The best laptop stands
There are many laptop stands, but depending on your intended use, some may be much better than others. Some are better for clearing your desk, some are better for raising your laptop to eye level, for keeping it cool, for working from the sofa or bed, etc., but they all tend to share some characteristics.
The best laptop stands are sturdy and stable, made of heat-dissipating materials, and are sometimes height adjustable or include fans to cool your laptop while you use it. The best ones also offer cable management solutions.
Below you’ll find a review of the best stands on the market today and see what makes them better and what makes them worse. Plus, at the end of the guide you’ll find some tips on how to choose the one that’s right for you.
The 5 best laptop stands in 2024
Rain Design iLevel2
- Materials: Aluminium
- Adjustable: Yes
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 256 x 223 x (136 – 200) mm
- Weight: 1.6 kg
- Ports: No
Last price update on 2023-05-11. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The best laptop stand
The Rain Design iLevel2 is the best laptop stand as it combines the robustness and aesthetics of the Rain Design mStand with the possibility to adjust the height of the laptop screen to suit your eye height by simply moving the front slider.
In terms of materials, this stand is made of aluminium with a semi-matt finish that gives it a very premium look, which matches perfectly with high-end laptops. Although it is not available in different colours, as is the case with the mStand, the truth is that its silver tone matches well even with gold, pink or Space Grey laptops.
Another highlight of the iLevel2 is the space at the back that allows you to hide cables, adapters and even external hard drives. So you can keep your desk tidy, and if you bundle your cables into a single adapter, you’ll barely have to connect one cable to your notebook.
The best adjustable laptop stand
The most outstanding feature of the iLevel2 is its front slider, which allows you to comfortably raise the height of your laptop by up to 20 cm, without having to remove it from the stand with all that this can entail: disconnecting cables, risk of accidental drops, etc. In addition, the mechanism feels secure and slides smoothly, so you can lift large laptops, even 17″ ones, without any problems.
The iLevel2 is sturdy and very stable, thanks to its wide support base and aluminium frame, so your laptop will be very secure. In addition, the way the laptop is lifted distributes the weight over the entire structure, so it feels more stable than the Besign LSX3 stand, which is supported by a central pillar. For added safety, the surface and base have several anti-slip pads that prevent the notebook from slipping in the slightest.
The best ergonomic laptop stand
From an ergonomic point of view, this laptop stand makes it easier for you to work with your back straight and facing forward, even if you are taller than 180 cm, as fixed laptop stands, such as the mStand, cannot raise the notebook to eye level. If you use an external monitor together with the iLevel2, make sure it is also height-adjustable so you can align them.
Is the Rain Design iLevel2 worth it?
The iLevel2 excels in everything you would expect from a good desktop laptop stand: durability, robustness, stability and ergonomics. It is, without a doubt, the laptop stand that I personally recommend today.
View on AmazonRain Design mStand
- Materials: Aluminium
- Adjustable: No
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 253 x 262 (190 at base) x 150 mm
- Weight: 1.18 kg
- Ports: No
Last price update on 2023-05-11. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The best budget laptop stand
The Rain Design mStand is one of the best laptop stands for its beautiful design, robustness, build quality and stability.
The mStand is made from a single piece of aluminium and can effortlessly support laptops up to 17″ in size. In addition, at the base of the stand and at the top, where the laptop rests, there are small anti-slip rubber pads, which prevent the whole thing from moving at all.
Although the height of the laptop is not adjustable like on the Rain Design iLevel2, it leaves the laptop at the height that an external monitor usually reaches, which is very practical if you want to work with two screens in parallel. In my case, I use a 24″ LG external monitor, and the two screens are aligned at the top. This height also makes you look better in video calls, as the laptop’s camera is pointed straight at your eyes (if it’s at the top of your laptop screen).
Another advantage of this laptop stand is that it helps you keep your desk uncluttered. You can easily tidy your laptop cables by passing them through the hole in the back, and you can store your keyboard and graphic tablet or mouse in the gap between the base and the surface where the computer rests.
In my case, I unify all the cables in a multi-port adapter that is hidden in the hole of the mStand and only one cable comes out to my MacBook Pro, so my desk is always clear and tidy.
