The Best Laptop Stands To Boost Your Laptop Up (2024)

Jon Martindale

Contributor

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Laptop support: 10-17 inches | Height adjust: 2-21 inches | Weight: 4 pounds

Best for: Lifting your laptop as high as you want.

The obVus Solutions laptop tower stand will lift your laptop to new, great heights—up to 21-inches off of your desk surface. That's enough for just about any position you could possibly need, with the ability to adjust the angle minutely for the perfect placement. It supports laptops of just about any size. The sturdy base prevents your laptop from tipping over, too.

It folds flat too, so it's easy to travel with if you go between a home and work office. It's only available in the stock silver color scheme, but there is a version with a phone-holder built into the base if you'd find some use for that.

Pros:

• Very sturdy
• Supports all laptop sizes
• Can lift your laptop up to 21-inches

Cons:

• Expensive

Rain Design mStand 360

Laptop support: Any | Height adjust: 6-inches | Weight: 3.6 pounds

Best for: Supporting your laptop with a minimalist style.

If you just want something to get your laptop up off the desk without any extras, the Rain Design mStand 360 is the best tool for the job. The understated shaped aluminum lifts your laptop up by six inches, making it much more comfortable to use. It supports just about any size of laptop with rubber grippers to hold it in place. And, as a perk, you’ll find a cable tidy at the rear to help keep the wires neat and out of your way, and the design is incredibly stable, making sure that it won't bounce around as you type.

The only fancy feature with this laptop stand is its rotatable base. If you frequently need to show colleagues what you're working on, you can just twist the base around, making it great for collaborative work or sharing the odd meme with friends. Still, if you don't need that feature, you can save a few dollars by buying the standard mStand instead. Either version is available in a range of colors, including midnight black, gold, and silver.

Pros:

• Sturdy construction
• Minimalist design
• Rotating base

Cons:

• Can't adjust height
• Doesn't fold for ease of transport
• Heavy

Laptop support: 10-15.6 inches | Height adjust: 2-6 inches | Weight: 0.8 pounds

Best for: Getting your laptop at a more comfortable angle for less than $10.

If you want to get your laptop up off your desk and at a more comfortable angle for typing, the Tonmom is all you need. For less than $10, it offers impressive stability for a range of laptops up to 15.6-inches in size, with rubber grips to keep your laptop still during even intense typing sessions. It's height adjustable, with a range of options letting you customize its angle to your needs.

The black frame is understated and fits with most modern laptop aesthetics, and it folds flat so you can store it away or travel with it easily. Just lifting your laptop off the desk like this even gives it slightly better cooling–although you'll want a proper laptop cooling pad to boost your laptop's cooling performance.

Pros:

• Super lightweight
• Low price
• Supports most sizes of laptop

Cons:

• Limited range of height adjustment
• Lacks support for larger laptops

Laptop support: 10-17 inches | Height adjust: 2-11 inches | Weight: 1.7 pounds

Best for: Making your laptop sit perfectly, anywhere, any time.

The Twelve South Curve Flex is a fantastic laptop stand because it gives you near-infinite customization for your laptop's positioning and angle. It can lift your laptop up to 11-inches off of your desk—which is practically enough to make it a standing desk—and you can tilt it to any kind of angle using the adjustable hinge system. It holds your laptop in a strong and sturdy position, and that makes it great for changing positioning for different tasks. Video call? Get it up and visible so your colleagues can see you clearly. Long typing session? Lower it down to a more comfortable position.

It supports a wide range of laptops of different shapes and sizes, and folds completely flat when not in use, so it's easy to store and travel with. If you find the hinge is too tight, or too loose, you can tweak that too. Inside the handy carry case is a hidden compartment with a tool specifically designed to adjust the hinge strength.

What our editors say: Tech editor Rebecca Isaacs uses this one for her work and gaming needs and says, “The Curve Flex may come with a premium price, but it’s worth the investment. It stores easily for travel, and it can hold my heavy MSI gaming laptop when I port it into my gaming monitor. It comes with silicone pads for sturdy placement and I love that I can adjust it just by pressing or pulling the arms.”

Pros:

• Sturdy construction
• Supports most laptops
• Easy to use and adjust

Cons:

• Expensive
• Expect to tighten the hinges every so often

Laptop support: Any | Height adjust: None | Weight: 4.6 pounds

Best for: Using your laptop on your lap.

Most laptops aren't actually supposed to be used on our laps. They're too hot, for starters, and the angle is not ideal for your neck and posture. Enter the Yogibo Traybo 2.0, a bamboo laptop stand with a pillow underside, letting you rest your laptop on your lap without any of the downsides. This comfortable design features an 18.5-inch wide bamboo surface, giving it support for just about any laptop, and there's a notch for tablets, phones or convertible tablets so you can prop it up for viewing or video calls.

The pillow is full of body conforming beads, making it comfortable and versatile to use on your lap, whether you're relaxing on the couch, or sitting on your bed. The scratch-resistant bamboo surface makes it more durable than most plastic laptop stands.

Pros:

• Comfortable beaded pillow underside
• Supports any size of laptop or tablet

Cons:

• No good for use on a desk
• Doesn't do much for improving posture

Laptop support: 10-18 inches | Height adjust: 5 inches | Weight: 0.5 pounds

Best for: Bringing a lightweight, compact laptop stand with you wherever you go.

The Rain Design mBar Pro+ folds out into a capable and sturdy laptop stand, with its aluminum frame providing impressive support for any size of laptop over 10 inches. Its foldable frame lets you adjust the height and angle of your laptop, raising it by 5.5-inches and helping to bring it into a more comfortable eyeline.

This extremely compact laptop stand design weighs just 0.45 pounds, too, so if you carry it around in a backpack with your laptop, it doesn’t weigh you down. It even comes with its own carry sleeve to keep it safe.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Compact when folded
• Sturdy aluminum construction

Cons:

• No steps in height or angle adjustment

Laptop support: Any | Height adjust: 4-20 inches | Weight: 27 pounds

Best for: Turning your desk into a standing desk while you work.

Why adjust only your laptop when you can adjust your whole desk? The Fitueyes Height Adjustable Standing Desk has enough space for a laptop and any external displays you might want to use. It’s also split across two levels, giving you space for other accessories like external keyboards and mice.

Because it’s 32 inches wide, you’ll get plenty of space for all manner of laptops and external displays. It also has enough support for up to 33lbs of laptop and accessories.

Pros:

• Converts your desk into a standing desk
• The wide range of height adjustments let you set your laptop perfectly
• Double shelf design gives you options for external keyboards

Cons:

• Big and bulky
• Not portable