has cable tidies or a built-in power tray to stop things getting yanked every time you change position.
Whether you’re reworking your home setup or just trying to stop yourself from slumping into the sofa by 4pm, there’s a standing desk to suit everyone. In this guide, I’ve tested a wide range of standing desks, from compact risers that sit on top of your existing desk to full motorised models with programmable presets and generous desktop space. Some are sleek and stylish enough for your living room, while others are better suited to an actual home office.
What are the benefits of standing to work compared with sitting?
Research in Physiological Reviews suggests sitting at a desk for too long may contribute to a wide range of chronic issues, including heart disease, type two diabetes, certain types of cancers and an overall shorter life expectancy.
In addition, the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin states there are seven main health benefits associated with using a standing desk, including burning calories, energy bursts, improved posture, reduced back pain, improved wrist circulation and body circulation, as well as a general mood and focus boost. Lowering blood sugar spikes is also a potential benefit.
How I tested
I worked at all these desks for weeks to get an idea of how functional they were throughout the working day. I stood at this desk for most of my working day, occasionally sitting down to take a break.
I needed a desk that quickly moved from sitting to standing, so I wasn’t struggling to alter the height while also fielding a call. I was also mindful of whether the sit-stand mechanism would start to lag or whether any other problems would be thrown up with extended use.
To find the right desk, I assessed each by several key criteria:
The best standing desks for 2025 are:
FlexiSpot E8 standing desk
Best: Overall
Motorised: Yes
Height range: 62.5cm to 128cm
Dimensions: 120cm to 200cm wide x 60cm to 80cm depth
Weight supported: 128kg
Why we love it
- Efficient motorised mechanisms
- Rock solid
- Can take a lot of weight
- Anti-collision sensor
This minimalist desk with clean lines and plenty of desktop space is clearly made with work-from-home in mind, as it combines one of the most efficient motorised mechanisms we tested with straightforward assembly, which won’t take more than an hour.
The lowest this desk will go is 62.5cm, which is great if you’re not super tall, and it raises to 128cm, so you’ll still be able to work ergonomically, even if you’re 6ft plus. It’s capable of supporting 125kg, so you won’t have to worry about overloading it, even if you’ve got a multiple monitor setup, and the table was still rock solid when raised to its highest limit. Dimensions-wise, it’s 120-200cm in width x 60-80cm in depth.
The transition from sit to stand was smooth and quick, thanks to a dual-motor lifting system, and there are four presets that you can program in, so different household members can quickly and easily get to work at the desk at their required height.
There are plenty of other features that can be enabled from the keypad, too, from locking the height, so it can’t be tampered with, to fully lowering the table with one button press, when you’re all finished for the day.
There is also an anti-collision sensor when the table is on the move – this will stop the table before it whacks your pet on the head. The legs are rounded for a more attractive look, and the desktop itself has a nice, natural grain finish with 11 variations available to suit your home décor.
Read the full FlexiSpot E8 standing desk review
Buy now £279.99, Flexispot.co.uk
Ikea skarsta/trotten standing desk
Best: Budget buy
Motorised: No
Height range: 70cm to 120cm
Dimensions: 120cm x 70cm
Weight supported: 50kg
Why we love it
- Straightforward setup
- Functional for all kinds of working practices
This table from the Swedish flat-pack specialist was suitably straightforward to assemble and raises via a handle and crank from 70cm to 120cm. Unlike some other cranked tables I’ve seen, the Ikea desk’s crank slides back under the table once you’ve set the height, to stop you impaling yourself on it when you get up to make a cup of tea.
With 50kg of load and a 120cm x 70cm working area, the table is functional for all kinds of working practices, whether you’re sitting at a keyboard and screen or actually making something.
Read the full Ikea skarsta/trotten standing desk review
Buy now £199.00, Ikea.com
Secretlab magnus pro
Best: For cable management
Motorised: Yes
Height range: 65cm to 125cm
Dimensions: 150cm x 70cm
Weight supported: 120kg
Why we love it
- Clever cable management features
- Range of well-designed optional accessories
- Sturdy and solid at full height
Take note
- Accessories are expensive
The magnus pro is a neat freak’s dream desk, combining sit-to-stand functionality with a set of incredibly well-designed cable management features. It features a hidden section running the length of the desk, into which go all of your unsightly wires. There’s even a power socket in the cabling compartment, so you can raise and lower the desk without pulling on any cables.
The optional accessories don’t come cheap, but they’re great for getting more functionality out of the desk. The PC mount is a near-essential add-on if you want to completely avoid cables being yanked or tangled when raising the desktop – but I’d stick with regular cable ties over SecretLab’s branded magnetic clips.
