The Best Sit-Stand Desks Under $800
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If you’re looking to get into a sit-stand desk on a budget, the good news is there are many options on the market to choose from. The bad news is that not all of them are of decent quality. Our experts have lab tested dozens of adjustable height desks over the years (you can see all of them in our Best Sit-Stand Desk Reviews round-up). 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 here.
As part of assessing which standing desk is best for you, we’d also like to point out some other important articles on the subject, which we highly recommend any prospective desk buyer reads before they commit to one brand or model over another. Probably the most important is our primer on Why Some Sit-Stand Desks Shake More Than Others, since reasonable stability is going to be the main thing that will be hard to find in a desk under $800—only a few models meet our experts’ standards in this price range.
Along with stability, any buyer should be concerned about manufacturing quality, ease-of-assembly, ease-of-use, customer support and warranty when buying a product of this complexity and cost. There’s a bright dividing line between American-made and Chinese-import when it comes to desks with adjustable heights. Surprisingly, there are now American-made options under $700, included below. To learn more about the differences between made-in-USA and Chinese-made sit-stand desks, and to learn about higher-end options in American-made, too, check out our primer on Made-in-America Standing Desk Reviews. For more information on warranties, be sure to read our primer on How to Compare Warranties on Standing Desks.
We have not included any manual sit-stand desks in this round-up because they represent less than 2% of the market at this point; the electric sit-stand desk has won the game, and at this point there are numerous electric desks that are less expensive and better than the few sit-stand crank desks still on the market.
The Best Sit-Stand Desks Under $800
1. iMovR Jaxson Standing Desk
It’s hard to say what we like the most about the Jaxson desk, it has so many distinguishing features over the dozens of “ordinary” commodity-grade standing desks we’ve lab tested over the years. The ultra-reliable brushless motor technology in the base is obviously a standout, the Jaxson being the first standing desk in 24 years not to be built with brushed motors. The unobtrusive yet sleekly contoured handset is as “space age” as it gets in standing desk controls, with built-in Bluetooth, an infrared presence sensor and NFC. But it’s the overall styling that really grabs us, from the chamfered square columns to the ergo-contoured 3D-laminated tops, there are no hard edges to this desk. Where many standing desks have an industrial equipment aesthetic, the Jaxson with its warm colors and softened edges just looks nicer in any home or commercial office environment. And the industry-leading 15 year “top to bottom” warranty and 100-day satisfaction guarantee is classic iMovR. At only a slight premium in price to the most popular standing desks out there today (all of which are made in China), this American beauty is likely to massively disrupt the competitive landscape and finally give consumers the impetus to ditch the cheaply-made foreign goods.
Price: $760
2. iMovR Energize Sit-Stand Desk
iMovR’s Freedom Standing Desk Line takes cheaply-made imports to task (when it was still in production), combining American-made quality with an impressively low price point. The Energize model (reviewed here) features iMovR’s standard ergo-contoured, 3D-laminated tabletop while the Cascade model includes iMovR’s built-in SteadyType™ keyboard tray.
Price: $718
3. FlexiSpot Theodore Standing Desk
The FlexiSpot Theodore is very specifically designed for the person who wants a drawer in their standing desk, and doesn’t intend to install any ergonomic accessories like a keyboard tray or monitor arm. It’s minimalist in performance specs, easy to assemble, and if it matches your traditional office decor, it may be one of the best values out there.
Price: $499
4. Knoll Hipso Standing Desk
As commercial office furniture sales plummeted with the pandemic, Knoll and its Big Furniture peers (Steelcase, Herman Miller, et al) all scrambled to get a “WFH” (work from home) desk line in the market. These are not digitally-native companies and all their offerings have been artificially constrained so as not to cannibalize sales from their historically exclusive commercial furniture dealer channels. It seems Knoll tried the least to make a viable offering, likely to also avoid channel conflict with Fully, which it acquired in 2019. The Hipso may have hip branding, but the offering is so constrained in height range, sizes and colors offered, warranty length, etc., that even at this price point it is completely uncompetitive.
Price: $595
5. Steelcase Solo Standing Desk
($3.5B+) Steelcase is the biggest brand in commercial office furniture but this new Solo standing desk is targeting the home office user, and the jury is still out on whether the company can eventually learn how to sell to and support the residential customer. The Solo desk aims to hit a $600-$700 price point with stripped-down basics and limited size and color offerings, but a much easier assembly process than their other desk lines that they’ve repositioned and repriced for the home office. Based on a new Linak base made in a new Thai factory, it circumvents the higher cost of American-made or Danish-made Linak bases while avoiding Chinese tariffs and quality issues. The desktop, however, is very basic, not of the highest quality, and at 55 dB it may be one of the noisiest electric frames out there.
