The Best Standing Desks You Can Buy In Australia (2023)

If you are looking to buy a desk in Australia then one that you can both sit and stand at is definitely worthwhile for your comfort and productivity.  I have put together a list of the best standing desks you can buy in Australia and kept it up to date, personally testing five of the following desks and studying the specifications of many more, following the changing Australian market closely, this guide will save you hours of research time.

My Top Picks

I recommend reading the product reviews below to fully familiarise yourself with each option and make an informed choice, however, if you need to make a quick purchase here’s my shortlist.

1. UpDown Pro – Overall Winner – The Best standing desk in Australia.
2. EverDesk – The most innovative standing desk.
3. Desky Dual – Best sit-stand desk in Australia for cable management.
4. Artiss – Best standing desk on a budget.
5. Standesk Desk Converter – Best sit-stand desk converter.

The Best Standing Desks In Australia

I’ve evaluated each desk’s performance over a number of factors including:

• Quality
• Price
• Comfort
• Design

It is worth pointing out that the price factor is hard:

• All of the top quality manufacturers that sell standing desks in Australia always seem to have some kind of promotion running so you should not take their ‘normal’ prices too seriously and compare the final prices you find once you click through to their site.
• With the Artiss (the best standing desk you can get on a lower budget) it is available from many different online stores so I keep updating these options here to make it easy to find the best deal.

Towards the end of this article I will go into the full details behind my judgments, but first, let’s get into the list so you can choose the best sit-stand desk to create a stylish and structured workspace that matches your taste.

1. UpDown Pro Desk.

Overall the Best Standing Desk in Australia.

The UpDown Pro Desk takes first place in my review of the best standing desks, the UpDown Pro offers a wide range of options to choose from in a reasonably priced package.

Pros

The free industry-leading 100-day trial offered on all of the UpDown Pro series electric desks is a strong reason to add them to the top of your wish list. The long trial period will help you experience and understand the desk with complete peace of mind and if you wish to return the desk, the company will pay for the shipping cost too.

The frame is the pinnacle of high quality and at 41kg it’s heavy, the heaviest standing desk frame from my research…this makes it very stable, even in the highest positions.

The desktop itself is beautifully crafted and of the quality you would expect from premium home furniture. There are so many desktop options, these include Australian-sourced Messmate, Victorian Ash, Bamboo, Rubberwood, and Pheasantwood, the Messmate is the most attractive option, in my opinion, and the Victorian Ash and Acacia are also very attractive options.

UpDown Pro Desk with recycled Messmate desktop and optional power rail

Messmate (also known as “Wormy” or “Stringybark”) is a native Australian eucalypt mostly found in the southeast of Australia. It is a hard-wearing and dense hardwood, with natural highlights and lovely grain.

Of course, you are unlikely to choose solid wood desktops if you are doing an Australian office fit-out with lots of standing desks for office work, purely because of the cost, so they also offer several hard-wearing Melamine board options.

The UpDown Pro Desk has a smooth, vibration-free movement speed of 32mm per second powered by powerful dual motors.

If you are planning to share your UpDown Desk with other people then it’s great that you can save your preferred table heights by pressing one of its four memory buttons. The desk also has a built-in anti-collision feature to prevent damage if you leave your chair under when lowering it.

A wide range of options will help you to personalise the desk as you wish. Choose your favourite castor wheels, handy lockable drawers, monitor arms, and power rails to build an unbeatable stand-up desk tailored to your needs.

UpDown is an Australian supplier with a lot of reviews complimenting not just the quality but also their friendly staff and fast shipping.

The UpDown Pro standing desk is also backed up by a 10-year Australian warranty for the frame and electrical components and 5 years on the desktop.

Cons

With the wide range of options available, it can be easy to end up spending more than your original budget if you choose the most stunning hardwood desktop and then go about adding many of the options such as a power rail, a lockable metal drawer or a cable tray.

Optional: Metal drawer for UpDown Pro – shown with bamboo desktop and white frame

The cable management options are great for most people, but if you have a whole lot of cables then they might not be as suitable for you as the Desky ones (see review below), for both you do need to pay more for a set of grommets, however, the UpDown team are happy to drill the grommet holes for you, and if the holes are drilled by UpDown Desk then they will not void that massive trial period.

Lastly, it may not be suitable for very small home offices. There is just one depth available of 75cm and the 60cm deep EverDesk would be a better choice if you decide that is too big for you.

