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The Best Cable Management Solutions to Keep Your Desk Neat and Tidy

We’ve rounded up the best cable management solutions to tidy up your desk and nightstand. All under $30.

By Tucker Bowe

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Updated

If you’re working from home, your desk is likely getting a bit crowded. Your laptop, monitor, keyboard and mouse all take up space. Plus, there are all your charging peripherals. All these things have cables running from and to them — and that can get messy.

To combat this and keep your desk (and yourself) better organized, you should invest in a cable management accessory. They’re cheap, effective and will help you be more productive. Trust us.

Products in the Guide

The Different Types of Cable Management Solutions

Cable Holder

A cable holder is an accessory designed to hold your charging cable / cables in place on your desk. This way the charging cables don’t slide off your when you’re done using them and can be easily accessible the next time you need to charge your device again.

Cable Tie or Clip

A cable tie or clip is an accessory designed to keep your cable wrapped tight and compact. It’s more of an organizational or travel accessory for charging cables and other wires that you’re not actively using.

Cable Sleeve

A cable sleeve is an accessory that’s designed to keep multiple cables or wires together that are all going to the same device, like TV or external monitor. This way your wires can hide out of sight.

Cable Box

A cable box is an accessory that’s designed to hold your various power strip and surge protectors and keep your wires hidden.

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How We Tested

tech roundupCourtesy of Brand

There are a lot of types of cable management solutions out there, and we certainly haven’t tested all of them. But we’ve tested more than enough to choose what we consider the top options for you. Below, you’ll find a mix of cable management solutions that we’ve tested as well as some options that we hope to get hands-on in the near future.

The Best Cable Management Solutions

Elago Magnetic Cable Management Buttons

Pros

  • Has a premium feel
  • Magnetic buttons work wonderfully
  • Pretty affordable

Cons

  • Only holds three cables
  • Adhesive back requires careful placement

I have a confession: I love this little cord management thingy. It’s a short strip with an adhesive back consisting of three magnetic buttons. Each button holds one charging cable and they magnetically stick to the strip to hold the cord in place when you’re not using it. When you want to charge your smartphone or other device, you simply lift the button off the strip and use the cable. When you’re done, you can then return the button to the magnetic surface. It’s super convenient and works excellently. The only downside is that the adhesive isn’t super removable, so you want to stick in the right place when you install it.

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Pictured: Elago Magnetic Cable Management Buttons. Each button holds a cable in place when you’re not using it.
Tucker Bowe

Twelve South Cable Snap

Pros

  • Has a premium feel
  • A lot simpler to use than vip ties or Velcro straps
  • Comes in a pack of three

Cons

  • Very expensive

Twelve South’s Cable Snaps are leather straps with buttons on the end that snap together to keep your charging cables nicely wrapped up and untangled. They come in a pack of three: two small (for normal charging cables) and one large (for longer cables). There’s no doubt that these Cable Snaps are nicer than other accessories on this list that do a similar job, but they’re also significantly more expensive.

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Pictured: Twelve South Cable Snaps. These leather straps come in packs of three: two small and one large.
Tucker Bowe

Twelve South Cable Snap Stay

Pros

  • Has a very premium feel
  • A lot easier to use than other ties or Velcro straps
  • Comes in a pack of three

Cons

  • Very expensive
  • Adhesive back requires careful placement

The Cable Snap Stay is basically identical to Twelve South’s Cable Snap (above); it’s a leather strap with buttons on the end. The difference is that the “Stay” has an adhesive back and thus can be attached to a surface. Instead of organizing unused cables, it prevents your charging cables from falling off your desk and keeps them accessible. They’re really nice, but also a touch on the expensive side. They’re also available in two colors: black or white.

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Pictured: Twelve South Cable Snap Stays. These leather cable holders are elegant yet expensive.
Tucker Bowe

Blue Key World Cable Clips

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • Single clips allow for flexibility
  • Very affordable

Cons

  • Not as neat for holding multiple cables
  • Adhesive back requires careful placement

These are little silicone clips with adhesive backs. They’re designed to stick to your desk (or side of your desk) and keep your charging cables accessible. They come in packs of six and, since they’re individual clips, you can place them wherever you want. They’re simple and easy, but the adhesive is pretty strong so you want to make sure you stick it in the right spot the first time.

