It is currently 2022.
You might as well have a flip phone if you still don’t have a standing desk.
Your back needs an electrically adjustable desk. So, we’ve selected the best standing desks for back pain on any budget in 2022.
Do you still need to be convinced of your need?
Check out The Top 6 Benefits of a Standing Desk For Your Back.
Then come back here.
OK — now, about this list…
There are hundreds of standing desk options. You could spend days reviewing all of them to try to find the best ones.
Here’s what we did for you:
- Spent 30+ hours researching over 50 different desks in detail
- Consulted an actual physical therapist
- Made selections on what actually matters for your back (we detail that here)
- Chose around 20 finalists
- Wrote clear & concise reviews
- Selected these 6 desks
Evaluation Criteria
Here’s the meat of our criteria:
- Must be electric. This ensures you actually adjust it throughout the day and don’t hurt your back cranking or lifting something manually.
- Max height must be 46+ inches. You or any other user that is 5’9 or taller will struggle to have good posture while standing if it’s less.
- Desktop must be 48 – 54 inches wide. You need some depth for dual monitors but bigger than 54 inches is unruly.
- Desktop should be 28 – 30 inches deep. You need this so that you can type and have space for resting your forearms. Also – 28+ inches helps ensure your face isn’t too close to the screen(s).
- One-level surface. Split level desks with shelves eat all your space and don’t guarantee optimal monitor height.
- Durability. It’s annoying when they break.
- Stability at max height. It’s harder to focus if your desk is wobbling at max height.
- Solid reviews. Who wants to hate the place where you spend 40+ hours per week?
- Cable Management: out-of-the-box cable management (i.e. built-in power outlets, USB charging ports) can decrease your risk of hurting your back while reaching for a power strip on the floor.
- Miscellaneous Features. This doesn’t matter for your back but it was useful for differentiating between our finalists.
Words of Wisdom
From our extensive research, here’s a few words of wisdom:
- Desks should average 4.3 stars or better. People aren’t as nit-picky about standing desks. All our desk winners and runner-ups were rated 4.3-stars or higher.
- Do you and your spouse like how it looks? Surface options and cable management are the most important aesthetic considerations. We considered aesthetics but they are subjective.
- Min height is basically irrelevant. All standing desks go to 27 inches or lower. We listed minimum heights anyways.
- Are you going to mount your monitors? Mounting your monitors is the best way to optimize your posture. But, that takes work, is more expensive, and sometimes will require you to drill holes…so we understand if you just put them on risers. We’ve assumed you might do either configuration.
- Are you going to clamp anything to the edge of the desk? If so, then pay attention to whether or not the edge is slanted (i.e. “beveled”). Beveled edges look nice but they make monitor or microphone clamps more difficult to use.
- Ease of assembly doesn’t really matter. You can find assembly videos online and we don’t think an extra 20 of assembly time matters. You will spend thousands of hours sitting at the desk. Plus, people vary in their assembly skills. We didn’t consider ease of assembly as a main factor in our reviews.
- Is cable management a critical feature? If the desk doesn’t have it, you can always install something later. This was a factor but not a critical one for us.
The Selections
Low Price Standing Desks ($400 or less)
Winner: Flexispot Adjustable Desk – Basic Model
Why it’s the winner…
It’s pretty simple: incredible price, 4.5 stars across 1700+ Amazon ratings is remarkable, and this desk checks all the important boxes when it comes to helping your back.
Without question, if you want to get a quality electric desk while really protecting your wallet, you’ve found your desk.
What’s Awesome and Matters…
+ Electric but priced like a crank desk
+ 47″ max height
+ Perfect tabletop dimensions: 48″ x 30″
Things that Matter and Could Be Better…
– Some stability and durability concerns (but not that common given the price point, could be due to poor assembly)
Doesn’t Really Matter But We Loved It…
+ Multiple tabletop options: white black, maple, and mahogany
+ Easily purchased and delivered via Amazon
+ If you want extra frills, you can pay $70 more for the standard model which will include programmable height settings + reminders to move
Doesn’t Really Matter but Could Be Improved:
– Doesn’t have many additional features in basic model
– Assembly could be slightly easier
Reviews Summary:
91% of the 1,700+ ratings on Amazon are currently 4 or 5 stars. So, overall, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.
The small number of negative reviews mention struggling with the assembly (which is weird because there are clear videos online) or durability problems.
Most frequent positive comments include absolutely incredible value for one of the lowest prices you will find, ease of use, great height range, and surprisingly material quality + stability.
