Best laptop stands for Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Many laptop stands are rigid and offers little flexibility. The Cuve Flex, from premium accessory maker Twelve South, remedies this limitation with both height and tilt adjustability.

It can elevate your MacBook screen and camera up to 22 inches (56cm) so it can be close to eye level and aligned with an external screen if you have one. This flexibility is better for your neck, back and eyes. You can angle the MacBook’s keyboard from 0 to 45 degrees.

The Curve Flex is not just flexible; it’s portable, too. It weighs 28oz (795g), folds flat and comes with a padded neoprene travel sleeve.

While it costs more than the original fixed-position Curve and even cheaper Curve SE (reviewed below), and indeed many of the MacBook stands tested here, the flexibility and portability justify the extra expense.

The Curve Flex is available in matte black or white.

Twelve South also has a companion stand for the external display you might connect to your MacBook. The Curve Riser will put your second screen at a similar height to the laptop, and includes a handy shelf for a docking station or other device.

Satechi’s Aluminum Laptop Stand is more portable than most, being collapsible and lightweight (17.1oz, 485g).

You can simply fold it up, and pack it in your bag or suitcase for travel.

It doesn’t raise the laptop as high as the Twelve South Curve or Beststand Cooling Stand, but it does bring the screen closer to eye level than sitting flat on the desk.

It suits MacBooks in looks, as it is available in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Space Grey and Black, but will work with any laptop 12in-17in.

The base is rubberised to keep it secure on your desk.

Ideal for shared laptops in meeting or other group environments, the UGreen Swivel Laptop Stand offers a 360° rotatable axis on the base, so you can flexibly swing the laptop round to show the screen or share the camera.

In addition to this neat feature, you can raise, angle and tilt the MacBook to your preferred viewing comfort on this aluminum alloy stand.

The foldable stand can hold up to a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and supports up to 11 lbs of weight. It feels sturdier than the Lululook 360 Rotating Laptop Stand, although is maybe a little less stylish.

This laptop stand boasts a handy 360° rotating circular base and a mechanical arm that can raise the screen by 10 inches.

The spin is smooth and has a reassuring clicking noise as you spin it. It’s great for meetings where you can quickly turn the screen to your colleagues or even hand over control in presentations.

It will take up to a 17-inch laptop, but don’t tilt it too much or it will topple backwards. The UGreen Swivel Laptop Stand feels more sturdy but we prefer the looks of the Lululook rotating stand.

Made of lightweight aluminum alloy, the well-built stand is foldable so can be carried around in a laptop bag when you are between offices.

It features a cut-out base to help dissipate heat to cool the MacBook.

The mBar Pro+ is the top-end thin aluminum minimalist laptop stand from Rain Design. It raises the MacBook nearly 5 inches from the desk and provides a comfortable, sturdy typing angle. It folds up to 9.6 x 6.3 inches (24 x 16cm) and only 0.5 inches (1.2cm) thick. At 0.45lb (205g) it’s portable, and perfect for taking to the local café or WeWork.

Also in the range is the basic mBar stand ($25), which raises a MacBook about 3 inches. Although it doesn’t fold up, it weighs just 3.5oz (100g). The mBar Pro ($55) is similar but folds.

All are available in MacBook-matching Silver or Space Gray.

Working from home and remote learning is forcing a lot of to work in small, tight spaces. And, in safer times, that coffee shop is convenient, but not designed for healthy laptop use.

The adjustable, aluminum-alloy Urmust Laptop Notebook Stand Holder raises the laptop to a more ergonomic height–up to 10 inches for the screen—leaves the little desk space you have for you to spread out papers and books, and maybe room for that cup of coffee. It also tilts between 0-90°.

There’s anti-slip rubber on the feet, so shouldn’t scratch your surface, while remaining stable while in use. It can hold 4kg and up to 15.6in laptops.

Super narrow, it works well in small spaces. Plus, it’s lightweight and foldable, so can be stored away out of sight when not required–or carried around with you.

It’s even available in seven colours, from Silver, Black, Rose Gold and Grey, to Red, Blue and Blueish Grey.

Twelve South makes a range of quality laptop stands for MacBooks. It’s one of the few third-party manufacturers that feature on Apple’s own Accessories store, and there are several of its MacBook stands in this roundup.

The HiRise Pro is height-adjustable—raising the screen 2.5 to 6 inches—and also features a hidden cut-out chamber that can invisibly host Apple’s MagSafe Charger (not included, and an extra $39/£39) at the stand’s base so you can wirelessly charge (at up to 15W) an iPhone (12, 13, 14 or 15) or your AirPods (5W) if in a wireless charging case. This will keep your desk space at a maximum while always having your iPhone within reach.