Price: $679
6. UpLift V2 Sit-Stand Desk
It’s popular. Really popular. Not necessarily because it’s an awesome product but because it’s very heavily advertised, with hyperbolic marketing claims that don’t hold up to close inspection. The UpLift is probably the top-selling, Chinese-made commodity standing desk on the market in the sub-$800 price tier, now on its third generation design (the “V2”). The improvements over the last generation appear to be more behind-the-scenes in cost reduction moves than in tangible, valuable features that can benefit most users. After weeks of testing in our labs our reviewers detail the pros and cons of the new design.
Price: $599
7. UpLift V2-Commercial Sit-Stand Desk
The V2-Commercial carries over the standard V2’s negatives and adds a couple of its own—a crossbar, plus limited maximum height for taller and treadmill users. Outside of a few very specific scenarios, there’s no reason to pick the V2-Commercial over the standard V2.
Price: $679
8. StandDesk Pro Sit-Stand Desk
The StandDesk was created by millennials, is marketed straight at millennials, and has been gobbled up by millennials in impressive volumes. While it carries a ten-year warranty (the longest of any Chinese-made base), in this case it’s not necessarily a reliable indicator of the expected useful life of the lifting columns. But for the price, the StandDesk is a great lower-cost alternative to the UpLift, Jarvis and other Chinese-made desks. Despite its stability issues this is a far better product than the Autonomous SmartDesk or IKEA Bekant could ever hope to be, and a good value overall. It’s the mid-priced offering in the broad category of Chinese-made desks that is winning over customers from both its cheaper and pricier peers.
Price: $754
9. Ikea IDÅSEN Adjustable Height Desk
If you’re a fan of IKEA DIY assembly projects and already own other pieces from IKEA’s Idasen furniture collection that you want to match, this desk might be worth consideration. Only two color schemes and two desktop sizes make this one of the most limited options in the standing desk world, where some models come in literally thousands of variations. For the money you could do much, much better. And with most standing desks shipping in one week or less these days, waiting a few more days to get a higher-quality desk of just the right color and size for your office would be wise. Read the full review to understand our review experts’ numerous caveats on quality, reliability and ergonomics.
Price: $699
10. Autonomous SmartDesk Core
Autonomous has revamped their website, changed the names of many of their desks and increased prices in an effort to change their reputation. The SmartDesk Core helps in that effort with an improved warranty and more desktop options, though there’s still plenty of work to do to bring this desk up to the next tier of more durable, reliable, and higher value standing desks. Despite its new website’s impressive marketing polish, Autonomous still has both feet firmly planted in the “race to the bottom,” commodity-grade category of Chinese-built standing desks.
Price: $439
11. Branch Standing Desk
Branch Furniture splashed onto the scene as a brash alternative to the traditional contract furniture dealer, hoping to attract small business customers who aren’t savvy enough to do their own research into far better alternatives that can be found online. They sourced a standing desk from China that is utterly bottom-drawer in quality and design, and priced it where you can buy a top-quality, fully-featured, American-made standing desk. Most customer disappointments start with damage in shipping due to the particleboard desktop and insufficient packaging. The next hint of poor quality is the pre-drilled holes not aligning with the frame. But you better not count on that 10-year warranty because in the fine print it says that motors and electronics are only covered for three years. That’s pure marketing fraud in our books.
Price: $699
12. Autonomous SmartDesk Pro
The Autonomous SmartDesk Pro is an upgraded, dual-segment entrant to its line with specs that look impressive on the surface. However, stability is still a concern, a wide height range won’t accommodate short users and there’s a lack of attention to detail all around. Plus, this desk is not cheap. Autonomous has revamped their website, changed the names of many of their desks and increased prices in an effort to change their reputation. The SmartDesk Pro is definitely an improvement, but it still falls behind the competition.
Price: $649
13. Uprise Adjustable Height Stand-Up Desk
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.
