Best of7 min read
The best cheap monitors for work and the home office
Affordable work monitors that get the basics right: an adjustable stand, sharp enough text and the right ports for your laptop, with white options for light desks.
By Setuplify Lab
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Our picks
Ranked in the order we would recommend them. Specs and prices come from each product page.
- 1
$199.99Setuplify score: 8.0/10Check price(Affiliate link) - 2$119.99Setuplify score: 7.2/10Check price(Affiliate link)
- 3
BenQ GW2790C
A big budget screen for a laptop or home office
$114.99Setuplify score: 7.0/10Check price(Affiliate link) - 4
$264.99Setuplify score: 8.4/10Check price(Affiliate link) - 5
Dell 32 Plus 4K Monitor S3225QS
A large 4K screen for office work, coding and films
$369.99Setuplify score: 7.9/10Check price(Affiliate link) - 6
ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV
Photo and video for the web on a laptop setup
$279Setuplify score: 7.8/10Check price(Affiliate link) - 7
$179Setuplify score: 7.4/10Check price(Affiliate link)
A cheap work monitor can be a very good one, as long as it gets three things right. The stand must put the top of the screen at eye level, or you will pay for it in your neck. Text must be sharp enough for a full day of reading. And the ports must match what you plug in every morning: a laptop on USB-C, an older laptop on HDMI, or a desktop PC.
Budget screens cut corners, and the trick is to know which ones you can live with. A stand that only tilts can be fixed with an arm. A USB-C port that carries video but does not charge means one more cable. 1080p on 27 inches is a compromise you see every time you open a spreadsheet. We say where each pick saves money, so you can choose the compromise that suits your desk.
The short answer
- Best for most home offices: Dell 27 Plus S2725DC, 1440p with one-cable USB-C charging.
- Cheapest that does the job well: Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM, with a fully adjustable stand.
- Biggest screen for the money: BenQ GW2790C, 27 inches with USB-C video.
- Sharpest text: Dell 27 Plus S2725QC, 4K with USB-C charging.
- Biggest 4K screen: Dell 32 Plus S3225QS.
- White desk: the four Dell screens above are white.
- Laptop on the move: ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACV, a portable second screen.
How we picked
- Ergonomics first. We favour stands that adjust in height. When a stand only tilts, we say so and point to the fix.
- Text you can read all day. 1080p is fine at 24 inches; at 27 inches we prefer 1440p or 4K. Our size and resolution guide explains the pixel density behind this.
- Honest USB-C. Many budget screens have a USB-C port. We check whether it carries video, charges the laptop, or both.
- Sold in both markets. Every pick here is sold in the US and in France, most of them by Dell or the brand itself.
Best for most home offices: Dell 27 Plus S2725DC
The Dell 27 Plus S2725DC is the budget screen we would put on most laptop desks. Its 27-inch IPS panel shows 2560 x 1440 (109 ppi), clearly sharper than 1080p for documents, and runs at up to 144 Hz with FreeSync, smooth enough for scrolling and a casual game in the evening. The important part is the USB-C port: one cable carries the picture and up to 65 W of charging, and a second USB-C port plus two USB-A ports take your keyboard, mouse or phone cable.
The white back and stand suit light setups, and the stand adjusts in height, tilt, swivel and pivot. Two 3 W speakers handle calls.
Dell Monitor
A white 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor at 144 Hz with 65 W USB-C, built-in speakers and a height-adjustable stand.
27"2560 × 1440144 Hz
Skip it if you use a powerful laptop that draws more than 65 W under load, or if you plug in a desktop PC only: then you pay for a USB-C port you will not use.
Cheapest that does the job: Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM
The Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM is one of the cheapest monitors we list, and it still gets the basics right. The 23.8-inch IPS panel shows 1080p at up to 144 Hz, covers 99% of sRGB and is flicker-free. At 24 inches, 1080p stays sharp enough for office work. The surprise at this price is the stand: it adjusts in height, tilt, swivel and pivot, so no pile of books under the screen.
The Ash White finish and slim bezels look tidy on a light desk, and two of them side by side make a cheap dual-screen setup.
