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Just as supportive insoles can make all the difference when you go for a walk, a standing desk mat can be a game-changer if you stand at work for even brief periods. A comfortable mat like the Ergodriven Topo supports your legs and back better than the floor will, and its varied terrain will keep you moving, which experts agree is crucial. This mat is easy to slide in and out of position, and six years of testing have shown it’s built to last.
This mat’s varied terrain encourages movement, making standing less tedious and less achy. The Topo is also easy to move when you switch between standing and sitting.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $100.
The Ergodriven Topo’s contoured, topographic (get it?) surface lets you place your feet however you want—one or both feet resting on the elevated features, or in a neutral standing position—and our testers found it far more comfortable than other mats with raised features. However you stand, the Topo relieves pressure on your heels, legs, back, and shoulders. It’s also resistant to spills and punctures, and you can move it around with one foot instead of having to bend over to reposition it. Several Wirecutter staffers have used this mat for years, and even those who were initially skeptical of the advantages of a raised-surface mat discovered that they moved around more than they expected to on the Topo—and that’s where the real benefit of standing instead of sitting comes from. Although several other raised mats try to mimic the Topo, none that we tried beat its durability, supportive firmness, and sensible design.
If you prefer a flat mat, this one is comfortable even if you’re standing for a couple of hours at a time. Its attractive price, lifetime warranty, and responsive customer support make it a great value compared to other budget mats.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.
If you’re new to standing at your desk, you stand infrequently, or you’re looking for an anti-fatigue mat for other short tasks in the kitchen, laundry room, or workshop, we recommend the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat. Of the sub-$50 mats we tested, the ComfiLife provides the best balance of pressure-relieving support, comfort, and price. Its build quality doesn’t feel as premium as the Ergodriven Topo, but if you frequently switch between sitting and standing—as you should—this is an inexpensive way to satisfy your comfort and ergonomic needs.
This mat’s varied terrain encourages movement, making standing less tedious and less achy. The Topo is also easy to move when you switch between standing and sitting.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $100.
If you prefer a flat mat, this one is comfortable even if you’re standing for a couple of hours at a time. Its attractive price, lifetime warranty, and responsive customer support make it a great value compared to other budget mats.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.
In 2013, Wirecutter was the first publication to perform a hands-on, head-to-head test of the top standing desks, and we’ve been testing standing desk mats for nearly as long. The writers and editors of this guide have spent years working at standing desks, using different mats, and comparing them.
Wirecutter staff writer Melanie Pinola has been working out of her home office for over two decades, writing about technology and productivity for sites such as Lifehacker, PCWorld, and Laptop Mag. She’s researched and tested all sorts of office furniture and hardware, covering desk chairs, footrests, and ergonomic keyboards for Wirecutter.
We keep up to date on the research about the dangers and benefits of sitting, standing, and moving at work—not just because it’s part of our job, but because we have a vested interest in being more productive and healthy at our desks, and we want everyone else to be too.
A standing desk mat is for anyone who wants to make standing while working more comfortable. Though they’re typically used at a standing desk or a standing desk converter, standing desk mats are also known as anti-fatigue mats, and they can be used in any situation where you’ll be standing and performing a task for a while: food prep, dishwashing, workbench projects, and the like. Standing on a well-made mat relieves pressure on your entire body and makes standing feel like less of a chore. And the best standing desk mats enable or even encourage you to move. If you’re going to be standing while working for more than a few minutes at a time, you’ll feel an almost immediate difference and benefit from having a mat under your feet.
A standing desk mat is for anyone who wants to make standing while working more comfortable.
If you feel discomfort or fatigue in your legs or feet when you stand, Cornell University’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group recommends (PDF) that you “either use an anti-fatigue mat, wear more comfortable footwear, use an angled foot rest, or sit down.”
Ignoring discomfort and continuing to stand without moving or switching positions can be dangerous: “Repeated, long term exposure to standing has been implicated in the development of serious health problems,” April Chambers, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Physical Activity at the University of Pittsburgh, told us in an email interview. That includes “regenerative joint damage, muscle injury, and circulatory diseases, such as venous disorders, increased stroke risk, and carotid atherosclerosis.” There’s also an increased risk of injuries for workers who stand for long periods and report musculoskeletal discomfort, she said.
