7 Best Portable & Small Standing Desks In Australia For 2024

Does it ever feel like work is invading your personal space? Unless your employer starts contributing to your home bills, you might resent converting that spare room into a home office. Or if you are your own boss, maybe your other half resents you for your illegal annexation of their favourite territory.

Alas! Sometimes, you have no choice but to wheel in a full-sized standing desk, an office chair and set up camp.

But more diplomatic options are also available.

Some of them can even be packed down when you’ve finished work.

Here are the seven best small and portable desks that will redefine your workspace and help you reclaim your private space.

1. Desky Mini Sit Stand Desk.

Best overall small standing desk.

Desky is well-known in the office furniture world as a standard-bearer of quality. If you see the price tag, you may understandably wince – especially if this is the first small standing desk you’ve stumbled across.

But compared to other portable standing desks, you’ll see that the Desky’s price is consistent with its value.

There aren’t many standing desks with an 80cm width that are backed by a 10-year warranty and have dual motors.

It’s available in four sizes (80 x 50cm, 90 x 50cm, 100 x 60cm and 110 x 60cm), all designed to fit snugly into corners and office nooks.

Pros.

The Desky Dual Mini offers the joint-best max load at 140kg (along with the Zen Pro) – almost three times that of el-cheapo alternatives like the Ikea Trotten.

Because of its insane load capacity, it’s stable at all heights and doesn’t wobble.

Its height range also offers the lowest depth of 60cm, whereas many cheaper standing desks like the Artiss can descend only as low as 70cm.

In its smallest available width of 80cm, it’s the most compact standing desk in this review.

But even this diminutive desktop size offers enough space to accommodate a laptop and your arms on either side without hanging off the edge.

The electronic sit-stand mechanism is rapid. You can go from the lowest to the highest setting at a rapid clip of 36mm per second.

With four memory settings, you can set the desk to your ideal height – meaning you don’t have to faff around trying to find your ideal height. The display’s auto-sleep feature is a nice touch, too.

Cons.

Despite being already pricey, the Desky Dual Mini comes in a range of other hardwood and softwood options like reclaimed pine, red cedar, bamboo, acacia, oak, and ash.

That said, very few small desks offer timber desktops, so at least you have the option if you like the finer things in life.

The silver lining is that the standard version is made with MDF, stronger and denser than particle board desks like the Artiss.

One slight concern with the black variant is the desk’s susceptibility to oily fingerprints – even if you’re not the type who usually has clammy hands.

As slick as it looks in black, you’ll find yourself constantly wiping it to keep it in showroom condition.

Also, while it’s not a deal breaker, the placement of the control box is problematic for cable management.

Bizarrely, there are no pre-drilled holes to assist with this, and I found myself hesitant before installing.

With a desk this expensive, you second-guess yourself because you expect the instructions and assembly to be 100% idiot-proof.

Verdict.

How Does The Desky Mini Stack Up?	Score
Price	4
Build Quality	5
Aesthetics	5
Cable Management	4
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	3
Warranties & Returns	4
OVERALL	4.1/5.0

The Desky Mini is the best small standing desk in Australia because of its top-notch build and excellent range of desktop options.

It’s a premium standing desk, reduced in size to make it fit into smaller home offices. However, the steep price may turn off people on a tight budget, and some will view it as an overkill for their needs.

✔ Top-notch build quality
✔ Very portable
✔ Gorgeous desktop options
✘ Not cheap
✘ Gets more expensive when you add a hardwood desktop

Specifications.

2. Artiss Small Sit-Stand Desk.

Best compact standing desk if you’re on a budget.

It’s hard to believe that the Artiss standing desk sells for less than $300.

It makes some compromises that I’ll discuss in a moment, but none of them take away from the fact that it’s a very good, compact standing desk with almost everything you could need.

Almost.

Pros.

How can a desk that costs little more than $300 look and function almost as well as desks that sell for 3X as much? It should be impossible, given the chokehold inflation has on the Australian economy right now.

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the guys at Artiss have their HQ at Area 51.

But it’s not flimsy, rackety or horrendously cheap. It simply looks and feels .. budget.

Sure, other desks in this review can hold twice that amount, but this may be inconsequential for most people.

The Artiss’s electric height controller lacks the modern display and multiple height presets of the Desky Mini or the EverDesk’s Health Coach controller, but it does the job – and it alters the desk’s height at 25mm per second.

Artiss offers you 16 contemporary colour combinations, which is especially great given the low price.

Generally, budget-oriented manufacturers offer very narrow product ranges to maintain their margins, so such a wide choice is impressive.

