Product photos: Ergotron and Mount-It! official product pages
A monitor arm is one of the few desk upgrades that fixes both ergonomics and clutter, and it is also one of the easiest to buy wrong. In my twenty years in IT, the same three mistakes with desk gear come up again and again: nobody checks the monitor weight, nobody checks the desk thickness, and nobody checks whether the monitor even has VESA holes. This guide follows the searches people run next on Google (Ergotron, budget, dual arms, gaming) and gives a clear answer for each, based on what reviewers found.
Quick answer- Best overall: Herman Miller Jarvis, Wirecutter's top pick (page updated March 2, 2026), if you want a slim base and a smooth arm for monitors up to 32 inches and about 20 pounds.
- Best for bigger or heavier screens: Ergotron LX Pro, which Wirecutter says handles monitors up to 34 inches and 22 pounds. The Ergotron LX Pro Tall Pole is the pick for people taller than 6 feet.
- Best budget: the Mount-It gas spring monitor arm, Wirecutter's budget pick, though it is less sturdy.
- Two monitors: Wirecutter now suggests two single arms instead of one dual arm.
Jump to: Best overall | Ergotron | Size and weight | Budget | Dual arms | Gaming | Reddit and forums | Arm or riser | Final pick | FAQ
Best Monitor Arm for Home Office
Wirecutter assessed 25 monitor arms priced from $50 to $335 and picked the Herman Miller Jarvis as the best option. Its summary says the arm moves into a wide range of positions, holds monitors up to 32 inches steadily and is easy to set up. Wirecutter lists support for 2.2 to 19.8 pounds, desks 0.4 to 3.5 inches thick, a maximum height of 19.8 inches to the center of the monitor mount, and a reach of 23.8 inches. It moves 13 inches vertically, tilts 90 degrees, rotates 180 degrees and pans 360 degrees.
The catches are worth reading before you buy. Wirecutter says the Jarvis was slightly harder to set up than the Ergotron LX Pro and is awkward to assemble alone. The monitor wobbles a bit when a large screen is pulled far forward or to the side. Tilting needs more force and adjustment with the hex key than raising or lowering does. Cable management is decent but not great, and the slim base and clamp threatened to shift on a 1-inch desktop when swiveling the full 360 degrees. Wirecutter's page showed the arm at $195 from Herman Miller and marked it "may be out of stock". Its text lists a 10-year warranty, while a summary line on the same page says 15 years, so check Herman Miller's page for the current terms.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
My take (20 years in IT): Weight capacity is not a pure number. Wirecutter quotes Herman Miller support saying that a curved monitor, or one pulled far forward, lowers what the arm can hold. If your monitor is within a couple of pounds of the limit, buy the sturdier arm instead of arguing with the spec sheet.
Ergotron Monitor Arm: LX Pro and the Tall Pole Version
The second name people search is Ergotron, and for good reason. Wirecutter picks the Ergotron LX Pro for larger or heavier monitors, with support for screens up to 34 inches and 22 pounds (the Jarvis stops at 32 inches and 19.8 pounds). It reaches about 25.6 inches toward you, goes lower than desktop height, and sits in a 24-inch side-to-side range. Wirecutter says it performed as well as the Jarvis for smoothness, range of motion and sturdiness, setup took about 20 minutes, and the warranty is 10 years. Ergotron's own LX Pro page excerpt showed a $265 MSRP for the black model with a $199 sale price when I read it on October 25, 2026, and PCWorld's September 2026 roundup listed the LX Pro at $209 when reviewed as its best single-monitor arm. PCWorld says the LX Pro fixes the gripes about the older LX, with a more compact base and a new look.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Wirecutter's flaw for this arm is tension adjustment. You reach a recessed tension screw behind the monitor, and if the arm is not positioned right you cannot get to it. It recommends having someone help or supporting the monitor with books while you adjust. If you are taller than 6 feet, the Ergotron LX Pro Tall Pole adds more than 5 inches of pole length, and Wirecutter's testers who are 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-4 found regular arms too short. Wirecutter lists its maximum height at 25.6 inches to the center of the mount, against 18.3 inches for the standard LX Pro.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Ergotron's own page excerpts show two useful details. The arm has a built-in rotation stop that can limit swing at the base to 180 degrees, and the LX Pro page lists several attachment options: a 2-piece clamp, a grommet mount and a low-profile C-clamp.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Who should pick the LX Pro Bigger screens and 6 foot plus usersYou have a 27 to 34 inch monitor, a deeper desk, or you are tall (get the Tall Pole). Skip it if you want the lowest price. Wirecutter says it costs more than the Jarvis. It also says it is nearly identical to the Amazon Basics single-monitor arm, but with a 10-year warranty against Amazon's one year.