But sitting all day isn’t the solution, either. Research has associated prolonged sitting (aka “Sitting Disease”) with a higher risk of a host of problems, including heart disease and diabetes, certain cancers, and premature death.
Most experts agree that the best thing to do while you’re working is to keep moving. Working in sit-stand-move cycles encourages movement, which is better for you than sitting or standing still all day. As Alan Hedge, professor of ergonomics at Cornell University, puts it: “Movement is important to get blood circulation through the muscles.” Hedge’s recommended sit-stand-move cycle suggests that you should alternate between sitting and standing up to 16 times per day. His recommended ideal routine includes 30-minute cycles of 20 minutes of sitting, eight minutes of standing, and two minutes of moving while standing (walking away, stretching, or the like). Ultimately, though, the absolute amount of time you spend sitting or standing isn’t critical, as long as you alternate between the two and keep moving.
Building on the research by Wirecutter writers and editors that went into previous versions of this guide over the years, we narrowed the list of standing desk mats to test to eight models (including two new raised standing desk mats and two new flat mat contenders) based on the following criteria:
We didn’t consider standing desk mats that work like balance boards, the kind that wobble and make you feel like you’re surfing or riding a subway train. Some people like them, but they take getting used to and could break your concentration while you’re working. (After trying one out for five minutes, Melanie was just relieved she hadn’t fallen flat on her face.)
Over the course of four weeks, we stood on each desk mat for hours at a time. We paced on them, dug our heels into them to see how firm or squishy they were, rolled our chairs over them (not recommended), noted how slippery the surfaces were, and tried to slide the mats under and back out from our desks. Most importantly, we noted how comfortable and supportive the desk mats felt. Although comfort is subjective, denser mats offer more support. Think of it like this: Inexpensive mats tend to feel squishy and provide limited support, like a pair of sandals, and more expensive models cushion your feet for the long haul, like a good pair of cross-trainers.
During testing, we took stock of:
This mat’s varied terrain encourages movement, making standing less tedious and less achy. The Topo is also easy to move when you switch between standing and sitting.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $100.
The novel surface of the Ergodriven Topo provided the most comfort to the feet and legs of standing workers in our tests. Its varied, raised terrain encourages the sort of frequent movement that ergonomics experts recommend. The Topo is easy to slide under a desk and bring back out with one foot (on carpet and on hard floors), keeping your hands unsoiled and your back pain-free. It’s easy to clean and has held up over several years of testing. And because it isn’t as wide and flat as standard anti-fatigue mats, it takes up less space under your desk.
Pretty much everyone who tested these mats was initially skeptical of the Topo’s design, but the benefits became evident within a few minutes of standing and were confirmed after months of use. The back edge and front corners of the Topo are higher than the sides, and the mat has a teardrop-shaped mound in the middle that’s squishier than the rest of the material—great for massaging your feet. Without even thinking about it, you may end up standing on, pressing against, and heel-digging into all of those sections. “I didn’t know I had nervous legs, but I’m glad this mat taught me that,” one coworker said. “It’s nice because I can’t stand straight and normal to save my life, but this made my usual slouching and foot fidgeting comfortable,” said another.
Even when our testers stood upright and flat-footed, the flat portion of the Topo provided a firm but supportive pushback that they liked. We couldn’t say the same for the similarly designed AmazonBasics Non-Flat Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat, which was much too soft and slippery, or most of the cheaper flat mats.
To avoid damaging standing desk mats, manufacturers warn against setting your chair on them—so moving your mat out of the way when you cycle back to sitting is essential, regardless of which type of mat you use. The Topo is the easiest mat to slide under your desk and back out because it has an indent that you can hook with your heel. Most flat mats, which are designed to stay stubbornly in one spot, require that you bend down, grab the mat from the bottom (exposing your hand to all kinds of grit and grime), and move it out of the way. The Topo produces only the slightest friction when it’s being pushed or pulled, but it also doesn’t slip under your feet when you’re standing on it. The ease of repositioning the mat is a small grace that makes you less likely to give up on your good intentions of switching between standing and sitting all day.
