Best Laptop Tray for Monitor Arm UK

A laptop tray bolts to the VESA plate on a monitor arm and holds your laptop in mid air instead of on the desk. That frees the desk surface and lifts the laptop screen to a height you can actually read. We compared eight trays and two-in-one arms sold in the UK, from £13.95 to £39.99, and checked the details that decide whether one works on your desk. Our top pick for most people is the ULTRARM Steel Laptop Tray Holder at £18.99, because it takes a 17 inch laptop, holds 9 kg, and mounts on the arm you already have.

Quick picks

• Best overall: ULTRARM Steel Laptop Tray Holder at £18.99. Steel, 9 kg, VESA 75 and 100, quick release hooks.
• Best for a large laptop: PUTORSEN Laptop Tray at £18.48. Aluminium, adjusts to 458 mm wide, 12 silicone pads.
• Best for a small laptop: VIVO STAND-LAP3 at £19.99. Built for 10 to 15.6 inch machines with a narrow clamp.
• Best full arm and tray: Redbat Monitor Arm with Laptop Tray at £28.96. Takes a 32 inch screen and a laptop on one clamp.

Compared side by side

Prices are what Amazon showed when we checked, and they move around.

1. ULTRARM Steel Laptop Tray Holder: our top pick for most arms

This is a bare steel shelf with a VESA plate on the back, so it bolts onto an arm you already own rather than replacing it. The maker rates it for 10 to 17 inch laptops, tablets and portable monitors up to 9 kg, which covers everything from a 13 inch ultrabook to a 17 inch workstation. Two details earn it the top spot. The surface makes minimal contact with the base of the laptop, so heat escapes instead of soaking into a plastic tray, and the quick release hooks let you lift the machine off without unscrewing anything. At £18.99 it is the cheapest way to get a laptop off a desk when the arm is already there.

Verdict: our top pick for most arms.

Price: £18.99 at the time of writing. Fit: 10 to 17 inch. Load: 9 kg. VESA: 75 x 75 and 100 x 100 mm.

2. PUTORSEN Laptop Tray: the one for a wide laptop

Most trays have a fixed platform, and a 17 inch gaming laptop hangs over the edge. This one changes that. The width adjusts from 288 mm to 458 mm, so the arms close in on a 12 inch notebook or open out for a 18 inch machine. The frame is aluminium rather than steel, which keeps the tray light on the arm, and there are 12 textured silicone pads to stop the base of the laptop skating about. Ventilation holes sit under the machine. One thing to know before ordering: the arm is not included, and stock on this listing has been thin, so check it before you plan the job. At £18.48 it is the best fit for a large laptop.

Verdict: the one we would pick for a wide laptop.

Price: £18.48 at the time of writing. Fit: 12 to 18 inch, 288 to 458 mm wide. Load: 9 kg. Material: aluminium.

3. VIVO STAND-LAP3: best for a small laptop or an ultrabook

VIVO sells this as a universal tray for 10 to 15.6 inch machines, and the clamp width adjusts to grip the body rather than letting it rest loose. Rubber tabs hold the device in place and protect the finish, and the platform is drilled with ventilation holes. That narrower range is the point: on a 13 inch laptop, a 46 cm tray looks absurd and catches your forearm every time you reach past it. This one stays out of the way. It is the tray to buy if you run a MacBook Air, a Surface or a small Chromebook, and it costs £19.99.

Verdict: best for a small laptop or an ultrabook.

Price: £19.99 at the time of writing. Fit: 10 to 15.6 inch. VESA: 75 x 75 and 100 x 100 mm.

4. Duronic DML1: the plain steel shelf, and the cheapest here

Duronic gives you a 320 x 242 mm steel tray with four rubber pads and fixings in the box, rated to 8 kg. The dimensions are published, which is more than most listings manage, so you can measure your laptop before you buy rather than guessing from a photo. It attaches to a VESA 75 or VESA 100 plate, and the maker lists it as compatible with its own range of arms. There is no adjustment and no clever vent design, just a flat steel shelf that holds a laptop where you put it. At £17.99 it is the lowest price here and the easiest one to justify on a small desk.

Verdict: best if you just want a plain, cheap steel shelf.

Price: £17.99 at the time of writing. Size: 320 x 242 mm. Load: 8 kg. Material: steel.