What Size and Weight Is Your Monitor?
This is the question that decides whether an arm works at all. Wirecutter's steps are simple, and I follow the same order on client desks.
- Look up your monitor model and its weight without the stand.
- Measure from your desktop to your eye level, and repeat if you sit and stand.
- Confirm the monitor has VESA mounting holes. Wirecutter points to Ergotron's mount finder tool for this.
- With the monitor about an arm's length away, measure your eye-to-screen distance. That is the reach the arm needs.
- Measure your desktop thickness against the clamp range.
For scale, Wirecutter's 27-inch test monitor weighed about 10 pounds without its stand and a light 34-inch ultrawide about 15 pounds. Wirecutter's ergonomist source says the top of the screen should be at eye level, and if you wear progressive lenses the monitor may need to sit slightly lower. Wirecutter also says a clamp needs about 1 inch of clearance at the back of the desk for the Jarvis arm.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
My take (20 years in IT): Put the monitor on the floor and weigh it with a bathroom scale before you order. It takes two minutes and it is the single check that saves the most returns. Then keep the box. Arms ship with a hex key and no patience for guesswork.
Best Budget Monitor Arm
Wirecutter's budget pick is the Mount-It gas spring monitor arm. It supports monitors up to 32 inches and about 17.8 pounds (2.2 to 17.8 pounds in its spec list), desks 0.4 to 3.3 inches thick, and reaches 19.8 inches forward, with a 20.3 inch maximum height. Wirecutter's testers liked the streamlined look but said it felt more plasticky and was more sensitive to subtle desk movement, especially when extended far from the base. The warranty is 10 years. PCWorld's roundup, names the MSI MAG MT201 as its best budget single arm at $69.99 when reviewed. I could not confirm that the Mount-It page I used for the pictures below is exactly the model Wirecutter tested, so check the model number before you buy.
Image: Mount-It! (official product page)
Image: Mount-It! (official product page)
Mount-It's own product page lists its gas spring single arm as fitting 13 to 32 inch monitors with height adjustment, rated 4.9 stars from 40 reviews on Mount-It's collection page. Those ratings and the specs are the seller's, not an independent test.
Who should pick the budget arm Light monitors, tight budgetsA 24 to 27 inch monitor under about 15 pounds on a sturdy desk. Skip it if your desk wobbles or you extend the arm far out, because Wirecutter noticed more vibration on the budget model than on the pricier picks.
Best Dual Monitor Arms
This is where the advice surprises people. After testing a few dual arms, Wirecutter concluded that the best choice for two monitors is two single arms instead. Its page says that costs around $50 more at the time of writing. The reasons it gives: Wirecutter had trouble getting two monitors to line up on the Herman Miller Jarvis Dual, the Monoprice Workstream dual arm failed to hold its test monitors, and the Vivo dual arm let the monitors sink to the bottom of the arm. It did not test Ergotron's Trace dual mount because of its price and its late discovery of cheaper dual arms.
Image: Mount-It! (official product page)
Image: Mount-It! (official product page)
PCWorld, picked the Ergotron LX Dual Monitor Arm as its best dual arm at $479 when reviewed, with one downgrade compared with the old LX: a lower maximum weight (the old LX handled up to 25 pounds). PCWorld also advises checking the combined supported weight and the alignment range of any dual arm. Mount-It's own guide says a dual arm puts both monitors on one base for a cleaner look and fewer clamps, and the Mount-It dual monitor arm is one example of that type. I read no independent test of it.
Who should pick which Two monitorsTwo Ergotron LX Pro arms or two Herman Miller Jarvis arms if you want the setup Wirecutter recommends and can spend a bit more. A single-clamp dual arm only makes sense when you have one narrow spot on the desk, and then check the combined weight limit first.
