7 Best Cheap Standing Desks In Australia For 2024

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A cheap standing desk doesn’t have to mean low quality. You may not have the budget for a premium standing desk, but you need a practical, sturdy workspace.

Buying a budget-friendly standing desk will force you to make a couple of sacrifices.

I’ve sifted through Amazon and the rest of the Internet to find the best cheap standing desks that will save you a few extra bucks and help you live a less sedentary lifestyle. Here’s what I’ve found.

1. Artiss Electric Standing Desk.

Best overall cheap standing desk in Australia.

Above: the Artiss with a black frame and an oak top, in 140 cm x 70 cm size. A more compact 120 cm x 70 cm size is also available.

The Artiss is hard to dislike.

It measures well against the more expensive budget options (e.g., the Recess, discussed below) and holds ground against premium sit-stand desks that cost more than $1,000 (e.g., the UpDown Pro).

Pros.

Building an electric sit-stand desk as good as the Artiss for less than $300 is a manufacturing miracle. The sub-$300 price tag is outstanding.

The only other desk at the same price point in this review is the Ikea Trotten, which features a very primitive, manual hand-crank height adjustment mechanism and exhibits a very cheap vibe.

The Artiss’s electric touchpad alters the desk’s height at 25mm per second, which is about the industry standard.

While the touchpad lacks the sexy LED display of premium models like the Radlove and Recess, it’s tactile and responsive when pressed – meaning it doesn’t lag.

The Artiss desk doesn’t wobble (even at the tallest setting), and the laminate desktop doesn’t feel cheap and nasty to the touch. Yes, you will know that it’s not made from real wood, but you won’t be offended by it.

Cons.

The Artiss has a height range of 50 cm, with 70 cm and 120 cm at the lowest and highest settings, respectively.

While this is on par with most desks in this review, I must point out that this is a universal compromise when buying a cheap standing desk.

The narrow range can translate to discomfort and frustration for people with unusually large or small bodies.

Those over 185 cm in height will find themselves stooping over their keyboard, while people shorter than 160 cm will struggle to keep their wrists parallel to the desktop.

Given that the Artiss’ electronic touchpad has no display, you can’t set it to an exact height, nor can you have height presets.

The lack of a cable management system means you’ll need to invest in velcro table ties and/or a third-party cable management tray to keep the wires in check.

Verdict.

How Does The Artiss Stack Up?	Score
Price	5
Build Quality	5
Aesthetics	5
Cable Management	2
Ease of Assembly	5
Additional Accessories	2
Warranties & Returns	4
OVERALL	4.0/5.0

The Artiss is the best cheap standing desk in Australia. It’s sturdy, handsome and available in a number of colours.

Granted, you’ll find alternatives in the same price range, but they come with a split desktop (two pieces), are available in only one colour, or have a much shorter width.

The Artiss’ Achilles heel is the narrow 50 cm height adjustment range that may render it useless for people at the tail ends of the height distribution.

✔ Very cheap
✔ Surprisingly sturdy
✔ Desktops are surprisingly good
✘ Not a statement piece
✘ Narrow adjustment range
✘ One year warranty

Key Specifications.

Height range	70–120 cm (50 cm)
Height speed	25 mm per second
Noise level	No mention
Load capacity	70 kg
Desktop size	140 x 70 cm, 120 x 70 cm
Colours	16 colour combinations
Desktop material	Particle board
Warranty	1 year
Standing desk weight	33.8 kg

2. Radlove Standing Desk.

Best cheap standing desk for people with a lot of gear.

Above: a huge selection of accessories is included. You get a cup holder, a headphone hook, an under-desk drawer and two grommets for easy-to-access cable management.

So rad, what’s not to love? Ha. I couldn’t resist.

The Radlove is a great all-rounder, and its large (160 cm x 76 cm) desktop option with an included drawer make it particularly useful for people who always run out of desktop space.

Pros.

The Radlove is about 15% more expensive than the Artiss, but includes a few unexpected extras. First, you get a proper height controller with four programmable settings.

The controller’s digital LED display is second to none in this review. It’s large enough that you don’t need to shuffle closer to see it when adjusting the height.

Second, you get an accessory bundle that includes a headphone hook, a cup holder, cable management holes with grommets and even an under-desk drawer.

Last but not least, Radlove‘s 76 cm deep desktop is 6 cm deeper than Artiss‘. It may not seem like much, but it increases your available desktop area by a substantial margin.

Speccing your desk with a 160 x 76 desktop bumps the price to about $460.

But it also gives you the space to hoard succulents, ornaments, accoutrements, oddments, and anything-else-ending-in-ments.

Cons.

