There was a time when having three monitors on your desk made you look like you were flying the space shuttle, but these days it’s not uncommon to have two or three displays. That’s especially true if you’re a programmer or creative who needs to run multiple programs at once, while still keeping email, chat, a web browser, and project management dashboard visible all the same time. If this sounds like you, you know that just lining up three displays on your desk is a recipe for failure. Not only does such an arrangement eat up way too much desk space, but the ergonomics are disastrous. You need to be able to position those monitors at the right height to avoid back and shoulder problems that’ll send you to the doctor.
What you need is a monitor stand — one that can accommodate all three of your monitors at once. That might sound easy, but there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing one. To make your monitor stand shopping experience a little bit simpler, I’ve rounded up the best three-monitor stands available today. At the end of the article, I also explain what you need to know to shop for one of these devices. And if you need to find the best monitors to mount on your new stand, don’t forget to check out the 11 best monitors for a home office.
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1.
Ergotech Triple LCD Monitor Stand
Pros:
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Flexible setup
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Quick-release monitor mounts
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Lifetime warranty
Cons:
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No cable routing
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Freestanding
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Mundane aesthetics
Type of stand: Freestanding | VESA: VESA 75 and VESA 100 | Monitor capacity: 25 pounds per monitor/27 inch display | Material: Steel and aluminum | Max height: 16 inches | Weight: 26.7 pounds | Warranty: Lifetime
The Ergotech Triple LCD Monitor Stand is designed to be stood on your desktop with a wide base that measures 18 inches wide and 16 inches deep. It’s quite adjustable, with the lateral arm able to go as high as 16 inches off the desk and adjustable from 48 inches to 56 inches wide, depending upon your monitors and how you want to arrange them on your desk. The wide stance means this stand can handle monitors as large as 27 inches. They can be tilted inward to face you, or left relatively straight. And height adjustments can be dialed in with great precision, so all three monitors can be perfectly titled. And the system supports a tilt range from 20 degrees upward to 10 degrees down.
Assembly is very simple — in fact, there are only three components (the base, vertical post, and lateral arm. The stand comes with quick release attachments that bolt to your monitors; they are both VESA 75 and VESA 100 compatible, and slip on and off the arm without any tools.
Find more Ergotech Triple LCD Monitor Stand information and reviews here.
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2.
EZM Deluxe Triple Monitor Mount Stand
Pros:
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Outer monitors rotate between landscape and portait
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Freestand or bolt through desk
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Inexpensive
Cons:
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Arm doesn't articulate
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No cable routing
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No monitor quick-release
Type of stand: Freestanding or grommet base | VESA: VESA 75 and VESA 100 | Monitor capacity: 28-inch display | Max height: 18 inches | Weight: 31 pounds
One of the advantages of the EZM Deluxe Triple Monitor Mount Stand is the flexibility it goes you in setup. While it comes with a heavy-duty base for a freestanding desktop mount, you can also use the grommet mount option to install it through your desk. Because the stand is a considerable 13.4 inches wide and 14.6 inches deep, that’ll recover a lot of desk space for you. (A through-the-desk install also gives a little additional peace of mind, if your desk supports that kind of arrangement.)
This stand doesn’t have flexible wings like the Ergotech Triple LCD Monitor Desk Mount, but you can space the monitors up 54.5 inches apart on the lateral arm, and the arm itself has a fixed curve meant to angle the displays in towards the center. It supports displays up to 28 inches diagonally (with mounts that can handle VESA 75 and VESA 100 spacing). A nice feature: The mounts can be adjusted for both portrait and landscape orientations, so you can configure the outer monitors in either position. You get a lot of tilt — up to 30 degrees up and down.
Setup isn’t especially challenging, but the monitor’s mounting brackets need to bolted onto the arm, so they can’t be quickly removed.
Find more EZM Deluxe Triple Monitor Mount Stand information and reviews here.
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3.
TechOrbits Three Monitor Stand Mount
Pros:
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Powerful gas spring arms
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Supports large monitors
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Clamp or grommet base
Cons:
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Heavy stand
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Installation may be problematic
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No USB passthrough in base
Type of stand: Clamp or grommet base | VESA: VESA 75 and VESA 100 | Monitor capacity: 15.4 pounds per monitor/30-inch display | Material: Aluminum | Max height: 21 inches | Weight: 24 pounds | Warranty: 3 years
If you have large and heavy displays, you probably want to take a hard look at the TechOrbits Three Monitor Stand Mount. Unlike clamping arms, this stand uses gas springs to keep the monitors positioned where you place them. The arms have three articulation points that you can use to pull the monitors forward and back, as high as 21 inches, rotate them between portrait and landscape, and tilt them up to an impressive 90 degrees up or down. (If you need to tilt your monitors by 90 degrees, I’d love to see your desk.)
The stand is rated for three monitors up to 30 inches diagonal and 15.4 pounds each, and you can arrange them pretty much any way you like, stacking monitors or tiling them side-by-side.
