Top 5 compared
The best laptop stands
Lifts the laptop screen closer to eye level, so your neck isn’t bent forward through a long day at the desk.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 5 at a glance
A laptop’s screen and keyboard come joined together, so on a desk one of them is always in the wrong place. A stand raises the screen nearer eye level. Fixed risers sit at one height, solid and simple; adjustable stands set the height and angle; and telescopic ones extend much higher.
With the screen raised, a separate keyboard and mouse take care of the typing: Nulaxy and Rain Design both suggest one, since typing straight onto a raised laptop is awkward and can make a light stand wobble. Most of these come apart or fold away for storage or travel; the one-piece mStand stays on the desk.
What matters
- A size and weight limit that covers your laptop.
- Grippy pads on top and underneath.
- An open frame or vented top, for cooler running.
- A sturdy frame that stays steady at full height.
#1BESIGN LS03 Aluminum Laptop Stand
$10–$20
A simple aluminum riser that lifts the laptop about 5.7 inches, with rubber-lined hooks at the front so it can’t slide off and an open frame that lets air reach the underside. It comes apart for a drawer or a bag and goes back together in three steps.
What owners say: It goes together easily, even without the instructions, and owners like the height it gives the screen and the clean look on a home-office desk. Most find it steady, though some notice a little wiggle in use.
A closer look: Its 8.8 lb limit covers everyday laptops up to 15.6 in; a heavy gaming machine is better off on the Nulaxy C3, which takes more than twice that. Raised, the laptop’s webcam looks at you more nearly straight on instead of up from below, which helps on video calls.
- Rubber-lined front hooks
- Holds up to 8.8 lb
- Open frame for airflow
- Assembles in three steps
- 12-month warranty
Best for: Hybrid workers with a laptop bag
- Type
- Detachable riser
- Adjusts
- Fixed, about 5.7 in
- Laptop sizes
- 10–15.6 in
- Folds or comes apart
- Comes apart
#2Nulaxy C3 Aluminum Laptop Riser
$10–$20
Three pieces of 5mm aluminum slot together into a riser that lifts the laptop about 7 inches, and Nulaxy says it holds up to 22 lb, enough for a heavy gaming laptop. Pulled apart again, it fits in a drawer.
What owners say: Owners find it solid enough that the laptop doesn’t budge, put it together without a single tool, and like how much tidier the desk looks with the screen raised.
A closer look: The open back lets air reach the underside of the laptop, and rubber pads on top and underneath keep both the laptop and the riser from sliding. At about 7 in it’s the tallest of the fixed risers here, a good match for a tall sitter or a low desk.
- 5mm aluminum alloy
- Holds up to 22 lb
- Rubber pads top and bottom
- Open back for airflow
- Pair with a separate keyboard
Best for: Heavier laptops
- Type
- Three-piece riser
- Adjusts
- Fixed, about 7 in
- Laptop sizes
- 10–16 in
- Folds or comes apart
- Comes apart
#3Nulaxy C1 Adjustable Laptop Stand
$10–$20
Twin support rods hold it at the height and angle you set, and the whole stand folds flat for a backpack or briefcase. Nulaxy says it carries up to 22 lb, and the vented top panel lets heat out from under the laptop.
What owners say: Owners find it steady at whatever height and angle they choose, and it works as well for a tablet as for a laptop on the home-office desk.
A closer look: Set it up with the stand empty, then rest the laptop on the silicone pads, which grip it and guard against scratches. A good starting point is the top of the screen level with your eyes and tilted back a touch, then fine-tune the angle from there.
- Twin rods hold your setting
- Holds up to 22 lb
- Vented top panel
- Silicone pads guard against scratches
Best for: Raising and tilting the screen to suit
- Type
- Folding stand
- Adjusts
- Height and angle
- Laptop sizes
- 10–16 in
- Folds or comes apart
- Folds flat
#4Rain Design mStand Laptop Stand
$30–$50
A single piece of anodized aluminum, curved into a riser that lifts the screen 5.9 inches and tilts it toward you, with room underneath to slide the keyboard away. Rain Design made its sandblasted silver finish to match Apple’s MacBooks.
What owners say: Rock-steady on the desk, it never tips, and to owners it looks made for a MacBook. It helps them sit up straight with the screen at eye level, and only the price draws mixed views.
A closer look: With no joints or hinges there’s nothing to wear loose, and the solid aluminum acts as a heat sink under the laptop. Every MacBook fits, as do most 14 and 15 in PCs, but measure a bigger laptop first: it needs to be under 10.4 in from front to back.
- Doubles as a heat sink
- 2 in cable hole
- Keyboard stows underneath
- Tilts the screen toward you
- Finish matches MacBook silver
Best for: A permanent desk setup
- Type
- One-piece riser
- Adjusts
- Fixed, 5.9 in
- Laptop sizes
- Up to 10.4 in deep
- Folds or comes apart
- No
#5tounee LS07 EXPRO Telescopic Laptop Stand with Swivel Base
$50–$75
A telescoping column takes the laptop anywhere from 2.1 to 21 inches above the desk at the press of a button, high enough to work standing up, and the base turns a full 360 degrees to share the screen across a table. By its maker’s figures it holds up to 22 lb.
What owners say: Owners like how smoothly it turns and changes height, and find a laptop sits steady on it with no wobble, even a large one on a cooling pad. Its looks suit a tidy workspace too.
A closer look: Press the button on the column to switch between sitting and standing, then reset the angle at the two pivot joints for the new eye level. It takes the biggest laptops of the five, up to 17 in, and folds down for storage when the day is done.
- One button changes the height
- Two joints set the angle
- Holds up to 22 lb
- Large aluminum base
Best for: Working standing up
- Type
- Telescopic stand
- Adjusts
- Height 2.1–21 in, angle, swivel
- Laptop sizes
- 10–17 in
- Folds or comes apart
- Folds
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1BESIGN LS03 | #2Nulaxy C3 | #3Nulaxy C1 | #4Rain Design mStand | #5tounee LS07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best for height and angle | Best sit-stand | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Price | $10–$20 | $10–$20 | $10–$20 | $30–$50 | $50–$75 |
| Type | Detachable riser | Three-piece riser | Folding stand | One-piece riser | Telescopic stand |
| Adjusts | Fixed, about 5.7 in | Fixed, about 7 in | Height and angle | Fixed, 5.9 in | Height 2.1–21 in, angle, swivel |
| Laptop sizes | 10–15.6 in | 10–16 in | 10–16 in | Up to 10.4 in deep | 10–17 in |
| Folds or comes apart | Comes apart | Comes apart | Folds flat | No | Folds |
| Best for | Hybrid workers with a laptop bag | Heavier laptops | Raising and tilting the screen to suit | A permanent desk setup | Working standing up |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
