Standing Desks & Treadmill Desks

By far the most populous category of sit-to-stand products, electric standing desks are powered by precision, linear motor drives and easily change in height with the press of a button. They have a distinct advantage over most manually-operated desks in speed, convenience, and performance, but tend to cost a little more than their crank-operated cousins. Nevertheless, with dozens to choose from spanning a wide range of capabilities, feature sets, and price tags, it remains the active workstation of choice for homes and offices across the country.

When it comes to standing desks and standing desk converters, nothing beats made-in-America for component quality, precise machining tolerances, technology features, customer support and overall value over the lifetime of the product.

Our standing desk expert review staff has selected the top offerings in the market between $400 and $800 - check out these summaries and click through to our detailed lab test reviews of each of these top-rated desks.

As we frequently get requests from readers for a short list of the best budget sit-stand desks to consider, we asked our editors to compile their top picks for standing desks under $400.

Not Quite Minute-Rice, But Pretty Darned Close

When it comes to the prospect of assembling a standing desk we find that our readers generally fall into two camps:

Dudes who love a good DIY project, have the proper tools, and wouldn’t dream of paying for someone else to assemble their desk, and Everyone else. Including people who dress nicely for work, who don’t have the patience or technical skills for an “IKEA project,” and those who don’t have the proper power tools to make the job go faster.

If you fall into Group 2, this article is for you. The rest of you dudes can go check out our DIY section and learn all about the best bases and desktops to use in constructing your [...]

When Only a Small Standing Desk Will Do

While 95% of standing desks sold are 30 inches deep there are times when that’s just too big for your available space, and what you really need is a desk with 24 inches of depth. Whether for a small Manhattan apartment, a dorm room or a “hot desk” area, these smaller desks are ideal for the laptop user who doesn’t plan to have a lot of external monitors (for focal depth, users with multiple LCDs will likely want that full 30″ depth in all likelihood). These are fundamentally the two standard depths for the office desk industry; anything shallower than 24″ or deeper than 36″ is considered very [...]

If you're in the market for an adjustable-height desk and are willing to put in 20 seconds of elbow grease each time you want to switch from sitting to standing, then a manual desk will save you some coin. Unlike the more common electric-adjustable standing desks, manually-operated desks change height without motors, electronics or power cords. This makes manual desks slightly more affordable than electric models. The only tradeoff is that manual desks are generally slower to adjust and require more effort from the user to lift and lower. As with any category, there is a spectrum of quality among the different available products, with a few standouts that rise above the rest. We've [...]

In keeping with their reputation as the most innovative standing desk manufacturer, Seattle-based iMovR spent more than two years developing the Lander Desk. Their simple aim: to eliminate the #1 hesitation people have about switching to a standing desk, the hassle of assembling a 200 lb. desk by themselves (or finding someone to help them put it together), and the fear of a highly inconvenient disruption to their work should anything go wrong during assembly (hassles of dealing with warranty repair, shipping parts back and forth, loss of the use of their desk in the interim, etc.).

ReviewShippingWarrantyCompare Lander Desk - The Sequel

The original Lander Desk is the #1 top-rated premium standing desk. The new Lander Lite brings the same features into closer economic reach for mainstream users.

When iMovR first introduced the Lander Desk in April, 2018 it stopped the presses, upending the long-standing assumption that a height-adjustable ergonomic desk will never be anything more than just a “dumb” piece of furniture with electric motors (if you’ll pardon our pun). As we wrote in our review at the time, the Lander’s debut represented a revolution in sit-stand smartdesk design, not just a another small evolution.

We are not [...]

The iMovR Freedom™ standing desk line is what the market has been waiting for – a quality American-made option that is priced competitively with popular standing desks built on commodity imported bases. The Cascade is identical in every other way to iMovR’s more conventionally-topped sister product, the Energize, but builds in their patented SteadyType™ keyboard tray for the most ergonomically advanced standing desk experience on the market. Toss in the litany of customizable options iMovR is known for (over 3,400 variants on the Freedom desk line alone can be ordered online), and here is a desk you can cater to your needs and count on for years of reliable, stable, and quiet operation.