The stand is height adjustable, although it doesn’t reach the heights of some of the MacBook stand tested here. There’s a screw at the back that you adjust to the best height for your setup.

It is compatible with all sizes of Apple’s MacBooks, up to 16 inches.

An alternative is the Alogic Elite Power Laptop Stand with Wireless Charger, which we have reviewed. This can raise the laptop 8 inches and has a Qi wireless charging pad at its base. While you don’t need to supply your own MagSafe Charger, the stand’s pad isn’t magnetic so you have to be very precise in positioning your phone. It also maxes out at 7.5W rather than MagSafe’s 15W charging power.

Measuring 11-x-9.4 inches (28-x-24cm), this multi-angle laptop stand lies flat at around the same size as a small MacBook, so can be easily stored out of sight or even carried between meetings. It weighs 34oz (960g) so isn’t lightweight but is certainly transportable.

Made of polyurethane leather and stiff fiberglass, it can be folded up into four different sitting viewing angles—25, 35, 45 and 60 degrees—and creates a small 10-inch laptop table in Standing Mode where it creates a sturdy Z-shaped structure..

It can hold up to 22lbs (10kg).

Depending on the country you are buying in, it is available in up to four colors: Black, Gray, Blue and Orange.

Elevating your screen to an ergonomic height is important for relieving neck strain on your muscles and vertebrae. A quality laptop stand will do just that for you.

One of our favorites is the Curve from premium Mac accessory maker Twelve South. A recent addition to the Curve family—see also the Curve Flex reviewed above—is the slightly cheaper Curve SE, which is exactly the same as the original fixed Curve but you need to assemble the three pieces yourself.

Don’t worry, it’s super easy to snap the pieces together, and actually makes the stand easier to transport. For ultimate portability, though, the more adjustable Curve Flex folds down to a handy package.

The Curve SE and original Curve stands are not as flexible as their adjustable sibling, the Curve Flex, although they do raise your MacBook 6.5 inches off your desk so you can sit up straight and look directly at your screen—and so feel less tension in your neck and shoulders.

They also keep your laptop cool with air flowing underneath it.

The metal design features non-slip silicone grips on the bottom and arms. Both Curve and Curve SE look fantastic, just like your MacBook.

While the pre-assembled Curve is available in Apple-friendly matte black and white, the Curve SE is in Silver only.

An alternative fixed laptop stand, the $49 Rain Design mStand is another sturdy option, below, and is available in a wide range of colors: Black, Gold, Midnight, Silver, Space Gray and Starlight. There’s even a rotating version, the $59 Rain Design mStand 360.

Rain Design

Rain Design

Rain Design

The iLevel laptop stand from Rain Design looks a bit chunky but features a neat sliding knob that you can use to very accurately and simply adjust the screen height and angle to your preferred position.

Made from anodized aluminum, the iLevel2 raises the back of a MacBook between 6.5 and 8.5 inches above the desk.

While we never found raising an adjustable stand very difficult, there’s no denying that it couldn’t be simpler than with this sturdy stand.

This clever USB-C hub is a laptop stand that also includes a range of ports to expand those on the connected MacBook.

It features a 5Gbps USB-C port, two 5Gbps USB-A ports, both SD and microSD card slots and an HDMI port for attaching an external display, which will also help you achieve a better ergonomic position.

You can add memory sticks or other external storage devices, or a wired mouse or keyboard if you fancy. The connection is USB-C rather than Thunderbolt so doesn’t offer the full bandwidth but it is still compatible with modern MacBooks.

Some rival hub/stand combos don’t include the built-in cable so you need to use another of your laptop’s Thunderbolt ports to keep it charged, but the Hyperdrive stand connects to your MacBook (13-16in) using its own integrated USB-C cable, leaving the separate USB-C port on the hub free for other devices or more likely a USB-C PD wall charger. It can support up to 100W MacBook charging power.

It’s lightweight (308g or 11oz) and collapsible and can be used in five ergonomic positions.

The base features a silicon layer of cushioning to keep your MacBook securely in position.

• Two USB-A 3.0 ports (5Gbps)
• HDMI – 4K at 30Hz
• UHS-I SD and microSD card slots for adding affordable, portable storage

A closed laptop stand will save you space on your desktop and let you focus on your external display or displays..

Twelve South, maker of some of our favorite MacBook stands, offers the minimalist metal BookArc Flex, a stylish closed MacBook stand. BookArc Flex holds your MacBook vertically for a MacBook mini desktop setup.