Cons.

Price aside, the Artiss has a few downsides. It comes with a standard one-year warranty, whereas almost every competitor in this review offers ten years.

That’s 15cm less range than you get with the Zen Pro, EverDesk, and Desky Dual Mini – almost equal to a full-sized adult head.

If you are taller than six feet, you’ll find yourself stooping over your keyboard (or will need to overcompensate with specialised monitor arms.

There’s no way to preset the height, and you have to stand there with your finger on the button until it reaches the desired level.

It features no anti-collision system, a safety feature that reverses the movement of the desk if it hits an obstruction. This safety feature is present in all the other electric desks in this review.

Verdict.

How Does The Artiss Desk Stack Up?	Score
Price	5
Build Quality	5
Aesthetics	4
Cable Management	2
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	2
Warranties & Returns	3
OVERALL	3.6/5.0

The Artiss standing desk is not the cheapest, but certainly the best budget-oriented small standing desk in this review.

Yes, it features a single lifting motor (unlike Desky Mini‘s two) and a basic height controller while oozing a cost-saving approach to build quality, but what did you expect?

It’s a small electric standing desk that will be delivered to your door for the price of a fancy restaurant dinner.

✔ Incredible value for money
✔ Looks and feels great (for the price)
✔ 16 colour combinations
✘ Short warranty period
✘ No cable management features

Specifications.

3. EverDesk Max.

Best premium portable standing desk.

The EverDesk is a beautiful little contraption.

You can be forgiven for thinking that many of these small desks look similar, but get up close and personal with the EverDesk, and you’ll see it’s a labour of engineering love.

The Health Coach control dial is a digital display that provides digital sit-stand alerts and one-touch adjustment with three height presets, allowing you to tap into the health benefits that varying up your workday brings and preventing the formation of bad habits.

And that’s not its only unique feature.

I love mounting my tablet and keeping a full-screen view of my Kanban-style to-do list open.

Pros.

The sheer speed of the EverDesk is unmatched.

Adjusting at 80mm per second, it’s like a Bugatti and the rest are Honda Civics (respectable sports car, but comparably slow).

The next fastest desk in this review is the Recess, which adjusts at 40mm per second – which is half as quick as the EverDesk.

It also comes with an auto-lock function, which prevents the accidental touching of the knob, and prevents your sit-stand desk from involuntarily ascending or descending and causing unnecessary damage or spillages.

With the Health Coach controller, you can also create personalised sit-stand alerts and reminders.

Sometimes, when you’re in the zone, it’s easy to forget to alternate between sitting and standing positions.

If you’re not satisfied with the product in any way, you can return the product free of charge in the first 21 days (if you think that’s good, wait till you hear Ikea’s policy).

Other companies charge restocking fees – in Desky’s case, it’s 15%.

Cons.

Some will be pleased that the EverDesk is bigger than most in this review, but those looking for the smallest size would be better off with a Desky Mini (which has a width of 120cm and 80cm, respectively).

Both the Zen Pro and Desky Dual Mini are 40dB, which is noticeably quieter (quiet library sounds).

It’s not a huge difference, but it is noticeable in a shared office. A noise level of less than 40dB is best for introverts who like to go under the radar.

Regarding aesthetics, they look much better than melamine wraps, but they’re not 100% wood. They’re wood veneer, which means they’re not as durable and long-lasting.

To look at and feel, most wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Verdict.

How Does The EverDesk Stack Up?	Score
Price	3
Build Quality	4
Aesthetics	3
Cable Management	4
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	3
Warranties & Returns	5
OVERALL	3.7/5.0

Parting ways with close to $1,000 might be a stretch when the desktop is made from laminate or melamine, and is available in only 3 colours.

Fashionistas, entrepreneurs, and those who like to express themselves will likely dismiss this desk in favour of one that elevates their brand.

If making an impression counts – maybe your desk is visible when producing a podcast or vlog – then you might want to elect a desk that allows you to show off your style to your audience.

It also comes with an extra four-year warranty for free on top of a 10-year warranty; and it also comes with other free accessories like a light bar, cable spine, mouse pad, desk mat, and cable stopper.

Travelling at speeds of 80mm, I could watch this speed demon go up and down all day.

✔ Cool range of optional accessories
✔ Funky height controller
✘ Expensive for what it is
✘ I don’t love the laminated desktop

Specifications.

4. Recess Stand-Up Desk.

Good all-rounder.

The Recess is a direct competitor of the Desky and the EverDesk, being close to $1,000. But it has the most stylish colours.

I love the forest green legs and desktop, and yet I despise the ocean blue.

