With the best lap desks and mobile desks, you can work from home and not compromise on your posture or comfort. Although choosing a laptop over a desktop PC is often done with portability in mind, many people end up taking their devices from their homes to the office and back while still doing most of their work from an office desk.
1. SAIJI Portable Desk (K7M-W)
2. LapGear Home Office Lap Desk
3. Table-Mate II PRO folding desk
4. Ergotron LearnFit Sit-Stand Desk
5. Flexispot MT3 Mobile Standing Desk
6. Flash Furniture Laptop Desk
Read on for our detailed analysis of each laptop desk
Regardless of whether you’re back in the office or working from home, you may not be using your laptop to its full potential. While you can use the best laptop stands to create a more permanent setup, one of the reasons for choosing a laptop in the first place is to be able to work from anywhere at any time. Whether you want to work on your couch, on your bed or even standing up, the best laptop desks add even more versatility to your laptop and give you more options to be productive and get things done.
It doesn’t matter if you’re using the best business laptop or the best mobile workstation, our picks for the best laptop desk will enable you to do more with the device you already have. We’ve picked out lap desks for working from the couch, laptop desks with legs that you can use comfortably on a bed and even laptop desks with wheels that you can roll around your home workspace, office or even a classroom.
When putting together our list of the best lap desks and mobile desks, we focused on both mobility and portability as just like with your laptop, you’ll likely want a desk that you can bring with you and easily move from place to place. We assessed these desks based on their dimensions, weight, height adjustability, design, and other features.
Upgrading to any of the best standing desks can be a big investment, so why not try working while standing with a mobile laptop desk first to see if it suits your workstyle.
The best lap desks and mobile desks of 2024 in full
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The SAIJI Portable Desk takes things up a notch by adding adjustable feet, tilt and even a pop-out drawer for flash drives, cables or other accessories. While you can use it to work from the couch, its sled legs make it easy to move, especially on those days when you want to work from the comfort of your bed. A removable laptop stopper holds your laptop in place and a large groove at the back of this laptop desk can hold both a smartphone and a tablet.
However, adjustability is where the SAIJI Portable Desk really shines as the angle of this laptop desk can be set in four positions and its height can be raised from 10.7 inches (27cm) to 15.1 inches (38cm). By raising the desk up and adjusting the angle, you have even more legroom when working on either the couch or your bed.
Despite weighing 9.35lbs (4.2kg), the SAIJI Portable Desk is capable of holding a max weight of 88lbs (40kg) so it’s ideal for heavier laptops like a mobile workstation or even a gaming laptop. Unlike the LapGear Home Office Lap Desk though, this laptop desk is only available in either black or white. The SAIJI Portable Desk is 23.6 inches (59.9cm) wide, 17.7 inches (44.9cm) long and is 25.1 inches (63.7cm) wide at its base.
The LapGear Home Office Lap Desk is designed for those that want to work from the couch and still be able to use a mouse while doing so. There is also a phone holder just above the mouse pad so you can have all your devices conveniently in one place while working from your living room. A ledge at the bottom prevents your laptop from sliding off while a handle at the top makes it easy to carry from room to room.
Picking a color scheme to match your laptop or even your furniture is also possible since the LapGear Home Office Lap Desk is available in black, pink, grey, white marble, dark brown, light brown and a number of other colors. Meanwhile the two cushions under this lap desk allow for airflow so you don’t get too hot with it in your lap.
The LapGear Home Office Lap Desk is 21.1 inches (53.5cm) wide and has a length of 12 inches (30.4cm), so it should be able to accommodate most laptops without getting in the way of the mouse pad. It can also be used left handed but this renders the ledge to hold your laptop useless as it will face the wrong way. Still though, the LapGear Home Office Lap Desk could be the perfect laptop desk for you if you like working from the couch with the TV on in the background.
The Table-Mate II Pro folding desk is a great budget option for those that want to work from their couch sitting up. Like the SAIJI Portable Desk, it features a removable clip-on tray for storage and a groove for your smartphone or tablet with a hole to run cables. However, there’s also a built-in cup holder that tilts with the desk but it’s only suitable for lighter paper cups.
Adjustability is another plus with the Table-Mate II Pro as this laptop desk features three tilt angles and six different height settings for a total of 18 height and angle combinations. While you can adjust the desk’s tilt level by moving a bar on the underside of the desk, you’ll need to squeeze pins on either side while sliding the legs up or down to adjust its height.
If you’re familiar with TV trays, the Table-Mate II Pro offers similar functionality but for your laptop. This desk can hold up to 40lbs (18kg) so it will work with both heavier and lighter laptops. While this isn’t the most premium laptop stand on our list, it will get the job done for those that want to work from their couch without having a laptop in their lap the whole time.
Whether you're in the office or a classroom, a mobile desk can allow you to move your workspace around while working. Another added benefit is that most mobile desks are height adjustable and can be used in either a seated or standing position. In addition to the WorkFit-D Sit-Stand Desk, Ergotron also makes two mobile desks that are a bit more heavy duty than the Flexispot MT3 and Flash Furniture Laptop Desk further down in this guide.