I don’t like that the desktop is split into four pieces. It’s an understandable way to reduce shipping costs, but the unavoidable seams detract from the desk aesthetic.

Radlove’s 68.5 cm – 117 cm height adjustment range is even more narrow than Artiss’. That said, it clearly favours shorter people with a lower minimum and a lower maximum setting.

A handful of users have reported the height controller wigging out with an “Error 69”. While these appear to be isolated instances, the frequency of errors seems to be greater than in other cheap adjustable standing desks.

I couldn’t find any information about Radlove’s warranty anywhere on the Internet. Unlike Artiss, the company doesn’t offer a standalone website with contact details, either.

If you have any problems beyond Amazon’s 30-day grace period, you’re screwed.

Verdict.

How Does The Radlove Desk Stack Up?	Score
Price	5
Build Quality	4
Aesthetics	4
Cable Management	4
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	5
Warranties & Returns	2
OVERALL	4.0/5.0

On the surface, the Radlove appears to be an Artiss knockoff. Look closer, and you’ll realise it’s a very different standing desk.

The deeper 76 cm desktop will be a godsend for people who need more surface area, while the 160 cm wide desktop upgrade option will accommodate even more computers, peripherals and accessories.

People who bought this cheap standing desk clearly love it, with a small minority experiencing controller glitches that can be solved with a hard reset.

✔ Large desktop surface area
✔ Handy accessories bundle
✔ Great height controller
✘ Lack of transparency around warranty
✘ The desktop comes in four parts
✘ Intermittent controller glitches

Key Specifications.

Height range	68.5 – 117 cm (48.5 cm)
Height speed	No mention
Noise level	No mention
Load capacity	70 kg
Desktop size	140 x 76 cm, 160 x 76 cm
Colours	Oak, light rustic brown
Desktop material	Particle board
Warranty	No mention (covered by Amazon)
Standing desk weight	No mention

3. Flexispot Electric Stand-Up Desk.

Great affordable standing desk.

The Flexispot is a sturdy, minimalist one-piece desk with a solid frame.

Quite remarkably for a desk at this price, it features anti-collision technology that prevents the desktop from damaging or crushing objects when in motion.

It has a programmable control panel that you can use to set your preferred heights for easy adjustment.

The motor delivers an ultra-smooth transition between heights and is virtually noiseless.

Pros.

Slimline sit-stand desks are both a blessing and a curse. The 100cm Flexispot standing desk won’t hog too much space if you’re space-constrained. It’s 60cm shorter in width than the Radlove.

And it nestles into corners and alcoves perfectly.

That’s especially valuable if you plan to place small shelves or hardware beneath your desk.

The control panel is outfitted with two USB chargers, one of which is a Type A and the other a Type C. You can always pick up a converter for a few bucks if your devices are exclusively one type.

I’d much rather plug my phone and tablet into my desk’s USB port rather than siphon off battery power from my laptop.

The only other desk in this review that has a USB port is the Stilford, which costs almost twice as much ($739).

Cons.

The Flexispot is among the weakest in this bunch. Like the Trotten, a load capacity of 50kg sucks.

(Next in this review is the Recess, which has a whopping weight capacity of 125kg)

Structurally, the Flexispot isn’t as solid as the others. If you’re the type of person who leans towards their screen when standing, you’ll provoke a miniature tremor that could quite possibly topple your coffee mug.

It’s pretty sturdy at the lowest standing position, but it wobbles more with each incremental centimetre you rise – even when you’re typing.

Assembly is a pain in the proverbial, more so because the seller suggests it can be thrown together in less than five minutes.

It will take any seasoned DIYer between 30 minutes to one hour.

The mystery instructions are unclear. If you like riddles, conundrums, and escape rooms, and are a glutton for punishment, you’ll enjoy the assembly process. Most will find it frustrating.

Even still, in my particular model, the desktop didn’t have holes in the middle section as shown, and some of the pieces were numbered differently.

Verdict.

Beggars can’t always be choosers, and finding a robust slimline desk that costs less than $400 is no small feat. The USB ports are a nice touch and are conveniently located on the right-hand side, minimising cable clutter.

Such a wobble disincentivises working when standing up, which defeats the object.

Only those with a lightweight setup should consider the Flexispot, that is, those exclusively using a laptop for studying or lighter administrative duties.

You haven’t got the real estate for a traditional setup with a desktop monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

How Does The Flexispot Desk Stack Up?	Score
Price	5
Build Quality	4
Aesthetics	4
Cable Management	3
Ease of Assembly	2
Additional Accessories	2
Warranties & Returns	2
OVERALL	3.1/5.0

Specifications.