Dell Monitor
A white 24-inch 1080p IPS monitor at 144 Hz, with a height-adjustable stand, two HDMI ports and built-in speakers.
23.8"1920 × 1080144 Hz
Skip it if you connect a laptop over USB-C. It only has two HDMI 1.4 ports: no DisplayPort, no USB-C and no USB hub, and the built-in speakers are only good for calls.
Biggest screen for the money: BenQ GW2790C
The BenQ GW2790C gives you 27 inches for about the price of the Dell 24 Plus. Its matte IPS panel runs at 1080p and up to 144 Hz, with BenQ's eye-care features: a flicker-free backlight, a low blue light mode and an ePaper reading mode. It is also the only screen in this price range here with all three inputs: HDMI, DisplayPort and a USB-C port that carries video from a laptop.
BenQ Monitor
A 27-inch 1080p IPS eye-care monitor at 144 Hz, with USB-C video input, DisplayPort, HDMI and small speakers.
27"1920 × 1080144 Hz
Skip it if you read spreadsheets or code all day. 1080p on 27 inches is visibly softer than 1440p for text. Also know that its USB-C port does not charge the laptop, and the stand only tilts (the VESA holes accept an arm, see our monitor arm picks).
Sharpest text: Dell 27 Plus S2725QC
If you spend your day on text, the Dell 27 Plus S2725QC is worth the step up. Its 4K panel gives 163 pixels per inch on 27 inches, so letters look close to print. It keeps the one-cable USB-C setup with 65 W of charging, adds a small USB hub, two HDMI 2.1 ports, two 5 W speakers and 120 Hz for smooth scrolling. The Ash White stand adjusts in height, tilt, swivel and pivot.
Dell Monitor
A white 27-inch 4K IPS monitor at 120 Hz with one-cable USB-C (65 W), two HDMI 2.1 ports and built-in speakers.
27"3840 × 2160120 Hz
Skip it if you want more space rather than sharper text. At 27 inches, 4K runs with 150% scaling, so you see about as much as on a 1440p screen. For more space, look at the 32-inch below.
Biggest 4K screen: Dell 32 Plus S3225QS
The Dell 32 Plus S3225QS is the most screen for the money we list for office work. Its 31.5-inch 4K VA panel gives about 140 pixels per inch, so you can run it at 100% or 125% scaling and fit two full documents side by side. The 3000:1 contrast gives deeper blacks than the IPS screens above, it covers 95% of DCI-P3, and two HDMI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort all reach 4K at 120 Hz, so it also works for films and a console. It is white too.
Dell Monitor
A white 32-inch 4K VA monitor at 120 Hz, with 95% DCI-P3, 3000:1 contrast, two HDMI 2.1 ports and 5 W speakers.
31.5"3840 × 2160120 Hz
Skip it if you work from a laptop and want one cable: there is no USB-C and no USB hub. The stand adjusts in height and tilt but does not swivel or pivot, and the screen needs a desk at least 70 cm deep.
For photo work: ASUS ProArt PA278CV
The ASUS ProArt PA278CV is not the cheapest 1440p USB-C screen here (the Dell 27 Plus S2725DC usually costs less), but it makes sense if you edit photos or videos for the web. ASUS calibrates each unit at the factory (Calman Verified, report in the box) for 100% sRGB, and it keeps one-cable USB-C with 65 W, a four-port USB-A hub and a stand that adjusts in height, tilt, swivel and pivot.
ASUS Monitor
A 27-inch 1440p IPS creator monitor with 100% sRGB, Calman Verified calibration and USB-C with 65 W charging.
27"2560 × 144075 Hz
Skip it if you also play games on it. It runs at 75 Hz, and its 1000:1 contrast gives greyish blacks in a dark room.
Second screen on the move: ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACV
If you work from a laptop in several places, the ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACV is a portable second screen. It weighs 0.9 kg, is 1 cm thick, and one USB-C cable from the laptop carries both video and power. The 15.6-inch matte IPS panel shows 1080p, and a kickstand and sleeve come in the box.
ASUS Monitor
A 15.6-inch 1080p IPS portable monitor that runs on a single USB-C cable, with a built-in kickstand and a sleeve.
