The 3 Best Standing Desk Converters of 2023

Jul 20, 2023

Our budget pick, the Fully Cora, has been discontinued, but the rest of our picks remain the same.

If Zen masters were to comment on the ideal position to take at your desk, they might say: “If you start to sit too long, stand. If you start to stand too long, sit.”

An electric, height-adjustable standing desk is the easiest way to follow that sound ergonomic advice. But if you don’t want a full-size desk, a manual or electric standing desk converter is the next best thing.

We recommend the compact, stable, and easily adjustable Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior.

Of the converters we’ve tried, this one is the most adjustable, which also makes it the most ergonomic choice. It’s also stable, and it takes up less space than competing converters.

The Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior makes the fewest ergonomic compromises without being too annoying to use. You can control the monitor and keyboard heights separately, and thanks to the monitor mount, your display will be more stable and take up less room than it would in its own stand. Our pick can handle a keyboard, a mouse, and other tools while still fitting on even the smallest of desks. And while the Kangaroo Pro Junior requires a little more effort to tune it to your preferences, that pays off in ergonomically superior arm and neck angles.

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This is the best converter for a stand-mounted monitor or a laptop with an external keyboard. It’s sturdy and spacious, with a unique angle-adjustable keyboard tray.

The VertDesk Converter V1CB/V1CW isn’t as adjustable as the Kangaroo Pro Junior, but it’s the best option if your monitor can’t mount to a VESA bracket, if you need room for two monitors (up to 24 inches wide each), or if you want to use your laptop with an external keyboard while standing. It’s more stable than many other two-tier converters—especially its keyboard tray, which you can tilt to a wrist-friendly negative angle. It’s smooth to raise and lower, it rises mostly straight up instead of lurching out like many converters do, and it has some built-in cable routing for a neater workspace setup.

Much heavier and space-filling than non-electric converters, the E7 gives you one-touch memory buttons, a lot of workspace, and an optional lower keyboard tray.

Uplift’s E7 Electric Standing Desk Converter gives you the most convenient standing setup short of a full standing desk. It weighs about 100 pounds and takes up nearly 40 inches of desk depth with its overhanging keyboard tray, but it’s quicker and quieter than other electric converters we tested. Both desktop options (bamboo or rubberwood) look great, and it lets you use either a lowered keyboard tray or a flat work surface.

Of the converters we’ve tried, this one is the most adjustable, which also makes it the most ergonomic choice. It’s also stable, and it takes up less space than competing converters.

This is the best converter for a stand-mounted monitor or a laptop with an external keyboard. It’s sturdy and spacious, with a unique angle-adjustable keyboard tray.

Much heavier and space-filling than non-electric converters, the E7 gives you one-touch memory buttons, a lot of workspace, and an optional lower keyboard tray.

Wirecutter has been covering standing desk converters and adjustable-height standing desks since 2013. Among three authors, we’ve reviewed and tested more than 15 standing desk converters.

Standing desk converters, also known as desk risers or toppers, are for people who don’t want to buy a full-size standing desk but still want to alternate between sitting and standing while working at a computer. This could be for any of the following reasons:

Ergonomic experts recommend alternating between sitting and standing during your workday because sitting for prolonged periods of time could be detrimental to your health. Research has associated too much sitting with a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes, certain cancers, and premature death.

But that doesn’t mean you should stand all day, either. “Repeated, long-term exposure to standing also has been implicated in the development of serious health problems,” said April Chambers, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Physical Activity at the University of Pittsburgh. So fixed-height standing desks aren’t ideal either if you’re spending long hours at them.

A standing desk converter lets you quickly raise or lower the desktop to alternate between sitting and standing throughout your workday. Researchers recommend sitting and standing for equal periods of time each day, or, at the highest ratio, sitting for 15 minutes and standing for 45 minutes every hour.

After testing more than 25 standing desks over nearly a decade, we recommend the Uplift V2 due to its customizability, wide height range, and stability.

Note that a standing desk converter raises the keyboard height from 0.5 inch to 1.5 inches above the desktop. That, coupled with the height of the average desk (28 to 30 inches), might mean that people who are under 5-foot-11 will need to use a footrest for proper ergonomics when they’re sitting.

On the other end of the spectrum, standing desk converters typically raise the keyboard platform between 14 and 15 inches for standing work; coupled with the height of an average desk, this means they best accommodate people who are about 6-foot-2 or shorter. Taller people will be better off with a fully adjustable desk.

Years of using standing desk converters, full-size standing desks, and even some cardboard standing adapters have taught us a lot about what to look for in a sit-stand setup. Among the attributes we value:

With the above priorities in mind, Wirecutter’s Melanie Pinola assembled and tested the converters side by side on two nearly identical 45-by-30-by-29-inch (width by depth by height) desks. We outfitted each with a 24-inch monitor, a laptop, an external keyboard, a mouse, a notebook, a smartphone, and a glass of water. She then spent a full workday alternating between sitting and standing—with an aerobic step platform to magically transform her height from 5 feet 2 inches to 6 feet to test the higher height ranges of each converter.