5. Redbat Monitor Arm with Laptop Tray: the one for a thick desk

If you do not own an arm yet, this bundle solves both jobs at once. It carries a 13 to 32 inch monitor and a laptop up to 16 inch on one structure, with a removable VESA plate so you can fit the screen before hanging it. Movement is generous: 90 degrees of tilt, 180 of swivel and 360 of rotation, with height adjustment on the gas spring. The mounting detail is what separates it from the rest. The C-clamp takes desk tops from 10 mm to 90 mm thick, and there is a grommet option for a desk with a cable hole. Cable management runs down the arm. At £28.96 it is the sensible buy for a chunky wooden desk.

Verdict: best for a thick desk or a desk with a grommet.

Price: £28.96 at the time of writing. Screen fit: 13 to 32 inch. Laptop fit: up to 16 inch. Clamp: 10 to 90 mm.

6. HUANUO Arm with Laptop Tray: best for a 17 inch laptop and a big screen

Two independent VESA plates is the feature that matters here. The monitor plate and the laptop plate each move on their own, so a 17 inch notebook does not force the screen into a compromise position. HUANUO rates the arm for 13 to 32 inch screens on VESA 75 or 100, and the tray for notebooks up to 17 inch. Both a C-clamp and a grommet mount are in the box, and the plates detach for assembly, which is a small thing that makes a two handed job into a one person one. At £35.99 you are paying for the second adjustable joint, and on a dual screen setup it is money well spent.

Verdict: the pick for a 17 inch laptop beside a large monitor.

Price: £35.99 at the time of writing. Screen fit: 13 to 32 inch. Laptop fit: up to 17 inch. Mounts: clamp and grommet.

7. BONTEC Arm with Laptop Tray: the vented tray with a raised front edge

BONTEC builds this for 13 to 27 inch screens and laptops up to 17 inch, with two arms that tilt 90 degrees, rotate 360 and swivel 180. The laptop tray itself is the better part of the design. It is vented, and the front edge is raised so a machine sitting at an angle does not slide forward. Cable management is built into the arm. The maker quotes a 10 minute assembly, and with the tools and hardware included that is believable on a desk you can get behind. The 27 inch ceiling is the limit to note: a 32 inch panel is out of range here, and the £39.99 price is the highest on this list.

Verdict: best if you want a vented tray with a lip.

Price: £39.99 at the time of writing. Screen fit: 13 to 27 inch. Laptop fit: up to 17 inch. Tray: vented, raised front edge.

8. VonHaus Arm with Laptop Tray: the value full arm

VonHaus covers 13 to 32 inch screens on VESA 75 or 100, with a 9 kg monitor capacity, 90 degrees of tilt and 180 of swivel on double joint arms. The screen turns from wide to upright, which is a useful trick on a second panel used for documents. Cable management clips to the arm. The laptop shelf is fixed to the structure rather than adjustable on its own joint, so this is the arm to choose when the laptop is mostly closed and docked, and the screen is doing the work. The brand has been selling desk kit since 2009, and at £29.99 it sits between the cheap bundles and the BONTEC.

Verdict: the best value full arm with a laptop shelf.

Price: £29.99 at the time of writing. Screen fit: 13 to 32 inch. Load: 9 kg monitor. VESA: 75 x 75 and 100 x 100 mm.

Tray or full arm: decide this before you shop

If you already have a monitor arm clamped to the desk, buy a tray and bolt it on. That is £18 and ten minutes of work. There is no reason to replace a working arm.

If the monitor is still on its own stand, a tray has nothing to attach to, so you need a two-in-one arm. Those start at £28.96 here. That is the fork in the road, and it decides more than any other choice on this page.

Check the VESA pattern before anything else

Every tray here mounts on a VESA 75 x 75 mm or 100 x 100 mm plate, which covers most arms sold in the UK. Take the monitor off the arm, or look at the plate from behind, and measure the distance between the four screw holes. That number is the only compatibility question that matters, and it takes a ruler and a minute.

The weight rating is the second question, and it is where people get caught out. An arm rated at 9 kg is rated for a monitor. Hang a 1.5 kg tray and a 2.5 kg laptop off the same plate and you have added 4 kg to that figure. If your arm is already near its limit with a 27 inch panel, a tray on the same plate will make it droop, and no amount of tightening the gas spring will fix it. Check the arm's rating and do the sum before you order. If it is tight, take one of the two-arm options here instead.

