The best monitor arms are something everyone working in photography needs, because in the long term they'll protect your eyesight along with your neck, back and shoulders.
Why? Because unless your existing monitor stand places your screen in the perfect position (which is unlikely), you'll need a way of placing it more effectively. So if you've invested in the best monitors for image or video editing, a decent monitor arm is a must-have to complete your setup.
Clamping securely to the back edge of your desk, they do a great job of maximizing your work area in front. And the best monitor arms offer a ton of flexibility, in terms of height, pan (left/right) and tilt (up/down) movement. 360 degrees of rotation is also a common feature, allowing you to easily switch from landscape to portrait. In all, it's a world apart than relying on your existing stand.
In this article, we've brought together the best monitor arms available today. Our list includes monitor arms for both single monitors and multiple monitor setups, and cover a range of styles and prices.
The best monitor arms
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We'll start with the best of the best. Ergotron's LX Desk Monitor Arm impresses with its polished aluminium construction which is solid enough to support a monitor weighing up to 11.3 kg and/or 34-inches screen size, plus it's guaranteed for 10 years.
The arm itself weighs in at 3.6kg and attaches via a clamp to a desk surface 10-60mm thick, and it's packed with ergonomic adjustment. You get 33cm of height adjustment, 70 degrees of backward tilt and 5 degrees forward tilt, 360-degree pan and 360-degree rotation. The arm can fold right back to sit directly above the base, maximizing desk space in front. Just be sure the monitor you'll be mounting has VESA mounting holes conforming to either a 100 x 100mm or 75 x 75mm pattern, though these are almost universally standard.
Want a more affordable option? This desk-mounted monitor arm may not have quite as much wow-factor as pricier models on this list, but it can certainly match them on specs. You can mount a display up to 32 inches, it'll support up to 9kg, and there's an excellent 33cm of height adjustment. You also get all the usual range of adjustment, with up to 90 degrees of up or down tilt and 360-degree rotation. There's even a gas spring inside to balance varying monitor weights for super-simple height adjustment.
The aluminium and steel arm can be had in silver of black finishes and will attach to a desk up to 8.4cm thick. Providing your monitor has a 100 x 100mm or 75 x 75mm mounting hole pattern (highly likely), this arm is a great value buy.
Amazon's Basics range is cheap but reliable, and this back-to-basics arm is a good example. The main catch (other than the less-than-designer looks) is you're limited to a max monitor size of 24 inches. But if that's not a problem, this arm enables a decent range of adjustability, although changing height requires you to release a clamp and to slide the arm up or down the mounting pole - no gas lift monitor balancing here. But since most of us rarely need to change the height of our display, that's not necessarily a deal-breaker.
This arm will, however, clamp to any desk from 2 to 10cm thick and it's compatible with standard 100x100mm and 75x75mm VESA hole patterns, so you should have no trouble fitting it to your desk or monitor.
Like the idea of a cheap, basic monitor stand from Amazon, but have a monitor that's larger than 24 inches? Then check out the Amazon Basics Premium monitor stand, which supports monitors up to 32 inches. And despite the low price, this is actually a pretty high quality stand.
It's sturdy, lightweight and very flexible. In that the arm extends and retracts, tilts between 70° back and 5° forward, and rotates between landscape mode and portrait mode. Cable management isn't particularly sophisticated, and overall this is quite basic, but it's also great value. This stand is built to hold a monitor up to 11.2 kg.
Don't fancy mounting your monitor to your desk and want a more solid fixing point? A wall-mounted arm could be the answer. You'll just need a power drill, some basic tools and the right fixings to suit the construction of the wall you'll be mounting to.
Once in place, Ergotron's MX Wall Mount LCD Arm is ideal for supporting big-screen and ultrawide monitors up to 13.6kg in weight and a whopping 42-inches large. As such, the mounting plate is larger than average, accommodating typical 100 x 100mm & 75 x 75mm VESA hole patterns, along with large panel 200 x 200mm and 200 x 100mm hole patterns.
The arm itself is easy on the eye with its polished aluminium finish and it features internal cable routing to maintain the sleek look. Monitor manoeuvrability isn't quite as extensive as with some desk-mounted arms, but it's still respectable, offering 12.7cm height adjustment, 90 degrees rotation and 360 degrees of pan movement.
Here's a great choice if you have a heavier set up. The 3M Dual-Swivel Monitor Arm is capable of supporting screens up to 30lbs/13.6kg, and can clamp to desks up to 4.25 inches thick. It offers with 18.6 inches of vertical adjustment and horizontal extension up to 19.5 inches, and allows angle tweaks for perfect positioning as well as giving you the option to rotate from landscape to portrait orientation.
This arm is hollow, allowing you to run your cables inside, and avoid lots of trailing wires getting in the way. It's a bit trickier to set up than many of the models on this list, but the extra strength and solidity it provides makes that well worth it should you have a weighty monitor.
If you're tall, a wall-mounted monitor arm may be for you. It allows you to position your screen at the ideal height to suit your eyeline. But if you'd rather not start drilling big holes above your desk to fit a wall-mounted arm, this desk-mounted alternative with an extended height range is worth considering.
Where the standard Ergotron LX Desk Monitor Arm 'only' offers 20cm of height adjustment, this Tall Pole version ups that range to 30cm. So even LeBron James perched on a bar stool should still be able to be able to get a comfortable viewing position. Apart from the extra lift, this arm is essentially the same as a regular Ergotron LX Desk Monitor Arm with excellent adjutsability. There's also a dual-screen Tall Pole option should you need it.
The NB North Bayou Monitor Desk Mount Stand is another great option if you're looking for the best monitor arm for a large display. It's made of high quality steel and aluminum alloys, with heavy duty construction to keep everything stable. Supporting monitors between 24 and 42 inches in diameter, and up to 33lbs (15kg) in weight, it's a good choice for heavy gaming monitors. It's compatible with 75 x 75mm and 100 x 100mm VESA mounts, and rotates throughout 360 degrees.
The sleek, carefully engineered Kontour K1D sure looks the part, and this arm is far from just style over substance. Inside, the forged aluminium arms gas springs enable effortless, perfectly balanced height adjustment which can be easily fine-tuned for different monitor weights.
You get a huge 33cm of height adjustability, while the monitor backplate can tilt 75 degrees backward and 10 degrees down. Cables are neatly routed through the arm, concealed by tool-less covers. The Kontour K1D can support up to a 30-inch monitor weighing 11.3kg, with its mounting plate compatible with 75 x 75 and 100 x 100mm hole patterns. It clamps straight to a desk with a tabletop thickness between 1.3cm and 6.4cm.
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