That’s the beauty of it. With the Recess, you can deviate from the traditional white, black, or wood desktop and add some personality to your own space.

If spending close to $1,000 on a mini desk unsettles you, the Recess will give you peace of mind until death do you part (at least, that’s their vow).

We’ll look at exactly what’s covered in this market-leading warranty.

Pros.

At almost $1,000, the Recess will cost as much as the Desky Mini or Zen Pro. Where the Recess stands out is the quality of the parts used, which alone are worth the price.

The Desky and Zen Pro also use steel and high-quality engineered wood, yet the Recess is over 13kg (+27%) heavier than both, weighing 46kg.

Okay, so the Recess’s desktop is 120cm versus the 80cm width of the others (Desky Dual, Zen Pro, LEVEDE).

But some of the extra mass comes from the 20cm longer feet, which add strength and resistance to the base.

You won’t have to worry about your screen and camera flapping as you frantically type your notes. The stability is great for content creators, too, when filming vlogs.

The height range is the greatest of all in this review at 130cm, with the lowest max height being the LEVEDE at 93cm.

However, the motor and electrical components are covered by a two-year warranty. (Desky provides a three-year warranty for electrical components and accessories.)

Exclusive to this desk (in this review) is the double-brushed grommet for cable management. This prevents your cables from getting trapped between the wall and the desktop, meaning you can push it right up to a wall.

Other companies are a little sketchy when it comes to their sustainability credentials.

Desky is Globally GreenTag certified, but that doesn’t tell us anything specific about their operations or this particular model.

Cons.

While I can’t deny that it’s easy to get sucked into the promise of a lifetime warranty, the reality is that if anything is to buckle, it’s going to be the motorised electrical components.

A two-year warranty for these parts isn’t generous. EverDesk and Zen offer a 10-year warranty for all aspects of their desks – including motors and controllers.

The problem is that I can’t find any reference to the noise level in dB on their product page, so it’s impossible to say how this stacks up against the other desks.

(EDIT: I contacted the customer service team, and they confirmed it’s up to 40dB, which is the same as the Desky Mini).

It’s the hardest desk to assemble and will take you around two hours to get your space operational.

Its components are heavier, the whole desk weighing 46kg, so it’s much less portable than the lightweight LEVEDE, which is 12kg and has castors.

Verdict.

How Does The Recess Stack Up?	Score
Price	4
Build Quality	4
Aesthetics	4
Cable Management	3
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	3
Warranties & Returns	4
OVERALL	3.7/5.0

It’s the second-fastest desk in this review, travelling at 40mm per second. If you like high-performance products built to last, the Recess will be right up your street.

At 120cm, it’s too wide to be considered a small desk, so those looking for a slimline solution should opt for a desk with a width of 80cm (Desky Mini, Zen Pro, and LEVEDE.

✔ Very sturdy build
✔ Generous range of height adjustment
✘ “Lifetime” warranty is a gimmick (only two years on parts that matter)

Specifications.

5. Ikea Trotten Sit-Stand Desk.

Good small standing for impoverished uni students.

Enter the manual option. The Ikea Trotten will cost you less than any other sit-stand desk in this review.

The hand-crank mechanism suits the type of office worker who cycles to work by choice – someone who values true minimalism, likes to keep active, and strives at every opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint.

With the Trotten, there’s no need for a power supply, and you’ll never need to worry about the motor breaking down.

Pros.

The Trotten isn’t going to set the world on fire, and while it’s hard to get excited about manually adjusting a desk, you can certainly get excited about the money this will save you.

And using the savings, you can invest in other office equipment and accessories, like floating shelves and maybe even a new office chair.

For a desk that costs that much, to come with a 10-year warranty is special.

Not only that, but IKEA offers a 365-day return policy, allowing you to return any IKEA product (opened or unopened) within 365 days of purchase.

And you thought EverDesk were generous when offering 21 days of risk-free return?

Need I spell it out? Three hundred and sixty-five days!

While power cuts are extremely rare in most urban and suburban areas in Australia, on a couple of occasions, the height of my adjustable standing desk has been locked high when a power cut has hit my home due to storms.

On top of that, when using an electric desk, you have much less room for manoeuvre.

Even if an electric desk has castors (like optional ones with the EverDesk), you’re limited to how far you can go while plugged in.

Cons.

Hand-cranking feels prehistoric compared to electric standing desks, and I find that it doesn’t work very well. At first, I found metal shavings falling every time I pulled it out to crank.

This could be because it’s fresh out of the box, but it’s hardly a great first impression. It also has a tendency to squeak when rotating.

