RoostLaptop Stand – Adjustable and Portable Laptop Stand – PC and MacBook Stand, Patented

I recently bought the 13” Macbook Pro 2016 laptop and needed a stand that was ultra portable for my travels. Doing some research I found out about the Roost stand, which is a foldable laptop stand that became very famous through Kickstarter. However, recently a Chinese copycat stand known as the Nexstand started selling on Amazon. Surprisingly there was a big price difference between the two - the Roost cost $75 vs the Nexstand which was only $25. I tried to search for a comparison between the two to understand why the Roost was so much more expensive (3x more) than the Nexstand, and what differences did the Roost have to justify the price. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any good comparison online, so I ended up buying both the Roost and Nexstand so that I could personally compare the two. Here’s my findings, and hopefully it will help others also trying to decide. Just to clarify, I bought both at full price and have no affiliation to either company.SIZEWhen folded, the Nexstand is about 1” longer than the Roost, and slightly thicker. This means the Roost is more compact than the Nexstand, and for me that is a bonus - the extra inch that I save in my bag means I can stuff an extra pair of socks in that space!When expanded though, the Nexstand’s extra inch of length makes a big difference in that it appears considerably larger than the Roost. It suggests the Nextstand can hold a thicker or wider laptop than the Roost, but the Roost is still very capable despite its smaller size. The Nexstand comes with extra clips for thinner laptops.CARRY POUCHBoth come with a soft carry pouch. Some may not consider this a big deal, but its good to carry the stand in a pouch to avoid it scratching other devices or getting caught on cables. I personally love the subtle logo of the Roost bag, and really dislike the blatant branding of the Nexstand bag.FRONT CLAMPSThe laptop is held in place on the stand by the front clamps. It’s an ingenious design and well executed that prevents the laptop from slipping off even when you tilt the stand. However, as the front clamps are the point of contact with the laptop, I wanted to make sure that the clamp would not scratch my laptop. Here the Roost provides the better quality material, using rubber front padding whereas the Nexstand’s clamp is purely plastic. That would seem to make the Roost the more favorable option, but then I notice that the Roost’s plastic back has a middle plastic ridge sticking out (see red arrow on image 4) - perhaps the result of the manufacturing process or a quality control issue?. I don’t think it will scratch the laptop but it’s irritating, especially compared to the Nexstand’s smooth surface. Also it should be noted that the Nexstand clamp looks to be capable of holding thicker laptops than the Roost.REAR BACK RESTSThe back of your laptop sits on the rear back rests. This is the secondary point of contact between the stand and the laptop. Just like the front clamps, I want to make sure nothing scratches my laptop. With the Roost, the back rest is covered with a long rubber pad that will gently support the laptop, whereas the Nexstand has skimped here with just a small pad that isn’t even the full width of the bar. You can of course stick some electrical tape there if you want reassurance but the Roost clearly wins here.FRONT LEGSThe front legs of the stand touch the table/surface and holds the laptop weight. To prevent the stand slipping around, the Roost has rubber padding that works excellently to keep the stand stable. The Nexstand is just smooth plastic and whilst the stand does remain stable when pushed, it can slide more freely on the table surface. Roost wins here.CONCLUSIONBoth the Roost and Nexstand are excellent, solidly built stands that will hold your laptop steady. I don’t want to advocate one above the other and have personally kept both for now. The Nexstand’s price represents excellent value and there’s nothing really negative about its quality, so if price is important to you, or you have a really large thick laptop, go with the Nexstand. The Roost provides extra luxuries such as rubber paddings and a more compact frame, but for the price it’s slightly more difficult to justify - if the price point doesn’t bother you then the Roost certainly represents a more “upgraded” model.

I used the original roost stand from way back when it launched on Kickstarter many years ago. I have also used the v2 stand for many years as my primary stand for work at my desk and while traveling. I was curious about this latest iteration and bought it to compare. I also did a comparison against the Nexstand. In my opinion, this latest Roost stand is the best version yet. The Nexstand doesn't compare to any of the Roost stands, being larger to pack, flimsier, and less adjustable. This latest version of the Roost has the most height settings of any of the iterations and folds up slightly more compactly to boot. The only disadvantage compared to the v2 is that you can't adjust the height on the fly, you need to remove the laptop and adjust the height before adding the laptop again. That said, the slight additional compactness, sturdiness and height adjustments (3 vs 7) make this iteration the best. If you can afford the cost, this is the best portable laptop stand to use with a keyboard and trackpad (or mouse) by quite a bit. Worth every penny in my book.

When I started college I knew I wanted a stand for my laptop and came across the Roost V3 in my research. I am so pleased with this stand as it is extremely sturdy. It has rubber grips on the front 2 legs which keep it firmly in place and the rotating hinge clasps grips the laptop in place. I like that it has easy to adjust height preferences and includes a guide for optimal viewing. It's lightweight and easy to fold up and transport. I use this primarily at home when doing school work and my neck and shoulders don't ache the way they did when I bent over my laptop before.It may seem expensive for a stand but the quality is definitely there and I have zero regrets about this purchase. If you work from home, do schoolwork or just sit at a computer a lot do yourself a favor and add this to your desk.

Dislikes: I cannot really think of anything to dislike about this product. It pretty much does it's intended job well.LIKES: Super compact and light weight. Fits in my backpack stuffed with my Laptop and Full Size mechanical keyboard. I love the fact it also comes with some heavy duty draw string carrying case.Does it's job.. elevates the Laptop to eye level so I am less likely to Hunch/Slouch.. frees up Laptop Keyboard so I can use a REAL KEYBOARD (full size mechanical wireless). Provides airflow as Laptop is elevated.It's made of some Hardened sturdy plastic, and I like the neutral color scheme of Black.. the orange labeled tabs you use to pull it open to set up stand as well as to close it. 5 star for simple design simple setup.

It feels thin and plasticky when you first use it, but it is super stable once you mount your laptop. I tried it out on a bunch of different laptops, and they all fit it perfectly. It needs a hard flat surface like a desk to work properly. airplane tray-tables and couches just aren't stable enough and your laptop will be extremely top-heavy and unstable. It is super slim and lightweight when packed up.