Home / Tech / Buying Guides

The Best Monitor Stands to Upgrade Your Home Office

A monitor stand not only helps your productivity and health; it can make your workspace look pretty darn cool.

a collage of multiple computers and monitor stands Courtesy

By Tucker Bowe

Published

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Still think your workstation is fine without a desktop or monitor stand? Think again. A good monitor stand elevates your screen, which helps with posture and overall productivity; it improves air circulation so your computer doesn’t overheat; and it can add storage to your desk, organizing your pens, notebooks, paperclips and EDC — or just hide them altogether.

Products in the Guide

Given that many of us have been working from home for a good while (and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future), it’s important to make sure your home office looks nice — and a desktop stand can definitely help with that, too.

Pros

  • Gorgeous design
  • Wood is available in several different finishes

Cons

  • Expensive
  • No hidden storage

Grovemade’s entire Desk Collection is pricey but stunning. This particular offering stands out for its simplicity and elegant design. The wood is the star of the show, and it comes in either walnut or maple.

Pros

  • Minimalist design
  • Different wood finishes and sizes available
  • Shelf adds extra storage

Cons

  • Expensive

The Desk Shelf is also part of Grovemade’s Desk Collection. It’s made mostly of wood, in your choice of nine different finishes, and underneath it has an aluminum shelf for storing and hiding your various peripherals (including a laptop) when not in use.

It comes in four different widths: small (shown), medium, large and XL, with the latter two designed to hold two monitors (or one monitor and a pair of computer speakers).

Pros

  • Relatively affordable
  • Minimalist design
  • Shelf adds extra storage

Cons

  • Doesn't lift monitor that high off desk

Twelve South’s Curve Riser is a unique, minimalist monitor stand. It has an all metal design with a built-in storage shelf. And it lifts your monitor 4.25 inches off the desk, higher than many other options.

Pros

  • Minimalist design
  • Doesn't add clutter to desk

Cons

  • Pretty expensive for what it is
  • Doesn't lift monitor that high off desk

Satechi’s monitor stand addresses a problem most stands don’t: hard-to-reach ports. The “stand hub” has a number of outward-facing ports — USB-C port (up to 5 Gbps), three USB 3.0 ports (up to 5 Gbps), slots for both micro and SD cards (up to 104 Mbps) and a headphone jack — so you don’t have to worry about blindly feeling behind your monitor or desktop for the correct port. It’s available in silver or space gray.

computer on a stand with a keyboard and mouseAmazon

The Budget Pick

Simple Houseware Metal Desk Monitor Stand

Pros

  • One of the most affordable monitor stands
  • A surprising amount of storage for desktop peripherals
  • Available in several different finishes

Cons

  • Not the biggest monitor stand
  • Doesn't lift monitor that high off desk
  • Design won't match everyone's aesthetic

Simple Houseware’s monitor stand is a great option for anybody shopping on a budget. It isn’t flashy, but it’s sturdy thanks to its metal design. It elevates your stand a whopping six inches off the desk, and it has a number of handy organizational slots.

Pros

  • Distinct wooden design
  • Surprising amount of storage
  • Pretty affordable

Cons

  • Bamboo feels cheap compared to wood
  • Design won't match everyone's aesthetic

This monitor stand is a charmer. It’s made almost entirely out of bamboo, and it has three storage compartments complete with a pull-out drawer. It also elevates your monitor nearly five inches off your desk, and you can slide a mouse or keyboard underneath the bottom for further storage.

Pros

  • Design feels premium
  • Lots of storage
  • Magnetic grille is reversible

Cons

  • Might not fit with your monitor
  • Quite expensive

Twelve South only makes accessories for Apple products. The HiRise Pro, for example, is specifically designed to house iMacs and iMac Pros. It sheaths the base, while also providing additional storage. On top of the HiRise Pro is a leather pad, where you can safely and easily rest your EDC, like your AirPods or a keychain. The front grille, which grips the base via magnets, is reversible, so you can switch between gunmetal and walnut.

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Minimalist design

Cons

  • Might feel cheap to some
  • Design won't match everyone's aesthetic

Monoprice’s budget-friendly desktop stand is more of a shelf, really. It’s 22 inches across, plenty big enough to hold a desktop or monitor. And its platform rises a few inches off the desk so you can store things under it and declutter your space. It’s available in black or translucent.

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Storage drawer is nice

Cons

  • Design won't match everyone's aesthetic
  • Feels cheap compared to higher-end options

Huanuo’s monitor stand is all about organization. It has a rather large pull-out drawer as well as two side compartments, which are ideal for holding pens, notepads and various office supplies. It also raises your monitor several inches off the desk to a more ergonomic working height.

Pros

  • Minimalist design
  • Different wooden finishes available
  • Shelf adds extra storage

Cons

  • A little pricey

Artifox makes a wide range of modern stands, all simple and elegant, wonderfully blending wood and metal. Its Large Stand acts as both a monitor stand and desktop shelf, allowing you to store accessories underneath). It comes in three different styles: walnut (shown), white oak and black oak.

Pros

  • Elevates your monitor higher than other options
  • Installation doesn't damage desk
  • Available in different finishes

Cons

  • Requires more "effort" to install
  • It ain't cheap

If you’re looking for a more adjustable solution that frees up even more desk space, get a monitor arm. The Jarvis Monitor Arm, one of our favorites, easily grips to your desk and elevates your monitor to your natural line of sight. (It comes with a removable VESA plate that works with a wide variety monitors.)

Editor’s note: As of April 30, 2023, Fully no longer exists as a standalone brand. However, some of its products will continue to be produced and sold through Herman Miller and DWR stores.

,