The iMovR Freedom™ standing desk line shines by offering what, up to this point, has been missing on the market – a quality American-made option priced competitively with popular standing desks built on commodity Chinese-made bases. The Energize is a twin in nearly every way to iMovR’s SteadyType™ equipped Cascade Standing Desk, but offers a flat-surfaced 3D-laminated tabletop, and even more sizing options than the Cascade, including a compact 24” depth and two options for tabletop thickness. Toss in the wide array of customizable options iMovR is known for (over 3,400 variants on the Freedom desk line alone), and the iMovR Energize takes over the mantle from the sunsetting iMovR Uptown [...]

Is It Really the “Fastest Standing Desk Ever Created”?

Of all the innovations we’ve seen in standing desk designs since we first started publishing our lab-test reviews back in 2013, the ZipDesk’s “desk-in-a-box” concept is one of the most subtle yet potentially impactful on our industry. Why, you ask?

Conventional standing desks take some time to receive and assemble, and require some significant patience before you’re actually standing at them—assuming no problems transpire during assembly, such as missing parts or faulty components. Full stop. 

When we’ve surveyed our readers as to why they haven’t yet adopted a standing desk, this in fact turns out to be the [...]

For all the fanfare of "V2," the enhancements over the prior version of the Jiecang base are just not that meaningful. In terms of desk performance, barely detectable. The accessory mounting points are clever but most users won't find a significant benefit from them, and while the 6-axis anti-collision works better than on the predecessor it is annoyingly oversensitive. Assembly is just as time consuming and frustrating as before, despite the company's hyperbolic false claims that it can be accomplished in 7 minutes.

The Jarvis is popular, there is no doubt about it. Sleekly marketed and with low entry-point pricing on all-Chinese componentry, Fully generates a lot of sales. But the componentry is unspectacular, marketing claims are overwrought, and the warranty doesn't include the desktops. Once components are upgraded to better than bottom-end options the pricing is not nearly as competitive as it first seems.

The Autonomous SmartDesk is the cheapest desk you can buy, in every sense of the word. Read our expert reviewer's reasons for being skeptical about the company's many hyberbolic marketing claims.

The IKEA Bekant desk underwhelms us. With a weak 150-lb lifting capacity, a surprisingly light frame, and only one desktop size available, this desk comes in at the low end of electrically adjustable sit/stand desks. For only $100 more you can find a desk with much stronger, quieter and faster motors, and a tabletop that'll last much longer, look much nicer, and stand up better to cuts, dings and chemicals. What exactly can you expect if you buy this desk? Short answer: a typical IKEA product strategy of cutting corners on components in order to achieve an extremely low price point. Most of us here at WorkWhileWalking are more than a little familiar with IKEA – having purchased, [...]

It's a good thing IKEA standing desks come with ten year warranties but this scenario has been unfortunately common with the underpowered IKEA and Galant standing desks to date. In this review we'll examine whether the new IKEA Idasen standing desk will have a better chance of offering lasting quality and durability.

ReviewSpecsWarrantyShipping Our Long History with Varidesk

We've been reviewing Varidesk products since the company was first spun out of costume and decorations-manufacturer Gemmy Industries in 2013. That's when they first introduced what was at the time a highly-innovative new product, the Varidesk Pro standing desk converter. The Varidesk (originally called the Versadesk but that was stopped by a lawsuit from Versatable) started out as a CEO's pet project inside of Gemmy, and has exploded to become one of the largest brands in the office fitness sector today, and still the sales leader in the desktop converter segment.

Since then the company has rolled out a long list of [...]

For the price, the StandDesk is a great lower-cost alternative to the UpLift, Jarvis and other Chinese-made desks. StandDesk's simple product and simple website is a philosophy that appeals to the younger generation, and doesn't go over the top with marketing pizzazz and unsupported performance claims like their Jiecang-based competitors tend to employ.

Online active office furniture seller Fully.com has quietly launched Able Desk Co as a separate brand, apparently targeting younger, most cost-sensitive, primarily millennial consumers.

