The best monitor stand: Top picks for every home office

The best monitor stands for a clear desk and better ergonomics

The best monitor stand: Top picks for every home office

by William Austin-Lobley |
Updated on

There’s no universal answer when it comes to answering the question: what is the best monitor stand? The answer depends on many variables, from your available desk space and budget, through to how many monitors you have and what kind of utility you’d like the stand to offer.

What can be stated with certainty is that, while a monitor mount might not seem as exciting as some of the other essential tech needed when working from home, the right one can really make a big difference to your workspace, workflow and physical comfort. Whatever your need, there’s plenty to choose from, with options ranging from simple laptop-friendly desk risers to bolt-on dual monitor mounts with rotating VESA plates.

To help you see what monitor stands are on offer and highlight the best versions available, we’ve rounded up a wide selection of our favourites below.

The best monitor stands at a glance:

Best neat, tidy and stable monitor stand: Bontec Single Arm Desk Mount - View at Amazon UK
Best double monitor without losing desk space: Bontec Double Arm Monitor Mount - View at Amazon UK
Best Amazon Basics monitor stand: AmazonBasics Height-Adjustable Display Stand - View at Amazon UK

There are options focussed on freeing up desk space, improving workspace ergonomics, providing a stable and versatile home for an external monitor or simply adding a new look to a home office. There’s something for any and all home offices, so have a read and take your pick.

The best monitor stands in detail

Best neat, tidy and stable monitor stand

The Bontec Single Arm Desk Mount is a great monitor stand, not least thanks to its versatility as the stand has two mounting methods. The first is a well-designed desktop foot, which covers a wide area and thus provides a stable base. The second is a bolted clamp that uses a through-bolt grommet to permanently attach the stand in place (this blot can also be used with the freestanding base to offer even more support).

Thanks to the through-bolt grommet Bontec's mount is ideal for a large, heavy monitor or mounted iMac.

Pros

  • Neat and effective
  • Well-priced
  • Robust build

Cons

  • Limited to one monitor
Desk thickness:10mm to 85mm
VESA:75 & 100
  • +15/-15-degree tilt, 180-degree swivel and 360-degree rotation.
  • Monitors up to 27 inches.

Best double monitor without losing desk space

Bontec Double Arm Monitor Mount

Rrp: £49.99

Price: £29.99

Like Bontec’s Single Arm Mount showcased above, this Double Arm option includes two base options. Due to the increased weight and spread of a dual monitor setup, there is no freestanding base. Instead, what we have are two desk attachments - one being the bolt-through grommet option for a permanent fix, and the other being a side clamp for a non-permeant fix.

Thanks to the flexibility of the arms, this monitor stand allows for a mix of landscape and portrait monitor orientations.

Pros

  • Stable and versatile stand for two monitors
  • Highly ergonomic

Cons

  • No freestand
Desk thickness:10mm to 100mm (clamp)/ 10mm to 85mm (grommet bolt).
VESA:75 & 100
  • +90/-90-degree tilt, 180-degree swivel and 360-degree rotation.
  • Monitors up to 27-inches.

Best side-by-side dual monitor stand

Another excellent choice is the HUANUO Dual Monitor Stand - although it is slightly more expensive than some others. But, if you're looking for one that needs to hold a heavier load in a side-by-side two-armed configuration, this dual monitor stand can support monitors that (each) weigh up to 9kg, and the arms both retract and extend on a gas-lift mechanism - it's our favourite feature here, as it not only makes light work of moving things around, it also allows your screen to be lifted up to 39.6cm from desktop with one hand.

Pros

  • An extremely sturdy build for peace of mind
  • Gas-lift arms take the work out of adjusting heavier screens

Cons

  • It's not the prettiest design
Screen compatibility:Two 17 to 30-inch monitors, weighing up to 9kg each
Stand type:Clamp
Dimensions:43.6 x 20.1 x 14.1 cm
Weight:4.99 Kg
  • Customer review: "I must say it has transformed my workspace in ways I didn't expect. As someone who spends long hours in front of their computer, having a dual monitor setup was a dream come true, but this stand has taken it to a whole new level."