The magnus pro’s clever cable management tricks make it a truly exceptional setup for working from home. Desktop real estate is maximised while keeping your workspace effortlessly organised. The motors are quiet and smooth, with the option to assign preferred heights to three buttons. Even when fully loaded and at full extension, it’s stable and wobble-free, thanks to its weighty metal design.
Read the full Secretlab magnus pro standing desk review
Buy now £729.00, Secretlab.co.uk
FlexiSpot E7 pro
Best: For stability
Motorised: Yes
Height range: 63.5-128.5cm
Dimensions: 120cm to 200cm wide x 60cm to 80cm depth x 62.5cm to 128cm height
Weight supported: 160kg
Why we love it
- Super sturdy and stable
- Great for taller users
- High-quality wood
Take note
- Only has an outdated USB-A port
- Instructions for set-up aren't detailed enough
Positioned as a step up from the E8, the E7 pro is an even more premium version of my top-pick standing desk, and it lives up to that promise. The robust frame has a premium finish and thicker legs than the E8, so it can handle much more weight on its desktop.
While I set it up in under an hour, the instructions could be better. They’re not very detailed, and I found myself second-guessing a few steps and wondering if we were doing it right. However, once assembled, it’s a joy to use.
We loaded it with a 32in monitor, speakers, a laptop and a riser, and even at full height (128cm) it didn’t wobble an inch. The desktop I chose was made from high-quality rubber wood, and I love it. It gives the desk a far more luxurious feel than the flat-packed MDF you usually get at this price point.
Height-wise, the E7 pro moves from 62.5cm up to 128.5cm, slightly taller than the E8 (though it doesn’t go quite as low). For most users, that’s not an issue, and if you’re on the taller side, you’ll appreciate the extra reach. The dual-motor system is super fast and quiet, with a smooth gliding motion that never jerks or stutters. There are four programmable presets, which I set to my ideal sitting and standing heights, including one that brings it straight back down at the end of the day.
There’s also a child lock and an anti-collision sensor, and it kicked in perfectly when I placed a stool underneath mid-lift. My one real gripe? The unit we received had an outdated USB-A charging port on the keypad. Most of my gear uses USB-C now, so I couldn’t charge my phone or laptop. Thankfully, FlexiSpot says it’s fixed this, and now every desk forward has a USB-C port.
Buy now £469.99, Flexispot.co.uk
Yo-Yo standing desk 90
Best: Sit-to-stand desk
Motorised: No
Height range: 15cm to 50cm
Dimensions: 89cm x 59cm
Weight supported: 15kg
Why we love it
- Easy to operate
If you’re happy with the desk you have but would like the option to sit-stand, this riser will sit on top and give you that freedom of movement, raising your keyboard up to 35cm from the base while the desktop itself goes up to 50cm, so you should easily be able to find an optimum working height.
The gas-assisted lifting mechanism is very easy to operate. When you want to sit down, the whole unit lowers, so your keyboard sits flush to your existing desk, with the monitor sitting at 15cm.
Read the full Yo-Yo standing desk 90 review
Buy now £242.95, Amazon.co.uk
Flytta 2 standing desk
Best: For busy desks
Motorised: Yes
Height range: 64cm to 130cm
Dimensions: 120cm x 80cm or 180cm x 80cm
Weight supported: Unspecified
Why we love it
- Four different sizes of top plate
This desk offers four different sizes of top plate, so if you work pretty minimally, you can opt for the 120cm x 80cm desk. However, there is also a 180cm x 80cm top that will ensure you can really spread out, without feeling cramped while you work.
The dual motors were very smooth, raising the table (via a responsive keypad) between 64cm and 130cm, and I had no worrying wobbles when working at the upper reaches of the table’s standing mode.
The table has a 100kg weight capacity, which means you can work with confidence, even if it has to accommodate a sizeable digital setup.
Buy now £959.94, Sit-stand.com
Fully Jarvis bamboo standing desk
Best: Motorised standing desk
Motorised: Yes
Height range: 53cm to 127cm
Dimensions: 120cm x 80cm
Weight supported: 158kg
Why we love it
- Customisable
- Durable materials
Take note
- Hard to set up
I’m pretty good at DIY, but it was a bit of a struggle putting the Jarvis together. However, I can say you won’t be disappointed with the result. The table supports an astonishing 158kg, and is made from premium materials that are built to last, particularly the sustainably grown and harvested bamboo, which looks fantastic and is very workable. There’s plenty of space for your setup, too, with worktop dimensions measuring 120cm x 80cm.