Ergoprise’s Uprise Standing Desk is a solid, mid-tier desk that stands at the crossroads of function and affordability. A quiet, sturdy base and a variety of table tops - including premium bamboo and hardwood - make this an attractive option for both standing-desk and treadmill-desk users.

There's something almost seductive about a Float table. Innovative counterbalance technology makes these desks fast, easy adjusters. While Humanscale had some growing pains first bringing this desk to market, they appear to have thoroughly resolved their packaging and shipping issues; prompting us to re-instate the Float Table's four star ranking.

Lately we've seen some standing desk manufacturers releasing "Home Edition" products that aim to reel in low-budget buyers with an ad for an unrealistically inexpensive desk. The trend starter was Autonomous with their SmartDesk 2 Home Edition Standing Desk, using this single-stage, single-motor version ($348) to lure consumers to their website, where most end up buying the more expensive Business Edition. The ol' bait-and-switch.

Ironically, while UpDesk calls its higher-end model "commercial grade," it's the corporate buyers that demand the greatest stability, need the greatest range in decor options, and have the desire to eliminate installation costs on new standing desks, which is the Pro model's exact shortfalls. With its limited size and color offerings and involved installation the UpDesk Pro seems to be more of a "premium home" unit than a true commercial-grade standing desk offering.

Testing the Eureka standing desk was a highly contrasting experience. You get a lot of desk for the money, with reliable components and sufficient tech features to make it believable that it will last at least as long as its five year warranty.

An ergonomist’s dream realized by a craftsman. Focal owe themselves a pat on the back – the Locus really is an impressive piece of work. We’ve seen leaning chairs before, but most follow a somewhat Spartan mold. Not so with the Locus; the pairing of desk and chair makes this the first integrated leaning workstation we’ve tested. Well-designed, well-built, and supported by a friendly, dedicated company – the Locus should be the first port of call for anyone interested in a leaning workday.

A two-hit desk combo from Anthro Furniture. The Elevate II Adjustable-Height Standing Desk, and its close relative, the Elevate II Adjusta, are patiently waiting in our testing labs. Full evaluations of both desks will be available soon. Until then, whet your appetite with this sneak preview of the Elevate II, and then check out our Elevate II Adjusta preview to see what this duo, pardon the pun, brings to the table.

Anthro's Elevate II Adjusta is a promising new entry in the adjustable-height desk field. Its unique split-top design permits both new ergonomic flexibility and extra height adjustment. The Adjusta is actually one of two adjustable-height desks we from Anthro Furniture that we are evaluating right now, the other being their more conventional Elevate II desk. Anthro specializes in tech-enabled tables and benches for the medical and education sectors, and we're excited to see their new entries in the office furniture category. We have just assembled both desks in our testing labs, and we'll have reviews of each available soon. While we work on our definitive analysis, here are some of [...]

MultiTable is the long-time producer of the ModTable, a popular crank (manual) height-adjustable desk. See our earlier review of the ModTable crank adjustable height desk, which received good reviews from Amazon buyers and WorkWhileWalking testers alike for a long time. Newer models like the top-rated ThermoDesk Ellure have since entered the fray creating strong competition for the ModTable. In 2013 the company also joined the rapidly expanding gang of electric desk manufacturers, with the introduction of the Mod-E. In doing so, MultiTable can be credited with bringing telescoping (width-adjustable) bases down to a price range where most people, not just large corporations, could [...]

The worst platypus of a desk we've ever seen, the SmartDesk 3 is neither a good standing desk nor a useful personal assistant. It is build on the poor performing SmartDesk 2 Business Edition platform but limited to one desktop size and three colors, where other desks come in hundreds or thousands of size/shape/color combinations. The "AI" is nothing but a crippled version of Google Home or Amazon Echo, that you have to stand at your desk to use (these apps are already on your phone, which you can use from anywhere). Kickstarter was smart to kill the campaign, and Autonomous would be "smart" to kill the product, in our expert reviewers' opinion.