The best work-from-home products, tested by editors

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The best work-from-home products, tested by editors

While a lot of us have returned to the office in some capacity, working from home isn’t going anywhere. Especially if you’re accustomed to modern office staples, like a standing desk or ergonomic office chair, it’s well worth the money to upgrade your at-home setup to rival that of your corporate space.

Our experienced editors have been testing dozens of products across home office categories for years to help you find the best pieces to fit your needs and your budget. The good news is that upgrades don’t have to break the bank, with our recommendations starting at just $16.

We’ve rounded up our best-tested picks to help you get started on your office remodel. You can read more about each of our picks below, and before you know it, you can enjoy a WFH office that feels both productive and homey.

Best office chair

steelcase series 1 chair cnnu.jpg

The Steelcase Series 1 offers the aesthetic of a classic office chair but was the most comfortable chair we tested. It’s easy to customize the settings to fit your needs, and the high-quality chair comes in at a competitive price compared to others we tested. Putting the chair together felt fairly intuitive, as did adjusting settings throughout use.

Best budget office chair

Alera Elusion Series Mesh Mid-Back Multifunction Chair psd.jpg

Other budget-friendly chairs we tested lacked in comfort, while Alera’s seat was well cushioned. It’s another chair that offers lots of adjustments so that it’s suited to your preferences and desk setup. It might take a little less than an hour to put together, but for less than $200, we found the chair well worth the time and money.

Best standing desks

Best standing desk

branch standing desk cnnu.jpg

With a greater depth than other options we tested, Branch’s standing desk made setting up multiple monitors, a laptop, a notebook and even a tablet easy (with room to spare too). You can adjust the desk’s height from 25 to 52 inches, and the desk had the smoothest transitions of any we tested.

Best budget standing desk

SHW standing desk v2 cnnu.jpg

Since a new desk can be one of the more costly home office upgrades, we’re happy to report this under-$250 model has a high-quality build and is packed with features you’d find from top-of-the-line desks. It was easy to set up, comes with cable management and offers four memory presets for your sitting and standing heights.

Best splurge standing desk

burrow copilot standing desk product image cnnu.jpg

If you’re willing to spend top dollar, consider adding Burrow’s desk to your cart. Our editor found the desk’s built-in storage, sleek design and cable management system rounded out the office must-have and make it worth the splurge if you’ve yet to find a standing desk that suits all your needs.

Best monitor

Dell UltraSharp 4K USB-C Hub Monitor U2723QE cnnu.jpg

Leading the way as a 27-inch monitor and a 4K option, the Dell UltraSharp delivers stunning picture, a wide color gamut and a brightness that goes up to 415.9 nits. You’ll find an Ethernet port, HDMI port, DisplayPort and USB-C inputs, as well as a DisplayPort output for daisy-chaining monitors.

Best portable monitor

14 inch lenovo thinkvision m14t cnnu.jpg

A portable monitor is a game changer if you travel for work or like to move around your space while you work from home and don’t want a static setup. This Lenovo model has a touchscreen display and a 1080p resolution. The two USB-C ports can take both power and a video signal. It worked well for streaming and gaming too, if you want a multiuse option.

Best printer

HP Envy Pro 6455 Wireless Printer

The compact build of this printer makes it great for offices of all sizes, even those on the smaller side. You can print, scan and copy with this machine, which impressed us given the small size. The machine was relatively quiet while printing, though it does make its presence known. It was one of the easiest setups of the printers we tested.

Best budget printer

White Canon Pixma TS7720 printer

Easy-to-follow animations on the printer’s display made setting up this office machine fairly seamless. The Canon Pixma has a 100-page paper capacity, so you’ll have lots of time before you reload the tray. We noticed we had to replace ink cartridges about every 180 pages, though, so heavy-duty business users might want to find a different option. But casual printers will get the most out of this under-$200 pick.

Best printer for home offices

White Brother INKvestment printer

If you’re looking for a printer that can handle the heaviest of jobs, this Brother model is your best bet. You’ll have to make some space for it as it’s big, but it’ll produce 30 pages per minute of printed material. It’ll rival that of your office’s printer without you having to commute.

Best keyboard

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It’s safe to say our editors are fans of Logitech’s computer accessories, with our best keyboard and best budget keyboard coming from the brand. The MX Keys is a full-sized option that offers a smooth and comfortable typing experience. It’s a great option for both PC and Mac users (though some Mac shortcuts are a bit trickier). Pairing is a breeze and so is toggling between devices if you’d like to use it for work and play.

Best budget keyboard

logitech k380 product card

If you don’t need the full-sized keyboard, spend less than $50 on this smaller pick. It features the same matte coating over the keys as the MX model, has an incredible battery life of up to two years and boasts the same seamless pairing and toggling between devices as the rest of Logitech’s lineup. This is also a good option if you travel with your keyboard, since it’s on the smaller side.