Of the converters we’ve tried, this one is the most adjustable, which also makes it the most ergonomic choice. It’s also stable, and it takes up less space than competing converters.

We’ve recommended the single-column Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior for nearly a decade. That’s because it does the best job of turning a fixed surface into an ergonomic standing workstation while keeping a compact footprint.

It has the best adjustments. Of all the standing desk converters we’ve tested, it’s the simplest to precisely tune the position of the work surface and your monitor. Raising and lowering the components with the unit’s nitrogen-gas springs requires very little effort or pressure.

It’s really stable. Once you’ve tightened the surfaces, they stay in place. The Kangaroo Pro Junior exhibits less wobble than nearly any other converter we’ve tested, and leaning on it doesn’t lower the work surface. It also comes with a small adjustable stability bar, which prevents wobbling at the edge closest to you, and the unit’s heavy base halts most vibrations that come through the desk.

It has plenty of work space. The flat, open work surface accommodates a wider range of keyboards and mice than the shallow keyboard trays of other converters, and it doesn’t box in your hands while you’re using it.

But it won’t overwhelm your desk. The Kangaroo Pro Junior is just under 20 inches from the front of its work surface to the back of its monitor column, which is less than every other converter we’ve tested in its category.

It requires fewer adjustments when sitting. The work surface is roughly 0.5 inch thick and floats less than 0.25 inch off the desk, so it raises your typing surface by 0.75 inch. Most converters add at least an inch or two to a desktop, which means many people would have to adjust their chair height and possibly get a footrest to support their body while sitting.

It looks fine. The Kangaroo Pro Junior consists of a metal column that holds a monitor and a matte black, plastic work surface, and that’s all it looks like—no visible logos, glowing LED buttons, or attempts at sleek rounded corners.

It’s backed up by a solid warranty. Manufacturer Ergo Desktop offers a full refund within 30 days of purchase (if you buy it directly from the company). The gas springs and moving parts have a five-year warranty, and the steel structural frame is covered for 10.

Look before you lower. The work surface of the Kangaroo Pro Junior moves straight up and down, the base is smaller than the work surface, and it doesn’t have a frame around the edges. This means objects can end up underneath the work surface and then be hit by the surface on the way down. Be sure to check underneath before you lower the work surface.

It lacks built-in cable management. If you like to have your cables neatly bundled and out of the way, that’s something you’ll have to figure out yourself (you can see our recommendations here). Every standing setup involves a bit of this work, but other converters, such as the VariDesk Pro Plus 30, the VertDesk Converter V1CB/V1CW, and Ergotron’s WorkFit models, offer at least some routing holes and included clips.

The stabilizing leg is a mixed bag. The optional, adjustable piece takes up space and is one more thing to knock over. But it adds stability, and locking the brace into your most commonly used standing height also makes it easier for you to move your work surface to a consistent height.

This is the best converter for a stand-mounted monitor or a laptop with an external keyboard. It’s sturdy and spacious, with a unique angle-adjustable keyboard tray.

We like the VertDesk Converter V1CB/V1CW for most of the situations that our top pick doesn’t cover. Because it’s a two-level converter, it can work with monitors (up to two 24-inch models) on a stand or with an all-in-one computer, rather than requiring a VESA-compatible bracket.

It’s faster to adjust than the Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior. The VertDesk is a little faster to raise and lower, with levers on each side instead of locking knobs.

You can use it with a variety of screen setups. Have your laptop on the top shelf with or without a laptop stand, a monitor on a stand, two monitors on two stands, or one or two monitors on a monitor arm. A replaceable grommet in the upper platform lets you neatly run cables to your screen, and the design also includes a few clips and suggested cable-routing spots. (If you have two stand-mounted monitors—up to 27 inches each—you can buy a 42-inch-wide version for about $70 more.)

The rising motion is very smooth. The VertDesk doesn’t lift straight up like the Kangaroo Pro Junior; instead, it moves slightly toward you in a smooth motion. It’s also easier to push back down than other models. Making small adjustments to the height wasn’t difficult for our 6-foot-1 male tester but required pushing with body weight for our 5-foot-2 female tester. If you have a physical disability or strength issues, you may need assistance with both lifting the converter for placement on a table and lowering or raising this and similar converters.

It has the roomiest keyboard tray. The VertDesk’s keyboard tray offers the most depth of any laptop-friendly model we’ve tested. That deeper space allows for more mouse room, a larger keyboard, or a small notepad. You can adjust the keyboard tray’s tilt to a negative angle, as ergonomic experts recommend, and it stays firmly at the angle you set.

It’s solid, but not quite as stable as our top pick. At its tallest height, the VertDesk comes forward about 10 inches, and typing forcefully on the keyboard tray can make it feel wobbly. Still, at various standing heights in our tests, the VertDesk was more stable front-to-back and side-to-side than our budget pick.

The VertDesk Converter V1CB/V1CW comes with a five-year warranty with “no exclusions.”

The drawbacks of the VertDesk are mostly the same as those of any desktop converter:

The Rain Design iLevel 2 is our favorite laptop stand because it’s easy to adjust and can raise your screen to proper ergonomic height.