The Verdict

If you love solid hardwood furniture then select one of the hardwood desktop choices for your UpDown Pro desk and you will not regret it. The hardwood is great to touch and beautiful and is 2mm thicker than the other finishes, boosting the high-quality feel.

The UpDown Pro is my overall pick for the best standing desk in Australia. If you’re looking for a standing desk that breathes sophistication, quality, and charm, and you are happy to pay for that quality then this model should be at the top of your list.

Key Specifications

• 150 Kg dynamic (Load lifting) capacity
• Up to 180 cm (W) x 75 cm (D) desktop options
• Height adjustment between 61.5cm and 127.5cm
• Built-in anti-collision and auto shut off

Cost

There are so many options but as a ballpark, the UpDown pro desks start at around $900 with a Melamine desktop and could cost you more than $2,000 once you choose hardwood and several optional extras. It’s not cheap, but you 100% get what you pay for.

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2. Northday EverDesk

Most innovative standing desk

The EverDesk came on the market in Australia after establishing itself as one of Singapore’s leading stand-up desk brands. The smaller EverDesk options are narrower than many other standup desks. This reduces the amount of usable desktop space, however, the compact footprint is better for smaller workspaces.

I reviewed the largest 160cm x 70cm size – Raw Ashen Oak finish with an optional 58cm shelf

Pros

The EverDesk wins my innovation award.

Firstly due to the stylish dial-style controller, which is more hi-tech compared to the multi-button setups used by all other brands. It includes a sit-stand alarm, built to help you take care of your health, your desk will remind you when it’s time to stretch your legs and do some work standing up. It also includes the ability to set a height range limit and the controls can be locked to minimise the risk of children triggering it. The slight downside is there are only three pre-sets vs the four that are standard on the models it competes with.

EverDesk Controller showing the unlock sequence of 1-2-3

The other innovative feature of the EverDesk is the UniGroove cable management system; a groove near the rear to hold all of your cables in place when you disconnect the device. It is useful for organising your phone and data cables, but it does not solve the problem with power cables because the cut-outs are not large enough to feed cables with fixed power connectors through it (if it was it would be very ugly). The EverDesk does have a small scallop cut from the back of the desk though and this will help you keep the desk closer to the wall.

The EverDesk will arrive at your door with all holes pre-drilled and the EverDesk is assembled by tightening bolts into pre-drilled holes using a supplied Allen key, this made the assembly very easy. The other standing desk manufacturers require you manually screw the desktop to the frame using a screwdriver, although if you happen to live in Melbourne you can pay for installation with your UpDown Pro.

The height range of 60-124 cm is just 1cm less than Desky’s and ensures that the EverDesk will suit everyone except the super tall, while a 21-day return policy with full coverage of costs gives you peace of mind.

Cons

No 100% wood desktop options: EverDesk gives you a limited choice of wood veneer-based finishes: ‘Lily white’, ‘Raw Ashen Oak’ and ‘Aged Darkened Walnut’, the veneer is coated with a surface polish and does have a genuine wood feel, it is a more expensive product than melamine and also slightly more fragile.

If you would happily pay a few hundred dollars more for a premium desktop made from solid wood then consider the UpDown Pro and the Desky.

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Wood veneer vs Solid Wood or Bamboo:

Pros of veneer: Wood veneer furniture uses less natural wood, making it cheaper and greener. Wood veneers can resist splintering and warping better than all-wood designs.

Cons of veneer: Wood veneers are attached to fiberboard, which is not as heavy as natural wood boards; if wood veneers are not coated with a surface polish, this makes it easy for liquids to be absorbed through the wood. And unlike solid wood, once damaged, wood veneers can be more difficult to repair. Wood veneer is more susceptible to UV light and moisture. Lastly, while they look like solid wood, they do not look the same.

The lifting capacity is certainly good and the durability of the frame will be based on the quality of the design, not purely the weight metrics, however, the UpDown can lift more and if I look at the underside of the two desks the UpDown cross members are thicker and it does look a bit more industrial.

Key Specifications

• Three desktop options: 120x60cm, 140x60cm 160x70cm
• Height adjustment between 60cm and 124cm
• Built-in anti-collision and auto shut off
• 120 Kg Maximum Load – suggests a dynamic load lifting capacity of around 110kg.

Cost

The EverDesk is the best choice for people with a smaller space or people on a lower budget, if you have under $1,000 to spend then it is a great option if your budget is much lower than that then look at the Artiss.

The EverDesk has the most accessories of any standing desk in this review, however, be careful when choosing the options on your desk, while they are all very well made and work well with the desk they are sold in bundles and you should question if you need all the accessories, if you get carried away then you may well end up spending more than buying a solid wood desk, albeit with fewer accessories.