Price: $788
14. ApexDesk Elite Standing Desk
Our ApexDesk Elite Standing Desk review revealed that it is constructed much like the majority of its commodity-grade peers that are manufactured in China. While it does come with some decent perks like an included cable management tray and having decent height range for taller users, it suffers from a lower quality of materials and construction that is typical of desks sold at this price. If this is the desk you are going for, you will also likely get better customer service and return privileges if you order through Amazon. Inadequate packaging does lead to a fair amount of shipping damage, but they’re quick to send replacement desktops. The thinly-laminated, particle board desktops are probably the weakest aspect of the product. To keep the price down, like most desks in this tier, expect to do a lot more assembly yourself as compared to finer alternatives.
Price: $600
15. Autonomous SmartDesk Connect Standing Desk
The Autonomous SmartDesk Connect standing desk has very limited color options in just two sizes. Designed to be used as a hot desk for flexible offices. Originally, the SmartDesk was designed for use with the Autonomous Office app, allowing you can book the desk for certain blocks of time. Autonomous indicated that no one other than the person who made booked the desk can unlock it, where the desk would sync with your saved height preferences through the app once you connect. We really love Bluetooth tech in standing desks. Autonomous provides a 7-year warranty for the frame and 1-year warranty on the top, with a 30-day trial period, which indicates a relatively low quality construction.
Price: $799
16. IKEA BEKANT Standing Desk
The IKEA Bekant desk has been a problem-plagued product from the outset, with extremely poor ratings from IKEA’s own customers (2 stars last time we checked at IKEA ). 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. Consistent user reports of DOA failures or, in the best case, failure after a few days or weeks of use, compel us to give this product an unprecedented half-star rating.
Price: $509
17. Progressive Desk Economy Ryzer Standing Desk
The Economy Ryzer standing desk from Progressive Desk is the very cheapest standing desk you can buy from a Canadian company. Though, to be fair, it’s entirely made in China; no part of it is Canadian-made. A single-stage, single motor affair, it is severely underpowered, with a 155 lbs lift capacity (minus the weight of the desktop you choose) and a glacially-slow 1-inch-per-second transit speed. You’ll do all the assembly yourself. The only good news is it comes with a comprehensive 15 year warranty, the best from any Canadian standing desk company, though the website is inconsistent on what is actually covered. You’ll likely be tapping it, though, given the poor component quality of this desk. And if you’re not of absolutely medium stature this desk may sit too high for you or be too low when you stand.
Price: $555 CAD
18. Effydesk Business Standing Desk
The Business Desk by Effydesk is a relatively affordable standing desk option for Canadian consumers that works for taller and shorter users, too (unlike the Home Desk, which really only works for medium-stature individuals). It has a dual-stage lifting base with a 24″-50″ height adjustment range. A very minimalist, low-quality design that is priced a lot higher than it should be for what it offers.
Price: $835 CAD
19. Effydesk Home Office Standing Desk
The Home Desk by Effydesk is a relatively affordable standing desk option for Canadian consumers of medium stature. It’s single-stage lifting base has a limited 28” to 46” height adjustment range.
Price: $715 CAD
20. ecotribe Standing Desk
The ecotribe Standing Desk is a unique form of workstation that is primarily meant for working while standing. It offers slots for inserting different working surfaces at a variety of heights.
Price: $447
21. Humanscale Float Mini Standing Desk
The Humanscale Float Mini is a compact standing desk with such a small footprint that it can fit in any small space, though it limits your working surface.
Price: $722
22. Progressive Desk Solo Ryzer Standing Desk
The Solo Ryzer desk by Progressive Desk is their medium-level standing desk option, offering only minor upgrades in both transit speed and weight capacity over the Economy Ryzer brought by the upgrade to a dual-motor frame. Still, the Solo Ryzer comes with a cheap, commodity-graded MDF laminate desktop sourced from China and the added 1-1/2″ height is a small benefit for taller users.
Price: $750 CAD
23. Up-Rite Mobile Sit-Stand Desk
This Up-Rite mobile desk provides a standing desk option for anyone that needs to be on the move in their office or working around the home. With brakes on two of the caster wheels, you can keep your workstation in place while you type.
Price: $479
24. FlexiSpot E1L L-Shaped Standing Desk
If you want an L-shaped standing desk but only want to spend about as much as you would on a regular rectangular desk, then the FlexiSpot E1L is definitely worthy of your consideration. It will be a little easier to assemble than regular L-shaped desks, but with only two legs, it certainly won’t be as stable. This FlexiSpot L-Shaped standing desk starts at $529.99, comes in one size, has a weight capacity of 177 pounds and features a chipboard top, which is near the bottom when it comes to quality. And there aren’t many style choices. Other height adjustable L-desks come in a multitude of configurations with color or size, and then they assembly with a fraction of the effort because they use far nicer components and more recent technology – but cost substantially more. (Technically, this product belongs in the 2-legged “corner standing desk” category, not with the other 3-legged standing desks that are categorized as “standing L-desks.”)
