Best Small Standing Desks for Small Spaces

One common concern people tend to have with desk risers is stability. With the Ergotron WorkFit-S, that is not an issue. With a polished aluminium base and desk clamps that attach to the front of your desk, this standing desk converter gives you a sturdy workstation at both sitting and standing heights.

The ergonomics of the WorkFit-S can be described as supportive. Compared to the Kangaroo Pro Junior, the keyboard tray on this riser is better designed. With the converter flat on the desk in sitting position, the keyboard tray drops below the desk height. This would feel great on the wrists and goes a long way in avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome.

Adjusting the height is easy, just push it gently. Ergotron has included a helpful video that shows how the desk riser is adjusted.

On its own, it is designed to support two monitors. It will fit monitors up to 24 inches as well as some monitors up to 26 inches. There is a Conversion Kit you can add on to make it compatible with laptops. Ergotron also offers an added work surface that fits right underneath the monitors.

A possible disadvantage is that the WorkFit-S does not have much in the way of cable management. If you have a lot of plugged-in devices, it could look messy. Another issue is that the maximum height adjustment for the monitors is 23 inches. This is adequate for tall people if your desk is already a good height. If you are tall but have a short desk to begin with, the WorkFit-S might not elevate the monitors high enough.

The Kangaroo Pro Junior by Ergo Desktop has a post and base style standing desk converter. The monitor and work surface is attached to this post separately and can be independently adjusted for height. The work surface can be raised up to 14.5″. On top of that, the monitor is height adjustable up to 6.5″ from the work surface. For most people of average height, this is enough to bring the monitor up to eye level.

Even though it is a free-standing desk riser (i.e., no pesky clamps that need to be attached to the table top), stability is not an issue. Both the post and base plate are made of solid steel. The base itself measures 16” by 17.5″, large enough to ensure no wobble whatsoever while typing.

When it is flat (in sitting position), the work surface is about 3/4th of an inch higher than the table top. Depending on your keyboard, this might be less than ideal for long typing sessions while seated. Do note that the Kangaroo Pro is not designed for laptops to be attached on the monitor holder. You can place your laptop on the work surface and use it that way. Otherwise, it supports one monitor up to 12 pounds in weight.

An alternative to the Kangaroo Pro Junior is the slightly larger Kangaroo Pro. The full sized Pro also supports single monitors, but has a bigger workspace of 24″ by 28”.  That’s an extra 10 inches in length compared to the Junior version. The height adjustment features are the same. However, the full sized Kangaroo costs more.

Starting with the main workspace, it comes in a standard black and has a curved intimate design. There is a pencil holder like dip in the front, perfect for propping up a small tablet or a smart phone. The size is big enough to fit two small monitors or one monitor and a laptop.

It comes with a removable keyboard tray. Even if you do not use a keyboard, the extra tier is invaluable space, more so if you have a small office to begin with. Another space saving feature of the Simbr is that it unfolds vertically straight up and down. Adjusting the height can be done using just one hand by squeezing the single lever. This stand up desk riser lets you work from a height of 4.53″ to 16.93″ from the tabletop.

User reviews praise the stability of the desk and many appreciate the high quality and durable material. Just in case, Simbr covers any issues you might face with a comprehensive 10-year warranty. There is some assembly required, but generally it’s not too tricky to put the desk riser together.

One downside of the Simbr desk riser is that the keyboard tray is a little narrow. It measures 29.37″ x 6.6″, which is fine for small keyboards. If you have an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, it might be a bit cramped. Otherwise, it’s a fabulous desk converter for a great price.

House of Trade produces a wide variety of standing desk converters. Each has its own appeal, but for a desk riser designed for small spaces, you can’t go wrong with the Deskriser 28X. Its small work surface (28” by 20”) fits even the most cramped of corners. It is also very portable. It sits on top of the desk on its own without any extra clamps. After you are done using it, the Deskriser 28X can be folded flat and stowed away under your desk.

The X-lift frame is easily managed with a single hand lever to raise your desktop between 3 inches and 14 inches high. 14 inches might not be high enough, particularly for tall people. Also, with multiple heavy monitors on the desktop, it gets difficult to lift and lower with one hand. It has only one tier, which means no special compartments for a keyboard. This makes it more suitable for laptops.

