Vertical Stand vs Laptop Riser for MacBook Pro: Which Do You Need?
Search for a MacBook Pro stand and you'll see two very different shapes. A riser lifts the open laptop so you can use its screen. A vertical stand holds the laptop closed, standing on its edge. They solve different problems.
What a laptop riser does
A riser puts your open MacBook Pro higher on the desk, closer to eye level. You keep using the built-in screen.
Good for:
- One-screen setups. The MacBook's display is your main screen.
- A second screen. Put the raised MacBook next to a monitor at a similar height.
- Cooling. Most risers are open frames or vented, so air can reach the bottom of the laptop.
What you also need: an external keyboard and mouse. Once the laptop is raised, its keyboard is too high to type on comfortably. See our laptop stand setup guide.
Examples: the adjustable Lamicall stand sets to your height and angle. The Rain Design mStand is a fixed one-piece aluminum riser that lifts the screen 5.9 inches.
What a vertical stand does
A vertical stand holds the closed MacBook upright, like a book on a shelf. The laptop takes up a strip of desk a few inches wide instead of a big rectangle.
Running a MacBook closed with an external display is called clamshell mode. The laptop does the work and the monitor shows everything.
Good for:
- A monitor-first desk. You work on a big external display all day.
- Saving space. The UGREEN vertical stand is 5.9 x 3.2 x 2 inches.
- A tidy look. The laptop sits off to the side, out of the way.
What you also need:
- An external monitor.
- An external keyboard and mouse.
- A way to connect and charge: a cable to the monitor, or a dock.
You also lose the MacBook's screen as a second display while it's closed.
Side by side
| Riser | Vertical stand | |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop is | Open | Closed |
| Uses the MacBook screen | Yes | No |
| Needs a monitor | No | Yes |
| Needs a keyboard and mouse | Yes, for comfort | Yes |
| Desk space | More | Less |
Which should you get?
- No external monitor: a riser. A vertical stand doesn't make sense without one.
- One monitor, and you like two screens: a riser, with the MacBook beside the monitor.
- One big monitor is all you look at: a vertical stand to clear the desk.
- You travel with the MacBook: a foldable riser that goes in your bag, like the Lamicall.
Some people own both: a vertical stand at the desk, and a folding riser for working away from home.
Fit checks either way
For a riser, check the laptop size range or depth limit. For a vertical stand, check the slot width against your MacBook's thickness, with any case on. Our MacBook Pro laptop stand size guide walks through both.
For five stands compared, including risers and a vertical stand, see our laptop stand for MacBook Pro comparison.