Price: $529.99
25. RiseDesk.io Standing Desk
Toronto-based RiseDesk is one of several new upstart Canadian standing desk companies born out of the pandemic, chasing after the work-from-home boom. Their strength is building a large viral video social media following, appealing to younger users.
Price: $695 CAD
26. Stand Up Desk Store Electric Standing Desk
The Stand Up Desk Store Basic Electric Standing Desk starts in the lower price range for the most simple model. However, this also means that it only has the specifications for bare minimums in power, height range, and likely durability. The warranty of only 5 years is indicative of the low quality on the various parts.
Price: $399
27. Stand Up Desk Store Two-Tier Standing Desk
The Stand Up Desk Store Two-Tier standing desk frame comes with dual-stage legs and has a weight capacity of 155 lbs. Which honestly is pretty lacking. The most unique feature of this desk is the monitor shelf, which is 11.25″ deep and spans the length of the desk. The height is adjustable in 1″ increments and can reach as high as 7″. For some convenience, the shelf clamps on and can be removed. The desk comes with Stand Up Desk Store’s 5-year warranty. Overall, it could be better for its price.
Price: $629
28. FlexiSpot Kana Standing Desk
The FlexiSpot Kana looks to be a bargain option for a desk with a dual-stage base. This base gives it a strong height range adjustment of 23.6″-49.2″. The desk has a weight capacity of 275 lbs. It also has anti-collision technology. The frame also has distinctive rounded edges on the legs. There is only one option for desktop color, the natural bamboo. The frame comes in white or black. The controller has a child lock feature, LED display, four memory presets and a timer that alerts you to switch positions.
Price: $699.99
29. MojoDesk Electric Standing Desk
The MojoDesk Electric Standing Desk comes in only one size and three colors: Weathered Oak, Matte Lux Black and Matte Lux Charcoal. While the number of desktop colors is quite lackluster, they are high-quality Omnova Surf(x) 3D-laminate desktops which you only find on some of the best standing desks on the market. The base and frames are a bit more questionable in quality, but do have a decent height range.
Price: $599.99
30. Versadesk PowerLift Standing Desk
The Versadesk PowerLift Standing Desk is one of the few standing desks that have a Bluetooth app, which we love for the future of work, especially in shared office environments. Coming with precut grommet holes can be good, since they are convenient. But when it isn’t an option, that might not be best for everyone. Standard HPL top is what you see in most standing desks, but the lifetime guarantee is appreciated and leads one to believe that it will be a longer lasting product.
Price: $799
31. Vorii ElementDesk V3.0 Standing Desk
Dual electric motors and dual-stage legs on the Vorii Element Desk V3.0 provides some solid power and range for this standing desk. The solid 15-year warranty and specifications are surprising for a desk that ranges in price from quite affordable to a bit more luxury side. The quality of the desktop is likely where they save some money in the construction.
Price: $785
Completing Your Ergonomic Workstation
Acquiring the best standing desk for your decor, budget and performance requirements is Step One. But making it a true ergonomic workstation involves adding the appropriate accessories you’ll need to keep your body in a correct posture, and have a neat and tidy setup. Check out our comprehensive guides to monitor arms, keyboard trays, anti-fatigue mats, ergonomic seats, cable management kits, power management modules, foot rests and under-desk treadmills for both expert advice and lab-tested product reviews of options in each of these categories.
Looking For More Standing Desk Reviews?
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Discontinued Standing Desks
At WorkWhileWalking we’ve been lab testing and writing reviews of ergonomic office furniture and accessories for over a decade. In that time, we have seen many of the products we reviewed fall by the wayside. This is inevitable due to the cycle of continuous improvement, with new models supplanting their predecessors. Of course in some cases products weren’t as competitive as they needed to be, or their manufacturers ran into financial challenges (which very much accelerated as a result of the post-pandemic economy).
For whatever reason, these products now fall into the discontinued category, but we will still keep their reviews published and available to read. Whether you want to know more about the desk, monitor arm, etc. that you bought years ago, need more info because someone is selling one second hand, or just want to compare current offerings with what was available in the past, these reviews will remain here for your reference.