We tested 10 monitor arms ranging in price from $50 to $335, and we recommend the Fully Jarvis for its great adjustability, smooth movements, and long warranty.

Much heavier and space-filling than non-electric converters, the E7 gives you one-touch memory buttons, a lot of workspace, and an optional lower keyboard tray.

Uplift’s E7 Electric Standing Desk Converter is the closest you can get to the experience of using a full standing desk, thanks to its motorized column that raises a sleek-looking bamboo work surface and a VESA-mounted monitor with the press of a button.

It’s quiet and easy to organize. The E7’s electric movement makes very little noise while in motion, and it has more cord-routing options and suggestions than other electric converters we’ve tested.

You can program your preferred heights. Programming your sitting and standing heights into memory on the E7 is convenient, and unlike the other electric models we’ve tested, it has smartly placed and easy-to-operate buttons.

It’s pretty stable. The main work surface and the monitor mount are firm when you’re typing at both sitting and standing heights. The keyboard tray does have some wobble, especially if you’re using a mouse near the left and right edges.

But it takes up a lot of room. You need at least 26 inches of desk depth (plus another 13 inches with the keyboard tray), and it weighs 92 pounds, so it’s not easy to move to different work surfaces.

Sitting at the E7 could be slightly awkward, depending on your height. The main work surface rests about an inch above your fixed-height desk. This arrangement is more awkward than our main pick, but if you add on the optional (but included) adjustable keyboard tray, that piece sits lower than your work surface. That might work for some people—especially those 5-foot-5 and shorter, who might otherwise struggle to sit tall enough with the E7 on their desk.

Adjusting the height of the monitor stand can be annoying. The biggest flaw of the E7 is that you have to mount your VESA-compatible monitor at one of five spots on the column. Moving the monitor to a different height involves inserting a screwdriver behind the monitor. This limitation means you need to choose a monitor height that is just okay for both your sitting and standing heights. (The Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro Junior, in contrast, lets you adjust your monitor on a sliding column, separately from the work surface.)

If you want the cheapest possible standing desk converter that doesn’t totally suck: Consider the Vivo V000HB. With the Fully Cora now discontinued, it’s the best single-tier riser we’ve tested. Compared to the Cora, it requires a bit more pressure and angling to push back down, and it feels looser and slightly bouncy when flattened on a table. Unlike the Cora, it also moves into fixed, notched positions rather than being infinitely adjustable. And its handles, while immune to accidental pressing, take up space on your desktop. But despite these flaws, it’s still the best currently available ultra-budget option we’ve tried.

The Humanscale QuickStand Eco is a sleek, single-column converter available with a laptop or dual-monitor configuration. You can easily adjust its 30-by-30-inch square platform by pulling it up or pushing down on it—no knobs or levers to fiddle with. Unfortunately, the monitor height is mostly fixed, and the desktop was distractingly wobbly to work on.

The Ergotron WorkFit-S is a single-column, mounted-monitor converter that clamps to the front of your desk surface. We found that its keyboard tray wobbled while we were typing, we could lower the unit gradually if we applied any kind of leaning pressure to it, and lowering it required angling our downward pressure just so.

The VariDesk Pro Plus 30 (also available in 36-inch and 48-inch versions) takes up just under 30 inches of depth, the most of any converter we’ve tested. In our tests it was stable while we worked at standing height, and we found its keyboard tray about as bounce-resistant at sitting height as that of the VertDesk. But the Pro Plus 30 has 11 locked height positions and its upward momentum is very strong, so at times we had to fight it to prevent it from skipping the spot we wanted.

The Ergotron WorkFit-TX Standing Desk Converter is different from most two-tier converters, with a keyboard tray that extends below your table and can toggle between tilted and flat, as well as dedicated cable-routing grommets near the back. It’s also very big—35 inches wide and 28 inches deep, not including the tray. The WorkFit-TX is a stable converter with a lot of room for your gear, and it can handle big monitors. But in our tests, pressing it down from standing height felt like doing a triceps exercise at the gym.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Standing desks are complete office desks with either a manual crank or built-in motors that raise and lower the entire desktop. Standing desk converters are like smaller furniture pieces that sit on a desktop. They have a countertop that can raise and lower.

You should sit and stand for equal periods of time each day, or, at the highest ratio, sit for 15 minutes and stand for 45 minutes every hour. That’s according to researchers from the University of Waterloo who studied lower-back pain in people who both sat and stood at their desks.

If you have a fixed-height desk that you really like and don’t want to part with, or if you work in an office that doesn’t offer standing desks, then yes, standing desk converters are a great way to add some much needed variety to your desk time.

April Chambers, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Physical Activity at the University of Pittsburgh, email interview

Kevin Purdy

Kevin Purdy is a writer, editor, and repair advocate at iFixit. He previously reviewed products at Wirecutter, including mattresses, standing desks, and bike-commuting gear. He has also written for Lifehacker, Popular Science, Fast Company, and other publications.

Melanie Pinola

Melanie Pinola covers home office, remote work, and productivity as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, work, and lifestyle/family topics. She’s thrilled when those topics intersect—and when she gets to write about them in her PJs.

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