Best Chairs & Stools
for Standing Desks 2018
Research by What is Standing Desk Stool?
A standing desk stool, also known as a standing desk chair, is a type of seating that is often paired with a sit to stand desk. It allows you to rest in a position between sitting and standing. Many avid standers appreciate the third option other than standing and sitting while working at their desk. There are also other options like kneeling chairs that can compliment a standing desk as well.
If you'd like to learn more about standing stools and chairs, what to look for and the various types, check our in-depth guide: Buyer's Guide to Standing Chairs and Stools
Common Stool Design
Why get a Standing Desk Stool?
- More Options - Simply having another position to choose from is one of the main benefits of getting a standing stool or chair. Changing positions frequently is one of the keys to staying active at your desk and avoiding pain and soreness.
- Reduced Pressure on Your Joints - Leaning takes a lot of pressure off your feet, knees and spine without the increased lower back stress of sitting. It's a great middle ground.
- Less Sitting Time - As more people become aware of the risks of excessive sitting, a leaning stool or chair can significantly reduce your time spent sitting. You are actively sitting to remain upright. While it burns less calories than standing free, you're still getting the majority of the benefit over sitting.
Our Criteria and Testing Process
Our team spent several weeks testing chairs and stools in our own offices to provide unbiased reviews so that you can figure out which chair or stool will work best for you. Here are our criteria and what we've found to be important when considering a standing desk stool or chair.
- Stability - Most leaning chairs and tools have a single tube supporting the seat. With the high pressure applied when leaning, it's important for the stool to be stable and confidence inspiring.
- Height Adjustment - Just like the standing desks these are often paired with, you will want to adjust the height to your exact posture needs.
- Seat Comfort - fairly self explanatory, we look for seat surfaces that are forgiving and ergonomic.
- Design - This is a little subjective but design matters. We see a wide variety in design and quality in the standing chair and stool market. Some are very bold design and others more generic.
- Quality - What is the fit and finish like? Is it going to last? What areas, if any, are likely to fail with continued use? We ask ourselves these questions when reviewing any product.
- Overall Value - Value is always very important us. Our definition of value is getting the most benefit from the stool or chair for money spent.
Best Chairs and Stools for Standing Desks 2018
While we pick an overall winner, we realize that you may find one thing more important than another when shopping for a chair or stool for your standing desk. With this in mind we have picked chairs and stools for the following categories:
- Best Value
- Best on a Budget
- Best for Active Sitting
- Best High-end Stool
- Best for Posture
- Best Design
- Best Mobile Stool
- Best Conventional Chair
“Best Conventional Chair for Standing Desk Height”
- If you prefer to sit at your standing height this is a great option
- You can simply step down to stand at your desk
- Can turn a fixed height standing desk to a sit-stand workstation
- Adjustable armrests and great ergonomic design
- Available in 4 colors
Compare Best Chairs and Stools for Standing Desks
Use the table below to compare the stats of our top recommended chairs and stools. You may want to pay special attention to the min and max height range. Depending on whether you prefer leaning, sitting or both, shop for a stool with a height range that will work for you and your needs. Keep in mind the following definitions when reviewing the table:
Stat Definitions:
- Min Height (Inches) - This is the measurement of the lowest height level from the floor to the seat surface as reported by the manufacturer or customer's measurements.
- Max Height (Inches) - This is the measurement of the highest height level from the floor to the seat surface as reported by the manufacturer or customer's measurements.
- Seat Width (inches) - This is the width of the seat as reported by the manufacturer or customer's measurements.
- Seat Depth (inches) - This is the depth of the seat as reported by the manufacturer or customer's measurements.