The best stand for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops
The one-piece design of the mStand is a perfect match for the unibody design of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The mStand perfectly supports and holds the different sizes and models of Apple laptops and is available in the same colours: Silver, Gold and Space Grey.
Is the Rain Design mStand worth it?
Rain Design has created some of the best looking, best thought out and most secure laptop stands on the market. The mStand is one of the best stands on the market and the price is very attractive, considering the peace of mind you will have, knowing that your laptop is stable and secure.
View on AmazonFoldable Laptop Desk by Etpark
- Materials: Aluminium
- Adjustable: Yes
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 540 x 265 x 5 mm (folded)
- Weight: 1.34 kg
- Fans: 2
- Ports: No
Last price update on 2023-05-11. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The best laptop stand for couch and bed
The Foldable Laptop Desk by Etpark is easily adjustable, allowing you to adapt it to the different situations in which you need to use your laptop, whether it’s at your desk, on your bed or on your sofa.
Adjusting the positions is also very easy. There is a button on each joint that unlocks it so you can articulate and, once you release it, it locks again, remaining fixed and firm at that point. It also has numbers around the button to make it easier for you to match the position of both legs. However, if you plan to change the position of the legs many times, the process becomes cumbersome, as there are 6 joints to adjust each time.
The number of possible positions in which you can place the legs allows you to place it on any bed or sofa. But the best thing is that it doesn’t limit the position you have to be in, as is the case with laptop stands for sofas and beds, which practically force you to sit as if you were in a chair, as is the case with any HUANUO laptop tray.
This also facilitates good ergonomics, as you can adjust it to different heights on your desk or raise it even higher and use it as a stand to work standing up, if you prefer. There is a downside, however, and that is that being able to place it anywhere can mean that you end up working too much from the sofa or bed, which is not good for your back either.
In terms of construction, the entire structure is made of aluminium, which dissipates heat and makes it sturdy. On the top, where the laptop rests, there is a non-slip rubber surface and a small shelf to place a mouse or a small graphics tablet, which is quite handy if you need to design or are not as fast with the laptop’s trackpad as you are with the mouse.
On the other hand, I didn’t like that it has such sloping edges. I found it was easy to bump the stand when using it on a bed or sofa, where you’re not strictly seated, like on a chair.
Is the Foldable Laptop Desk by Etpark worth it?
If you know you are going to use it in bed and on the sofa frequently, it is highly recommended. But if you are going to use it on your desk thinking that you might one day use it on the sofa or bed, then I don’t recommend it, as there are laptop stands that are better suited for a desk like the Rain Design iLevel or mStand.
View on AmazonAdjustable Laptop Stand by Gaosur
- Materials: Aluminium frame
- Adjustable: Yes
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 269 x 244 x 49 mm (folded)
- Weight: 860 g
- Fans: 2
- Ports: No
Last price update on 2023-05-11. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The best laptop stand with cooling fan
The Adjustable Laptop Stand by Gaosur is the best combination of adjustability and efficient ventilation. In addition, the stand is made of aluminium, which promotes heat dissipation and provides great stability.
This stand allows you to raise your laptop from 4.4 cm to 36 cm (at the back), making it ideal for people of all heights. In addition, both the base and the surface of the stand have anti-slip silicone pads that keep the laptop in place, preventing it from accidentally slipping.
You can use this stand with laptops up to 15.6″, depending on the manufacturer’s specifications, and as long as they do not exceed 10 kg in weight. The hinge mechanism is adjusted with a hexagonal key, so once you decide the height, you can lock the hinges to keep the structure fixed and stable.
Its ventilation system is efficient and fairly quiet. It connects via USB, so you just plug it into a port on your computer and it’s ready to go. In addition, the fans have LED lights that slightly illuminate the desktop, as well as serve to confirm that the fans are plugged in.
You should note that its fans suck the hot air emanating from the laptop when it performs demanding tasks and send it downwards, away from the notebook. If you have a unibody laptop or a laptop without openings in the base, this stand will help dissipate the heat emanating from it.
On the other hand, if your laptop draws air for cooling through the vents in the base, as is the case with some gaming laptops, this stand won’t be much help. It’s not a gamer’s stand like the KLIM Wind, which has four fans, but it is fairly efficient at dissipating heat.
