Whether you’re using a single monitor, dual-monitors, or a gaggle of displays on your workspace, it’s important to be able to adjust them at a comfortable viewing level. Whether it’s too high, too low, too far, or too close, an improperly positioned monitor can lead not just to eyestrain, but neck and shoulder pain as well.
A monitor arm is one of the most efficient ways to bring proper ergonomics to your workspace displays, as they let you move the screen in a wide range of positions and angles, allowing you to make adjustments on the fly as you need it. Not only are they good for ergonomics, they can help tidy up your work desk, too, since they free up space that will otherwise be taken up by a conventional monitor stand.
These are our favorite monitor arms.
If you simply want to get rid of the monitor stand taking space in your desk, this cheap arm mount from Vivo should get the job done, all while allowing you to adjust your monitor’s height to eye level without any trouble. It supports up to 22 pounds of weight, clamps to desks up to 3.25 inches thick, and offers a decent enough adjustment range. Sure, it’s nowhere near the adjustability of more expensive options, but it definitely gets the basics covered without demanding too much from your budget. You can adjust the arm’s height across a 16-inch pole and extend the arm forward up to 16 inches, while swiveling the monitor 270 degrees, tilting it 180 degrees, and rotating it 360 degrees. Why is it cheaper? Because it offers more limited adjustments compared to other options in the list. If you can live with that (and the rather uninspired aesthetics), though, the affordable price really makes it a great pick.
According to the outfit, it can handle conventional monitors up to 32 inches and even ultrawide displays up to 38 inches. We haven’t tried the latter, but if you’re using an ultrawide, you’ll probably want to fork up the cash for more expensive options, as they tend to be tricky for standard mounts to handle.
If you just want something affordable that still feels quite sturdy, pick up this arm mount, which is rated to support monitors measuring 32 inches or less that weigh 20 pounds or under. It has 13 inches of height adjustment, 90 degrees of tilt, 180 degrees of swivel on two joints, 360 degrees of swivel at one joint, and 360 degrees of rotation for the monitor mount. There’s also integrated cable management, so it can help tidy up erstwhile unsightly wires. Setup is easy enough, although it takes some time to figure out the right amount of tightness for the bolt so the arm stays where you want it. Just don’t get frustrated if it sags way down or springs back up (it will happen a lot) – simply fine tune the tension using the included hex tool until it locks into your desired spot.
If you’ve been burned by monitor arms that can’t quite handle the heavier weight of the larger monitors you get whenever you upgrade, you might want to check out this model from 3M. This thing can legitimately handle its maximum supported weight of 30 pounds, allowing you to use it for much larger displays. However, it does seem to be picky with the way a monitor’s weight is distributed. With conventional 16:10 monitors, it can literally support gigantic 40-inchers (although 3M only rates it for 27-inches or less), provided they fall within the weight limit. However, that’s not the case with ultrawide panels, as the extra weight on the sides seem to challenge the way the mount is put together (it sags). Suffice to say, it’s not the monitor arm to get if you’re using an ultrawide. For everyone else, though, it works great, especially with the dual-swivel arm allowing for tilt, rotation, and distance adjustments, while allowing for up to 19.5 inches of vertical adjustment. It can clamp onto desks up to 2.36-inches thick.
If you want a dual mount that can handle heavier monitors, get this model, which supports displays up to 31 pounds and up to 35 inches on each arm. The way the arms are pivoted allow for really versatile positioning options, so much so that you can even arrange the monitors in a perfectly lined-up side-by-side configuration. Do note, it’s not easy, as this is one of the more complicated arms you’re going to work, so you’ll need some patience to figure all the various adjustments. Stick with it, though, and you’ll get to enjoy one of the most versatile dual-arm options out there. The individual arms can raise each monitor separately anywhere from 6.6 to 18.6 inches off the desk, all while extending it towards any direction up to 21.5 inches. Each mount, on the other hand, can tilt 180 degrees, swivel 180 degrees, and rotate up to 360 degrees. This dual arm’s combination of build, adjustability, and price make it one of the best options you’ll find out there.
You can get a dual monitor setup by using two separate single monitor arms. However, opting for a dual arm design, such as this model from Fully, should let you set things up a whole lot simpler. The outfit recommends it for monitors up to 32 inches and 19.8 pounds each, which, in our experience, does line up with what the arms can actually handle. Do note, using larger monitors limits the movement range for each one (you don’t want them overlapping), so a setup like this seems to work best for slightly smaller displays.
As for adjustments, the base joint can rotate 270 degrees, the arms can extend out 23.8 inches, and the display can be raised up to 19.8 inches above the desk surface, while the monitor itself can tilt 45 degrees, swivel 180 degrees, and rotate 360 degrees for easily switching orientations. It has one of the best build qualities among monitor arms we’ve seen, all while sporting very clean aesthetics.
It’s more expensive than your standard single monitor arm, but for the extra cost, you get one with an exceptional build quality that feels like it’s going to stay on your desk for as long as you need it. The mount is rated to support monitors up to 34 inches in size and 25 pounds in weight, while giving it 25 inches of horizontal extension and 13 inches of vertical lift for a generous selection of positioning options, which is further reinforced by the arms’ ability to rotate and pan a full 360 degrees. It comes with two pole options – 8 inches and 13 inches, with the latter being recommended for taller individuals who may want to keep their monitors much higher than usual. There’s also integrated cable routing, so it helps keep the wire mess on your desk at bay.
The arm also supports compatible accessories, allowing you to expand its functions beyond what’s available out of the box. An extension accessory, for instance, can extend the arm’s reach by up to 9 inches, all while adding another pivot point for even more adjustability. You can also opt for a notebook tray that lets you swap out the VESA mount for a laptop tray.
There are plenty of dual-monitor arms out there. Problem is, most are designed to allow individual placement for each monitor, making them difficult to use when all you want is to have two monitors situated in a perfectly-aligned side-by-side configuration. If that’s your situation, it’s a good idea to opt for this monitor arm instead, which uses a three-section, two-fold joint beam to line up two screens in a perfectly level row. The three sections allow you to move the mount to the exact spot to accommodate different monitor sizes, while also adjusting in an arc configuration if you prefer the monitors at a slight angle towards each other. When mounted, the monitors can be rotated 90 degrees, tilted 90 degrees backward and 25 degrees forward, and swiveled a full 360 degrees. Both are mounted on a single arm, though, so they always go together right in the same spot.
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