15.6"1920 × 108060 Hz
Skip it if you need it at a fixed desk every day: a 24-inch screen is cheaper per inch and far more comfortable. It also needs a laptop USB-C port with video output.
White monitors for a light desk
All four Dell picks are white with a light stand, which keeps a white or wood desk calm:
Dell Monitor
Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor S2725DC
- 27"
- 2560 × 1440
- 144 Hz
See them in place in our white studio setup, built around the Dell 27 Plus S2725QC and a Mac mini, or in our quiet hours setup around the Dell 32 Plus S3225QS.
Quiet Hours
A calm home office in bamboo and felt, built for long days of video calls and focused work.
10 components
When to spend more
Budget screens skip a few things: Thunderbolt docks, very fast USB hubs, deep contrast for HDR and ultrawide formats. If you need any of these, our best monitors for work covers the Dell UltraSharp range and an ultrawide for coding. For the rest of the desk, our home office setup and our student setup put a full workspace together.
Quick summary
- Most laptop desks: Dell 27 Plus S2725DC.
- Lowest price, adjustable stand: Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM.
- 27 inches for very little: BenQ GW2790C.
- Sharpest text: Dell 27 Plus S2725QC.
- Most space: Dell 32 Plus S3225QS.
- Photos for the web: ASUS ProArt PA278CV.
- Portable second screen: ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACV.
Browse all monitors or place a screen on a virtual desk in the Setup Builder.
Written by
Setuplify Lab, Editorial team
The Setuplify team builds, photographs and takes apart desk setups so you can pick parts with confidence.
See it on a desk
Setups from this guide, with every component listed.
Quiet Hours
A calm home office in bamboo and felt, built for long days of video calls and focused work.
$2,48610 components
Blanc Studio
An all-white Mac home office that stays bright, quiet and tidy.
$2,97110 components
Pastel Stream
An all-white streaming desk where the camera, the light and the microphone are as considered as the PC.
$5,95311 components
Standing Ops
A sit/stand home office set up for back-to-back video calls.
$1,84511 of 12 parts sold here12 components
Keep reading
Best of 4 min read
The best monitors for work, coding and creative jobs
Sharp 4K for text, one-cable USB-C for laptops, an ultrawide for coding and a calibrated screen for photos: the work monitors we recommend, and who each one suits.
Buying guide 4 min read
Monitor size and resolution: what fits your desk and your PC
24, 27, 32 or 34 inches? 1080p, 1440p or 4K? How desk depth, pixel density and your graphics card decide the right screen, with one pick for each size.
Setup guide 6 min read
The home office setup: a work-from-home desk that lasts
Mac mini or laptop, a sharp 4K USB-C screen, an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, the right chair and desk, plus the webcam, headset and light that make calls look and sound professional.
Best of 6 min read
The best monitor arms for one or two screens
A buy-once arm, a cheap gas spring arm, a dual arm for two screens and a white arm for light setups, plus the four checks to make before you order.
Setup guide 6 min read
The student setup: a study and gaming desk on a small budget
Desk, chair, screen, keyboard, mouse, headset, mic, speakers and lamp for a bedroom or a dorm, built around the laptop you already own. Cheap parts that do their job, and where to spend first.
Questions people ask
Is a 1080p monitor good enough for office work?
At 24 inches, yes: text stays sharp at a normal desk distance, as on the Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM. At 27 inches, 1080p looks visibly softer, so a 27-inch 1080p screen like the BenQ GW2790C suits mixed use better than a full day of spreadsheets.
Which cheap monitor can charge my laptop?
Look for USB-C with power delivery. The Dell 27 Plus S2725DC, the Dell 27 Plus S2725QC and the ASUS ProArt PA278CV deliver up to 65 W over one cable. The BenQ GW2790C takes video over USB-C but does not charge, and the Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM and Dell 32 Plus S3225QS have no USB-C at all.
Are there good white monitors for a home office?
Yes. The Dell 24 Plus S2425HSM, 27 Plus S2725DC, 27 Plus S2725QC and 32 Plus S3225QS all have a white body and a light stand, from a budget 24-inch 1080p screen to a 32-inch 4K one.