The Best Dual Monitor Stand of 2020

A dual monitor setup can have a dramatic effect on your workplace productivity, and it’s become practically a necessity for a lot of professions, but many people who are interested in a dual monitor workstation don’t think about one important accessory: the desk. Even the best traditional office desk isn’t going to be best suited to a dual monitor layout, but there are a number of stands that are specifically suited to the needs of dual monitor workers.

HotRate is here to help you sort through the dual monitor desks available to you. Below, we review 10 of the best dual monitor stands available in 2020, and the guide that follows provides you with all the tools you need to pick out the best monitor stand for you.

Dual Monitor Stand Buyer’s Guide

On the surface, most dual monitor stands look pretty similar, but there are some critical distinctions that you should absolutely pay attention to when seeking out the best monitor stand for your needs. We’ll break down the important distinctions to consider below as well as answering some of the most common questions we hear about monitor mounts for desks. And if you’re looking for the best monitor stand for a single display, be sure to check out our guide to the best monitor arms of 2020.

Type of Monitor Stand

Dual monitor stands aren’t nearly as similar as they often seem on the surface. There’s actually a lot of variety in how these devices function in a basic manner, and making things even more confusing is that many models fall into multiple categories. Let’s break down the terminology so you can pick the best stand for your home or office desk.

• A freestanding dual monitor stand is situated on its own base. That comes with some advantages. A standing monitor stand is the best option if you find yourself regularly rearranging your desk or want to use it in more configurations. They tend to be more lightweight, and they can be adjusted at a number of angles. But because they actually have to be situated on top of your desk, they don’t allow you to make the most out of your desk space.
• A clamping dual monitor stand is the best choice if you’re looking to really make the most of your desk space. They utilize a C-clamp that easily locks onto the side of your desk, and the straight pole that serves as the base gives way to adjustable dual monitor arms. These types of stands typically don’t require any drilling, so you don’t even need to damage your desk to lock the monitor stand into place.
• A grommet dual monitor stand is an alternative best option if you’re looking to mount the monitor stand against the edge of your desk. Similarly to clamping stands, a grommet mount doesn’t require you to drill into your desk at all. The one disadvantage is that it generally requires a thinner desk surface to be properly fastened and secured into place. Many of the best monitor stands come with the ability to use either a C-clamp or a grommet.
• A riser may present as either a freestanding model or a clamp or grommet model, and as you might expect, a riser benefits from more a better range of adjustable height than you’d find in a more traditional desktop stand for monitor. Whether or not that adjustable height will be that useful to you is situational. A riser is usually best suited towards desks with lower heights, and in that situation, the ability of the riser to adjust the height is a valuable tool when creating a more ergonomic environment for your screens.

Compatibility

The very first thing you should do when shopping for the best monitor stand is to make sure that it’s compatible with both of the monitors you’re using. There are a few things to keep in mind here, but the metrics are fortunately pretty easy to figure out.

• The first consideration should be the mounting interface. Most of the monitor stands you’ll find make use of mounting plates drilled into them that correspond to the same positioning on the back of a monitor. The VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) standard is the most common, and that’s what we’ve decided to focus on with our reviews. While your monitors likely incorporate the VESA mount protocol, you should check ahead of time to make sure.
• Dual monitor arms are designed to each withstand a given amount of weight. Fortunately, monitors are growing lighter practically every year, so the vast majority of monitors you find are going to be supported by any of the stands on our list. But you should always compare the weight capacity of your mount against the weight of your monitor. That’s particularly true if you’re using older monitors.
• In addition to weight, any monitor stand is going to have a maximum size of monitor they can support. Most models you’ll find have a maximum size of either 27 inches or 32 inches. In most cases, there’s no minimum size, so you just need to find a model that’s large enough to support both of your monitors.

Making sure that a stand is built to fully support the specifications of your monitors is incredibly important. Getting a stand that can’t support the height or size of your monitors could cause them to fall and break, even if they seem secure at first.