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3. Desky Dual Stand-Up Desk

Best standing desk for cable management

You can choose your Desky from many colour finishes, shown with the rear scallop, burnished wood colour Melamine top upon a black frame 

Desky’s adjustable standing desk is a stylish stand-up desk available in various sizes and colours, most people would be fine with the medium size of 150cm x 75cm, however, the large at 180cm x 75cm perfectly suits media professionals in search of a very wide adjustable height desk.

Desky vs UpDown Pro

The Desky Dual is a very similar standing desk in design to the UpDown Pro Desk, it costs much the same with some key differences:

• The Desky has Marginally less heavy-duty construction than the UpDown Pro.
• Different wood choices for the desktop. They now have some interesting hardwood options with epoxy resin cut-throughs – not to my personal taste but many people will love them.
• Optional: “Desky Integrated Cable & Power Channel” that is able to integrate up to ten 240v power sockets underneath the desk will keep people with multiple computers and multiple monitor setups happy.
• An optional scallop at the back of the desk, with the scallop carved from the rear of the desk the cables can run freely down the back making it easy to place your desk directly against the wall.
• Desky also offers a trial, however, it is only 7 days vs UpDown’s 100-day trial and you cannot fix the desktop to the frame. The UpDown Pro can be returned even if you have screwed the desktop to the desk frame.

Desky Integrated Cable and Power Channel – With 10 Plugs fitted

I love the native Australian timber desktop options that are available with the UpDown Pro Desk, however, there certainly are a few more desktop options with the Desky and the hardwood options are still very classy, Desky also offers Grey as a leg colour option.

The Desky Dual Sit Stand Desk has four programmable pre-sets that allow you to save your frequently used height settings; in addition to that, the 140 kg load capacity will easily help you set up your multiple monitors, cameras, and laptops together for easy and efficient work time. Lifting heights have been designed to provide a seated and standing height range that is ergonomically suited for 95% of all users.

The 10-year warranty on all parts of the desk and a seven-day easy return policy allowing you to try out and return the product within a week from the date of purchase promises you peace of mind.

The Verdict

As this product has so many options to discuss I am considering writing a more detailed individual Desky review, the range of options and the quality is why I have listed this product so high on this list, it is without a doubt one of the best adjustable desks you can buy in Australia.

Pros

• The advanced cable management system – makes it the best choice for people with many different devices.
• The (optional) scalloped design can allow placement directly against a wall or another desk without the need for grommet holes.

Cons

• Rated at 10kg less for dynamic lifting than the UpDown Pro.
• The frame weighs 36kg versus UpDown Pro’s 41kg.
• The maximum elevation of 125cm is slightly less than UpDown’s 127.5cm, for most people this will not matter.

Specifications

• Height can be adjusted between 60cm and 125cm
• Lifting capacity of 140kg

Cost

The prices start at $875 for a Melamine Desktop and reach nearly $2,400 for certain hardwood options, putting the Desky Dual in the same price range as the UpDown Pro.

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4. Artiss Standing Desk

The Best Cheap stand-up desk.

The Artiss sit-stand desk is the best standing desk on a budget as it is a great desk at a low price.

Artiss sit-stand desk with walnut top and back frame

Pros

The Desk includes the frame and desktop and comes with some clips and ties that can be used for basic cable management, however, you will likely start to wish they had included a cable management tray, I am confident that the UpDown cable tray could be fitted to an Artiss desk and that the Desky mini cable tray would work too.

There are two sizes of desk options available to choose from, one of 120cm and the other of 140 cm. The last time I checked the price difference was a whopping $12!…so I don’t see why anyone would not just take the larger one unless they had a space constraint in their room or were very into Feng shui! 🙂

The Artiss stand-up desk comes in four desktop colour choices, they are all at the same price point, the choices are White, Black, Natural Oak, and Walnut. My choice would be the Walnut, of course, it depends on your office space.

As the Artiss stand up desk is cheaper, you might think its controls would look and feel cheap too, however, I was able to try this model out at my friend’s house in between COVID lockdowns and the control module has a sleek design while the height adjustment buttons have a nice, tactile feel.

Cons

While the overall look of the sit-stand desk doesn’t look inexpensive, it cannot be mistaken for a high-end desk like the UpDown Pro Series.

