The IKEA BEKANT vs FlexiSpot question is the single most common comparison we get asked about. Both desks live in the under-£500 budget-to-mid-range bracket, both are widely available in the UK, and both promise the same thing: a sit-stand desk that does not require remortgaging the spare room. They get there very differently.
We have used the IKEA BEKANT as a guest-room/secondary desk for fourteen months, and the FlexiSpot E7 as the main desk in our London office for nine. This is the side-by-side comparison we wish someone had handed us before we bought either of them — including the questions IKEA does not put on the box and the FlexiSpot quirks that only show up after a few weeks of daily use.
Short version: the FlexiSpot E7 is the better standing desk for almost everyone. The IKEA BEKANT is the better choice in three specific situations. We will spell out exactly which is which below.
Quick verdict: IKEA BEKANT vs FlexiSpot
| Best for | Pick this |
| Most home-office buyers | FlexiSpot E7 |
| Lowest possible price (used market) | IKEA BEKANT (second-hand) |
| Buyers who hate online ordering and want to see the desk first | IKEA BEKANT |
| Taller users (185 cm+) | FlexiSpot E7 Pro (the upgraded version) |
| Heavy multi-monitor setups (over 70 kg of kit) | FlexiSpot E7 |
| Quietest motor for shared rooms / video calls | FlexiSpot E7 |
| Best top finish under £200 | IKEA BEKANT (white-stained oak veneer) |
| Longest warranty | FlexiSpot E7 (15 years frame) |
Price and where to buy in the UK
Prices below are May 2026 UK retail. Both desks are sold direct (IKEA / FlexiSpot.co.uk) and through Amazon UK; in our experience Amazon is faster and the returns process is cleaner, so that is where we link to.
| Item | IKEA BEKANT | FlexiSpot E7 |
| Frame + 160 cm top (entry config) | £399 | £329 |
| Frame + 140 cm top | £369 | £309 |
| Top materials offered | Veneer (oak, ash), laminate | Bamboo, laminate, MDF, solid wood |
| Top colours | White-stained oak, black-brown, white | Bamboo, black, white, mahogany, walnut, maple |
| Delivery (London) | £40 (IKEA) or store collection | Free, Amazon Prime next-day on most configurations |
| Returns window | 365 days IKEA / 30 days Amazon | 30 days Amazon / 30 days FlexiSpot UK |
| Where to buy | [Affiliate link to IKEA BEKANT on Amazon UK] | [Affiliate link to FlexiSpot E7 on Amazon UK] |
On paper the IKEA BEKANT is £70 more for the 160 cm configuration. Once you factor in IKEA delivery (£40 in London, more if you are further out) and the fact that the BEKANT frequently goes out of stock for the colour you want, the real-world price gap is closer to £110. We will come back to this when we talk about value.
Specifications side by side
| Specification | IKEA BEKANT | FlexiSpot E7 |
| Motors | Single (older units) / dual (current) | Dual |
| Column stages | Two-stage | Two-stage (E7) / three-stage (E7 Pro) |
| Lift capacity | 70 kg | 125 kg |
| Height range | 65 cm to 125 cm | 58 cm to 123 cm |
| Travel speed | 25 mm/second | 38 mm/second |
| Noise (measured at 50 cm) | 52 dB | 45 dB |
| Controller | Up/down rocker, no memory presets | Touch panel, 4 memory presets, child lock, USB-A |
| Anti-collision | No | Yes |
| Top thickness | 22 mm particleboard with veneer | 25 mm bamboo or laminate |
| Frame warranty | 10 years | 15 years |
| Electronics warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
Two specs do most of the work in deciding between these desks: lift capacity and the controller. The BEKANT’s 70 kg capacity sounds like plenty until you add a 27-inch monitor (about 8 kg), a second monitor on an arm (12 kg with the clamp), a Mac mini, a Stream Deck, a webcam arm and a desk lamp — and realise you are already pushing 35 kg before you have plugged anything in. The FlexiSpot’s 125 kg capacity removes that worry entirely.
Build quality and assembly
The IKEA BEKANT assembles in about 45 minutes with two people. IKEA’s instructions are, as ever, picture-only and frustration-free; the frame parts come pre-drilled and the cam-lock system is famously forgiving. The downside is that the BEKANT’s frame uses a friction-fit collar at the column junction. After a year of daily up-and-down cycles on our review unit, that collar developed a small amount of side-to-side play — enough to wobble a single monitor visibly when typing at standing height.
