Your membership has expired

The payment for your account couldn't be processed or you've canceled your account with us.

Re-activate

3 Best Lap Desks, Tested by Our Experts

We evaluated five lap desks from Arlo Skye, LapGear, and other brands to find the most comfortable away-from-your-desk setup

When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.

Woman using Arlo lap desk while sitting on couch with dog at her side.
CR testers rated the best lap desks based on comfort, useful features, and portability. 
Photo: Lisa Fogarty

Sitting at a desk for long periods can really get to you—especially come August and September when you’re trying to get back into the swing of school. Whether you’re deep into your studies or burning the midnight oil with work, you may want to take a break from your office desk and chair and move your laptop and books over to a bed or sofa.

In this article

There’s just one problem: balancing either on your lap is neither comfortable nor practical—and they get hot fast. Laptops and books also benefit from extra height placed beneath them to prevent you from straining your back, neck, shoulders, and arms.

More on Home Office Gear

A lap desk is a platform you place on or over your lap to hold your laptop, tablet, phone, and books. It’s the perfect accessory to add to your back-to-school shopping list, since it provides flexibility while you’re hitting the books and freedom from the tyranny of your home office, the library, or your dorm desk.

However, their distinctive designs make some lap desks more comfortable, convenient, and portable than others, so to separate the great options from the blah ones, CR evaluated five popular lap desks while using a laptop, reading, and writing in a notebook. Three were our top choices for comfort, useful features, and portability. 

Best Everyday Essentials

Multipurpose glues, flashlights, invisible tapes, and other household products are among the household basics that can make your days easier, more comfortable, and safer.

Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


Lisa Fogarty

Lisa Fogarty is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. She studied journalism at Columbia University and has written numerous health, parenting, fitness, and wellness articles for The New York Times, Psychology Today, Vogue, and NPR. Lisa is passionate about mental health and is a co-creator of The Hunger Trap Podcast, which focuses on eating disorders. In her spare time she surfs, plays the guitar, and kickboxes. Follow her on X: @lisacfogarty