The Artiss is bang on for the price point, with more of an Ikea feel – the desktop is thinner and based on particleboard and as such, there is only a single cross-beam to support the weight, the desk is well-designed, and very functional, and has some charm rather than being unmistakably high-end.

The Artiss is the best standing desk if you need to stick to a lower budget, however, if you are looking for a beautiful and unmistakably high-end product the UpDown pro is the best stand-up desk that will go the distance and take your home working space to a new level.

Overall

Pros

• Sturdy
• Inexpensive
• Stylish controls

Cons

• Static load capacity limit of 100 kg – vs the UpDown Pro’s 160kg
• Not a suitable piece of furniture for a luxury home

Specifications

• 100Kg load capacity
• Height adjustment from 69cm to 118cm
• 140 cm x 70 cm or 120 cm x 60 cm workspace area

Cost

The variations of the Artiss sit-stand desk always seem to be priced higher on the manufacturer’s site than they are from the reseller sites, the best deals change between sites, but I found all the best sites that sell it and you can find the best deal using the button below.

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5. Standesk Pro Memory Desk Converter

Best sit-stand converter for an existing desk

Standesk Pro Memory Desk Converter

While a dedicated sit-stand desk is always the best option if you’re looking at alternating between sitting and standing, there are desk converters that allow you to transform your fixed-height desk into an adjustable, ergonomic sit-stand desk. For standing desk converters, the best you can find in Australia is the Standesk Pro Memory Desk Converter. It is an upgrade of the traditional Standesk and a high-end motorized converter.

Standesk’s Pro Memory Electric Desk Converter impresses with its easy usability and smart features. Notable among them is the converter’s memory function. Intelligently designed, the desk converter can memorize up to three heights. Users must only press a single button on the attached control panel to move the converter to these saved heights. The converter is also very stable and durable, hardly wobbling even when adjusting the height. It adjusts between 100mm to 540mm.

The desk converter features an anti-collision feature that ensures the safety of surrounding items and an automatic standby function that saves power when not in use. With a weight capacity of 50kg, desktop surface dimension of 900mm x 520mm, and keyboard space of 800mm x 300mm, the desk converter leaves little to complain about. It is ergonomic, user-friendly, and boasts a 5-year warranty.

Overall

Pros

• Load capacity of 50kg.
• Large workspace.
• Very stable and quiet during use.
• Electric converter with 3-height memory function.

Cons

• Really quite expensive considering it is only a converter.

Cost

As it is a high-end option, the Standesk Pro Memory Desk Converter is a bit pricey for a converter. If you’re working on a lower budget, you’ll find more of the best standing desk converters in Australia in my dedicated article.

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6. Kergo Smart Desk Pro

Since I first looked at Australian standing desks there have been quite a few new standing desks come on the market, one of these is Kergo, the Kergo Smart Desk Pro is now becoming a very popular standing desk in Australia and it is very similar to the Desky and Zen Space models.

To review the Kergo Smart Desk I got the Bamboo desktop, the desk was packed very well to prevent any damage during shipping, ensuring that it arrives in pristine condition. It is made from high-quality Bamboo, and it shows. The finish is smooth and even, and it has a satisfying weight to it that makes it feel sturdy and durable.

It is not just the desktop that’s high-quality – the motors that power the height adjustment are also really smooth and quiet.

The Kergo standing desk is both easy to program and easy to use. You can quickly and easily adjust the height to your liking, and once you’ve found the perfect height, you can save it for future use, it is simple:

1. Press and hold the up or down arrow until you reach your desired height.
2. Next, press the “S” button, the height will flash.
3. Press any one of the four memory preset numbers to save the current height to that number.

This is the same process as the Zen Space and Desky desks, just the key is “S” instead of “M”.

Like the EverDesk the Kergo is assembled by tightening bolts into pre-drilled holes using a supplied Allen key, making it very easy to assemble with all the tools you need included.

However, the instructions themselves are poor, the correct way to install the sidebars is not clear from the instruction manual and I expect that the cable management add-on was developed later, as that would explain why nothing is mentioned in the instruction manual. It is odd that Kergo has not improved the instructions as people on the user review sites have also been complaining that the instructions are incorrect going back quite some months. I would advise watching the installation video on YouTube. It is only 3 minutes long and will save you some time.

Once it was put together, I found that it has a max height that’s just right for someone who’s 6 foot 1 inch, allowing you to stand and rest your arms comfortably, the minimum height is perfect for kids too. The height range of 60cm – 125cm is up there with the other top-tier height adjustable desks. The desk feels safe and stable at its maximum height, giving you peace of mind as you work.

