Best Footrests for the Most Comfortable Desk Setup

Shop: Amazon, Humanscale, Uplift Desk, and West Elm

• Foot platform dimensions: 16x11.5 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: Yes; 2.1 to 4.9 inches
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 4.9 inches
• Adjustable angle: Yes
• Rocking: Yes

This footrest was our top scorer because it offered the ability to set a height at any point within its range, making it possible for users to customize it based on their needs. Its foot platform offered good depth and reasonably smooth rocking movement (though not as smooth as the Humanscale Footrocker 500, featured below). There were some things we didn’t like as much: the foot platform is a little narrow, and the railing on which the platform glides limits overflow, so users might not be able to place their feet as wide as they would like without them rubbing against the railing from time to time. 

Ergonomic design: This footrest is height adjustable, but the adjustment range is limited to about 3 inches (from 2.1 to 4.9 inches). However, the height is continuously adjustable throughout that range. Its foot platform (which is where your feet will rest) has a width of about 16 inches, several inches smaller than the standard ideal measurement of about 20.1 inches. Further, this footrest has two rails on either side of the foot platform that allow the footplate to glide, or rock, back and forth. The downside of those rails is that they do not allow your feet to flow over the platform. The depth of this footrest’s foot platform is 11.5 inches, only 0.3 inches less than what would get top marks, so it should easily accommodate most people’s feet.

One potential issue to note is that a hole at the top of each rail can trap a pinky toe, and the rocking platform interacts with this hole to create a pinch point. Also, its hard feet and rails jut out a little and may be uncomfortable if you’re using this with socks or bare feet. As for its rocking motion, it is subtle and not as smooth as some others, but we found it still rocks nicely. 

Ease of use: While it is possible to adjust the height of the footrest under the desk, it might be challenging, and most may need to pull it out from under the desk to make those adjustments. Twisting the knobs to adjust heights is easy, but you have to twist until it’s tight, with no accurate indication when you’ve tightened it enough. Three black traction strips on the foot platform work well for shoes, socks, and bare feet. This footrest resisted sliding around on carpet and hard surfaces, and once put into place, feels very stable during use. We found the traction strip areas a little hard to clean as the texture seems to trap lint easily. To clean this footrest, Humanscale recommends dusting as needed with a dry or slightly damp cloth (and then wiping it right away with a dry cloth in the direction of the grain) and periodically cleaning it with a soft cloth and quality furniture polish. 

Assembly and instructions: The footrest doesn’t technically come fully assembled; but assembly only requires placing the foot platform on the rails. Instructions aren’t included in the box but can be found on the manufacturer’s website and are easy to follow.

Shop: Uplift Desk

• Foot platform dimensions: 15.8x10 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: Yes; 1.4 to 8.4 inches
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 8.4 inches
• Adjustable angle: No
• Rocking: No

This footrest offers the most height and height range of all the footrests in this evaluation. It is also easy to use and assemble, providing good traction for shoes, socks, and bare feet. However, it lacks angle adjustability, and its foot platform is narrow and shallow. 

Ergonomic design: This footrest has one of the largest height ranges of 1.4 to 8.4 inches, but the downside is that the height settings are not continuous—you are limited to setting it to one of seven heights within that range. The angle of the foot platform is set at a reasonable slope that should work well for most users, but it cannot be changed. The foot platform, which is firm with a thin fabric cover on a metal plate, measures about 16 inches in width, which is about four inches short of the ideal standard. Still, it features an open design on the sides that would allow a user’s feet to flow over the platform if needed (we call this overflow). The front edge of the footrest is hard and metal, so accidentally hitting the front edge in socks or bare feet could be uncomfortable. It doesn’t support rocking. 

Ease of use: It’s easy to adjust the height of the foot platform, and it can be done with one hand. It’s possible to adjust the height without having to move the base at all, but some users may find it necessary to pull the footrest out from under the desk to adjust it. While there are no labels on the product to instruct users how to adjust the height, doing so is intuitive. The surface of the footrest provided sufficient traction for shoes, socks, and bare feet. The footrest may move a little during first use when placed on carpet, shifting as the feet dig into the carpet, but it stays put for the rest of the time on all surfaces.

Overall, the foot platform feels stable; there is a little movement, but it isn’t all that noticeable. In terms of comfort, we found no issues. However, the fabric-like cover on the foot platform could collect dirt, and the instructions that came with the product did not include any for cleaning.