On the back, underneath the base, you will find a USB port and a USB-C port. These can be used to connect the keyboard in case, when connecting the stand to the laptop, you have occupied the port that was previously dedicated to the keyboard.
Is the Adjustable Laptop Stand by Gaosur worth it?
The Adjustable Laptop Stand by Gaosur is an excellent stand with a very good price-performance ratio. Few adjustable stands offer ventilation, aluminium finish and good design for this price. Unless you need more cooling power, this is a highly recommended stand.
View on AmazonKLIM Wind
- Materials: Plastic frame and metal grille
- Adjustable: Yes
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 401 x 272 x 31 mm (folded)
- Weight: 720 g
- Fans: 4
- Ports: 2x USB
Last price update on 2023-05-11. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The best laptop stand for gaming
The KLIM Wind is a laptop stand specially designed for gamers, as with its 4 fans it keeps the laptop at low temperatures so that its performance does not decrease.
Laptops tend to activate a self-protection mechanism when they get too hot, which reduces performance. This tends to happen when rendering 3D or very high resolution videos, processing large photos and, above all, when playing video games.
With the Klim Wind you will be able to keep the temperature of your laptop low, and depending on how your computer is made and with which materials, it will reduce its temperature by more or less degrees. The stand supports laptops up to 19 inches and you can also place game consoles on it if you wish, according to the manufacturer.
Considering that it has four 1200 rpm fans, it is a fairly quiet stand. It is audible (26 db) if you don’t wear headphones, but it’s not an annoying sound. If you play games with headphones you won’t hear it at all.
Otherwise, it’s not an ergonomic stand, it simply raises the laptop slightly so that the fans have room to work and cool properly. If you want more ergonomics while gaming, there’s the TopMate C5 laptop stand, with various height adjustments and a temperature-controlled display. The latter is highly recommended, but only supports laptops up to 15.6 inches.
Is the KLIM Wind worth it?
The KLIM Wind is an excellent stand if your goal is to have a stand that keeps your laptop at low temperatures, whether it’s for gaming, video rendering, 3D or photo editing. But you’ll have to sacrifice the ergonomics in return.
View on AmazonTop 5 best-selling laptop stands in the UK of 2024
Last price update on 2022-11-28. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
How to choose the best laptop stand
Laptop stand materials
The material of which the laptop stand is made has to fulfil two main functions, to resist the weight of the laptop and to dissipate the heat it produces during use. In this sense, the most effective material is aluminium, due to its resistance, heat dissipation capacity, weight and cost.
For this reason, high-end laptops are usually made of aluminium and good computer heat sinks are also made of aluminium. In contrast, low-end laptops and heat sinks are often made of plastic, which dissipates very little heat.
Aluminium laptop stands dissipate heat much better than plastic ones.
Laptop stands made of aluminium are a little more expensive than plastic ones, but they will help you to prevent your laptop’s temperature from rising more than necessary.
When the laptop’s temperature rises, it activates its self-protection systems and automatically slows down the system’s performance to lower it, so don’t wait for a warning.
Robustness, balance and security
Some laptops cost thousands of dollars, so it’s important that you place them on a secure, sturdy stand. Aluminium stands are the sturdiest and the fewer moving parts there are, the less likely it is that one will break.
Avoid stands that have thin plastic pins or complicated scissor mechanisms that can fold at any time, causing your laptop to fall over abruptly. If you want a laptop stand with many hinged parts, make sure it has safety mechanisms that prevent folding, such as the Foldable Laptop Desk by Etpark.
Height of the laptop after placing it on the stand
After placing the laptop on the stand, the top of the screen should be approximately eye level. This will allow you to see the screen without hunching your back and still appear to be facing forward in video conferences.
One-piece laptop stands, such as Rain Design’s mStand, already place the laptop at a good height, but if you’re taller than 6’4″, you may need a stand that allows you to raise the screen even higher, such as the iLevel2.
Ergonomics
As the computer will be several centimetres above the table, you will need an external keyboard and a mouse. This will prevent you from continually raising your hands or arms, which can lead to wrist and forearm injuries in the medium to long term.
I suggest you invest in your health and productivity and get one of the best keyboards for Mac or PC.