Match the tray width to the laptop, not to the desk

A tray that is far wider than the machine leaves a shelf sticking out where your forearm wants to go. The PUTORSEN adjusts from 288 mm to 458 mm, which is why it suits a big laptop, and the VIVO is built for machines up to 15.6 inch. Measure the width of the base, not the screen, because the lid overhangs and the tray only holds the bottom half.

Depth matters for a different reason. A laptop with its lid open leans back, and on a shallow tray the hinge ends up over the back edge. If you plan to use the laptop screen rather than an external monitor, check that the tray is deep enough for the machine at the angle you want.

The ergonomic point people miss

A tray lifts the laptop, and that is a good start. It does not fix the keyboard. Once the laptop is at eye level, the built in keyboard is too high to type on for long, so the tray works best with a separate keyboard and mouse at desk height. The Health and Safety Executive guidance on good posture at a display screen puts the top of the screen at eye level and the keyboard below elbow height, and a laptop on a tray with its own keyboard cannot do both at once.

That is the honest trade. If you want one screen at the right height and a laptop you can type on, a monitor riser is the simpler answer. If you want the laptop out of the way while you use a separate screen, the tray is the right tool, and a keyboard tray under the desk finishes the setup.

Clamp space, thickness and the desk itself

An arm needs a desk edge. Most C-clamps want between 10 mm and 90 mm of material, which covers chipboard, melamine and solid wood. A desk with a steel frame running along the back edge may leave no clear spot to clamp to, and a glass top needs a reinforcing plate or a grommet mount. Measure the thickness at the point where the clamp will sit, not in the middle of the desk.

Grommet mounts are tidier and need an existing cable hole of the right diameter. If your desk has one, use it. If it does not, drilling a hole in a desk you like is a bigger decision than buying a different arm.

Frequently asked questions

Will a laptop tray fit my monitor arm?

It will if the arm uses a VESA 75 x 75 mm or 100 x 100 mm plate, which is the standard on almost every desk arm sold in the UK. Measure the screw spacing on the back of the monitor to confirm.

Can I put a laptop tray on an arm that already holds a monitor?

Only if the arm has a spare VESA plate and the weight rating covers the monitor, the tray and the laptop together. Most single arms hold one plate, so a two-in-one arm is the usual answer.

What size laptop will a tray hold?

It varies by tray. The widest here adjusts to 458 mm and takes an 18 inch machine, while the narrowest is built for 15.6 inch and below. Measure the width of the laptop base rather than the screen.

Do I need a separate keyboard if I use a laptop tray?

For long sessions, yes. Lifting the laptop brings the screen to eye level, which puts the built in keyboard too high for comfortable typing. A keyboard and mouse at desk height complete the setup.

Is a laptop tray better than a laptop stand?

A stand sits on the desk and takes up desk depth. A tray hangs the laptop off an arm and clears the surface underneath. If desk space is the problem, the tray wins. If you have no arm and no desk edge to clamp one to, a stand is the practical choice.

Will a tray hold a laptop with the lid open?

Yes, as long as the tray is deep enough for the machine at the angle you use it. Check the depth measurement, and look for a raised front edge like the one on the BONTEC to stop the laptop sliding forward.

The verdict

For most people the answer is the ULTRARM Steel Laptop Tray Holder at £18.99. It holds a 17 inch machine and 9 kg, it mounts on the arm you already own, and the open steel frame lets the laptop breathe. If your laptop is on the large side, the PUTORSEN Laptop Tray at £18.48 adjusts out to 458 mm and grips the machine properly.

If there is no arm on the desk yet, skip the trays and take the Redbat Monitor Arm with Laptop Tray at £28.96 for the 90 mm clamp, or the HUANUO Arm with Laptop Tray at £35.99 when the laptop is 17 inch and the screen is 32.

Two numbers to check before you click: the VESA spacing on the back of your monitor, and the weight your arm can carry once the tray and the laptop are on it. Get those right and this is a twenty minute job that changes how the desk feels. Get them wrong and you will be tightening a gas spring that cannot help.

For more desk kit guides, visit Home Office Heaven, or start with our desk converter and desk organiser guides.