4. Recess Stand-Up Desk.

Cheap, fun and cheerful standing desk.

The Recess is the most expensive desk among cheap sit-stand desks, but it still makes the cut in this review because it’s an absolute bargain at this price.

It’s a desk designed to be unbreakable, and with their market-leading lifetime warranty, you won’t have to worry about replacing this beautiful specimen after only a few years.

It comes in a stylish choice of colours and brings some much-needed personality into your office space.

Pros.

The Recess is the Hercules of the desk world and can carry up to 125kg effortlessly.

If you’re ever in the company of Tyson Fury or Lizzo, why not let them hop on your desk and take them for a quick ride?

It’s important to remember its insane load capacity, speed, and noise level when I drop a truth bomb about its price: it costs almost $1,000.

There, I said it.

So, how the heck did this guy feature in an article about the cheapest standing desks in Australia?

Because “cheap” is a matter of perspective.

When you compare it to other home office desks with similar credentials, like the Desky Dual (with prices up to $1,437.95), it’s cheap.

That stability and shock absorption are handy when you’re on Zoom calls or when you’re furiously tapping away at your keyboard to meet a last-minute deadline.

It has an exceptional height range of 65 to 130cm. A total range of 65cm is around 15cm greater than the rest of the bunch in this review.

Having a double-brushed grommet and cable management channels neatens your space too.

Cons.

While the lifetime warranty for the structural components is a welcome benefit, the two-year warranty for the motor and electrical components is pretty stingy for a desk at this price.

The size isn’t as wide as you’d hope at 120cm, and it’s hard to resist the upsell for the 150cm model, but it’s an extra $150.

Then, if you want one of the sleek desktop colours, it’ll cost you another $50.

Want the compatible standing desk accessories? A cable tray? That’s $145, please. A monitor arm? That’ll set you back another $145.

All these add-ons start adding up. Eventually, you’ll be north of $1,000.

It has a heavy-duty construction too, weighing 46kg. If you think you’re going to be moving house soon, you might want to buy when you’ve moved to avoid the hassle of dismantling and transporting.

If you need to move it to another room, take care to avoid sliding the desk on the floor as you’ll catch the feet and damage them.

I’m also a little disappointed that there’s no anti-collision mechanism. You totally expect it at this price, and it’s included in much cheaper models like the Stilford and Flexispot.

Verdict.

Aesthetically, the Recess is in a league of its own owing to the powder-coated finish and the intriguing choice of colours.

The motor is so quiet that you have to bring your ear close to it to hear the inner workings.

Strength, speed, dashing good looks – the Recess has it all. It’s also an ethical purchase too, with it being made from 80% recycled material.

Financially, it’s a stretch, but the lifetime warranty protects you from needing to replace your desk every three to four years.

How Does The Recess Desk Stack Up?	Score
Price	1
Build Quality	5
Aesthetics	5
Cable Management	3
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	3
Warranties & Returns	4
OVERALL	3.6/5.0

Specifications.

5. Lazy Maisons Agile Sit-Stand Desk.

Another good all-rounder.

There’s beauty in plain. No really, there is.

Not all that is gold glitters. The same is true of some of the “premium desks” with their sophisticated veneers. Sometimes they just aren’t what they seem.

If you value personality over looks, the Lazy Maisons ought to be on your shortlist.

Pros.

The Lazy Maisons has a sturdy build quality and doesn’t suffer from the kind of rattling that the Flexispot does. The experience is consistent in both the sitting and standing positions.

Some adjustable standing desks wobble, and it’s not a good look when you’re vibrating profusely when you’re on camera.

As with the Radlove and Flexispot, the touchpad features an LED screen for setting your desk to the perfect height, whereas the Recess (the most expensive in this review) lacks this premium feature.

At 120cm, it’s a good in-between size – not too big like the Radlove (160cm) and not too small like the Flexispot (100cm).

The average screen size these days is 22″ (55.8cm), meaning you can easily mount two screens side by side without them hanging over the edge of the desk.

Cons.

The Lazy Maisons doesn’t have a great range of colours, so it has limited appeal and won’t excite those who want to inject some life into their home office.

White, walnut, and oak – all pretty standard.

If you want something in forest green or ocean blue with matching powder-coated legs, you’ll have to fork out close to $1,000 for the Recess.

When using a triple-monitor setup with a centre stand, it puts all that pressure on the centre of the desk, and it starts to bow ever so slightly in the middle.

I can only imagine this will worsen over time.

Be sure to spread out your hardware to avoid excessive weight being placed on the weak point.

Even so, with an average weight of 7kg, the weight of three monitors (21kg) is way under the reported max load of 80kg.