Best Amazon Basics monitor stand

AmazonBasics Height-Adjustable Display Stand

Rrp: £16.14

Price: £15.04

Coming to us from AmazonBasics, this desk stand is an option for anyone looking to keep their home office setup to a budget. Suitable for monitors and the best of laptops, the unit uses a stacking column design to offer three heights - 7.5cm, 10cm and 12.5cm. It measures in at 41cm wide and 28cm deep, which gives plenty of space underneath for storage.

Its feet are non-slip, so once it’s in place, it should stay there. It’s not flashy or all that pretty, but it gets the job done.

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Easy to set up

Cons

  • Limited to one laptop or one monitor
Dimensions: 41cm x 28cm x 7.5-12.5cm
Max. load weight:10kg

Best smart solution for smart tech

The Klearlook is a neat little stand. There’s a retractable stand for a smartphone or tablet and a utility drawer. The drawer isn’t that big, but it’s good enough for pens, charging cables and USB flash drives. The width of the stand can be set to 42cm, 47cm or 52cm, depending on your preference and home office setup.

It’s adjusted by having the legs curve under the mount. It works, but it is a pretty weird way of going about it as it does reduce the underside storage space. Strange adjustment notwithstanding, this is a smart little monitor stand, desk riser and storage solution - width adjustment notwithstanding.

Pros

  • Tech drawer and smartphone stand
  • Great for smaller desks

Cons

  • Method of adjusting the width
Dimensions:42cm-52cm x 20cm x 5.3cm

Best ergonomic monitor stand

Duronic Monitor Stand Riser
Price: £67.99

If you have two monitors and would like a riser to improve your desk layout without complication, then opt for the Duronic. It’s an MDF design with two stable feet and plenty of space. Measuring in at 82cm in length and 30cm deep, there’s room for a laptop and monitor, dual laptop, dual monitor setup or even TV, with the underneath acting as storage for games consoles.

Its versatility comes from its simplicity. Just be aware that the maximum load weight is 10kg. You’re not going to want to push that - you risk bowing the wood.

Pros

  • Good size
  • Simple but versatile
  • Aesthetically pleasing MDF design

Cons

  • MDF will sag under heavy-weight
Dimensions:82cm x 30cm x 16cm

Best stand for a monitor and laptop

The concept here is simple. It’s a monitor stand that allows you to mount your laptop, giving you a dual-screen-like experience, improving your desk’s ergonomics and clearing you some workspace. There are cable-tidy hooks along both arms, so charging, USB and HDMI cables can stay in order when the laptop is away.

The stand is attached to the desk via either a C-clamp or bolt-through grommet. Either way, it’s a secure and stable system. Note: Maximum laptop size 15.6 inches.

Pros

  • Excellent for laptop users with additional screen in home office
  • Brilliant cable-tidy hooks

Cons

  • Only holds laptop up to 15.6-inches
Laptop tray:35cm x 30cm
Max. load weight:10kg
Desk thickness:10mm to 100mm (clamp)/ 10mm to 85mm (grommet bolt)
VESA:75 & 100
  • VESA-plate: +90/-90-degree tilt, 180-degree swivel and 360-degree rotation.
  • Monitors up to 27-inches.
  • Laptops up to 15.6-inches.
Attachment type

What is VESA?

VESA is a standard used by TV and monitor manufacturers that refers to the four mounting points on the rear of a screened device. The standard references directly to the vertical and horizontal distance between these points in millimetres.

VESA 75 & VESA 100
©What's The Best

For the majority of computer monitors, you’ll only need to know about VESA 75, which measures 75mm between each hole, and VESA 100, which measures 100mm. The fact that these particular VESA measurements are extremely common and close in size means that monitor mounts use plates accommodating both VESA 75 & VESA 100.

Been inspired by the monitor mounts?

That’s no surprise - monitor mounts are hugely popular. They are versatile, freeing up loads of space on the desk, and - undeniably- they look great. If you’d like to know more about the range of types and styles available, head over to our article detailing the very best monitor mounts.

In addition to some of the best products, we’ve also included a quick guide that details all you need to know about monitor mounts so you can have full confidence in your new monitor mount.

William Lobley is a Content Writer and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in technology and outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.

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