The Best Desktop Organizers

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Oct 31, 2023

The Best Desktop Organizers

We’ve looked over this guide and still stand behind our picks. After researching

We’ve looked over this guide and still stand behind our picks.

After researching dozens of organizers and comparing 16 side by side, we think the Innovative Storage Designs Desktop Organizer is the best for most people looking to declutter their desks and neatly arrange their most essential office supplies. It takes up less space than a standard keyboard, yet fits more files, pens, and smaller supplies than the competition. And the clear, plastic material will not only fit in with all decors, it keeps important items easily visible so they don't fall prey to an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality.

You can easily see what's inside this sturdy, clear organizer. It has several easy-to-reach compartments for smaller items, in addition to two slots for your most important papers, and it won't take up too much space on a desk.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $21.

The Innovative Storage Designs organizer has enough room to fit about 250 sheets of standard 8.5-by-11 paper, and unlike the competition, its file storage area is open on both ends, so its slots can fit oversize documents or file folders if needed. This organizer also has a better combination of compartment sizes than others we tested in its price range, including several small, shallow spaces for items like paper clips or mini binder clips—other organizers have bigger, open compartments in which small office items can become jumbled together and harder to find. And this organizer's material feels sturdier than that of the other plastic models we tested.

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Thanks to movable dividers, you can create smaller or larger compartments as needed. But it feels cheaper than our main pick, and it's not as sturdy.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

Like the Innovative Storage Designs, the Like-it Large Desktop Station is a clear, multi-compartment organizer. But this one is customizable, with movable dividers that let you create smaller vertical sections for items like pens or markers, and it has shallow, removable compartments for things like paper clips and rubber bands. But we found this organizer to be less sturdy because of its more-flexible, cheaper-feeling plastic.

This bamboo organizer has multiple file slots that, together, fit a whole ream of paper, and a drawer for larger items like earbuds or notepads.

Additional storage for slim, tall items like scissors, pens, or pencils that you want to keep upright and within reach.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

We think the versatile combination of MobileVision's Desktop Paper Tray File Folder Holder & Bamboo Drawer Set and Caddy Add-On is a great option if you prefer to hide your clutter and you’re willing to spend a little more for sturdy bamboo instead of plastic. It has five-slot file holder that fits over 500 sheets of paper—twice as much as our main pick—and a smaller front slot for mail or important items that you want to keep visible. A large drawer holds bigger items like large binder clips, notepads, business cards, and earbuds, but smaller items like paper clips won't have a designated space. We found this one to be sturdier than other modular organizers we tested, and its pieces won't rattle or slide around on a desk, even when stacked.

If you don't need as much storage for papers or files, this organizer's sturdy bamboo will look good with most decors. It's small but it still has plenty of space for essential office supplies.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $33.

The MobileVision Bamboo Multi-Function Desktop Organizer is the organizer we’d get if we didn't need much file storage. It's made from the same quality materials as the Mobile Vision organizer, but it has a smaller footprint. For an organizer that's designed to hold fewer papers, it still has more file- and supply-storage options than many others we tested. Its open-ended file section can fit a few paper items of various sizes, like mail, magazines, and postcards. It also has a divided pen cup with four compartments, a dedicated space for sticky notes, and a shallow compartment that fits mini binder clips or paper clips.

You can easily see what's inside this sturdy, clear organizer. It has several easy-to-reach compartments for smaller items, in addition to two slots for your most important papers, and it won't take up too much space on a desk.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $21.

Thanks to movable dividers, you can create smaller or larger compartments as needed. But it feels cheaper than our main pick, and it's not as sturdy.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

This bamboo organizer has multiple file slots that, together, fit a whole ream of paper, and a drawer for larger items like earbuds or notepads.

Additional storage for slim, tall items like scissors, pens, or pencils that you want to keep upright and within reach.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

If you don't need as much storage for papers or files, this organizer's sturdy bamboo will look good with most decors. It's small but it still has plenty of space for essential office supplies.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $33.

I spoke with three organizing and office decor experts to learn what makes a good organizer: Tom Nevermann, president of moving and organization studio OrgoDomo; Melissa George, author of the decor and organization blog Polished Habitat; and Amy Trager, a professional organizer. I’m a writer on Wirecutter's home office beat who also works from home. Despite covering office supplies, I’m highly unorganized and in need of a way of bringing order to my own work space, so I was personally motivated to find the best desk organizing options.

I have a terrible habit of letting papers pile up on my desk. Mail sits unopened and gets buried under my latest New Yorker issues, I let outdated sticky notes linger until their edges curl and their adhesive fades. I have two mason jars and one scientific beaker crammed with earbuds, business cards, a voice recorder, stamps, binder clips, scissors, pens, pencils, markers, and even a random paintbrush (I have no idea what it is for or why it's made it onto my desk). Every few months I look at this mess, have a mild panic attack, and go through the contents, straightening what remains into a more tidy arrangement. But a nicer-looking pile is still a pile.

A desktop organizer can help keep items visible, accessible, and central.

Does this sound familiar? If so, a desktop organizer is for you. When I finally put my stuff into an organizer, it not only helped my desk feel like a more calming place to work, but also helped me get rid of things I didn't need and let me more easily see and reach for what I did. At home or in an office, a desktop organizer will keep supplies in one place, while dividing them into multiple, dedicated compartments. If you use paper at work, an organizer with file storage will also help keep important project folders or documents visible, so that they don't fall prey to an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality.