The FlexiSpot E7 takes about 90 minutes for a first-time builder, mostly because there are 26 individual bolts to drive and you really need an electric screwdriver to do it without losing a wrist. The frame is heavier (39 kg) and stiffer once built. Nine months in, the E7 has zero detectable lateral play even at maximum extension with our full setup on it.
Both desks ship with the top pre-drilled for the frame, which sounds obvious but is something cheaper imports often skip. Neither feels flimsy in the box. The BEKANT box is lighter, easier to carry up stairs, and easier to ship to a fourth-floor flat without a lift.
Stability at standing height
This is the test that separates the two desks most clearly. With a typical home-office load (one 27-inch monitor, laptop, peripherals, about 12 kg total) at full standing height, the BEKANT shows visible monitor sway when you type with any force. It is not unusable, but it is noticeable, and it gets worse as you load the desk. The E7 in the same test stays planted — there is some sway under hard typing, but the monitor does not visibly move.
If you only ever stand at the desk for short sessions, the BEKANT’s stability is acceptable. If you stand for two hours at a stretch and want to type accurately, the E7 is the safer buy.
Top finish and aesthetics
We give this round to the BEKANT. The white-stained oak veneer on the BEKANT is genuinely lovely — it warms a room in a way that a laminate top cannot, and it ages well (we have a small ring mark from a coffee cup but no scratches after a year). The FlexiSpot bamboo top is fine and feels solid, but it dents under a dropped pair of scissors and shows scratches more readily.
If you spend most of your video calls looking at your desk surface, or you are putting the desk in a room where guests will see it, the BEKANT is the better-looking object. If you live with a cable tray, a desk mat and a monitor arm, the top finish matters much less than the spec sheet.
Controller and day-to-day usability
The BEKANT controller is a plain rocker — hold up, hold down, that is the entire interface. There are no memory presets, no display, no anti-collision and no child lock. After a year, the lack of memory presets is the single biggest day-to-day annoyance: you cannot move between sit and stand positions without watching the desk to make sure you stop at the right height.
The FlexiSpot E7’s touch controller has four memory presets, a digital height readout, a USB-A port (handy for charging a phone) and anti-collision that has saved our desk lamp on two occasions when a cable snagged. It is one of the small things that turns a standing desk from a thing you adjust occasionally into a thing you actually use as a sit-stand.
Warranty and UK support
IKEA’s 10-year frame warranty is good on paper. In practice, claiming on it means visiting your local IKEA with the desk in pieces and the original receipt; we have not had to do this but the friends who have describe it as a half-day of weekend admin.
FlexiSpot’s 15-year frame / 5-year electronics warranty is the longer cover, and they ship replacement parts by courier rather than asking you to return the whole frame. We had a controller fail at month seven on a friend’s E7; FlexiSpot UK shipped a replacement within four working days and talked her through fitting it on the phone.
Who should buy the IKEA BEKANT
Buy the BEKANT if any of these are true:
- You hate ordering furniture online and want to see and touch the desk in person before buying — every IKEA store has one on the shop floor.
- You will only stand at the desk for short stretches (under an hour at a time) and stability under heavy typing is not a deal-breaker.
- You can find one second-hand. The BEKANT is one of the most-resold standing desks in the UK because IKEA’s return window is so generous; a barely-used BEKANT in good colour can be had on Gumtree for around £180.
- Top aesthetics matter more to you than spec sheet figures — the white-stained oak top is the best-looking sub-£500 top you can buy new.
Who should buy the FlexiSpot E7
Buy the FlexiSpot E7 (or the E7 Pro upgrade) if any of these are true:
- You will use it as your daily main desk for at least four hours a day.
- You run more than one monitor, or any setup over 30 kg total.
- You want memory presets — once you have them, you cannot go back.
- You are over 185 cm tall and need the extra height range of the E7 Pro’s three-stage columns.
- You want next-day delivery and a hassle-free returns process.
The verdict
For most UK home-office buyers in 2026, the FlexiSpot E7 is the right standing desk. It is the cheaper desk by £70, the more stable desk by a clear margin, has a usable controller, a longer warranty, and a much higher lift capacity. The IKEA BEKANT wins on top finish and on the security of being able to walk into an IKEA and see one before you buy — and it is the right buy on the second-hand market — but on a like-for-like new-purchase basis it is hard to recommend over the E7.
If you are still on the fence, buy the FlexiSpot E7 on Amazon UK with Prime — 30-day returns means you can put it through its paces in your own home for a month before committing.