The motorised lifting mechanism is impressively fluid (using up and down arrows on the keypad), and the table is one of the most customisable on the market, with two shapes and seven sizes, so you should easily be able to find a configuration that is tailored to your office space.
Buy now £760.00, Hermanmiller.com
Herman Miller ratio sit-stand desk
Best: For modern office spaces
Motorised: No
Height range: 65cm to 125cm
Dimensions: 137cm x 80cm
Weight supported: 158kg
Why we love it
- Straightforward setup
- Lightweight
The minimal aesthetic of this desk would make it a very welcome addition to a modern workspace, and the fact that there are a mind-boggling number of combinations to choose from in terms of the frame colour and finish of the hard-wearing melamine top means you should have no trouble blending the desk into your space.
Putting the desk together was straightforward, and the lightweight components meant I didn’t need another pair of hands to help. Once assembled, the desk felt strong and stable, even when raised to the maximum height of 125cm.
The electric height adjustment mechanism was smooth without any judder, and the desk itself will take 75kg, so it will easily be able to accommodate most office setups.
Read the full Herman Miller ratio sit-stand desk review
Buy now £1198.80, Wellworking.co.uk
Humanscale float standing desk
Best: For yo-yo workers
Motorised: No
Height range: 50cm to 120cm
Dimensions: 120cm x 60cm
Weight supported: Unspecified
Why we love it
- Fast mechanism
- Absolutely solid
Take note
- Expensive
If you are one of those workers who are constantly up and down throughout the working day, this table (made from recyclable steel and aluminium) has one of the fastest mechanisms on test. Rather than motors, the float relies on a constant force spring and counterbalance mechanism to raise and lower the top plate over 50cm of height, via a paddle placed just underneath the table. The transition is smooth, strangely satisfying to operate and, most importantly, quick.
The range offered tops out at 120cm, and the desk can support 58kg, but the float was absolutely solid at the top level and never moved, even when I was leaning on it. This is an expensive desk, but it’s also supremely functional and impressively engineered and, again, it’s highly customisable – I specifically liked the under-table keyboard system, where the keyboard can be hidden away in a pull-out drawer to give you even more room on the desktop and reduce clutter when the desk isn’t in use.
Read the full Humanscale float standing desk review
Buy now £1588.99, Humanscale.com
Yo-Yo standing desk pro-3
Best: For big offices
Motorised: Yes
Height range: 70cm to 123cm
Dimensions: 140cm x 160cm x 80cm x 60cm
Weight supported: 150kg
Why we love it
- Efficient motors
- Generous height range
If you have a larger working area, particularly one that’s suitable for a corner desk, this UK manufacturer has come up with a desk with three efficient motors that will raise the right-angled desktop at the touch of a button. The desk ranges in height from 70cm to 123cm, allowing taller individuals to still work ergonomically, although there is also a pro 3+ version (£899.95, Yo-yodesk.co.uk) with a height range of up to 127cm – making it suitable for users up to 6ft 8in.
The spacious table didn’t suffer from any wobble at the higher ranges of height, and the powder-coated top plate comes in 10 colours.
Buy now £799.95, Yo-yodesk.co.uk
HumbleWorks Stan 2 standing desk
Best: For easy assembly
Motorised: No
Height range: Up to 32cm
Dimensions: 37cm x 50cm
Weight supported: Unspecified
Why we love it
- Packs away easily
Not all sit-stand desks rely on motors and fancy mechanisms. If you don’t want a permanent sit-stand option, this birch plywood desk offers both laptop and desktop users the opportunity to feel the benefits of standing. It sets up on an existing desk within minutes, offering a simple system of seven slots into which you can fit two shelves, according to how you want your laptop and screens to be set up.
At the highest level, the stan 2 will raise a monitor 32cm above the height of your original desk, and the whole thing is very easy to pack away again at the end of the working day.
Buy now £269.00, Humbleworks.co
What is the best standing desk?
Sit-stand desks that operate with a motor don’t come cheap, which is why I was particularly impressed with the features of the sub-£500 FlexiSpot E8 standing desk.
From the excellent raise/lower mechanism and impressive range to easy assembly, it’s a great option. Plus, it can accommodate a variety of heights, while staying stable and supporting a range of working devices.
Your questions on the best standing desks answered
How long should you stand at a standing desk?
It’s recommended you alternate between sitting and standing regularly, with research suggesting you should spend one hour standing for every three hours spent sitting down.
Are standing desks good for you?
There are a number of benefits associated with standing as opposed to sitting at a desk, particularly when it comes to your posture. Research shows that incorporating standing into the working day reduces back pain caused by prolonged sitting. A study published in the British Medical Journal also noted that standing desks have the ability to reduce tiredness among workers and boost productivity.
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