1. Autonomous SmartDesk First Class
It’s no secret that we’re not fans of the poor general quality of Autonomous standing desks, so we’ll have to just say the SmartDesk First Class is the “best of the worst.” First Class is a misnomer as this desk represents a mere $50 upgrade over the SmartDesk 2 Business Edition, which doesn’t put it anywhere near the premium desk category. One desktop option and only four color combos is so limiting we can’t understand how Autonomous expects a lot of buyers of their new “signature line” standing desk. Taiwanese linear actuators do give the First Class a definite edge over their other commodity-produced, Chinese standing-desk frames.
Price: $449
2. ZipDesk Standing Desk
When you need a desk as fast as possible, and are willing to pay a little bit more to not have to worry about product quality, reliability, durability or lack of cutting edge features. What you trade off is size and color personalization, but those desks take longer to built-to-order and ship.
Price: $656
3. FlexiSpot Esben Standing Desk
Another entrant in the category of standing desks with drawers, the FlexiSpot Esben distinguishes itself from the similarly priced and similarly featured FlexiSpot Theodore with an extra drawer and more utilitarian looks.
Price: $500
4. Varidesk ProDesk 48 and ProDesk 60 Standing Desk
Vari is one of the original standing desk converter industry giants, and this is their first foray into the electric standing desk market. They’ve always been known for their massive branding budget, as well as their high prices. The difference with this product is that it’s not an industry leader – it’s late to the party with outdated features and a very high price point.
Price: $699
5. Floyd Standing Desk
With only a quick look, you can tell the only reason to buy this desk over another is if you love the birch top. Unfortunately for Floyd, there are a variety of birch standing desks (with even higher quality tops) out there that have better lifting bases, especially for that much money. This being their only sit-stand desk option, it would be smarter to go with a manufacturer that specializes in ergonomic office furniture.
Price: $780
6. MultiTable Mod-E Pro Electric L-Shaped Standing Desk
A slap-dash entry to fill out Multitable’s line of Asian-made standing desks, the Mod-E Pro L-Desk is as minimal an offering as you can find. Very limited desktop colors, only one base color, and ostensibly only four standard sizes (albeit you can only order the smallest size online), with weak motors and challenging assembly make this one a very questionable candidate for any serious L-shaped standing desk buyer.
Price: $1,398
7. UPDESK Lite Electric Adjustable Standing Desk
We can’t understand why long-time American desk maker UpDesk would cheapen its brand with an entirely made-in-China desk that is likely to have significant reliability problems. From what we can see on the pre-order information page this desk is priced 70% higher than it’s most direct competitor, the SmartDesk 2 Home Edition, putting in within striking distance of the least expensive premium American-made desks, so we don’t really get where the consumer value is supposed to be with this new private-label offering.
Price: $595
8. Fully Remi Standing Desk
If you’re searching for the cheapest standing desk you could possibly buy while still getting decent support, the Remi is worth a look. But you have to accept its limitations in height adjustment range (only good for medium-height users), sizes (only three non-standard desktop sizes offered), finishes (only three desktop colors and two frame colors offered), and quality (really cheap particleboard desktop and flimsy TFL finishes). Still, it’s a better bet than other Chinese-made desks sold on Amazon that might cost $100-$200 less but be worthless in durability, with challenging customer support and returns.
Price: $479
9. Fully Jarvis Standing Desk
An exclusive private-label desk offered only through a single ergonomics products retailer, Fully, the Jarvis is built on a commodity base frame made by Jiecang of China (see our separate lab test review of the Jiecang base). A minor modification of a heavier foot distinguishes it slightly from direct competitor UpLift Desk. Fully offers many choices for its desktops, including very cheap Chinese-made options and very pricey American-made alternatives. The standalone Jarvis base gets high review marks on Amazon from DIYers who use their own tabletops. Compares favorably against other Chinese-sourced bases like Uplift, S2S and Conset. For slightly more you can get an American-made base, if not an entirely made-in-America desk from makers like iMovR.
Price: $484
10. Humanscale eFloat One Standing Desk
The Humanscale eFloat One is a compact standing desk with a bamboo top and a single leg design that is meant to provide a sit-stand workstation for smaller areas.
Price: $650
11. FlexiSpot E8 Standing Desk
While the FlexiSpot E8 has warts (stability and low-quality desktops), it’s a good entry point for users who don’t care about those downsides.
Price: $499.99
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