While the video instructions were great, the written instructions were in broken English. Rather than interpreting, skip straight ahead to the video.

Verdict.

The Lazy Maisons is a jack of all trades and a master of none. It’s neither the fastest nor strongest, but it’s not the slowest and it’s certainly not the weakest.

Those working in tech industries or those looking for a gaming setup should consider a wide standing desk that can house all their hardware without showing strain, such as the Radlove or Stilford.

With the Lazy Maisons, I just wish there was a greater choice of colours. I’m pretty sure walnut went out of fashion with smoking pipes – unless you live in Sweden, which conveniently brings me on to our next desk.

Specifications.

6. Ikea Trotten Standing Desk.

Best cheap standing desk from Ikea.

Maybe the Trotten is named after the sound the hand-crank mechanism makes when you put some oomph into it. It means “trot” in Swedish, which makes sense since it resembles the cadence of trotting.

What’s different about the Trotten is that it’s a manual desk and there’s no need for a power supply, and you’ll never need to worry about the motor breaking.

If anything is going to give in these standing desks, it’s the motors.

Not boastful or showy but a good eco-friendly solution. Would you expect anything less from a desk designed in Scandinavia?

Pros.

Some may find hand-cranking a standing desk a little undignified compared to using an electric standing desk, but the whole point of a standing desk is to mitigate the impact of a sedentary lifestyle, isn’t it?

You want to combat the inertia of prolonged sitting.

With the Trotten, however, you can place it anywhere in your room because you aren’t restricted to situating it near the closest power source.

Since you don’t need electricity to change the desk’s height, you won’t have to worry about electronic errors that have been known to lock other desks at a particular height, like the Radlove. Nor will power cuts be of concern to you.

While the Recess ($825) comes with a lifetime warranty and the Stilford comes with a 15-year warranty ($739), these two desks cost more than twice as much as the Trotten.

The industry standard for office furniture at this price is a one-year warranty.

Not only that, but IKEA standing desks come with a 365-day return policy. You won’t hit any resistance from their customer service team if you find you need to return your desk for whatever reason.

You often have to jump through hoops with other desk manufacturers to return anything.

If you want peace of mind, the Trotten will serve you well.

Cons.

There’s no sugar-coating it: when you’re so used to electric desks, hand-cranking just feels primitive.

The mechanism to change the height lacks tension too. Your arm rotates fast, spinning wildly, but you hardly go anywhere. It’s like riding a bike in the lowest gear.

You’ll need to lubricate the lever from time to time to prevent any squeaking when rotating.

When rotating the lever, your desktop noticeably wobbles – and that’s unsurprising with a maximum load capacity of 50kg.

It can hold that weight, but not without shaking. I wouldn’t feel comfortable placing a hot drink on here when adjusting.

Verdict.

Are we destined for a dystopia like in the Disney movie Wall-E where future office workers are overweight sedentary humans due to their overreliance on artificial intelligence and technology?

The hand-crank lever of the Trotten standing desk is a step away from that. With the rise of AI, it’s important that we avoid the obsession of needlessly automating everything.

If you’re serious about getting active while you work, a manual standing desk like the Trotten could be the one for you.

Specifications.

7. Stilford S2 Electric Sit-Stand Desk.

Best cheap standing desk at Officeworks.

The Stilford is at the upper end of what could be considered cheap for a sit-stand desk, but it ticks so many boxes, and its resume is as impressive as the Recess’s, which costs up to $200 more.

It has a tri-tier system of legs for raising and lowering, a superb load capacity, decent speed, comes in a great choice of colours, features anti-collision technology, and has a 15-year warranty.

Bargain hunters, I hope you’re still paying attention!

Pros.

“What the heck are tri-tiered legs?” I hear you cry.

These bad boys are the stanchions that allow the desk to lift up to a maximum weight of 120kg. With the exception of the Recess (which can lift up to 120kg), the rest of the desks in this review have two-tiered legs.

Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that the telescopic legs of the Stilford and Recess rise with the thicker part of the leg connected to the feet, whereas in the desks with two-tiered legs, the lowest tier is the thinnest part.

It’s obvious that these two-tier desks skipped leg day!

The 180cm desktop is constructed out of a single piece, and it’s very common for larger desktops to be composed of a jigsaw of different pieces, like the Radlove.

A single piece means that the grain effect of the veneer matches throughout and you can glide your arms from one side to the other without hitting any seams.

It’s manufacturing at its best and that belongs on models above the $1,000 threshold.

The inconspicuous curve at the back of the desk allows you to push the desk against a wall and still feed your cables through the gap.

With such a gap, you negate the need for a grommet – and that’s such a clever yet simple innovation.