Best ergonomic mouse

Logitech MX Master 3S White.jpg

Blending traditional ergonomic features with intelligent workflow features, the MX Master 3 fits in your hand’s natural resting position and has a thumb rest that changed our editor’s opinions on all other computer mice they tested. The mouse is packed with convenient features like one-click buttons to open apps and multiple scrolling wheels to quickly get where you’re scrolling.

Best vertical ergonomic mouse

logitech lift white cnnu.jpg

The vertical design of this mouse keeps your hand at a comfortable 57-degree angle (similar to reaching out for a handshake) and doesn’t require you to turn your wrist or palm downward. The mouse features six buttons, including a standard left/right click, a clickable scroll wheel, a button for adjusting DPI sensitivity and two thumb buttons.

Best budget mouse

logitech m510 wireless computer mouse cnnu.jpg

You’ll need to plug the included receiver in to successfully connect this mouse to your device, but for less than $50, it’s a solid option that’s comfortable to hold. Two side buttons can be customized to launch apps, send keyboard commands or even open certain websites. The battery should last up to two years, so you don’t have to worry about charging it.

Best laptop stands

Best budget laptop stand

Amazon basics laptop stand

Once you’ve got your desk and chair set up, you’ll want to raise your laptop to an ergonomic level to help reduce neck strain. This under-$25 score from Amazon lifts your 13-inch laptop up to 3 inches and is a basic pick that gets the job done. It feels stable if you type on your laptop keyboard too.

Best lap desk stand

Huanuo Adjustable Lap Desk

You can set this laptop stand on your desk while you’re sitting and churning through work or bring it to the couch with you and still take advantage of a more ergonomic setup. It features eight angle adjustments and cushions on the bottom that sit comfortably on your lap.

Best vertical stand

A MacBook vertically positioned in the Twelve South BookArc Flex on a white background.

For those working with external displays looking to save a little bit of desk space, the Twelve South BookArc Flex holds your laptop vertically, giving you much more surface space while you use monitors and all the newfound desk space. It’s also a good storage dock for your device when you’re done working for the day.

Best docking stations and USB hubs

Best all-in-one docking station

Logi Dock product card

Eliminating ugly cable clutter on your desk, the Logi Dock provides two HDMI ports, five USB-C and USB-A ports, a power port to charge your laptop, plus a speaker, six microphones and a Bluetooth pairing button. The small but mighty device did wonders for our editor looking to eliminate cable clutter and streamline connectivity.

Best USB-C hub for 13-inch latops

5 - Satechi 9-in-1.jpg

Your smaller laptop might be missing a few key ports for you to be fully functional, and the Satechi V2 swoops in to save the day. The speedy and reliable hub adds a Gigabit Ethernet jack, a UBS-C charging port, a 4K HDMI port, micro/SD card readers and three USB-A ports.

Best USB-C hub for 15-inch laptops

dual monitor setup totu

Ready to add accessibility to larger laptops, the 9-in-1 USB-C hub from Totu can support up to three displays (depending on laptop allowances), has three USB-A ports, a USB-C power port, a micro/SD card port and a VGA port instead of an Ethernet port. The numerous ports, slim design and numerous display options make it a great find under $30.

Best Wi-Fi routers and extenders

Best mesh Wi-Fi router

Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi Router

For a full Wi-Fi upgrade, the Amazon Eero 6+ is a mesh system that includes the router as well as two extenders so you can get a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. The Eero 6+ tops out at double the speed of its predecessor (the Eero 6) at 1 gigabit per second. The set-it-and-forget-it system is easy to configure and enjoy without a second thought.

Best webcam

logi camera pc new

Clip this Logitech pick to the top of your monitor or laptop to add a crisp 1080p webcam to your setup. It held up well under low light during our testing, and the built-in dual microphones are decent enough (it’s hard to find a webcam with an impressive speaker). The 78-degree field of view falls in line with other top models.

Best high-end webcam

Razer Kiyo Pro

If you’re on camera most of the day or you’re willing to spend a bit more on this small WFH upgrade, the Kiyo Pro can shoot crisp 1080p video at a fluid 60 frames per second. It has a wide field of view at 103 degrees, so it’s a great pick if you have a few other people in the room with you that you want on camera.

Best external hard drive

WD My Passport SSD

If your external drive isn’t actually portable, you’re never going to use it. The WD My Passport fits in a shirt or pants pocket and can even be slipped into your laptop sleeve. During testing we were able to move a 4.5GB HD video file in about 15 seconds and a 6.5GB 4K video in about 30 seconds, which is comparable to what you’d find moving files on your internal drive.

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