Warranty: Besides the fact that you can buy through Amazon (with free shipping and returns within 30 days), Flexispot offers a “5-year warranty for the frame, motor and other mechanisms, and a 2-year warranty for the controller and switch, electronics.”
Runner-up: FEZIBO Height Adjustable Electric Standing Desk
Why it’s the runner-up…
Like the winner, the value and product at this price is incredible.
In fact, this desk actually has even more features than the winner: cable tray, hook for headphones / misc items, electronics are great, beautiful table top options, simple assembly, and customizable presets.
Wow. Even includes a drawer.
So, why wasn’t it the winner?
We thought the slightly lower number and quality of reviews and desk depth justified this desk being declared a runner-up rather than a winner.
What’s Awesome and Matters…
+ Incredible price for electric desk
+ Max height of 46″
+ Good aesthetics
+ 48″ wide tabletop
+ Great extra features at this price
+ Good programmable controls
This Matters and Should’ve Been Better…
– Desk depth of 24″ is only OK if you are mounting monitor(s) or have shorter arms
– Avg. rating of 4.3 stars on Amazon (we prefer 4.5 or higher)
Mostly Doesn’t Matter But…
+ We loved the non-beveled edge because it’s easier to attach clamps to the desktop
+ 3-year FULL DESK warranty
+ Easy assembly
+ Side hook is great for hanging headphones
+ Cable management comes out-of-the-box
+ Comes with an optional cloth drawer
– Would’ve preferred 1-2 ” higher max height
– Max weight capacity is a bit low at 180 lbs
– Not a huge fan of the two-piece tabletop
– No variety for tabletop surface options
Reviews Summary:
Average of 4.3 stars across 300+ Amazon ratings. 83% were 4 stars or higher.
Highly critical reviews mentioned some shipping / assembly difficulties and a few mentioned the quality of the material.
Mediocre reviews mentioned basic things like dust being on the desk when it arrived, some assembly difficulties, or not liking the surface.
Positive reviews raved about the value for the money, support received, and desk stability.
Warranty: Very strong — 3 years on entire desk.
—
Medium Price Desks ($400 – $699)
Winner: WorkPro Electric Height-Adjustable Standing Desk
Price: $599
Why it’s the winner…
This desk hits the sweet spot of features and price. Thus, it only makes sense that it is our winner for the medium price category.
The desk boasts a wireless phone charger, dual USB charging ports, and THREE power built into the top of the table at zero additional cost. No other desks can boast such amazing built-in plugs (not even our high price desk winners.
This desk is also the only one on our list to have a curved side for ergonomics. If this isn’t a value-add for you, don’t be concerned — it’s not too deep.
This desk is also easy to purchase and return if you have concerns: it’s our only desk readily available for pick-up at a brick & mortar store: Office Depot.
Finally – even with the amazing features and great size, the desk still is still solidly a value purchase at under $600.
If you are nervous about making a large desk purchase over the internet without trying it in-person, we highly recommend this one.
What’s Awesome and Matters…
+ Solid 30-inch deep desktop
+ Very wide at 60″
+ Great ratings
Outstanding additional features: 3 built-in power outlets + wireless phone charger
+ Fantastic 49.25″ max height
+ Incredible 26″ adjustment range
Things that Matter and Could Be Better…
– More desktop dimension options (60″ wide is great but too wide for some people)
Doesn’t Really Matter But We Loved It…
+ 6 programmable height presets
+ Can do store pick-up at Office Depot
+ Aluminum frame is both sturdy and light
+ 23″ minimum height means this desk can be used easily by kids
+ Sleek look
Doesn’t Really Matter but Could Be Improved:
– More desktop surface options
– Not available on Amazon, could have more ratings
– Beveled edge could make table clamps difficult to use
Reviews Summary:
4.7 star average across 120+ reviews on Office Depot.
Negative comments are few but standard quality issues. Everything mentioned would be covered by the standard warranty. Even then, there are only about 5% of reviews giving 3 stars or less.
The vast majority of reviews are extremely positive. Roughly 75-80% give the desk a 5 star rating. Users rave about the phone charger, power outlets, 6 memory presets, great quality, lack of issues, strong price, and the large amount of space.
Outside of Office Depot, there is also a small Reddit feed with only positive comments about the desk.
Warranty: 5-year limited warranty.