Cleverly, the MacBook’s own weight draws the stand’s supporting arcs together to gently cradle the Mac. It will automatically adjust to any size MacBook—even the 16-in Pro—up to 1-inch thick without the additional inserts that some closed stands require.

There are three finishes: matte black and matte white, and a premium chrome edition with a mirrored finish.

The PWR+ Ergonomic Laptop Stand is like a small Transformer, which can morph into just about any shape you need from a laptop stand.

It has varying heights (much higher than most of the laptop stands reviewed here), and can be angled as you please as a traditional stand or have its surface flat to be used as a table.

It even has two USB-powered fans in its tabletop, which will keep your laptop cooler and more efficient.

It’s versatile enough to be used as a standing tray in bed if you fancy—handy when you fancy stretching out in your “home office”.

It’s not heavy, but it is bulkier than some other collapsable stands. It can easily be folded up to store, however.

This stand can take a laptop of any size or a large external display. It comes with a row of fast ports and even a wireless charging pad on top.

It would probably best suit a desktop setup of a MacBook in a closed stand connected to this stand’s able hub via USB-C to one of the laptop’s Thunderbolt port.

Then you can place the external display on the stand—so it’s more a monitor stand that works with a MacBook, than a laptop stand on its own.

This 2-in-1 stand is great to keep your desk tidy when you sport both MacBook and iPad.

The Satechi Dual Vertical Stand can cradle up two laptops, two tablets, or two smartphones vertically at the same time. It’s a closed design so works well with a dock allowing for an external display for the laptop.

While sleek, the stand is sturdy with a weight-balancing base and frame built from stress-resistant aluminum. 

An internal silicon mat has protective grip beds to protect electronics from unwanted scratches, and non-slip pads keep your devices upright and protected.

If you need a stand that keeps the MacBook open with screen showing, the Bestand Aluminum Cooling Stand looks the part in either Silver or Gray to match your Apple laptop.

It lifts your MacBook to eye level, which should be better for your posture, back and neck.

There are three strip-shaped holes to the pad that the MacBook sits on, which should offer some degree of cooling compared to stands without such basic ventilation.

Another hole at the back allows for cable management and can be used as a handle, too.

There are optional extras that allow you to add your iPhone to the stand.

The mTower from Rain Design is a simple, minimal vertical (closed) stand that saves you desk space and elevates the MacBook’s vent to keep your laptop cool.

Its anodised aluminum body–that allows the MacBook to “float” above it–neatly matches the design and color of the Space Gray and Silver MacBooks.

It raises the laptop 88mm (3.5in) off the desk, and fits the 12in MacBook, 13in/14in/15in/16in MacBook Pro and 11in and 13in MacBook Air. It includes a number of inserts to make sure your MacBook fits snuggly.

It’s for use in setups where you have a second or third screen as the screen remains closed.

The BookArc, from Twelve South, is a simple, elegant stand that lifts your closed Apple laptop off your desk, and supports the MacBook in closed-display mode for a less cluttered desk when paired with one or two external displays.

It has been designed to match the design aesthetic of Apple’s laptops, and works with the MacBook, MacBook Air (2018-2022) and MacBook Pro (2016-2022) including 13in, 14in, 15in and 16in models.

An insert is included with the BookArc so that each laptop fits perfectly. 

Satechi makes some fine accessories that are “universal” but clearly styled to fit with the design aesthetics of Apple’s products.

This elegant but sturdy Universal Vertical Aluminum Laptop Stand might not have a fancy name but it does tick both the “Universal” and MacBook boxes. It’s adjustable, with a knob that tightens or loosens the stand width from half an inch to 1.25in so will fit all but the fattest laptops. It will even take a laptop in a shell case.

As a “vertical” stand it will save you valuable desk space, although of course it requires an external display as the laptop will remain closed. Twin it with a Docking station that includes HDMI or DisplayPort for the ultimate MacBook setup.

There’s a chamber at the bottom of the weighty anodised aluminium body (7.05-x-3.9-x-2.75in) to allow air to flow and keep the laptop cool.

It’s available in Silver, Space Gray and Black.

The OMoton Vertical Laptop Stand is a simple, small-footprint design, but with a clever underside.

Flip the aluminum stand over and you’ll find four adjustable screws (it comes with a tool to turn them) so you can determine its width to fit your laptop–from 14mm to 40mm.

Really skinny laptops will still feel some wobble, but you wouldn’t want it gripped too tight anyway. It’s reassuringly heavy at 600g.

The inner (and bottom) features anti-slip silicone, which should also stop any scratching of the laptop shell.

The OMoton stand is available in Black, Gray, and silver.

It measures 150mm x 97mm x 47mm.

There’s also a double version, if you want to keep your tablet nearby.