If you hate having cables cluttering up your workspace, you’ll appreciate the sizeable ‘Kergo XL Grommet’ within the desktop that allows you to easily pass cables through. You can see the size of the grommet below in the smaller 1200mm x 750mm desktop.

Also, from the close-up of it below you can hopefully tell that this Bamboo desktop is not Engineered with Plywood within and rather is 100% Bamboo.

An optional feature of this desk is the cable tidy tray, which allows you to keep your cables organized and out of sight. If you need to add new cables, the tray folds down, making the process quick and easy.

The Kergo comes with a ten-year warranty, so it is on par with the UpDown there.

With the Kergo you can choose between a classic rectangular edge or one with a slightly curved edge that just like Desky and Zen Space sthey call the ‘Ergo Edge’.

Overall, the Kergo standing desk is a fantastic option for anyone who wants a desk that’s both high-quality and easy to use and I can see why it has some great user reviews.

Kergo vs Updown vs Desky vs Zen Space

Kergo has lots of great reviews on productreview.com.au, I initially thought these reviews looked a little suspicious because they are all very brief and recent; I was sceptical that somehow they already have more reviews than Updown and Omnidesk combined. However, Andrew from Kergo contacted me and explained that they have taken the strategy of asking their customers to first write reviews on productreview.com.au rather than asking them to post on their own website.

The Desky has a frame that is heavier than the Kergo with the UpDown being heavier still.

Frame weights:

• Kergo 30Kg
• Desky 36Kg
• UpDown 41Kg

Specifications

• Height can be adjusted between 60cm and 125cm
• Maximum lift capacity of 150kg, recommended at 100kg.

Cost

I went through various product variations on the Kergo site and they are consistently undercutting Desky’s pricing by $20 on the desktop and frame bundles. The heaviest high-quality UpDown Desk PRO Frame is of course a little more.

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Bamboo vs Hardwood Desktop
Bamboo is stylish and affordable. Bamboo is a hardened grass rather than a type of hardwood, a Bamboo finish will scratch more easily than hardwood, so you might want to get a desk mat to go with it.

7. Lazy Maison Dual Motor (120Kg)

The Mid-Range Honorable Mention

The Lazy Maison did not make my best budget desk award as it costs a bit more than the Artiss, from one perspective it is better as it is rated at a static load of 120kg, however, it cannot go as high as the Artiss and you can get the bigger 140cm wide Artiss for less money than the 120cm wide Lazy Maison.

Don’t get confused by their single motor model rated only at 80Kg, for the price difference it is not worth the slower moving speed (25mm/s vs 36mm/s) and risk of lower reliability.

It is also worth noting that Lazy Maisons have a premium Trio model that has similar features but with fewer options compared to Desky Dual and Updown Pro and is not the top quality and refinement of the UpDown Pro. The Lazy Maison only has melamine options, no wood veneer or solid wood.

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Melamine vs Wood Veneer

Melamine and veneer are both thin layers applied around particle board or Fibreboard. Melamine is a thermoplastic, whereas veneer is real wood.

Melamine boards have a uniform grain and colour and you can identify melamine quickly – because it’s printed the patterns match perfectly.

Wood veneer hues and grain patterns are natural, unlike melamine patterns, so they will be less consistent, over time lighter veneers will typically darken and darker veneers lighten, but they will still look like wood and feel like solid wood to a degree.

Melamine is the cheapest option, it is also heat and fire-resistant and certainly more durable than veneer, and will last years of commercial use.

Melamine or veneer for office furniture depends on budget, appearance, and purpose. If you are looking for a nice wood finish for an office then opt for a wood veneer, otherwise, if you are happy with black or white desktops and just want office desks that are adjustable then melamine will be cheaper and last longer.

Specifications

• 120kg static load capacity – suggests 11okg lifting capacity (Dual Motor model)
• Height can be extended from 69cm to 113cm
• 150 cm x 75 cm or 120 cm x 60 cm workspace area

Cost

Just like the Artiss it always seems to be priced higher on the manufacturer’s site, with the best deals changing between sites, it seems to now be priced best on their eBay store, I will check periodically and update the button below when this changes.

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8. Vari Standing Desk

Best standing desk for very tall people

The Vari Desk may not do anything that other desks can’t and it won’t win any design awards either, however, it has one distinct quality – boasting the best-in-class height of 128 cm, making it fit perfectly for very tall people, however, this is only 5mm more than the UpDown Pro.

