This is not a comprehensive list of all footrests we’ve tested. We have removed models that are discontinued or no longer meet our criteria.
The Cushion Lab Ergonomic Footrest has a topographical design whose ridges promise tension relief for your feet. But the ridges are made of soft memory foam, and in our testing they failed to soothe our sore feet.
The ErgoFoam Adjustable Foot Rest hasn’t fared well in our long-term testing; the model we tested sags too much after several years of testing, especially in the middle. In addition, its cover is harder to remove than that of the ComfiLife Foot Rest, and the foam inserts don’t have their own covering.
The Everlasting Comfort Foot Rest has a lifetime warranty, like our top pick from ComfiLife, but it’s not height-adjustable, and we found that it easily skidded across the floor during use.
The teardrop-shaped IKEA Övning Multifunctional Ergonomic Footrest has an elegant look with a light-gray and light-green cover. However, our testers said it was too stiff and had a beanbag-like texture underfoot. It caved in a bit in the middle after using it for a couple of hours, and it lacks the nonremovable cloth cover for the foam insert found on our top pick.
Testers liked the massaging beads on the Jlkcthh Wood Foot Rest but ultimately preferred the Huanuo Adjustable Desk Footrest for its adjustable height and the fact that its massaging beads cover the entire platform.
Two foam footrests we tested, the BlissTrends Foot Rest and the CushZone Foot Rest, were almost as comfortable as our top pick, the ComfiLife Foot Rest, but they have a rougher cloth cover that’s easier to clean but less luxurious underfoot. Like the ErgoFoam Adjustable Foot Rest and the IKEA Övning, they lack cloth coverings for the foam inserts, and the covers were a bit more difficult to remove. These footrests have large, 20-inch-wide variants, though, so if you want an extra-wide model (the ComfiLife Foot Rest is 17.5-inches wide), you might consider one of these.
The plastic Mount-It Adjustable Ergonomic Foot Rest MI-7804 slides too easily under pressure, as did the Mind Reader Anchor Collection Adjustable Ergonomic Foot Rest. The latter also has large, plastic bumps that are designed to massage your feet, but none of our panelists found them comfortable.
The Fellowes Standard Footrest is the worst footrest we tried. It has an uncomfortable plastic, textured surface similar to that of the Mind Reader model. It’s noisy, feels plasticky and cheap, and slides all over the place. One panelist, whose employer had provided him with this exact footrest, said he tried it for five minutes and promptly returned it.
The Kensington SoleMate Comfort Foot Rest with SmartFit System is one of the few footrests we found that has several height settings, from 3.5 to 5 inches, and you can lock the angle in place or use it as a rocker. It combines a plastic base with a thin, memory-foam top, and it’s more comfortable than the other plastic footrests we tried. But it’s not as comfortable as the foam footrests, and it was difficult to adjust the height via the screws. It’s also a little noisy and stiff when you rock it. A few of our panelists remarked that it felt cheap, and several owner reviews complained that it broke after a few months.
Like our upgrade pick, the Humanscale FR300 Ergonomic Foot Rocker, the Humanscale FR500 Ergonomic Foot Rocker boasts an attractive, solid-wood and metal design, as well as a lifetime warranty. It has smooth rocking action in a one-piece design, and the little grips on the surface keep your feet from sliding off. It’s a sturdy foot rocker, but we recommend the FR300 for its height adjustability.
The Secretlab Premium Footrest has a lovely soft velour cover and a supportive memory-foam core. But it has only a two-year warranty, while our top pick, the ComfiLife Foot Rest is half the price and offers a lifetime warranty.
The Steelcase Turnstone Campfire Footrest is a pricey, brick-like piece of foam that’s uncomfortable to use.
The Walter Drake Deluxe Foldable Rocking Footrest has a sherpa-covered cushion that feels comfortable, but this V-shaped footrest that cradles the calves is better suited for use with a couch rather than a desk.
This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.
Melanie Pinola, a Wirecutter senior staff writer, died in October 2024.