You also get installation options: The stand comes with a clamp base or a grommet base, and arrives mostly assembled thanks to the gas spring arms. Your biggest task is mounting the monitor to the backplates, which include quick-release mounts form the arms so everything is easy to set up and move when needed. That said, some users have complained that the included hardware was insufficient for the grommet plate install.
Find more TechOrbits Three Monitor Stand Mount information and reviews here.
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4.
Mount-It! Triple Monitor Mount
Pros:
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C-clamp or grommet base
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Gas spring tension arms
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Cable management
Cons:
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Installation instructions are confusing
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Stand has trouble holding rated weight securely
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32-inch displays only barely fit
Type of stand: Clamp or grommet base | VESA: VESA 75 and VESA 100 | Monitor capacity: 15.4 pounds per monitor/32-inch display | Material: Aluminum, steel | Max height: 21 inches | Warranty: 5 years
While relatively inexpensive, the Mount-It! Triple Monitor Mount is one of the most full-featured and configurable monitor stands you can buy. At the base, it can be mounted with the included C-clamp to hang it off the back of the desk, or through the deal and secured with a grommet base. The arms are fully articulated with gas spring tension systems stabilizing three different joints to hold the monitors in place pretty much anywhere you want to place them. The arms have an enormous range of motion, including pivoting up and down by a full 90 degrees and rotating through portrait and landscape orientations.
While the specifications imply that there’s almost no limit to how large your monitors can be — the arms can support a trio of 32-inch displays, each one up to 15.4 pounds — in reality, the stand has trouble with heavier monitors. You might want to make sure your displays are 10 pounds each or less, and full 32-inch displays max out the stand’s arm capacity, so they can’t pivot towards the center — smaller displays will work better. That said, the monitor plates are VESA 75 and VESA 100 compatible, and unlike most stands in this price range, this one has a cable management system to secure the HDMI cables running down from your monitors. The base is also equipped with USB, audio, and microphone ports which connect the monitor base to your PC, so you have direct access to those connections on your desktop.
Find more Mount-It! Triple Monitor Mount information and reviews here.
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5.
Stand Steady 3 Monitor Mount Desk Stand
Pros:
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Clamp or grommet base
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Supports 32-inch displays
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Lots of configuration options
Cons:
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Center display generally oonly fits above side monitors
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Stand has trouble with heavy monitors
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Lots to assemble
Type of stand: Clamp or grommet base | VESA: VESA 75 and VESA 100 | Monitor capacity: 17.6 pounds per monitor/32-inch display | Material: Aluminum, steel | Max height: 35 inches | Weight: 11 pounds | Warranty: 1 year
The Stand Steady 3 Monitor Mount Desk Stand‘s most intriguing feature is its vertical reach; the central post stands 35 inches tall, which is the maximum height at which you can place the center monitor. The side monitors, though, can only go up to 16.5 inches high, which is the limit of the lateral arm’s travel. In fact, this stand does best when you’re not arranging your displays in a traditional side-by-side tiled configuration. For the most part, you’ll want to put the center display above the two side monitors; they generally won’t even fit side-by-side unless you orient them all in portrait mode. And keep an eye on the weight — while the specs say that the stand can accommodate 17 pounds each, the system does best when you err way on the side of lighter displays.
You can mount this system either with the included clamp or grommet base (if you can go through the desk). Once mounted, you can spin (360 degrees), swivel (180 degrees) and tilt (45 degrees) your displays with a huge range of motion. The system also includes cord clips for managing your video cables from the monitors. All that said, this stand bucks the trend towards simple stands that come mostly assembled. There are a lot of parts in this box, and you’ll spend as much time assembling this stand as you would putting together a simple Ikea cabinet.
Find more Stand Steady 3 Monitor Mount Desk Stand information and reviews here.
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6.
VIVO Black Triple Monitor Mount
Pros:
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Arms hold veavy 22 pound displays
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Tempered glass base
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Very affordable
Cons:
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Base takes up a lot of desk space
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Maximum displayn just 24 inches
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no USB hub in base
Type of stand: Clamp or grommet base | VESA: VESA 75 and VESA 100 | Monitor capacity: 22 pounds per monitor/24-inch display | Material: Steel, tempered glass | Max height: 21 inches | Weight: 24 pounds | Warranty: 3 years
If a clamp or grommet base isn’t in the cards because of your desk setup, the VIVO Black Triple Monitor Mount can help with its big, beefy freestanding base. The base is a giant rectangle that measures a whopping 21 x 11 inches, which could look pretty unappetizing, but rather than a hunk of steel or aluminum, it’s made from tempered glass, which gives it a bit of an aesthetic flair. The thick central post lets the arms rise as high as 18.5 inches, and the arm spans as much as 48 inches.
That means the stand can handle monitors up to about 24 inches, and Vivo claims the stand can accommodate monitors as heavy as 22 pounds each — and indeed, the arms support heavier-than-average monitors with no flex or sagging. If you need to mount heavy displays, this is a solid choice.
The arms have a very large range of motion, with 90 degrees of tilt and the ability to rotate the displays through portrait and landscape modes. Cables hide in the center post, making the whole stand look neat and trim.
Find more VIVO Black Triple Monitor Mount information and reviews here.