If you would like one of the best standing desks and you are unusually tall then the Vari might still be the one for you. The Vari has all the specifications and features that Artiss has, however, it costs about $300 more so unless you are over 6ft 4″ then it is better to choose one of the top options above.

The Vari does have one other boast – their patent-pending legs are much easier to attach and they claim the entire desk assembles in ten minutes or less.

Overall

Pros

• Tallest desk available on the Australian market
• Can be assembled in under ten minutes

Cons

• Not a very stylish design

Specifications

• A static load capacity of 99.8 kg
• 122cm  x 76cm workspace area
• Height adjustment between 63.5 cm and 128 cm

Another downside of the Vari is that it is not always available in Australia.

Check Availability

9. IDASEN Sit Stand Desk

Best Standing Desk Available From IKEA

One of two IKEA offerings the IDASEN is definitely a step up in looks and functionality over the BEKANT, the desktop is still made of particleboard like the BEKANT, and my budget pick the Artiss.

The IDASEN does have one advantage over the Artiss, that is the height it can go to, going up to 127cm, which is a fair bit more than the 118cm of the Artiss so it would be better for tall people, however, I would prefer the UpDown for the better build quality.

The IDASEN has a mobile phone app rather than dedicated preset buttons that all the non-Ikea offerings here have to set the height, this is not a feature it is a gimmick, I do not want to find my phone to set the desk height, I’ll just end up using the manual height adjustment.

It is worth noting two more comparisons between the IDASEN and the Artiss now, the price and the load capacity, the Artiss wins on both of these:

• Price: Much cheaper.
• Load-bearing: 30kg more.

This is why the IDASEN is at the bottom of my list, also note that with this price I am comparing the larger 140cm wide desktop option of the Artiss.

Overall

Cons

• Low weight capacity – only 70kg
• Price vs the Artiss
• No height preset buttons.

Other Specifications

• Height can be extended from 63 cm to 127 cm
• 160cm  x 80cm workspace area

Should You Buy A Standing Desk?

If there is one positive of COVID-19 it will be the long-term increased flexibility or the option to work from home more frequently if you wish to.

When you first start working from home, you may be working on your laptop on your couch or kitchen bench. This can come with a cost, bad posture will lead to spinal problems, including neck and back pain.

Research shows that sitting for long periods of time damages your health, some studies link it to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Using a standing desk can have many long-term benefits, many people even set one near their treadmill and exercise while attending meetings, I have seen a number of people tweeting about walking while writing and I did some research to choose an under desk treadmill.

Standing Desks: Naming and Types

Any of “sit stand desk”, “standing desk”, “stand up desk”, “standing table”, “standing up desk” and “stand up sit down desk” are often used to describe any of the distinct types of standing desks that are available in Australia, the three main categories are:

• Fixed Height Standing Desks
• Dedicated Adjustable Standing Desks
• Sit-Stand Desk Converters.

I have ignored Fixed Height Standing Desks for this guide as most home offices will not have the space for a dedicated stand-only desk, it’s not something you would normally see in a home as someone will surely want to sit down at the desk sometimes!

Standing Desk Converters

A converter is a piece of additional equipment that you place on your existing desk or another flat surface and you move that up and down.

People tend to buy converters when they want to save some money, or for aesthetic reasons or space-saving reasons as you can fold the converter down and store it away. They could come in handy if you travel frequently and want to take your standing desk with you.

Converters do not offer as large a workspace and cannot carry as much weight as dedicated standing desks. You will generally get the best results with a standing desk, however, the converters have their uses so I have included one in this list and have recently written a dedicated guide to standing desk converters.

Adjustable Desks And Weight Capacity

Dedicated Standing Desks can also be subdivided into those that are manually adjusted, pneumatically adjusted or electronically adjustable standing desks, I have only listed electronically adjustable ones above – if you have a bad back you do not want to be bending under the desk to manually adjust it and the manually adjusted ones tend to be less smooth, nobody wants expensive computers and monitors falling off when adjusting.

Weight Rating Terminology

• Static rating is the maximum load of a desk when stationary, you can understand that for an adjustable desk that would be less important than the lifting capacity.
• Dynamic rating is the maximum load of the desk when moving up or down.

Although most people will not load their adjustable desk to even half its rating, it is important to know what the desk can lift as it lets you know how hard the desk will be working. For instance, if you load a desk designed with a dynamic rating of 130 kg with 70 kg, that is 54% of the desk’s lifting capacity. Whereas it is just 46% for the same load on a desk rated at 150 kg dynamic lifting. This indicates that the lifting mechanism is not working as hard.

