Key takeaways
- A laptop stand lifts your screen closer to eye level, which is the cheapest fix for the neck and shoulder ache that comes from hunching over a laptop all day.
- Prices run from about £7 for a fold-flat aluminium riser to around £50 for a telescopic stand that raises the laptop high enough to work standing up.
- For a fixed desk, pick a stable riser with a wide base. For carrying between home, the library and the office, pick something that folds flat and weighs under 300g.
- Pair a raised laptop with a separate keyboard and mouse, otherwise you’ll be reaching up to type and swap one ache for another.
With term starting and plenty of people back at a desk after the summer, laptop stands are having a moment on Amazon’s back-to-school and office charts. The reason is simple: a laptop puts the screen and the keyboard in the same place, so you either look down at a hunched angle or type with your arms raised. A stand fixes the screen height, you add a separate keyboard, and the strain on your neck drops straight away. Here are six worth buying in the UK right now, across a range of budgets and setups.
How we picked these
We started with what UK shoppers are actually buying, using Amazon’s back-to-school and office best-seller lists rather than sponsored placements. From there we looked for stands with a wide, stable base (a wobbly stand is worse than none), a height that brings the top of the screen near eye level, good airflow underneath so the laptop doesn’t run hot, and grippy pads that hold the machine and won’t scratch the lid. We included a genuine budget option, a couple of mid-price desk risers, a portable pick for people who move around, a sit-to-stand model, and one for working from bed or the sofa, so there’s a fit for most setups.
| Stand | Best for | Type | Around |
|---|---|---|---|
| UGREEN Adjustable Rotating | Best overall | Aluminium riser, rotates | £24 |
| Amazon Basics Foldable | Best budget | Fold-flat, 6-angle | £7 |
| tounee Telescopic Sit-to-Stand | Standing to work | Telescopic, 360° swivel | £50 |
| Babacom Dual-Bar Riser | A fixed home desk | Height-adjustable riser | £14 |
| Babacom Foldable Ventilated | Carrying around | Foldable, vented | £20 |
| Portable Bed Table | Bed and sofa | Table with folding legs | £20 |
The best laptop stands in the UK
UGREEN Adjustable Laptop Stand
Best overallA sturdy aluminium riser that adjusts for both height and angle and sits on a rotating base, so you can spin the screen to show a colleague without lifting the laptop. The open frame keeps air moving underneath, and the build feels a step above the cheap folding stands.
The catch: the rotating base adds a bit of bulk, so it’s more of a stay-on-the-desk stand than one you’ll fold into a bag.
Aluminium, fits 11 to 16 inch laptops · around £24
Check price on Amazon ›Amazon Basics Foldable Laptop Stand
Best budgetProof you don’t need to spend much. It folds flat, weighs almost nothing, and has six angle settings, so it’s an easy first stand or a spare to leave in a bag. For the money it does the main job well: it gets the screen up off the desk.
The catch: it raises the angle more than the outright height, so tall users may still want to sit it on a couple of books to hit eye level.
Fold-flat, 6 angles · around £7
Check price on Amazon ›tounee Telescopic Laptop Stand
Best for standing to workThis one telescopes up high enough to use your laptop standing, then drops back down for sitting, and the base swivels a full 360 degrees. If you want to break up a long day at the desk without buying a full standing desk, it’s a neat halfway house.
The catch: at this price and height it’s the priciest here, and a tall single-column stand can wobble a little if you type hard while standing.
Telescopic, 360° swivel base · around £50
Check price on Amazon ›Babacom Ergonomic Laptop Stand
Best for a fixed home deskA dual-bar riser that’s height-adjustable and feels planted once it’s set, which makes it a good pick if the laptop mostly lives in one spot. The twin supports spread the weight so it doesn’t rock, and it clears space underneath for a keyboard.
The catch: it’s built to stay put rather than travel, so it’s not the one to take between rooms every day.
Dual-bar, height-adjustable · around £14
Check price on Amazon ›Babacom Foldable Ventilated Stand
Best for carrying aroundMade for people who work in more than one place. It folds down thin, slots into a laptop bag, and the vented plate helps keep the machine cool during longer sessions in the library or a cafe. Height and angle both adjust so you can set it up the same way wherever you land.
The catch: lightweight folding stands like this are less rock-solid than a fixed riser, so it’s a compromise you make for portability.
Foldable, ventilated · around £20
Check price on Amazon ›Portable Laptop Bed Table
Best for bed and sofaNot a desk riser but a small folding-leg table that sits over your lap, with a cup holder and a lip to stop the laptop sliding. Handy for anyone who does a chunk of their work or study from bed, the sofa or a hospital chair, and it folds flat to store behind a door.
The catch: it holds the screen a bit low for a full working day, so treat it as a comfort option rather than your main setup.
Folding legs, cup holder · around £20
Check price on Amazon ›Frequently asked questions
Do laptop stands actually help with neck pain?
They help by fixing the cause: a laptop screen sits too low, so you look down at it. Raising the top of the screen to roughly eye level lets you sit up straight. The NHS and most ergonomics guidance say the same thing, though a stand only works if you add a separate keyboard so you’re not reaching up to type.
What height should the screen be?
Aim for the top of the screen to sit at about eye level when you’re sitting upright, roughly an arm’s length away. If a stand only tilts rather than lifts, sitting it on a book or two to gain height is a fair fix.
Do I need a separate keyboard and mouse?
For anything more than short spells, yes. Once the laptop is raised, its built-in keyboard is too high to type on comfortably, so a cheap wireless keyboard and mouse finish the setup. A stand on its own only solves half the problem.
Will a stand fit my laptop?
Most of these take laptops from about 11 to 16 inches, which covers the vast majority of machines. Check the listed range if you have a 17 inch laptop, as the widest models can overhang smaller stands.
Sources
Prices and availability were checked on Amazon.co.uk and change often. Ergonomics guidance drawn from public advice on setting up a screen at a comfortable height.
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