The Topo is made of polyurethane and covered with a pebbled skin that makes it easy to clean up spills and crumbs. In our previous tests, it emerged puncture-free when we dropped a stapler, butt-end first, from standing height. We noticed no chemical smells while unpacking or first using the Topo. The surface feels good with shoes on and works fine with socks or bare feet, too. Pressing into the raised sections can put some pressure on your toes and the sides of your feet, and that can get uncomfortable after a while. But the mix of firmness and softness across the Topo’s varied terrain encourages you to shift away anyway, as is recommended. And one Wirecutter staffer told us he likes that moving around on the Topo adds steps to his daily count, even when he’s staying in one place.
Our testers, who ranged in height from 5 feet 2 inches to 6 feet 2 inches tall, all found that the Topo provided suitable space for standing desk work. Standing on this mat’s flat portions, most people’s feet will be about shoulder-width apart. The Topo is a little deeper but less wide than the flat mats we recommend—about 29 inches at its widest and 26 inches deep. Because it’s not as wide as typical floor mats, the Topo can hide in a corner under your desk when you wheel your chair in, and you’ll still have room for under-the-desk items such as a trash can or a tower PC.
Ergodriven, the Topo’s manufacturer, offers a long, seven-year warranty. That’s great, but we don’t think you’ll need it, given the mat’s highly durable material, as well as the fact that several Wirecutter staffers (including the author of this guide) have used Topo mats for more than two years and report that the mats show no significant signs of wear and still feel supportive. One coworker’s cat clawed a notable gouge into the Topo on the first day they had it, but the mark had vanished by the next day.
Finally, it’s refreshing to see that the Topo, in addition to coming in standard black, is offered in a much brighter gray and two bold colors: denim blue and mulberry purple. The majority of standing mats come only in black, or a couple of drab, muted shades of brown and gray. Ergodriven also offers a mini version of the Topo, which shaves a couple of inches in width, depth, and height; it might be a better choice if you’re under 5 feet 4 inches tall and don’t need the additional legroom that the standard version offers. (That said, our testers who are under 5 feet 4 inches tall found the standard Topo’s size to be just right for them.)
Most anti-fatigue mats are flat for good reason: trip prevention, ease of storage, and to facilitate a range of tasks at a workstation. If you want to pace or work at different ends of your desk without raised surfaces getting in your way—or to use it for other tasks where movement is important, such as cooking—you’ll want to stick with a flat mat like the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat we recommend.
Ergodriven states in its product FAQ that the Topo “provides an almost perfect performance up to user weights of 240 pounds.” Both the FAQ and an Ergodriven representative clarified that the Topo can still work for people who weigh more than 240 pounds. Even so, we’d suggest that anyone significantly over that weight keep the return policy in mind (30 days for a full refund).
A few testers who generally liked the Topo’s movement-inducing design thought the central “button” was too squishy. It seems to be meant more as an occasional foot stop, or a spot to press and stretch foot muscles, but it does have a different feel from the contoured, firmer edges.
The Topo’s $100 asking price (at the time of this writing) may be too high if you’ve just started using a standing desk and aren’t sure you’ll stick with it. In that case, you may be better off starting out with a more affordable flat mat, which you can repurpose in the kitchen if the habit doesn’t stick or you decide to upgrade to the Topo later.
Finally, if you have a desk that’s less than 30 inches deep, you might prefer a smaller mat (like the Topo Mini) for more desk chair clearance when your mat is under the desk.
If you prefer a flat mat, this one is comfortable even if you’re standing for a couple of hours at a time. Its attractive price, lifetime warranty, and responsive customer support make it a great value compared to other budget mats.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.
If you’re just starting out with a standing desk, tend to stand in shorter sessions, or want a standing mat for kitchen tasks or other occasional work, you may not need something as heavy-duty as the Topo. For about a third of the price, the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat provides about half as much support—in our testing, we found that it’s comfortable for perhaps an hour or two before your feet and legs start to feel fatigued—a good sign to take a break and switch to sitting, as recommended by ergonomic experts.
The ComfiLife mat was one of only two sub-$50 mats we tested that didn’t leave us feeling fatigued in our feet, ankles, or knees after half an hour. Other mats were often far squishier. Although that may initially feel comfortable, over time a mushy mat forces your feet and leg muscles to work harder to stabilize your body and lets your feet sink in at pressure points. The ComfiLife’s medium-firm, ¾-inch cushion does more of the work.