Assembly and instructions: The footrest comes with clear assembly instructions and illustrations that show users what to do. No tools were needed to assemble this footrest, and assembly was straightforward and easy. Users are required to attach the handle to the base and can opt to put feet and end caps on the foot platform if they intend to use the platform on its lowest possible height setting.

As a bonus, the footrest came with a fun, branded koozie and jar opener with the phrases “It’s Leg Day” and “Do you even Uplift?”

Shop: Amazon, Office Depot, Target, and Wayfair

• Foot platform dimensions: 16.3x12.3 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: Yes; 2.7 to 6.5 inches
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 6.5 inches
• Adjustable angle: Yes (freely pivots)
• Rocking: Yes

While its range of height adjustment is limited, this footrest goes up to 6.5 inches in height, enabling it to support users whose feet are further off the ground than other footrests we evaluated. The angle of the foot platform adjusts freely, allowing it to support movement like rocking, though it feels a little unstable and wobbly. 

Ergonomic design: This footrest is height adjustable, with a lowest height of about 3 inches (a little higher than we’d like) and a max of 6.5 inches (slightly shorter than we’d like). Its height can be adjusted to one of three settings within that range, and the footrest rocks as it freely pivots from front to back. The width is 16.3 inches, and its depth is an impressive 12.3 inches. Additionally, the foot platform also has an open design, so no frame or edge limits overflow. The platform is a hard plastic material with no give and no exposed sharp edges.

Ease of use: Adjusting the footrest’s height at first can be a little tricky, and the instructions don’t make it much easier: Instead of written instructions, there are steps for adjustment written in black on a black background on the footrest itself—and they’re tough to read. Adjusting this while it’s under a desk might be challenging for some, and the foot platform will rock and adjust the angle freely, so there are no angle adjustments to be made.

The platform has good traction for shoes and bare feet, but its slicked plastic surface is slippery when wearing socks. The footrest stays in place on all surfaces, but repeatedly taking your feet on and off the footrest when on the carpet can cause it to shift slightly backward. One of the most notable cons about this otherwise good footrest is its instability—it feels wobbly at all times, especially set at the highest setting. The footrest should be easy to wipe clean. 

Assembly and instructions: This footrest comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box, but printed usage or care instructions are not included. The best users can do is try to glean how to use it from the pictures and marketing claims on its box.

Shop: Amazon and Walmart

• Foot platform dimensions: 16.8x8 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: No
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 4 inches
• Adjustable angle: No
• Rocking: No

The Everlasting Comfort Office Footrest is one of three cushion footrests we evaluated. These basic footrests are easy to use and have removable, washable covers. However, they didn’t make the top cut due to their lack of adjustability and limited foot support. Some cushion options, including this model, are made with memory foam, which, when heated by your feet, can change how it supports your foot. 

Ergonomic design: Thanks to its half-teardrop design, users can experiment with foot placement to effectively change its height—though you’ll be limited—and there is no way to adjust the angle independently of the height. It also doesn’t allow for rocking motion. This footrest has limited depth (8 inches), so some users might find their entire foot doesn’t fit on the footrest. A few pros about this cushion include its 17-inch width (though still 3 inches short of the standard) and an open design that allows overflow in all directions. 

Ease of use: Due to its light weight, this footrest is effortless to reposition while it’s under the desk using your feet alone, and its fabric cover provides good traction in shoes, socks, and bare feet, so users shouldn’t feel like their feet are sliding off. It shifts slightly on carpet, but mostly stays put. The cover is fully machine washable per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Assembly and instructions: This footrest comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. It includes one of the best instructions in this evaluation, with illustrations and well-spaced-out instructional steps. The instructions even cover usage and care and include essential care instructions specific to memory foam.

Shop: Amazon and Eureka Ergonomic

• Foot platform dimensions: 15.4x11.9 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: No
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 3.3 inches
• Adjustable angle: Yes
• Rocking: No

If you can live without height adjustment options on a footrest and aren’t looking for a rocking motion, this pick offers angle adjustability and a considerable amount of depth, and its surface provides good traction for shoes, socks, and feet. 

Ergonomic design: Although you can’t adjust the height of this footrest, the angle can be adjusted somewhat like a rocking footrest but with more tension—so the foot platform won’t pivot once it’s in a position unless you give it a little extra force. At 15.4 inches, its platform width is narrow, but its depth is 12 inches and it has an open design that allows for overflow. The platform is also firm, with no give. 

Ease of use: This footrest feels mostly stable on hard floors and carpet and adjusting its angle is easy (there are no mechanisms to engage with on the product). Although it feels slightly awkward, it is relatively easy to reposition this footrest using your feet. In addition to providing good traction, its platform features massage bumps that can be felt through socks and bare feet. This pick would be easy to wipe down and clean. 