- Price in USD - This is the current price of the desk as of the update date of this guide.
| Chair/Stool | Min Height |
Max Height |
Seat Width |
Seat Depth |
Price USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varidesk VariChair | 23" | 32.75" | 14" | 13.75" | $195 |
| Uncaged Ergonomics Wobble | 23" | 33" | 13" | 13" | $100 |
| Learniture Stool | 18.5" | 28" | 12.6" | 12.6" | $93 |
| Focal Locus Seat | 31" | 40" | 16" | 10.5" | $599 |
| Varier Move | 22" | 32.25" | 16" | 16" | $425 |
| Aeris Muvman | 20" | 33" | 13" | 12.6" | $499 |
| Focal Mogo | 18.5" | 38" | 16" | 10.5" | $79 |
| Modway Veer | 21.5" | 29.5" | 20" | 19" | $102 |
More Resources on Leaning and Standing
If you're interested in leaning chairs and stools or standing desks in general, we encourage you to check out the following related resources:
- Proper Posture - Even with the use of a leaning chair you're likely to spend a decent amount of time standing and or sitting at your desk. Check out our guide on Proper Sitting & Standing Desk Ergonomics
- Preventing Back Pain - Standing and leaning will help back pain but there more you can do to help. Here's 17 things you can do to prevent back pain
- Avoid Common Mistakes - When you're just getting into standing or leaning it's easy to make a few mistakes. We've compiled a list of 10 common problems and what you can do to avoid them.
- Interested in Kneeling? - Our resident chiropractor Dr. RJ Burr lends his expertise on the cutting edge topic of kneeling and how it can benefit you and your spine.
If you have any questions, concerns or see something missing from our list of best chairs and stools for standing desks, please reach out via email or leave a comment below. We usually respond within 24 hours and are happy to help.
Startstanding.org is supported by its readers. If you purchase any products from this page, our educational website will receive a small commission from the Amazon.com and/or other affiliate programs, which will help cover our costs, and doesn’t affect your price.
Comments
Which chair would you recommend for switching all the way between fully upright to fully sitting on an adjustable standing desk? Preferabely I would like it to be the highest value for the money rather than a premium option.
For the money, I would take a look at the Varichair. If you don’t think that fits your needs, you would probably want to take a look at the options that Focal is providing. One final and sound alternative is to explore drafting chairs as an option.
I believe the only product that allows for changing between fully upright and fully seated is the LeanRite chair from Ergo Impact. I don’t know why they aren’t on this list? http://www.ergoimpact.com
Jeremiah, thank you for calling this out. We will look into this chair and consider putting together a review if everything checks out.
The weight recommendation is 220 lbs. What about if you’re heavier than this? How does it work for someone a bit over 6′?
Do you recommend using a footrest? Also, how long do you recommend sitting all the way down vs. standing vs. leaning?
Ryan, all great questions!
We do think most people would benefit from a footrest. We discuss that a bit in our varichair review which you can find here: https://www.startstanding.org/standing-desks/best-chairs-stools/varichair-review/
As for switching your working positions, we find that most people benefit from taking a break from one position fairly often. I personally switch from sitting or standing to another position about every 30 minutes. Some of the doctors that we work closely with recommend switching positions as often as once every 15 minutes. There are many free desktop or mobile timers you could purchase that set an alarm as a reminder at whichever interval you prefer. Either way, try to ease into changes over the course of a few weeks so that you can develop a healthy, sustainable habit.
Two other alternatives you could consider to standing and sitting are walking and kneeling. Walking around the office as a break or on a treadmill desk can be an option. Kneeling is a bit less common, but we think it is tremendously underrated. See our guide here: https://www.startstanding.org/kneeling/
Have you seen the Leanrite sit stand chair ?
Hi Mak, we have not, but we are looking into that chair as a potential future review opportunity. Thank you for writing in with your question!
On #8, Modway Veer, why are 4 of 5 points marked with red X’s. They all seem like positives to me.
Thanks, Sam, good catch. It has been updated!
Modway Veer Drafting Stool-Chair is Easy to assemble and feels very sturdy. Feels incredibly sturdy. I have a particularly tall desk, and this is great. I love that the arms can move up or down (not adjustable, just swing up and out of the way). The foot stool can be changed and the amount that the back leans or it’s resistance can also be adjusted. Seat is very comfy and large. Never even thought about being uncomfortable once. Some people were saying that they slipped out of the seat because it’s at a weird angle, but that’s only because they put the seat on backwards. I did that at first, but quickly realized that I needed to switch it around. I will say that the instructions are horrible, but it’s simple enough to figure out. There not a lot of pieces and the only slightly confusing piece is what direction the seat goes. It’s easy to fix if you get it wrong though. Overall, I’m happy with it and I think it looks really nice.
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