Manual Adjustable Desks

A manually adjusted standing desk is a desk that has a crank that you turn to change the height.

These desks generally have a dynamic weight capacity of around 60-90kg, meaning you can place up to 80kg on your desk and move it without worrying about it breaking. This will be fine to hold a monitor, a keyboard, a computer, perhaps some attractive plants, a lamp, and many other desk accessories of your choice. One thing to keep in mind with manual desks is that as the weight load on the desk increases, it will get harder to turn the crank as you approach closer to the maximum weight.

Manual standing desks are quite a bit cheaper than electric ones, so it might be a great entry-level standing desk if you are on a strict budget or moving it infrequently with a lighter load.

Pneumatically Adjustable Desks

Pneumatic desks are often overlooked while discussing sit-stand desks. The pressure inside a coil assembly raises these products. This approach lets users switch positions faster and easier than manual crank handles.

However, Pneumatic desks have a lower optimal use weight capacity than both manual and electric-powered desks. Pneumatic desks accommodate the lowest weight range, generally, the optimal weight loaded on the desk is usually no more than 25kgs, while some can lift up to 69kg I have not seen any available in Australia that do that and the USA-based models that do are priced in-line with electronically powered desks anyway.

Electric Desks

The most popular type of standing desks are electrically adjustable models. To adjust the desk’s height you only need to press a button, rather than a crank like the manual desk has. Electrically adjustable desks have a smooth transition between different heights.

The lifting capacity depends on the number and quality of the motors, typically single motor models rate from 66Kg to 80Kg, I believe it is not worth the slower moving speed and lower reliability and suggest you instead focus on dual motor models which can always reliably lift significantly more than any manual desk.

High weight capacity does NOT always mean high quality, a standing desk’s durability will hinge on the quality of its design and materials, not purely the weight metrics.

Adjustable Desk Frame Weight

When conducting research on standing desks, frame weight is a fair indicator of quality. The desk surface is less likely to wobble when the frame is heavier as it enhances stability.

Standing Desk Accessories

While an adjustable standing desk is the starting point, it’s useful to remember your home office upgrade may not be complete unless you consider some of the following options…

• Cable management system
• ‘Power bars’ with power sockets and USB ports for charging phones
• Draws or other storage
• Sit-stand stools or chairs
• Balance boards
• Anti-fatigue mats.

A few of the first accessories above come as standard with some desks, but for others, they do not and are optional extras.

How I Evaluated The Best Standing Desks

Some people value practicality, even when ugly while others put design first at the expense of all else.

I really think the majority of people would not like to trade off too much practicality for design and I would argue that a strong fit for purpose is indicative of good overall design.

For my stand-up desk analysis, I considered the following as key criteria:

• Practicality (useful space, cable management, and build quality)
• Aesthetics
• Value for Money

These aspects are not in any order, rather I picked winners from different angles at different price points, you’ll see while I picked the best standing desk overall I also picked one for those on a budget and one for taller people, etc.

Notable exclusions from this list

In addition to the above, there were many factors that I considered to narrow down this list of the best stand up desks.

IKEA BEKANT Sit Stand Desk

I actually had one of these it was a bit wobbly and researching other desks inspired me to write this article (I now own the UpDown Pro).

In an early version of this article, I had the IKEA BEKANT towards the end of the list; however, it was cheaper then, now at the new price you no longer even get what you pay for.

The aesthetic style of the BEKANT sit-stand desk is simple and it should not be too offensive in a budget work-from-home setup. The tabletop is made up of Particleboard, Melamine foil, and plastic edging.

The BEKANT sit-stand desk comes with an adjustable height of 65cm to 125 cm.

Cons

• Stability issues
• Low weight capacity of 69Kg.
• No height preset buttons.
• Now overpriced for what it is.

IKEA TROTTEN

This is a crank-handle model rather than an electrically adjustable one and as such does not qualify for consideration.

Omnidesk vs UpDown

The Omnidesk is a premium-grade standing desk that competes directly with the UpDown Pro, the Omnidesk desks themselves are very good, comparable to the Desky and then UpDown at essentially the same prices, the desks are attractive, with a decent static weight rating of 140kg; however, you can only choose from four different solid wood options.

When you look at the review sites Omnidesk has fewer great reviews due to some customer service issues and the use of unrecyclable packaging such as expanded EPE, those reasons were enough for me to not include it, I also personally prefer the wood options that are available from UpDown.