Assembly and instructions: This footrest comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box, but it doesn’t include instructions, so users will need to intuit how to adjust the angle (which will likely be easy for most users).

Shop: Amazon and Walmart

• Foot platform dimensions: 16.8x8 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: No
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 4 inches
• Adjustable angle: No
• Rocking: No

This is an overall quality lightweight cushion footrest with a memory foam core and firm design. You can’t adjust its height or angle and it doesn’t support rocking. 

Ergonomic design: This footrest’s width is 16.8 inches (shorter than we’d like) but, of all the cushion-style footrests we evaluated, this pick had the most consistent firmness throughout. The design is open and allows for overflow, but it has limited depth (just 8 inches), so some users might find that their entire foot does not fit on the footrest.

Ease of use: Since it doesn’t offer height or angle adjustability, the greatest challenge with this footrest is figuring out its proper orientation. Aside from the slope of the cushion, it could be difficult to tell which side is the front and which is the back. It has an anti-slip base that keeps the footrest in position during use, but on carpet users may notice it moving a bit when putting their feet back onto the footrest. 

The fabric covering feels nice on bare feet and there are subtle ridges in the foam that can be felt in socks or bare feet. The cover comes off and is machine washable per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Assembly and instructions: This footrest comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. An instruction sheet with basic cleaning directions and what the manufacturer claims it does is included, but the insert lacks important information about how to properly position the footrest.

Shop: Humanscale and West Elm

• Foot platform dimensions: 13.8x11.9 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: No
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 3.6 inches
• Adjustable angle: Yes
• Rocking: Yes

The biggest difference between the Humanscale FR500 Ergonomic Foot Rocker and its sibling, our overall top performer, the Humanscale FR300, is that this pick does not support height adjustments, and its maximum height is only 3.6 inches. It also has a somewhat narrow foot platform, though it makes up for some of these deficits with decent depth and the best gliding rocking motion of all the footrests we evaluated.

Ergonomic design: Although its height can’t be adjusted, the way the footrest pivots and rocks allows for a very slight height adjustment of only about 1.2 inches (from 2.4 to 3.6 inches). As a rocker, this doesn’t offer set angle adjustments, but the rocking design allows it to naturally adjust to an angle based on how you’re sitting. At just 13.8 inches, its platform’s width is nearly 7 inches shorter than the standard ideal, extremely narrow, and wouldn’t be ideal for anyone who prefers a wider foot placement. Its depth is good though (11.9 inches), so this footrest should work well even for users with larger feet.

The platform surface is hard and supportive, but the hard front edge may cause some discomfort if one were to accidentally jam their toe into the edge. This model stands out for its smooth rocking capabilities—the best of all the footrests we evaluated. 

Ease of use: The surface of the footrest was really slippery in socks, but was fine in shoes and bare feet. It tends to stay put during use, but if you are rocking it rather aggressively you may notice that it starts to shift away from you. Since there is no adjustability option, it’s easy to use and you can reposition it while it’s under a desk. It would be easy to wipe clean. 

Assembly and instructions: This footrest comes fully assembled and ready to use, but usage or care instructions were not included in the box.

Shop: Amazon

• Foot platform dimensions: 16.4x7 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: Yes; comes with a 2-inch booster cushion
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 5.3 inches
• Adjustable angle: No
• Rocking: No

BlissTrends Foot Rest was the only cushion-style footrest we evaluated that has a small booster cushion that can be used to adjust its height. However, the cushion is short in depth, limiting the space users have to get a nice foot placement.

Ergonomic design: You can attach this footrest’s separate foam booster block to the bottom of the footrest and benefit from an additional 2 inches of height, but otherwise this is like other cushion footrests in which your best bet is to experiment with different foot placements to adjust the height. This pick is more symmetrical in shape than the other teardrop-shaped cushion footrests, which can limit the amount of space users have to place their feet comfortably on it. Its width is similar to the others (16.4 inches). However, the firmness of the foam drastically drops off toward the outer edges, which can limit the amount of space your feet have to comfortably rest.

This footrest is lightweight and features an open design that allows for overflow but it had the least amount of usable depth in this evaluation—just 7 inches. 

Ease of use: Attaching or removing the booster is simple using its Velcro tabs and zipper. This footrest doesn’t seem to have any particular orientation given its symmetrical shape and its lightweight design makes it easy to reposition while it’s under your desk. It mostly stays put during use, but it will shift slightly sometimes when you put your feet on it, making it a pick that lacks the traction of others in our evaluation. The fabric cover feels fine on bare feet, but it wasn’t the nicest texture or feel compared with the other footrests. The covers are removable and machine washable per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Assembly and instruction: This footrest is fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. It doesn’t come with instructions but includes a small product card with features, care instructions, and warnings.

