Sitting up straighter or standing is a great way to improve your posture when using a laptop, but this can sometimes result in your device feeling uncomfortable to use. Laptop stands are a fantastic way to solve this problem, as they allow you to elevate your computer above your desk. The laptop stand market is wide, but among the competition, we think the standout winner is the AOOU Laptop Stand (opens in new tab) as it maintains a fantastic balance between versatility, durability, and price.
Best overall: AOOU laptop stand
The AOOU Laptop Stand is the best overall laptop stand you can get on the market right now, as it offers pretty much everything you could ever want in a laptop stand for an excellent price. The best thing about it is its triple-jointed legs that can both rotate 360 degrees and also extend and retract fully, allowing you to adjust its height up to 19 inches and angle it into any configuration you want.
The stand is made up of hard plastic, which isn't the strongest material, but it's fine for what you're going to be using it for. In addition, the flatbed has two miniature fans (the power supply is included with the purchase) in it that help keep your laptop cool, and it also comes with a mini mouse table on the right side. When you consider just how much value you get for the price, it's clear why this desk is an amazing choice.
Best portable: Roost laptop stand
This portable stand is a work of magic that can completely fold up into a frame small and thin enough to fit into a pocket. When you extend everything out, though, you'll have a fully functioning, height adjustable (6–11 inches) stand, which makes this product extremely useful for travelers. It's extreme compactness makes it a pricey option, though.
Best durable: Rain design mStand
The Rain Design mStand trades height adjustment and overall versatility for a very durable build, as the entire stand is made out of sturdy aluminum that both resists damage and acts as a heat sink for the laptop. As long as you don't want to raise your device higher than six inches, this stand will be an excellent choice.
Best elevator-style: Griffin elevator laptop stand
If you'd prefer something with an "elevator" type of style, look no further than Griffin Technology's offering. It stands at 5.5 inches tall and is constructed out of aluminum for high durability, but it uses two prongs instead of a full flatbed design to hold your device. This means that your laptop will have much more airflow than many other stands in this list.
Best thin: UPERGO laptop stand
UPERGO's laptop stand isn't very tall, coming in at 3.7 inches, and you can't adjust the height, either. However, its aluminum frame is incredibly thin and you can fold the stand's brace into the flatbed for great portability as well. The thinness of the metal means it won't absorb heat as well as the Rain Design mStand will, but if you want a strong balance between portability and durability, UPERGO's solution is for you.
Best budget: AmazonBasics laptop stand
This 7.2-inch mesh stand from Amazon is incredibly affordable, and it can be adjusted a small amount between 12 and 35 degrees. It's not super durable, but the mesh design does mean that it gets a lot of airflow. For the low price, it's an excellent value pick if you're on a budget.
Bottom line
Laptop stands are an incredibly efficient tool that will allow people to elevate their devices so that they can comfortably use them with a better posture, or even while standing. They're also not terribly expensive either (most of the time), which makes purchasing one an awesome investment if you're interested in using your laptop in a healthier way in the long run.
All of the laptop stands on this list are excellent, and each one is sure to appeal to someone based on what they're specifically looking for. However, in the end, we feel that the AOOU Laptop Stand (opens in new tab) is the king of the hill in the laptop stand market since it offers an incredible amount of value for a fantastic price. The other options are going to be better for people looking for specific things, like very high durability or tons of airflow, but the AOOU Laptop Stand is a phenomenal jack-of-all-trades pick that does it all and does it well.