Runner-up: Seville Classics Airlift Pro S3
Why it’s the runner-up…
To put things simply, it has everything you need and we have never seen another desk with such an amazing quantity and quality of ratings with a 4.7-star avg. across 2,000+ reviews on Amazon!
Besides the incredible reviews, the desk boasts fantastic features, aesthetics, height ranges, and table-top dimensions.
You won’t find a desk with a better combination of aesthetics, features, incredible reviews, and value at a competitive price.
So, why isn’t it the winner? Ultimately, we couldn’t declare it the medium price category winner due to a lack of out-of-the-box cable management. But, if you install something simple yourself, then you definitely have the winning desk right here.
Bottom line: you might want to purchase one while supplies last.
What’s Awesome and Matters…
+ Fantastic and ideal 28″ tabletop depth
+ Amazing 54″ tabletop width provides enough space for two monitors + lamp/other item
+ Max height is amazing and definitely works for taller people: 51.4″!
+ Incredible 25.8″ height adjustment range
+ Great control panel
+ Absolutely the best reviews we’ve seen
Things that Matter and Could Be Better…
– 54″ could be too wide for some
– No out-of-the-box cable management
Doesn’t Really Matter But We Loved It…
+ Wide variety of tabletop surface options (including dry-erase)
+ Sleek LED control panel
+ Boasts quiet, dual motors
+ Impressive 264 lb weight capacity
Doesn’t Really Matter but Could Be Improved:
– Beveled/slanted edges on the underside make it difficult to attach clamps to tabletop
– No out-of-the-box cable management
Reviews Summary:
Average of 4.7 stars across 2,000+ reviews on Amazon. As noted earlier, we have yet to see any desk with better online reviews.
Only 5% of reviews rated it 3 stars or lower. Comments amongst these reviews voiced some quality concerns…but even among those reviews there were statements about how customer service solved the issues.
The 95% of customers who rated the desk 4 or 5 stars raved about assembly, quality, value, beautiful hardwood tabletops, sturdiness, and amazing height range.
As one reviewer aptly put it….
“5 STARS isn’t a high enough rating! Buy it, Buy it, Buy it!!!
Stop your search for a great workbench right here!”
One final tip from reviews: our readers have noted that the white tabletop tends to attract smudges easily. So, avoid choose a different tabletop surface option if that would bother you… we love the Walnut surface and white components and that one seems to be listed as the cheapest at around $432!
Warranty: Strong. In their words, “7-years of coverage against non-electronic defects and 2-years of coverage against electronic defects for the duration of the coverage period.”
—
High Price Standing Desks ($700 or more)
Winner: RightAngle Elegante Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk
Price: $1,200-2,000 but varies depending on configuration
Why it’s the winner…
This is the Ferrari of standing desks.
Do you have tons of money? Buy this desk.
This desk is the most durable, most stable, most customizable for your back health, highest rated, and most adjustable desk on-the-market!
It’s hand-crafted in the USA for the highest quality and it can be adjusted with voice control.
Finally – it’s worth noting that the cheaper laminate finish does have durability advantages over luxury wood surfaces.
To summarize: if money doesn’t matter too much, then buy this desk now.
Our Configuration
You can configure this desk basically however you’ve want. But, for the purposes of this review, we’ve configured it with all the features that we think are actually helpful or desirable.
This means that beyond the $1,347 basic laminate finish desk, we selected the following options:
- 30″ x 48″ desktop dimensions (+$69)
- Programmable button with one touch (+$0)
- 30″ wide cross support (+$68)
- A basic and C power grommets (+108, wire hole and wireless charging + USB port)
- Basic dual monitor arm (+297)
- Compact pencil drawer ($41)
- Snake wire management (+$37)
- 48″ Horizontal wire management box (+$123)
This brought the total price of this configuration to $2,090.
What’s Awesome and Matters…
+ Highest quality electronics and parts
+ Incredibly sturdy
+ Amazing 27″ adjustment range and 51″ max height
+ Great cable management options
+ Wireless charging and USB port
+ Very durable and unbeatable warranty
+ Amazing reviews (esp. from industry experts)
+ Ideal desktop dimensions
+ Out-of-the-box monitor arms for perfect posture
Things that Matter and Could Be Better…
Nothing, this desk has everything that matters except a cheap price.
Doesn’t Really Matter But We Loved It…
+ Voice-control for adjusting height
+ Ability to choose between durable laminate finish or hand-crafted wood
+ Made in the USA
+ Ridiculous 325 lb weight capacity
+ Includes power strip
+ Pencil drawer option
+ 11 laminate finish color options and 6 wood surface options
+ Collision detection that stops the desks even with soft objects (like stuff animals)
+ Non-beveled edges make it easy to attach clamps
+ Even more features available than what we selected!