Some lubricant will fix that, but should you really have to? You’re probably so busy that you’ll forget and end up enduring the squeaks.

It’s like riding a bike in the lowest gear. Your legs are rotating fast, spinning wildly out of control, but you’re hardly going anywhere.

It’s not easy to change between sitting and standing positions.

You’ve also got only one choice of size, 120 x 70cm, which will be too wide for small offices. If you’re severely restricted on space, the Desky Dual, Zen Pro, and LEVEDE have a width of 80cm.

Sorry if it feels like I’m hating on the Trotten right now, but its load capacity of 50kg is the weakest.

Also, the height range of 50cm is 15cm less than Zen, EverDesk, and Desky. And at the lowest setting, for anyone shorter than 5 foot 10″ the desk is still too high when sitting (72cm).

A minor point: the light brown wood colour is actually grey, so I recommend buying white.

Verdict.

How Does The Ikea Trotten Stack Up?	Score
Price	4
Build Quality	2
Aesthetics	3
Cable Management	3
Ease of Assembly	4
Additional Accessories	3
Warranties & Returns	5
OVERALL	3.4/5.0

Minimalists, hipsters, eco-warriors, and people who wear Fjällräven backpacks – the Trotten could well be your ideal desk.

Professionals who are looking for a visually sophisticated model might prefer something like the Recess with its striking choice of colours and powder-coat finish.

If you have a heavy set-up with multiple monitors, the Trotten is unlikely to be stable enough to support you. Go for something that can withstand loads of greater than 100kg.

Specifications.

6. Zen Mini Stand-Up Desk.

Good alternative to the Desky Mini.

This powerful stand-up desk has been engineered to suit the smallest workspaces, and it measures up against the best of the best.

With it, you can create a functional and ergonomic workspace where you can be productive and comfortable, no matter how limited your office space is.

The engineers have thought of everything, including a compatible app that you can use to control your desk height and a child safety lock to stop the little ones from tinkering when you’re away.

(Related: Zen Space Desk Review: Did The Company Go Broke?)

Pros.

The Zen Pro desktop drops as low as 60cm. That’s so low that you could sit on the floor! (The same goes for the Desky Mini.)

In theory, you could vary your day by adding a plush beanbag to your space and working from the ground level for an hour or two.

You can alternate between sitting or standing at the touch of a button. You won’t need to keep your finger pressed on the display as you do with the Artiss.

The Connect Zen app allows you to intuitively programme your preferred heights. You can set daily goals and sit-stand reminders, track your progress, and move it up and down when you’re away (provided you’re in Bluetooth range).

The Health Coach controller of the EverDesk is good, but the hardware has its limitations.

The software of the Zen can always be improved with new updates without you needing to upgrade your desk.

And how could I forget?

The max load is equal to that of the Desky (140kg) – you know, the desk where I remarked that its spirit animal should be the leafcutter ant?

It features a child lock function.

Simply press and hold the “M” button on the control panel, and it prevents any further tampering until unlocked. (The Desky Mini is the only other desk that has a child lock feature like this.)

Cons.

Not having all the available colours and finishes publicly available on their product page is a barrier to purchase. On the main product page, you can find only the black and white variants.

It’s beyond me why Zen wouldn’t want to shout about their huge range. You’ve got to go out of your way to email them to find out their custom finishes.

They responded within 24 hours, but I expect other customers out there are a little less patient and would’ve already placed an order elsewhere.

But it’s worth the wait! They have a range of 28 natural-looking colours, including fox, lava grey, Alaskan, licorice, pillar-box, and aquamarine.

You won’t find a hot pink or turquoise in sight, so if you’re looking to jump on the latest Barbie decoration bandwagon, barbiecore, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Surprisingly, the Zen Desk is the heaviest in this review (despite being one of the smallest).

At 52kg, it makes the desk less portable than others that are typically between 30-35kg.

Verdict.

The Zen Desk comes in over 28 colours and you wouldn’t even know it when scrolling on their product page. That’s a huge own goal in itself. But at least now you know.

The height range is impressive, and you can sit as low as on the floor or stand at full height, or position it anywhere between using their intuitive app.

As far as portability is concerned, you’d need to be a gym buff to relocate this 52kg load.

Specifications.

7. LEVEDE Mobile Standing Desk.

Best small standing for impoverished uni students.

Wow! At $119, this portable standing desk is a star buy! With its built-in wheels, it’s like a mini hospital trolley that you can position beside your bed or sofa while you’re working.