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Pictured: Blue Key World Cable Clips. You can stick these adhesive cable holders on the top or on the side of your desk.
Tucker Bowe

SimpleCord Cable Management Ties

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • A single tie can hold multiple cables
  • Easy to reuse

Cons

  • Velcro can be a little infuriating
  • On the expensive side

For bundles of cables out of sight, nothing beats a velcro tie. This is a 30-pack of 8-inch ties, making it an ideal option for people with lots of cables and who need a supply of backups for future use. They’re a better solution than your standard zip tie because they’re reusable (a zip tie you have to cut/destroy — which can be very difficult — in order to unbundle the cables).

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Pictured: SimpleCord Cable Management Ties. These velcro straps are great for organizing a lot of cables.
Tucker Bowe

Anker Magnetic Cable Holder

Pros

  • Has a premium feel
  • Magnetic buttons work wonderfully
  • Holds up to five cables

Cons

  • Adhesive back requires careful placement
  • A touch expensive

This is another really great cable management solution for your desk or nightstand. It consists of five buttons — each of which can hold a charging cable — that magnetically stick to an adhesive strip stuck to a surface. When you want to use a cable, simply lift the magnetic button off the strip. When you’re done charging your device, simply magnetically snap the button back onto the strip.

Flixall Twist Ties

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • Super affordable
  • Easy to reuse

Cons

  • Maybe not the most elegant solution

I have a soft spot for a good ol’ fashioned zip tie. They’re super-easy to use, reusable and they make a great cable management solution for smaller charging cables and wired headphones. Invent in a pack of 100 — it’s less than 10 bucks — and you’ll never have to buy more again.

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Pictured: Flixall Twist Ties. Let’s be honest: You know what a twist tie is.
Tucker Bowe

HMROPE Cable Zip Ties

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • Bulk buy

Cons

  • Not as neat for desktop organization
  • Zip ties can be infuriating to remove

I’m a big fan of the classic zip tie and have been using them for years. They make a simple and effective cable management solution. And you can buy them in bulk for cheap; this is a 100-pack of 8-inch ties. The downside is if you make it too tight, a zip tie can be very difficult — if not impossible — to take remove (and you’re most likely going to destroy it in the process).

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Pictured: HMROPE Cable Zip Ties. You can use a zip tie for a lot of things…cable management is one of them.
Tucker Bowe

Phyxology Supply Zip Tie Adhesive-Backed Mounts

Pros

  • Relatively affordable
  • Bulk buy

Cons

  • Requires zip ties

If you’re using zip ties, these adhesive mounts are a must for running wires along the edge or back of a desk. They work with zip ties (see above) — you stick the zip ties through them — and the adhesive back anchors them to a surface.

Monaco Cable Clip Holder

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • No adhesive back makes it easier to move around your desk

Cons

  • No adhesive back makes it less secure
  • Difficult to hide on your desk

This is another multi-cable holder that’s great for wrangling multiple charging cables into a single place. Each cable is easily accessible thanks to the holder’s open design. The big difference from other seemingly similar options is that this one doesn’t have an adhesive back; instead it’s weighted and thus you don’t have to worry about a sticker damaging your desk’s surface.

Chouky Cable Management Box

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • Bespoke design
  • Comes with additional straps and cable holders

Cons

  • Might not fit really large surge protectors
  • There are prettier (and more expensive) cable boxes

A cable box is a great place to hide all your messy cables. There are a lot of options there, but this one fits my style. It’s bespoke and affordable — and it’s available in all-white if the all-black look doesn’t match your aesthetic. And it’s the perfect size to fit a surge protector.

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Pictured: Chouky Cable Management Box. I have a few of these to conceal wires and my surge protectors.
Tucker Bowe

Alex Tech Cable Sleeve

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • Can hold multiple cables
  • Available in multiple sizes and colors

Cons

  • Difficult removing cables once installed

This simple cable sleeve is perfect for turning 12 cables into one big one. It’s ideal if you have multiple cables connecting to your laptop (or your TV). It’s 10-feet long.

SimpleCord J Channel Cable Management

Pros

  • Simple and effective
  • Can hold multiple cables
  • Available in several different colors

Cons

  • Not the most elegant of bespoke solution

These raceway channels stick to the sides (or underside) of your desk and funnel cables so they don’t run wild. These five raceway channels are available in several different colors so you can get them to match your desk.

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