Do You Need a Monitor Arm, or Will a Stand Do?
Summary
If the screen only has to go up a little and the desk has depth to spare, a riser or an adjustable stand does the job. An arm starts to pay off when the screen also has to come forward or go back, when several people share the desk, or when the stand's base takes up room you need. The target is the same either way, directly in front of you, 20 to 40 inches from your eyes, with the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level.
Find the height with a stack of books
OSHA's monitor page mentions a book as a stopgap, placed "under the front edge" to tilt the screen back. The same trick answers the height question before you spend anything. Sit as you work, put books under the monitor's stand one at a time, and stop when the top line of the screen is level with your eyes or a little below. Then measure the stack.
A stack of 3 inches that looks right every time you sit down is a fixed-height job, and a riser handles it. A stack that looks right in the morning and wrong after lunch, when you lean back, points to something you can adjust.
Two cases change the answer. OSHA notes that "placing the monitor on top of the computer case will raise it too high for all but the tallest users." And if you wear bifocals, OSHA suggests lowering the monitor "below recommendations for non-bifocal users" so your head does not tip back. A stand that only goes up is no help there.
What each option gives you
- A riser lifts the screen a fixed amount. Nothing to clamp, nothing to set.
- A height-adjustable stand, with the "riser/swivel stand" OSHA mentions, adds height and tilt changes. OSHA says tilting the screen "is most easily done" with one.
- An arm adds distance. It can bring the screen closer or push it back, move it sideways, and lift it clear of the desk surface.
OSHA's purchasing guide asks that "The angle, tilt and height should be easily adjustable," which a good stand can meet. Distance is where an arm does something a stand cannot.
The space under the screen
A stand's base sits on the desk, and the screen can go no further back than the base allows. On a shallow desk that pushes the screen toward you and leaves less room for the keyboard. OSHA's list of fixes for a shallow desk includes "pulling the desk away from the wall or divider" to make room for the back of the monitor.
An arm clamps to the back edge and leaves the surface under the screen clear for papers, a notebook or a laptop. The cost is a desk that has to accept a clamp, a monitor with VESA holes, and a weight that fits the arm's range.
On a shared desk the balance shifts again. Each person sits at a different eye height, and an arm lets each one move the screen in a few seconds.
Browsing for one? Browse monitor arms in the feed →
Sources
We have not tested these products. Specs and guidance are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; the manufacturer's page for your model has the current details.