Electric standing desks compared: height range, load and desktop size

How this comparison was built

The figures come from the current listings and, where noted, the makers' own spec pages. Nothing here was set up or used by us, and the order of the table is not a ranking. A cell that reads "Not stated in listing" means the data we can read does not give that figure; it does not mean the desk lacks it.

Measure your two work heights first

A height range only means something next to your own numbers, so measure before you compare. You need two measurements, taken in the chair and shoes you actually use:

1. Seated work height. Sit in your chair at the height you keep it. Measure from the floor to the height where your keyboard sits comfortably for you today, at your current desk or table. Write it down.
2. Standing work height. Stand where the desk will go and measure from the floor to the height where you would want the keyboard when standing. If you already stand at a counter or shelf to work, measure that.

Then read each desk's range in the table. Your seated number should sit above the desk's lowest height, and your standing number below its highest height. Leave some room at both ends: the stated range is usually measured to the top surface of the desk, and a keyboard tray, a thick mat or a different pair of shoes moves your numbers. If either of your heights falls outside a desk's range, that desk does not fit you, whatever else it offers.

The desks with a stated range here start within half an inch of each other at the low end. The real difference is at the top: the Agilestic's stated top height is lower than the others in this table, so if your standing measurement is close to the top of the common range, that is the row to rule out first.

Read the load figure as the maker's stated limit

Each load cell is the maker's stated figure for that desk. Treat it as a ceiling for everything that will sit on the top, not as a target. To use it:

• List what goes on the desk: each monitor with its arm or stand, the computer if it sits on the top, a laptop dock, a lamp, speakers, and anything clamped to the edge.
• Add the weights from their own spec pages or boxes.
• Compare the total with the figure in the table, and keep a margin you are comfortable with.

The Huuger has the highest stated load in this table; the Agilestic and the FLEXISPOT EN1 (by FLEXISPOT's own figure) have the lowest. Whether a figure includes the weight of the desktop itself is not always clear. For the FLEXISPOT EN1 the two sources disagree: its listing gives 176 lb, while FLEXISPOT's own EN1 page gives 154 lb of lifting capacity, not including the desktop. The table shows the maker's 154 lb. Add the weight of the top to your total and compare it with 154 lb, not 176. For the other desks, check whether the figure includes the top before you load a desk close to its limit.

Desktop size: width, depth and the room

Four desks in the table show a 48 x 24 in. top (the HUANUO is sold as 48 x 24 in. too, though its listing data does not give the size), and the Huuger's is 47 x 24 in.; that size fits one large monitor or two smaller ones with a keyboard in front. The Veken's 63 x 28 in. top is both wider and deeper. Its top covers about 12.3 sq ft against 8 sq ft for a 48 x 24 in. top (63 x 28 = 1,764 sq in; 48 x 24 = 1,152 sq in; divide by 144). Measure the wall or corner where the desk will stand, and add the space your chair needs behind it.

Depth matters as much as width if you use a large screen: on a 24 in. deep top, the monitor stand and keyboard share those 24 inches.

Memory presets

Presets save heights so one button returns the desk to them. The table shows four presets on the ErGear, FLEXISPOT and HUANUO, three on the Huuger and two on the Agilestic. Two cover one person's sitting and standing heights. If two people share the desk, or you want a third height for a drafting or laptop position, look at the four-preset rows.

Which one if...

• Your setup is heavy (two monitors on arms, a desktop computer): start with the highest stated load, the Huuger, and do the addition above.
• You need space for several screens or paperwork: the Veken, if the room can take its footprint.
• You want drawers in the desk itself: the HUANUO with 2 drawers.
• You are tall: rule out the Agilestic first and check your standing measurement against the top of each other range.
• Your room is small: a 48 x 24 in. top is the smallest size here; for smaller desks and desk converters, see the small-space comparison.

What this page does not tell you

We have not assembled or used these desks, so we cannot speak to wobble at full height, motor noise or how long they last. We do not give a seated or standing height for you; your own measurements decide it. Where a cell says "Not stated in listing", the figure may exist on the maker's own page, and the listing may change after this page was built.