Sometimes, home workers are so restricted that even dedicating a corner of a particular room is too much. With the LEVEDE, you can adapt your existing space with minimal fuss, though it’s not the most ergonomically friendly solution.

The legs will slide easily under most people’s couches and beds. It also comes in a version that can be easily folded away, saving you even more space.

Pros.

It doesn’t come much more casual than a bedside computer desk. This wouldn’t be practical for long days, but it’s perfect for sitting in bed while tying up some loose ends while watching Netflix at the end of your day.

Modern laptops are much more powerful than previous-generation laptops, and they’ll overheat and burn your lap when using for too long.

The LEVEDE operates with a gas lift, the same as traditional office chairs – and you have to wonder: why aren’t gas lifts more common on desks?

Office chairs are built to endure heavier weights, so it seems odd that gas lifts are rarer than their electrical counterparts.

Being a gas lift model is what makes this so economical and budget-friendly, and you don’t have to worry about the motor busting when the warranty expires.

The desk is equipped with two USB ports and two standard plugs, which make connecting your laptop and phone even easier.

There’s a groove on the desk to slot your tablet or smartphone in for easy viewing – which is very similar to the EverDesk’s trademarked UniGroove.

Oh, and it’s the only desk in this review with a cup holder, keeping your tech much safer and preventing spillages (which is much more important given the LEVEDE has built-in wheels).

Cons.

The height range of the LEVEDE is 28cm, so if you thought the Artiss or Trotten were bad with a height range of 50cm, you might now be of a different impression.

While the desk claims to support 120kg, it’s not something I’d recommend with a desk that is holding all that weight on one reinforced leg.

The gas lift isn’t the best.

After some time, if your desk is anything like mine, yours will involuntarily creep back up to the max height after a few days.

My main concern is around the ergonomics.

It’s not a desk that promotes healthy posture. In fact, the opposite is true. Sitting or stooping over a low desk gets tedious and will catch up with you if you’re using this for your daily grind.

Use this desk as a short-term solution or as a casual option until your budget or office spaces allow for an upgrade.

Verdict.

A desk that’s truly portable, at 12kg, the LEVEDE portable standing desk can easily be wheeled out of the way and stored inconspicuously. Some variants can also be folded away, costing you only an extra $10.

Overuse for long periods will likely lead to poor posture. The height range will force most adults to stoop over when standing.

It’s perfect for teens and students studying in their bedrooms or for impromptu stints of work in front of the TV.

Bonus! It also doubles up as a snack table for movie nights.

Specifications.

What To Look For In A Small Adjustable Standing Desk.

In the summary of each product in this article, I’ve captured information about a range of purchasing factors you need to consider. But some of these are more important than others:

Frequently Asked Questions About Small Sit-Stand Desks.

Here are some frequently asked questions about small sit-stand desks and how to maximise your workspace.

What are some space-saving ideas for small desks?

You want to keep your portable desk as free as possible. A clean canvas is the best place to start each day.

Go a step further by mounting your computer monitor on the wall with a movable arm. Floating shelves are also cost-effective and a breeze to install.

They can hold stationery, stylish lighting, your Amazon Alexa, or even a rack for your gadgets like wireless headphones.

Oh, and be selective about the clutter you surround yourself with. Do you really need that Coco Chanel biography you’ve never read or the “Live, Laugh, Love” framed quotes?

What is a Murphy desk?

A Murphy desk, also known as a bureau, is a space-saving desk that is stored vertically and folded up against a wall when not in use.

The term “Murphy” comes from the name of its inventor, William L. Murphy, who patented the design in the early 20th century.

Can I use a small sit-stand desk with multiple monitors?

Most standing desks will take dual monitors as even a large monitor (above 32″) typically weighs only 9.5kg. Most small sit-stand desks have a max load of around 50kg, and some even go up to 140kg.

When at full height, some portable standing desks have a tendency to wobble (those with lower max loads), which would put your tech at risk when leaning on your desk.

A monitor arm or bracket keeps your screens fixed to the desk.

Final Words On Choosing The Best Small Standing Desk.

It was Albert Einstein himself who said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”

“Empty mind” was his implication.

And while I respect the OG of relativity, there’s no need for that kind of judgment here, Albie! I find that’s just an excuse to live chaotically.

You can get away with that (somewhat) in a traditional office, but you can’t invite that kind of disorder into your home life. Big bulky desks rob you of your living space and are an eyesore.

A cluttered room is indeed a sign of a cluttered mind. That’s why a small desk is best. You can minimise the clutter and, in turn, declutter your mind, eliminate distractions, and enhance your productivity.

Tommy