Range of Articulation

The ergonomics of a dual desk monitor is one of its biggest selling points, and most come with a level of articulation that allows you to adjust the positioning of either the stand itself or the monitors on it. The ways these stands can move and their range of articulation will vary from model to model, but it’s important to consider your posture and your usage and think in terms of what level of flexibility best suits your needs.

• Tilt determines how high or low the screen of your monitor faces. Tilt can help avoid glare and is a great choice if the sun faces your computer. It’s also an especially important feature if you find yourself shifting from standing to sitting position with some level of frequency.
• Swivel: The level of swivel on a stand refers to the ability to turn monitors in horizontal space. If you work at a collaborative office and regularly finding yourself adjusting your monitors so your coworkers can see them, a strong swivel range can be a great advantage. The ability to swivel at 360 degrees is great in offices that make use of shared workspaces.
• Rotation: Rotation allows you to adjust your screens between portrait and landscape modes, and that’s an especially useful advantage to have for a lot of creative fields. It can also be an advantage if you use your monitors for more than just work.
• Depth: Many monitor arms come with bendable hinges that allow you to move them closer or further away from your face. This is one of the most valuable adjustments because it allows you to transition seamlessly towards situations ideally suited to watching or interacting directly.
• Height: Most people will probably find a height they like and stick with it, but for those that alternate between standing and sitting at work, adjustable height is going to be more or less a necessity.

Adjustment Controls

The adjustability of a riser is an incredibly valuable feature, but you have to remember that the monitors mounted on the arms are both heavy and sensitive. A risers that allows you to more easily adjust the height of the pole is important, and there are two major types of adjustment controls that are available for a riser.

• A riser with a knob or pole mount is adjusted manually. They’re pretty simple in design. A single bracket attached to the pole lets you easily slide the riser up or down. These manually controlled mount designs tend to be cheaper to produce, but it can also be very dangerous to adjust them while you have screens mounted. For that reason, we suggest these types only if you don’t plan on adjusting the height regularly. But if you’re okay just mounting your screens and leaving them standing as they are, you should be fine with this type of riser.
• The best advanced models make use of pneumatic gas cylinders to adjust the height. Since they’re more automated, they can be adjusted at any time, so they’re the best choice if you want to regularly adjust the height of the display.

Cable Management

A cable management system may be a small feature, but it can be very important when you’re trying to create the best and most organized work space. After all, one of the best advantages of using monitor mounts is that they allow you to streamline your office or gaming space, and a cable management system facilitates that in a major way. Most dual monitor stands with cable management systems make use of one or multiple hooks to store away cables, but some feed the cables directly through the pole itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Best Dual Monitor Setup?

That’s entirely subjective on your needs. Since different models support different sizes and weights, you’ll need to narrow down your results according to your specs. If you’re looking to make the most of your space, we suggest a stand that mounts to the side of your desk. Otherwise, you might be best off with a freestanding mount with its own base.

What is the Best Monitor Arm?

We’re especially partial to the EleTab. It combines a range of movement that’s very flexible with a cable management system and a sturdy design. That said, any desk stand for monitor on our list should meet your needs, as long as it’s compliant with your models of screens.

How Do I Choose a Monitor Arm?

Start by making sure that the specs of your monitors are supported by the mount you’re looking at, and that includes making sure it supports a VESA mount. Then prioritize the features and design fundamentals that are important to you. From there, you can narrow down the entries on our list pretty effectively.

Are Monitor Stands Interchangeable?

No. There’s actually a surprising amount of variance between different monitor stands. Our guide breaks down all the important specs you should pay attention to when seeking out the best model.

Final Thoughts

A dual monitor stand is a great way to improve your productivity while gaming or at work while also decluttering your desk and providing a more ergonomically advantage way to look at your computer screens. We highly recommend investing in a dual monitor stand for people who are serious about making the most of their desk space. And if you want an ergonomically sound alternative, you should check out our guide to the best standing desks of 2020.