Best Chairs & Stools
for Standing Desks 2019
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Research by What is Standing Desk Stool?
“Best Value Standing Desk Stool”
- A great stool for sitting or leaning made by Varidesk, the makers of many standing desk products
- Comes preassembled
- Solid construction
- Beautiful and simple design
- Works great for sitting and leaning
- Varidesk is one of the top standing desk companies with a stellar reputation and warranty
“Best Budget Standing Desk Stool”
- A less expensive option to the Varichair
- Designed specifically for leaning and active sitting
- Recommended for people taller than 5'1"
- Great customer service that stands by their products
- Innovative handles with more than one use
- 8 degree tilting seat and a generally large range of adjustment.
“Best Drafting Chair”
- 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
- Ventilated backrest
- Adjustable armrests
- 330 lbs weight limit
“Best Drafting Chair Runner Up”
- Very similar to the Modway Veer offers an alternative look and feature set at a similar price and weight limit
- Ventilated backrest
- Adjustable armrests
- 250 lbs weight limit
- Drafting version only available in one color (currently)
“Best Stool for Active Sitting”
- Designed for sitting rather than leaning the Learniture Stool makes your time spent sitting more active and incorporate more movement
- Shorter height individuals can use this stool for leaning at a standing desk
- Maximum height is 27 inches
- Easy to assemble
- Available in black grey or red
“Best High End Standing Desk Stool”
- Very high quality and proven design originally created in 1985
- Extremely versatile stool which works for sitting and leaning and a variety of in between positions
- Timeless design
- Available with an optional rubber sole to prevent slipping
- Seat available in black, green, blue, red, and grey
- base available in 3 different colors: natural, mocha, & black-stained wood
“Best Stability Ball for Active Sitting”
- A yoga ball that is actually designed for office use at a desk
- A great pair with a standing desk for times when you need a break but still want to be active and move.
- Beats many yoga ball/chair hybrid products
- Innovate patented design
- A way to replace a conventional office chair altogether.
- Available in two sizes that work for most heights and weights
- Available in 11 colors
Best Stool and Mat Combination
- Very unique stool that was purpose built for leaning
- Integrated mat platform provides unmatched leaning stability and comfort over other stools
- Great for professions that spend a lot of time standing in a single area
- Has won may ergonomic awards
- Great stability
- Currently only available in black
Compare 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 minimum and maximum 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.
| Chair/Stool | Min Height |
Max Height |
Seat Width |
Seat Depth |
Price USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varidesk VariChair |
23" | 32.8" | 14" | 13.75" | $195 |
| Modway Veer | 21.5" | 29.5" | 20" | 19" | $102 |
| Flash Furniture Drafting Chair |
17.5" | 25" | 20" | 19" | $133 |
| Learniture Stool |
18.5" | 28" | 12.6" | 12.6" | $93 |
| Varier Move | 22" | 32.25" | 16" | 16" | $425 |
| Vivora Luno | 22" | 24" | 22" | 22" | $49 |
| Ergo Impact Leanrite |
22.5" | 46.3" | 15.2" | 13.1" | $527 |
Seating Types to Pair With Your Standing Desk
As you can tell from our list, there is a variety of seating types you can pair with your standing desk. While you may have something in mind, here's a breakdown of the different types of seating on our list and what they enable you to do differently than a conventional chair.
- Leaning stool - a leaning stool like the Varichair allows you to rest in a position between standing and sitting. You keep your desk at standing height, maybe a little lower and lean back on your stool to take the weight off your lower body. Most stools like the Varichair are designed to be sat on as well but require support from your lower body to prevent tipping over.
- Drafting chair - drafting chairs are basically a conventional office chair with a high minimum and maximum height that is designed for a fixed standing desk, reception counter or other high work surfaces. Drafting chairs are great because they allow you to simply step off your chair to begin standing. Some can be used for leaning as well.
- Active Sitting Chair - a somewhat new type of chair, active sitting chairs allow you, as the name suggests to be active while you sit. They are designed to allow your body to move while you sit due to the lack of a backrest, armrests, and stability. The objective is to use your lower body to stabilize yourself and encourage movement while you sit. These chairs/stools are a great pairing with a standing desk because you can stay active both standing and sitting. A yoga ball chair is also a version of an active sitting chair.
More Resources
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 or sitting at your desk. Check out our guide to Proper Sitting & Standing Desk Ergonomics
- Preventing Back Pain - Standing and leaning will help back pain but there is more you can do to help. Here are 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.
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.
why don’t you link to a page where these can be purchased?
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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I tried the Varichair. For the price point, it was a good choice but after trying it for a day, I had to return it back. The seat is so uncomfortable it didn’t make sense to use it for more than a few minutes. I was disappointed because I have a Varidesk desk so I love their products. I’ll definitely have to try the Ergo Impact even though it’s a little pricey. I stand up all day at work so I need something to relieve my legs/back.