Shop: Amazon and StrongTek

• Foot platform dimensions: 15x10.8 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: No
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 3.6 inches
• Adjustable angle: Yes
• Rocking: No

Even though this footrest claims it is height-adjustable, it is actually only angle adjustable. Of all the footrests in this evaluation, this one had the longest and most challenging assembly process, and its platform width was narrow. 

Ergonomic design: This footrest has four discreet angle settings but doesn’t offer height adjustability. Its width is just 15 inches, and foot placement is further limited by the wooden frame on either side of the foot platform that prevents overflow. The depth of the foot platform is about 10.8 inches, which is shorter than what would be needed to accommodate those with large feet. On the plus side, its firm wooden board supports the feet well, but it doesn’t support rocking. 

Ease of use: The angle of the foot platform is adjusted by moving a dowel rod up a set of notches on the backside of the footrest, so you likely won’t be able to adjust the footrest easily while it is under the desk. Overall, the adjustment process is clunky but easy enough to do once you have good access to the back of it. Foot traction is good for shoes, socks, and bare feet. The footrest does a decent job at staying stable on carpet, but it shifted on hard flooring. The texture of the anti-slip mat on the foot platform can make it a little annoying to clean, as it can grab and hold on to dirt or lint, similar to the Humanscale FR300.

Assembly and instructions: This was the only footrest with a challenging assembly process. The instructions had mislabeled parts and a missing step, making them difficult to follow. It comes with an Allen wrench to tighten some bolts during assembly. Usage instructions were included and showed examples of how to use the footrest, but they did not contain care instructions.

Shop: Amazon

• Foot platform dimensions: 11.9x9.3 inches (WXD)
• Adjustable height: Yes; 2.3 to 11 inches
• Maximum feet-to-floor gap coverage: 11 inches
• Adjustable angle: Yes
• Rocking: No

This footrest has a wide range of height and angle adjustments; however, making these adjustments is difficult. Users may find it feels like a puzzle to set it to their needs.

Ergonomic design: This footrest has two sets of adjustable supports that can be independently adjusted to change the height and angle of the foot platform, with each having five discrete levels. Overall, this footrest offers a good range of height adjustment, from the lowest height setting of about 2.3 inches to upward of 11 inches at the highest setting. 

While this footrest offers a good range of angle adjustments, because of how this footrest adjusts, angle and height cannot be fully adjusted independently of one another. The width of the platform is only 11.9 inches, which is narrow, and the depth is just 9.3 inches, which will leave many people unable to rest their entire foot on it. It has an open design that allows for overflow and the foot platform is firm when the detachable cushion is removed. It doesn’t support rocking and its exposed adjustment mechanism and hard metal edge could cause some discomfort if a user’s toe accidentally gets jammed into that area.

Ease of use: This footrest was the most difficult to adjust. Having to manage two different adjustment supports can make getting the right height and angle almost like a puzzle. Users may find themselves having to adjust one support, then the other, and then back to adjusting the first one. Further, to reset the adjustment you have to raise the support to its max and then move it back down to the desired level, which can result in having to repeat this process multiple times if the latch engages at an unintended level.

Repositioning the footrest while it is under the desk is surprisingly annoying to do with just your feet, but it is doable. When used with its cushion, the footrest provides good traction for shoes, socks, and bare feet, but the cushion itself shifts around a little during use. It stays put reasonably well on carpet and hard floors and should be easy to clean and wipe down, but one more major downside is that it felt wobbly—we could feel the plastic bending as we used it. 

Assembly and instructions: This footrest is billed as “pre-assembled,” but users will need to apply the anti-skid dots to the bottom of the footrest, and this step isn’t mentioned at all in the instructions that are provided. The instructions have odd phrasing (though examples of different ways to adjust it are included, which is a plus). Cleaning instructions are limited to vague directions such as "the cushion is removable, easy for cleaning or changing.”

Other potential benefits of using a footrest include:

• Back alignment: Angled footrests may help to keep your back against the chair’s backrest and reduce back discomfort.
• Improved circulation: Rocking footrests can help promote blood flow and improve circulation as the muscles in the lower legs contract and relax.
• Foot massage: Rubbing the feet on textured surfaces such as bubbles may help with discomfort and offer a pleasant sensation.