Although the company's Mobile Desk is more geared towards adults, we opted for its LearnFit Sit-Stand Desk ,which is available in both a tall and short configuration, due to its more neutral light grey color. Regardless of which desk you choose, they both feature a strong, durable base, large, dual-wheel casters, a tablet holder, cup holder, pencil tray and a hook at the back. Ergotron also sells an optional storage bin accessory that can be easily affixed to the desk's riser.
The Ergotron LearnFit Sit-Stand Desk is is 23.56-inches wide, 22-inches in depth and has a minimum height of 26.25-inches and a maximum height of 49.25-inches. Another nice thing about this mobile desk is that it can be assembled in less than one minute with no tools whatsoever.
If you’re trying to be a bit more active while working from home or at the office, then the Flexispot MT3 Mobile could be the perfect laptop desk for you. It offers the same adjustability as a sit-stand desk with a much smaller footprint and its wheels allow you to easily move it around from room to room.
A handle at the back of this laptop desk allows you to lift it from a sitting to a standing position and doing so is quite easy thanks to its gas spring lifting system. Another handle on the right side of the Flexispot MT3 Mobile allows you to tilt the tabletop while a ledge stopper prevents your laptop from sliding off. There’s also a hook on the backside that can be used to hang up your backpack. Two of the four wheels have locks so you can prevent the desk from moving while in use.
The Flexispot MT3 Mobile is 23.6 inches (59.9cm) wide, 20.5 inches (52cm) long and the desk has a minimum height of 29.3 inches (74.4cm) and a maximum height of 45 inches (114.3cm). In addition to allowing you to work while standing, you can also spin this laptop desk around when giving presentations at school or in the office.
If the Flexispot MT3 Mobile is a bit out of your budget, the Flash Furniture Laptop Desk is a cheaper alternative though you will lose out on several features. This mobile laptop desk can be used in either a seated or standing position as it has a minimum height of 27 inches (68.5cm) and a maximum height of 36.5 inches (92.7cm) but there is no tilt whatsoever. Due to this, the Flash Furniture Laptop Desk also lacks a ledge to prevent your laptop from slipping off.
This laptop desk could still be a good choice for those with less space as well as for minimalists that want just enough to get the job done. The Flash Furniture Laptop Desk also features a unique tabletop that is shaped like a half-moon but this does mean that there is less room for larger laptops. The top itself is 25.25 inches (64cm) with a width of just 13 inches (33cm). Due to its light design and smaller size, the Flash Furniture Laptop Desk is ideal for being moved around from room to room or even taken with you to events such as speaking engagements.
One area where this mobile laptop desk does outshine the Flexispot MT3 Mobile is in color choices. The Flash Furniture Laptop Desk is available in black, maple, rustic walnut and white but keep in mind that only the white model features a different colored base.
We've also picked out the best office chairs and the best office desks for your ideal workspace
What are lap desks and mobile desks?
A lap desk is a portable desk to place your laptop on for comfortable viewing. These stable desks are generally wide enough to accommodate your laptop, mouse, and a few extra items, making it easy for you to work without a full-fledged office desk.
Mobile desks are adjustable and movable desks that give you more freedom in terms of how you want to work. You could adjust the height of the desk to sit or stand and work on it, or you could roll it around and change your workplace as you desire.
Whether your company has implemented a hybrid work policy or you’re still working from home, being able to move about your space while working can give you a nice change of scenery and could even help boost your productivity. With the best lap desks and mobile desks, you can get even more use out of your existing laptop by having the freedom to work with it comfortably from anywhere.
How to choose the best lap desks and mobile desks for you?
Before you purchase the best lap desks and mobile desks, you’ll want to consider your usage requirements.
The best lap desks are generally more affordable and portable compared to the best mobile desks. If you need a desk to work from your couch or bed, then a lap desk will suffice. When choosing a lap desk, you’ll want to consider factors like the width of the lap desk, whether it has adjustable tilt and feet, and if there’s an extra drawer or a phone holder.
But if you need an ergonomic desk with adjustable height and movable wheels, then a mobile desk is your answer. When purchasing a mobile desk, consider aspects like the height adjustability, durability, and maneuverability of the desk. If you don’t want to spend too much time assembling the desk, pick one that’s easy to assemble.
The best lap desks and mobile desks: how we test
We evaluated the best lap desks and mobile desks across numerous aspects.
For the lap desks, we considered how portable, lightweight, and adjustable they were. We checked their dimensions to ensure they were wide enough to hold a laptop and a mouse, and we looked for drawers for flash drives, cables, and other accessories. We evaluated how much weight they could withstand, whether they were easy to store, and if they came in various color options.
For the mobile desks, we assessed how swiftly they could be assembled and whether the assembly needed extra tools. We considered their dimensions, weight, and height adjustability. We also looked at the wheel quality and how easy it was to move the desk around and lock the wheels in place.