As anyone who has ever purchased furniture online knows, deciding on an item and ordering it is only half the battle. The other half is assembling it at home. The House of Trade eliminates that issue by shipping out their desk riser preassembled. All you have to do is open the box! Essentially, for an easy to use basic desk converter for lightweight items, the House of Trade Deskriser 28X fits the bill.

Let’s inspect the UPLIFT V2 24″ Deep Standing Desk in more detail. First of all, the small size is achieved by cutting back space where it won’t be missed as much, the width. In this standing desk, the width stays constant at 24” to keep the desk small, but the desktop is available in a variety of desktop lengths of 42”, 48”, 60” and 72”. Combined with the weight capacity of 355 pounds, this desk is perfect if you need to fit multiple monitors into a narrow space.

As an added bonus, it comes with lockable casters to make it easy for you to wheel the desk between rooms – perfect for a change of scenery, especially with the shorter models. The 24 inch frame can easily squeeze past most doorframes.

There a few different desktop options to choose from, such as a 1″ thick Carbonized Bamboo Rectangular, white laminate and black laminate. The bamboo is a crowd favourite with reviews praising its smooth feel. For a more luxurious worktop, Uplift offers this standing desk with a reclaimed fur wood desktop, but it will set you back an extra $460.

Uplift offers a 30 day trial period during which you can return the desk for free, great for standing desk newbies. After that, if you decide to keep it, the adjustable desk has a warranty period of 7 years.

Compared to the MotionWise Electric Standing Desk, the Uplift 24” is more expensive. Both have dual motors, beautiful desktops and good warranty coverage. If you need a standing table that is longer than 48” or have several heavy items that need the 355 pound weight capacity, the Uplift is the way to go. Otherwise, if luxury isn’t a priority, the MotionWise is an excellent small standing desk that does the job for most home offices.

The height of the desk is adjustable between a range of 24 inches at its lowest and 48 inches at its highest. To move the work surface up and down, just use the LED controller to select your preferred height or choose from 4 programmed memory presets, and the dual motors powering the desk do the heavy lifting for you. User reviews consistently praise the smoothness of the motors and the ease of adjusting the tabletop height.

With a generous weight capacity of 225 pounds, the desktop is able to support multiple monitors. As an added touch, MotionWise added on a stationary drawer to the desk. Another cool feature is the USB power point on the controller that lets you charge any USB powered devices on the table.

Assembly is a breeze as most of the desk is pre-assembled before shipping. Once it is unboxed, it takes most people less than 15 minutes to get it set up and ready for use. MotionWise offers this standing desk in four different finishes. Between black, white, castle gray and american walnut, you won’t have trouble picking a colour that matches the rest of your office décor.

After browsing user reviews for this standing desk, most of them are positive. However, a small percentage of reviews complain about receiving damaged goods, particularly dented drawers or table legs. MotionWise does accept returns but this makes the purchasing the HomeSeries standing desk a bit risky.

The Seville Classics Pneumatic Mobile Desk is great for laptop users or those looking for a standing desk to do other activities such as art projects or writing. Starting at the top, the tabletop does the job just fine. It measures 16.9″ x 24.4″, a size large enough to support a laptop or maybe one computer monitor with a smaller keyboard. The maple laminate covers beveled edges.

The single-leg is equipped with a lever to adjust the height of the table. Pneumatic adjustments are naturally not as seamless as electric, but at this price point, it does the trick. The entire standing desk weighs just about 25 pounds, so moving it around could not be easier. The four casters roll smoothly and two are lockable to keep the desk from sliding. For light use, it is a stable standing desk.

There are a few downsides. First of all, the height is adjustable between 29.3″ to 43.5″. If you are very short or very tall, it might be difficult to use the desk at an ergonomic height. Apart from that, some user reviews complained of a squeaking sound when adjusting the height. One other issue is the hardware. They can be flimsy and the screws may not fit properly. As a potential solution, swapping in your own higher quality casters and longer screws is easily done and inexpensive. However, it is an extra chore.

Overall, this adjustable standing desk is not for fussy buyers. If you are on a budget, handy with a bit of DIY skills, and want a simple desk, it could be a good choice.