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7.
XtremPro Triple Monitors Desk Mount
Pros:
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Heavy duty design
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Easy to tile the monitors
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Simple setup
Cons:
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Can't change the height of monitors individually
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Arm height not continuously adjustable
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Clamp mount only
Type of stand: Clamp | Monitor capacity: 27-inch display | Material: Steel | Weight: 15 pounds
There’s nothing fancy about the XtremPro Triple Monitors Desk Mount. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — the simplicity of this clamp-only stand is attractive if you have relatively simple mounting needs. This stand is best suited to scenarios in which you definitely want to tile all three displays in a single line, because the single, slightly curved arm doesn’t allow for varying the height or position of the three monitors. But if you want them in a line, the XtremPro means you won’t have to fine-tune their position by moving an articulated arm around.
Setup is stupidly simple, since the stand clamps to the desk and is composed of just two parts — the center post and the arm. But the simplicity brings with it many compromises. The arms is curved, so while you can’t vary the angle that the monitors are pointed, they will angle in towards the center of the desk, but only slightly. In fact, that’s probably the biggest shortcoming of this stand: the monitors mount too flat, and may not curve inward enough to suit your preferences. In addition, you can’t adjust the height of the monitors continuously — the arm bolts into the post, so there are exactly 9 positions into which the arm can go. In everyday use, you’ll probably find that’s enough options, but your mileage may vary — you might also find that you’d really prefer to move it up or down by half an inch and you can’t. You can pivot the mounts individually to landscape or portrait, and each monitor can be tilted 15 degrees up or down. And cables can be conveniently tucked inside the structure. The bottom line is that this is a very simple, straightforward stand, and it comes in at a good price as well.
Find more XtremPro Triple Monitors Desk Mount information and reviews here.
How to Shop for a Monitor Stand
A monitor stand is a pretty simple device, really: it's a sturdy contraption that holds your monitors on or over your desk. Simple and inexpensive ones usually aren't especially adjustable; the more sophisticated it gets, the more options you have about how you arrange your displays. Here's pretty much everything you need to know to make a smart multi-monitor stand purchase.
Types of stands. Your monitor stand will come with one of these three kinds of bases: Freestanding, clamp, or a grommet base.
A freestanding base is just what it sounds like; it's a large, heavy plate that sits on your desk. It's easy to set up and works with any desk or tabletop, but it takes up as much room as a monitor, so it doesn't really save you any space.
A clamp stand uses a C-clamp to mount on the back of your desk. You'll need a suitable desktop surface -- a glass top will generally crack under the load, for example -- and the edge of the desk needs to be flat on top and bottom. If the desk bezels, the clamp won't have anything to grab onto.
The most secure mount is generally a grommet base, which relies on mounting the center post through a hole in the desk and securing it on the bottom.
Many stands will ship with mounting options, such as both a clamp and a grommet base, and you can use whichever works best for your situation.
Type of arm. Monitor stands come with a wide variety of arms. Some simple stands use a single straight or curved arm onto which all three monitors mount in a line. This is easy and often very strong, but doesn't let you adjust the height of each display individually. An articulated arm is a step up, but many stands keep this simple with clamps to secure each hinged section of the arm. The most sophisticated approach uses gas springs to hold the arms in position without the need to loosen and tighten arm segments each time you want to move a monitor around.
Monitor specifications. Don't assume any stand can handle your set of monitors. Stands are rated by how much weight they can reliably hold in each arm, and the stand will have physical constraints on how large each monitor can be as well -- so you'll typically see limitations like "24-inch monitors up to 12 pounds each." The mounting plates are also a consideration. Most (but not all) monitors use standard VESA-approved mounting hole spacings. The most common sizes for computer monitors are 75mm and 100 mm grids (they come much larger for TVs). Stands will typically conform to one or more of these standards, so you'll see them rated for VESA 75, or 75 x 75 mm.
The Best Value in a Triple Monitor Stand
The good news is that you don't need to spend a fortune on a monitor stand -- virtually all stands, even very high-quality ones, cost under $200. Some even cost under $100. Which one you choose has more to do with your needs than cost.
If you're looking for a simple, no-frills arm to mount three monitors in a straight line -- generally because you extend your desktop across all three displays -- the XtremPro Triple Monitors Desk Mount is an excellent choice. Beware, though, that since this stand isn't very adjustable, it will work best when all three monitors are identical.
If you need to be able to precisely position your monitors and find yourself frequently readjusting them, you need a stand that uses easy-to-move arms that stay where you put them without a lot of fiddling or adjusting. The TechOrbits Three Monitor Stand Mount fits that bill -- it uses gas spring arms and supports large, heavy monitors.
Most monitors rely on clamps or grommet bases to get your displays off the desktop and help you reclaim the surface of your desk. If you can't mount one of those stands on your desk, though, the VIVO Black Triple Monitor Mount is my choice for the best freestanding stand. It has an attractive tempered glass base and has three articulating arms to position the displays where you need them.
See Also
11 Best Monitors for a Home Office
11 Best Portable Monitors
11 Best i9 Laptops
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