There are further aspects that mean the Updown beats out the Omnidesk, while they could of course be considered biased I genuinely think that Updown states the facts well with the comparison table on their site

Omnidesk look to be targeting gamers more with their gaming desk options.

Is Omnidesk an Australian Brand?

This had no influence on my process of reviewing standing desks, but some people want to know. Omnidesk is based in Singapore, the Omnidesk founders are Marcus and Joe Wee, the same brothers behind the Singapore customisable computer brand Aftershock.

UpDown Pro vs Zen Space Desk Pro

The Zen Space desks have a lower weight rating than the UpDown Pro, however, for this comparison of standing desks of course I have not looked purely from the perspective of buying some legs and putting your own piece of wood as a desktop on it, like the Omnidesk there are not any of the great native Australian timber desktop options that there are with the UpDown Pro.

Again there are more minor aspects that UpDown covers in the above comparison table. That guide is for the two-legged Pro desks.

It is worth mentioning that for L-shaped corner desks Zen Space has taken a different approach than UpDown, going for a third motor, this puts the lifting Capacity up to 200Kg. UpDown would probably argue that their more powerful dual motors are sufficient for nearly every corner desk setup.

Zen Space Zen Pro Desk vs Desky Dual Desk

This comparison gets very hard as the lifting capacity, weight rating and maximum height are all the same (comparing the Desky Dual to the Zen Pro Series).

Like UpDown, Zen Space and Desky are both Australian companies; actually they are both based in Queensland.

There is really not much to choose between them, it would not surprise me if their lifting mechanism is manufactured by the same entity, the controls look identical apart from the logo on the bottom right.

The prices are often exactly the same when comparing the same desktop size; the Choice of the Desky Dual over the Zen Space Pro in this guide came down only to customer feedback I found on Reddit, productreview.com.au and a couple of other sites. Desky also seems to undercut Zen Space pricing very slightly on certain configurations.

Why Did I Not Include Officeworks Sit and Stand desks?

Officeworks does have a couple of electric height adjustable desks (with varied options of desktop finish), but neither is very compelling for me.

• The most expensive one the ‘Stilford’ would be the best standing desk from Officeworks, but is still made of particle board in all options and has a maximum weight capacity of only 120 kg.
• The cheaper one does not have dual motors, I consider the Artiss a much better cheap option.

Also from a buying experience:

• You cannot actually try them in-store anyway (presumably they take up too much space or they don’t want children touching them)
• You choose a particular one and it is quite likely to be out of stock – if it is in stock then you must pick it up or pay $40 more to get it delivered.

Elite vs JasonL vs Kogan?

Similar to the Officeworks models these brands do not represent an alternative to a quality stand-up desk brand like the UpDown Pro or Desky.

While you may be able to look and touch your standing desk before you buy at an elite or JasonL showroom it’s not worth the trip when UpDown Desk, OmniDesk and Zen Space Desks all offer completely risk-free trials on their desks.

• If you are looking for a premium option that will last you for up to a decade or more in your home office then increase your budget and invest in an UpDown Pro.
• If you are on a tighter budget then just get the Artiss which is better value than all the ones you find from these stores.

Why Did I Review Standing Desks In Australia’?

Some time ago I decided to get an adjustable standing desk to give me the option of working from a standing position.

The problem was that the Australian market had so many standing desks available and I didn’t have the time to research, so I just went to IKEA and picked up something cheap, I ended with the BEKANT. My wife hated it and didn’t want it moving with us to our new house! So I started researching something better.

All the existing desk reviews and guides of best standing desks in Australia I found were lacking in detail and they often even got the specs wrong, after looking at these I decided to invest a chunk of my time in research, this research took a lot more time than I first expected, more than two weeks of evenings, I got thinking that I will save others time by sharing my research.

For full disclosure many of the links in this article are affiliate ones, meaning I may get paid a small commission if you buy a desk that I recommend. The ranking is not by financial incentives and these desks really are (in my opinion) the best standing desks in Australia, the good thing for you if you do make use of the links is that all of the top five desks offer delivery so whether you are looking for a sit-stand desk for your Melbourne home or anywhere in Australia then you should be good. The commissions this site earns make spending the time writing and publishing new articles worthwhile, since this guide I have invested more time in other genuinely helpful articles such as these:

Let’s face it we’re just not evolved to sit still all day. Remaining active boosts blood flow, and productivity. And the ability to change position helps prevent back pain. Working from home is the new normal and you need a good workspace setup that preserves your health and improves your productivity.

I would love to hear from you if you found this research useful, use the comments below if you have further questions.