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.
Our pick
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.
Also great
VertDesk Converter V1CB/V1CW
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.
Also great
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.
Budget pick
The Fully Cora Standing Desk Converter is a lower-cost, less-permanent way to raise your laptop. This Fully model can’t comfortably fit a monitor, an external keyboard, and a laptop, but it works great with a laptop on a stand, a small keyboard, and a small mouse. It’s also the quietest, easiest-to-adjust, and best-looking model we tested.