Best Monitor Arm for Gaming and Big Screens
Gaming monitors are where weight limits bite. PCWorld's roundup (page dated September 4, 2026) says the Ergotron HX is rated for monitors up to 42 pounds and screens up to 49 inches, and calls it the best heavy-duty single arm at $345 when reviewed. PCWorld adds that the HX is not just an upgraded LX. Mount-It's collection page also lists a heavy-duty single arm for ultrawide screens up to 49 inches. For a normal 27 to 32 inch gaming monitor, the Ergotron LX Pro or Herman Miller Jarvis limits are plenty.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
My take (20 years in IT): Before you buy for a gaming monitor, write down three numbers: weight without stand, VESA size, and how far forward you will sit the screen. A heavy ultrawide pulled forward needs more capacity than the sticker says, which matches what Herman Miller support told a Wirecutter reader about a curved monitor.
Best Monitor Arm on Reddit? How to Read Forum Advice
Google also shows Reddit threads such as r/desksetup for this search. When you read them, look for answers that state the monitor weight and size, the desk thickness and the arm model, then check them against the numbers above. Several arms in this guide appear in more than one independent source: the Ergotron LX Pro (Wirecutter and PCWorld), the Herman Miller Jarvis (Wirecutter) and the Mount-It budget arm (Wirecutter).
Monitor Arm or Monitor Riser?
If you only need to lift the screen a few inches, Wirecutter's top riser pick is the Amazon Basics monitor riser: it lifts to three heights (2.9, 4.25 or 4.9 inches in Wirecutter's listing), holds 22 pounds and cost $22. Wirecutter says it does not wobble or slide the way most other stands it tested did. Wirecutter also notes that stands take up desk space and do not let you move the screen left, right, forward or back. A monitor arm is the better choice when you need those moves or want the desk space back. Wirecutter also warns that an arm is usually not a way to turn a fixed-height desk into a sit-stand desk.
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Image: Ergotron (official product page)
Quick Comparison
| Model | Monitor limit | Best for | Watch out for | Price |
|---|
| Herman Miller Jarvis | Up to about 19.8 lb, 32 in (Wirecutter) | Best overall, slim base | Slightly harder setup, mild wobble when extended | Check price |
| Ergotron LX Pro | Up to 22 lb, 34 in (Wirecutter) | Bigger or heavier monitors | Tension adjustment is fiddly | Check price |
| Ergotron LX Pro Tall Pole | Same as LX Pro, higher post | People over 6 feet | Higher price | Check price |
| Mount-It single arm (budget) | Up to about 17.8 lb, 32 in (Wirecutter) | Light monitors, low budget | More plasticky, more vibration | Check price |
| Amazon Basics riser | Holds 22 lb (Wirecutter) | Simple height boost, no arm | Fixed to three heights | Check price |
Final Recommendation
- Most home offices: Herman Miller Jarvis if it is in stock, otherwise the Ergotron LX Pro.
- Big or heavy monitor: Ergotron LX Pro, or Ergotron's HX for very heavy screens per PCWorld.
- Tall users: Ergotron LX Pro Tall Pole.
- Tight budget: the Mount-It gas spring monitor arm, on a stable desk with a light monitor.
- Two monitors: two single arms, as Wirecutter suggests.
- Only need a little lift: the Amazon Basics monitor riser.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size and weight monitor can an arm hold?
It depends on the arm. Wirecutter lists about 2.2 to 19.8 pounds and up to 32 inches for the Herman Miller Jarvis, and up to 22 pounds and 34 inches for the Ergotron LX Pro. Always check your monitor weight without its stand.
Does my monitor need VESA holes?
Most arms attach to a VESA pattern on the back of the monitor. Wirecutter suggests confirming your monitor supports VESA before buying and points to Ergotron's mount finder tool.
Is a dual monitor arm worth it?
Wirecutter concluded that two single arms were the better choice after testing a few dual arms. It says the two-arm route costs around $50 more at the time of writing.
How thick can my desk be?
Check the arm's clamp range. Wirecutter lists 0.4 to 3.5 inches for the Jarvis, 0.4 to 2.4 inches for the LX Pro and 0.4 to 3.3 inches for its budget Mount-It pick.
Can a monitor arm turn my desk into a standing desk?
Usually not. Wirecutter says arms are not a good way to convert a fixed-height desk into a sit-stand desk, and a standing desk converter is a better option.
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Sources
Product images come from the makers' official product pages, are framed here, and belong to their owners. I did not test these arms myself, and I did not read Reddit.
Last updated: October 25, 2026. Sources read October 25, 2026. Prices change, so check the current listing.
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