Doesn’t Really Matter but Could Be Improved:
– Price difference between wood and laminate finishes is steep
Reviews Summary:
Average of 4.6 stars across 93 reviews found online at the listing page.
This is solid but it is even more amazing when you consider that 99% of those ratings were all 4 stars or better. That kind of quality control is unparalleled.
It’s worth noting that everyone has slightly different configurations of the desk. So, the one negative review was from a customer who said that the keyboard tray wouldn’t fit with their chosen configuration.
Besides that, the reviews are immensely positive wherein people rave about the high quality of this Ferrari-like office piece.
As one reviewer wrote, “THIS DESK IS AMAZING. Pure and simple, if you’re looking for a top-of-the-line desk that’s beautiful and reliable, then this is 100% the way to go. I wish I had ordered a bigger one! The build quality is superb. It looks really, really good. For two weeks after I bought it I still just look at it and smile because it’s such a nice piece.”
Warranty: The standard warranty includes 12 yrs on the frame & all electronics (switch, motor and control box) + 5 yrs on the desktop. Extended warranties are available for an extra $250. That’s a lot of extra money but the warranty is then 20 yrs on frame and electronics!
Runner-up: iMovR Lander Desk
Price: $1,637 but varies depending on configuration
Why it’s the runner-up…
If the Right Elegante XT is the Ferrari of standing desks, then this is the Porsche.
If you don’t want to pay $2K+ but still want luxury, this desk is for you.
Compared to the NewHeights Elegante XT, the Lander Desk lacks:
- voice control
- advanced anti-collision technology
- luxury wood surface options.
On the flip side, the Lander Desk does exclusively have:
- smartphone app controls
- more surface options
- height extender options for tall users
- a lower price point for luxury
You won’t regret purchasing this desk. Do you know anyone who is bummed about owning a Porsche?
Our Configuration
Like the NewHeights Elegante XT, there are a ton of configuration options for this desk.
Here’s how we configured it with all the features that we think are actually helpful and/or desirable:
- 30″ x 47″ with Solid Color top (+$1,109)
- Wood Grain – Light Maple (+$0)
- Silver base (+$0)
- Dual-screen monitor arm (+349)
- Grommet-mounted Dual-AC Power Socket Node (+99)
- Advanced cable management kit (+$80)
- Compact pencil drawer ($41)
- Snake wire management (+$37)
- 48″ Horizontal wire management box (+$123)
Total cost of this configuration comes to approximately $1,637.
What’s Awesome and Matters…
+48″ max height
+ Fantastic adjustment range (22″ – 48″)
+ Ideal tabletop dimensions (30″ x 47″)
+ Incredibly durable and stable
+ All the feature options you could want
+ Great cable management + AC/USB outlet options
+ Out-of-the-box dual monitor arm options
+ High quality materials and very stable
+ 6″ height extender for extra tall users can increase max height to 54″
Things that Matter and Could Be Better…
– Quantity of independent online reviews
Doesn’t Really Matter But We Loved It…
+ Made in the USA
+ Height-adjustment can be controlled via Bluetooth smartphone app
+ Multiple color options for base: silver, black, white
+ Easiest desk to assemble (no tools required, snaps together in minutes)
+ 22 different surface color/style options
+ Can add even more features/accessories
Doesn’t Really Matter but Could Be Improved:
– No wireless phone charging options
– No voice control
Reviews Summary:
Since this product isn’t listed on Amazon and is only sold by the manufacturer, it is difficult to find lots of independent reviews.
However, average review ratings on the iMovR site is 4.9 stars across 20+ reviews for the Lander Desk. The Lander Desk also has incredible reviews from industry experts who have noted its extremely high quality and wide range of configuration options/features.
More generally, iMovR has a 4.2 star rating across 165+ reviews on Trustpilot. But this is the company as a whole; not this specific desk.
Positive customer reviews rave about the quality; the few critical reviews that exist mention that customer service could be improved.
Warranty: Fantastic warranty. Lifetime warranty on frame, 10-yr warranty on electronics, and 5-yr warranty on tabletop.
Conclusion
Whether you are breaking the bank on this purchase or trying to save as much cash as possible, there’s a winner for you listed here.
Your back will thank you.
Questions? Comments? Feedback?