I used to think grommets were a necessary evil for cable management, but now I think they’re just plain evil. I joke, of course, but they do stick out and blemish a desk’s appearance.

Cons.

The Stilford is expensive in comparison to other cheap desks, but given it has a warranty of 15 years and 5 years for the electrical components, you won’t need to worry about replacing it any time soon.

The desk itself weighs 51kg. That’s the heaviest in this review. Most others weigh around 30 to 35kg.

Putting it up is a battle that you sometimes feel like you’re losing, not just because of the weight but because of the dreadful instructions.

The screw holes in the frame don’t always match the pre-drilled holes in the desktop. In that case, you’ll need to find an appropriate self-tapping screw.

As for the control panel, it has a major design flaw in that if it loses power for a few seconds, you have to recalibrate the table. You won’t lose your four memory settings, but it’s still an extra minute of faffing around that you could do without.

I dislike that the adjustable feet are visible. They’re also ridiculously hard to adjust, given the weight of the desk. The low profile of the feet belonging to the Radlove and Artiss are much more pleasing on the eye.

Verdict.

There’s a lot to love about the Stilford and very little to hate. The finish is excellent, what with the desktop being manufactured out of a single piece.

For instance, you can have grey powder-coated legs, a white desktop, and black edging.

Its tri-tiered telescopic legs are rock-solid, and the only way your hardware is ever going to topple over is if you’re hit with an earthquake with a magnitude greater than five on the Richter scale.

You also have the option to buy this as a corner workstation, but it’ll cost you an extra $500.

Expensive, I know. Don’t shoot the messenger!

Specifications.

What To Look For In A Cheap Sit-Stand Desk.

The price of a budget-friendly standing desk is the deciding factor.

But price is often diametrically opposed to build quality, and if you buy a cheap standing desk of inferior quality, you’ll find that it needs replacing sooner than you’d want.

First, you need to find a sit-stand desk with a load capacity exceeding 70 kg. While the average monitor weighs around 7kg, it’s unlikely any of us has a desktop setup that weighs even half that amount.

You can be forgiven for thinking a 70 kg load capacity sounds excessive, but it’s not.

Higher load capacity increases the desk’s longevity. That is, the more powerful a desk’s motor is, the less strain it will experience during everyday use, which will increase its life.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cheap Standing Desks.

Are you on the fence about buying a cheap standing desk? You’re probably wondering about one of the following.

Is it cheaper to make your own standing desk?

Are you handy at DIY? If so, it might be worth attempting to craft your own standing desk. You could save a few hundred dollars while simultaneously helping to save the planet.

In terms of material, you should seek a solid cut (25mm minimum) of high-quality softwood (pine, yew) or hardwood (maple, oak) from a reclaimed timber yard. This might cost you anywhere between $30 to $70.

This will be the tabletop.

You’ll need to clean, sand, fill holes, stain, and seal to ensure it’s fit for purpose.

Once you’re happy with the finish, you’ll need to acquire a set of powder-coated steel legs with a height of between 70–130cm from Bunnings or Amazon.

Most legs come with compatible screws for fixing to tabletops.

If not, opt for a stainless steel wood screw (perfect for metal-to-wood contact) with a height less than that of your tabletop. Use metal washers where the head of the screw contacts the metal legs.

Pre-drill the wood with pilot holes to prevent splitting.

Is it better to stand or walk at a desk?

Both standing and walking are great for reducing sedentary times and to improve posture, focus, and blood circulation.

Most who use an under-desk treadmill are looking to supplement their gym routine (or lack thereof) with a home workout.

You’ll burn around 100–300 calories when walking on a desk treadmill in 30 minutes at a good pace, whereas when standing, you’ll only burn around 40 calories.

So walking at a sit-stand desk is much better for burning calories and weight loss than standing.

What if the cheapest standing desks are outside my budget?

If you’re struggling to afford the most budget-friendly standing desks in this review, you may find that a sit-stand desk converter (aka desk riser) offers a good compromise.

Most models cost anywhere between $50 to $800, and you can find some second-hand examples on Facebook Marketplace for even less.

Bottom Line On Choosing A Cheap Standing Desk.

After seeing the cheapest stand-up desks, you now have a choice to make: get a budget-friendly standing desk that fulfils most of your requirements, or bite the bullet and start looking at premium standing desks that meet all of your needs.

Look, I know cost is important.

You might be thinking about just putting up with your existing desk situation and carrying on as normal.

But if you do, I’ll bet if the “future you” were to hop in a time machine and come back to the present, they’d dispense some sage (and stern) advice about your hesitance.

You know what they’d say?

Tommy