At just 32 inches wide and 20 inches deep (or 39 inches wide for the large version), the ComfiLife mat can be easily picked up and tucked under most desks. There are bigger versions that are 39 inches wide and 20 inches deep or 70 inches wide and 24 inches deep, should you need more space to move around when you’re standing. Like other flat standing desk mats, the ComfiLife is harder to move around than the Topo due to its grippy, rubberized bottom. During testing, we also found the surface to be a bit slippery when we were wearing socks, so consider sticking to shoes or bare feet if you pick one up.
Our testers’ main gripe with the ComfiLife mat was its look and feel compared with those of similar mats. One panelist said it felt the cheapest of all the mats, while another had nothing to say about it except that the mat seemed “unremarkable.” It’s available in more colors than our other standing desk picks, at least, with options that should fit in with most office decors: beige, brown, red, gray, and black.
This was our first time testing and recommending this budget standing desk mat. It comes with a lifetime warranty, and owner reviews—as well as our own experience contacting ComfiLife customer support over email—suggest that should anything go wrong (such as edges that start to lift), they’ll be happy to help. Wirecutter video producer Nikki Duong has been using this mat for over a year in the kitchen while washing dishes and cooking and says that it’s still squishy, easy to clean, and “actually kind of fun to stand on.”
When it comes to standing desk mats, any mat is usually better than no mat at all. But when we looked at the balance between firmness and cushiony comfort, build quality, and warranty and customer support, these mats didn’t fare as well as the others.
The AmazonBasics Non-Flat Standing Anti-Fatigue Mat is mushier than the Ergodriven Topo, has a more slippery surface (especially when you’re in socks or even bare feet), and is too prone to sliding around on the floor. Because of those factors and AmazonBasics’s short, one-year warranty, we think it’s worth paying a little more for the Topo.
Uplift Desk’s raised surface standing desk mat, the Uplift Desk E7 Active Anti-Fatigue Mat, places round massage mounds at the left and right sides of the mat. We prefer that over the center mound found on the Topo and other raised mats because it offers more flat, neutral surface space in the center. However, it’s squishier overall, especially on those mounds and the angled back edges. This mat cost at least $25 more than the Topo at the time of this writing, and it had only a one-year warranty and few owner reviews, so we’re not yet as confident in its durability as we are in the Topo’s, given the Topo’s longer, seven-year warranty and more extensive track record.
The Muvmat by Aeris aims to mimic the feel of walking through a forest by adding a layer of abstract rounded shapes (“peaks and valleys”) inside a typical anti-fatigue foam mat. In our testing, we found the uneven shapes far too hard, especially when standing without shoes. And it’s priced at nearly 50 percent more than the Topo.
The Vari ActiveMat aims for the same active-standing utility as the Topo, with more subtle raised and foam-soft edges for you to place and press your feet against. The edges are steeper than the Topo’s, and uniform in height and angle. Some of our testers in previous panels preferred the ActiveMat over other flat mats, but the ActiveMat feels squishier than the Topo— more like stepping onto a mattress than a material meant for standing.
The Royal Anti-Fatigue Comfort Mat was our previous budget standing desk mat recommendation. A few Wirecutter staffers have been satisfied with this mat, which we started recommending in 2017. However, all of the five Royal mats we ordered for the latest round of testing had significant vertical creases—even though they were shipped flat—and the creases didn’t disappear in the three weeks we spent testing. As of this writing, about 10 percent of Amazon owner reviews include similar complaints about mats being damaged upon arrival or the surface not holding up over long-term use. We had difficulty reaching customer service, too., We’re maintaining a skeptical stance regarding the Royal until we can test it again, especially since the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat is comparable in feel and offers a lifetime warranty and more trustworthy customer service.
Uplift Desk’s Standing Desk Mat with Heel Grab has a long, five-year warranty, meets our ¾-inch-thickness requirement, and is easy to move around with one foot. However, it feels like standing on a sponge, so your feet eventually feel like they’ve sunk to the floor. That said, it’s free with Uplift’s desk (our current top pick for standing desks), so if you intend to buy one and don’t want to spend money on a mat—which is a must-have for standing for more than 20 minutes at a time—take Uplift up on its offer. Try it out and see if it works for you; if not, consider one of our picks in this guide.
Melanie Pinola previously covered all things home office as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, productivity, and lifestyle/family topics. She’s thrilled when those topics intersect—and when she gets to write about them in her PJs.
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