8 Best Standing Desk Converters of 2024, According to Health Experts

✔️Assembly: Before making a purchase, find out how easy the converter will be to assemble. The beauty of a standing desk converter over a standing desk is that you can often use it right out of the box. While many of the converters we tested arrived fully assembled, some still required installation or had complicated instructions.

✔️Adjustability: While most of the converters we feature are manually adjustable, some have built-in mechanisms to make lifting or lowering the height of your desktop a seamless experience. In our tests, we scored each lifting mechanism based on how easy (or difficult) it was to lift the desktop up without much effort, and whether the items on the converter stayed steady. And if you prefer a converter that can be adjusted with the press of a button, opt for an electric converter that has a built-in motor.

Also, check the maximum height a standing desk converter lets you raise your desktop to. If you're tall it's especially important to consider the max height of the converter and the height of the desk you own so you can maintain a straight posture.

✔️Design and size: Make sure you like the design and overall appearance of your converter. Does it match your desk or office furniture? Does it feel bulky, sleek, lightweight or modern? Also, ensure that it will fit on top of the current desk you own. Check the minimum desk depth required as well as the width of the converter. Also, ask yourself whether you want room for a keyboard, in which case you might consider a two-tier design that has a dedicated keyboard space. Do you need room for a monitor? Make sure that there's not only enough space but that the weight capacity of the converter can handle a monitor, laptop, keyboard, mouse, etc.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, health experts, engineers and analysts test the best office essentials for your working space. When testing the best standing desk converters, our pros looked at a number of key criteria such as design and size (did the converter have enough room for a monitor, laptop, keyboard and mouse, coffee mug or notebook? How many tiers does it have?), ease of assembly (did the converter arrive assembled out of the box or was it easy to install?), maximum height and portability.

We also heavily considered adjustability and ease of use, scoring each converter's lifting mechanism by analyzing whether lifting the desktop was seamless and didn't require too much effort and whether items on the converter stayed steady while in motion. Lastly, we considered any additional accessories or add-ons such as a keyboard shelf, mouse area, extra pockets or organizational features. Several of the featured models were road-tested in real homes and evaluated by Health Editor, Zee Krstic and the Good Housekeeping Institute's Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman, who weighed in on each model's construction and design.

If you're shopping for a standing desk converter, you've probably debated whether you should get a standing desk instead. While standing desks are an excellent choice, they do often take up more space and are more cumbersome to assemble than a converter. They're also not easily portable and very heavy, and while some converters are heavy enough to be a semi-permanent solution, some are light enough to enable you to move your workspace around wherever you go or break it down at the end of the day.

Standing desk converters can, however, also be expensive. If you don't own an existing desk, you should consider which investment makes the most sense for your home office. While many converters have built-in mechanisms to make it easy for you to change your monitor or laptop height, a standing desk could be more comfortable in the long run as the majority have built-in motors to make adjusting your desk height as easy as pressing a button. But no matter whether you opt for a standing desk converter or a standing desk, our experts agree that alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day is better than slouching over your computer.

“Humans are not designed to sit. We are good at standing, and really good at walking and running," says Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon & Sports Psychologist Daniel Fulham O’Neill, M.D., EdD, FAAOS, ABOS and author of Survival of the Fit. He believes that a stand-up workstation aims to get us away from a leaned-overhead posture, which results in a slumped low back position as your head (a 10 lb. weight) hangs off your neck. As he tells his patients, a healthy spine has a beautiful spring design, but it can only work efficiently if "the ears are over your shoulders, the shoulders are over your hips, and the hips are over your ankles.’”

O'Neill also pointed out that humans burn more calories when standing compared to when sitting. Though it's not enough to be considered a primary mode of exercise, making the switch to a standing desk converter could ultimately help you ease into a more fitness-forward, active-forward lifestyle. The Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab's Deputy Director and certified personal trainer, Stefani Sassos, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, NASM-CPT confirms that standing provides a "modest increase in energy expenditure than sitting, which can accumulate to quite the benefit over time" and even help increase productivity. She recommends starting slow when transitioning to a standing desk converter and gradually increasing standing time.

Media & Tech Reviews Analyst Olivia Lipski oversees product testing and covers everything from connected devices to home appliances, health and fitness. With a B.A. from George Washington University and a Master’s in Communications from Sciences Po Paris, Olivia has several years of experience writing about tech and trends. She continues to stay on top of the industry’s latest innovations and helps readers make better buying decisions by testing and reviewing the best gadgets and home essentials to hit the market.

In his role as Health Editor, Zee Krstic works hand in hand with analysts in the Good Housekeeping Institute to highlight consumer-facing input from leading health experts; he interweaves doctors' and healthcare providers' expertise into shopping guides to better educate readers. He also independently reviews new products in the wellness space for Good Housekeeping, which he has done previously for Martha Stewart Living and Cooking Light.

Rachel Rothman was born into a family that owned and operated a consumer electronics distribution business for over seven decades (her first Consumer Electronics Show was in the womb)! She has since tested just about any consumer tech gadget, ranging from computers, TVs, smartphones, smart home products and more.