Desktop organizers can be used in other rooms, too. Whether you want to store important mail atop your dresser, recipes and pens on the kitchen counter, or a scratch pad and pencils by a landline phone for messages, a desktop organizer can help keep important items visible, accessible, and central.

To find out what objective traits a great organizer should have, we asked three professional organizers for their input and then looked online for reviews of desktop organizers. We didn't find many, but we perused roundups of organizers from Apartment Therapy and bestproductreviews.com.

We then spent seven hours looking at major office supply and decor retailers like Office Depot, Staples, the Container Store, Storables, Target, IKEA, and Amazon. There are hundreds of desktop organizers available online, in a wide range of styles and materials. We found that organizers that cost around $10 or less tend to be made from plastic or wire mesh. At the other end of the spectrum are organizers that look like art objects made from leather, wood, or metal; they cost anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred dollars.

The best desktop organizer for you will depend on your needs, desk space, and personal taste—the competition section has options in a range of different sizes and materials, in case the ones we picked do not appeal to you. But based on our research and interviews, we determined that the best desktop organizers will have the following features:

Multiple compartments: We looked for organizers with multiple compartments for files, mail, and supplies like pens and paper clips. Having a dedicated space for each item will help you easily find what you’re looking for—and help you get rid of unnecessary items, too.

According to the Environmental Paper Network, office workers use 10,000 sheets of paper annually. So we decided to focus on organizers with at least one compartment for mail and one compartment for files. For people who don't want organizers that hold files, we also considered smaller options geared toward office supplies, which we are calling supply organizers. "What we keep on our desk has changed over the years. No one uses tape anywhere. People are likely to use a stapler, paper clips, pens and pencils, and maybe a letter opener and scissors," said Tom Nevermann, president of OrgoDomo. Blogger Melissa George added highlighters, sticky notes, paper clips, and USB drives to the list. When looking for organizers, we determined that they should have at least three compartments of varying heights to store smaller supplies like paper clips and taller ones like pens and scissors, with a space for sticky notes or a scratch pad.

Show what's inside: All of our experts recommend clear plastic or acrylic organizers that allow you to easily see what's inside. Trager said organizers should clearly display "Current projects, bills to pay, and pending correspondence...especially if you're an out-of-sight, out-of-mind type." George said that clear acrylic organizers are her favorite: "When you can see everything, you're more likely to put it to use. Plus, they work with almost any decor style from basic to chic."

We know some people prefer organizers that hide their stuff (I’m one of them, as I hate looking at my own clutter), so we did include some models made of opaque materials. And, of course, any organizer will still reveal parts of what it's holding—for example, pens will still protrude out of a wooden pen cup, and edges of papers may stick out over dividers—so you will have some visible reminder of the stuff inside them.

Sturdy, well-constructed, and easy to clean: The base of the organizer shouldn't have rough edges or feet that could damage your desk. (Metal organizers can be more likely to scratch surfaces so Nevermann recommends putting felt pads on the bottom of any organizer if you’re concerned.) When you pull open a drawer, the whole organizer shouldn't come with it. Trager recommends looking for designs that won't topple over or slide across a desk's surface if you brush your arm against it. But, she said, "It doesn't need to be a cement block!" Trager also recommends organizers made from easy-to-clean materials, like metal or plastic, instead of leather, fabric, or paper, especially if you anticipate spills or share your workspace with kids.

Small footprint: Desks come in many sizes, but a desktop organizer shouldn't take up a lot of your workspace. Nevermann said, "Having desktop space, I want to make sure I have room to lay things out and work on projects, room to draft and draw." We looked for organizers that stack vertically and have footprints about the size of a file folder.

Open versus closed compartments: The best organizers will have multiple compartments of varying sizes to store bigger or smaller items; whether you opt for drawers will be a personal preference. "Open compartments are great for things that are grabbed often. Drawers are useful for things that we want nearby, but don't grab daily," said Trager. "Drawers are also helpful if you’re trying to contain items that if knocked would spill everywhere (push pins, for example)."

$50 or less with good availability: We considered only organizers that cost less than about $50 unless they are truly special (for example, highly customizable or made of higher-quality materials). We also focused on models that are easily available online, which means we didn't look at models, for example, sold only at Etsy shops in limited quantities.

Neutral style: Organizers come in a variety of materials, and we know that tastes vary. We looked for organizers with neutral colors and clean lines.

To test our contenders, I first unboxed all of the organizers and assembled the ones that had multiple parts to see how easy they were to put together. Some use modular stacking pieces or hook-on attachments, and I took note of whether all of the pieces fit together correctly. I also checked to see how sturdy these individual stacked components are and did a very scientific nudge-and-push test to see if they slid or toppled over.

For organizers with file storage, I observed how much of a ream (that's 500 sheets) of 8.5-by-11-inch printer paper fits, and whether the paper flops over or stands upright in each section. For vertical paper slots, I checked how standard file folders fit, whether their tabs and labels are easily visible, and if the folders stand upright or flop over the edges of dividers. I tested to see which supplies fit in each compartment, using pens, paper clips, rubber bands, and binder clips of varying sizes. For organizers with drawers or larger compartments, I added bulkier things like earbuds, a voice recorder, business cards, and sunglasses (not technically an office supply, but these do live on my desk). I took note of how easy it is to see and access all of the supplies.

I also considered the look and feel of each organizer. It was readily apparent that a few organizers were more durable and made of higher-quality than others we tested. For example, some plastic organizers bent under light pressure, and others were made of mesh that was warped in spots. Some looked like they had a nice wooden finish when I researched them online, but were actually made of plastic.

Next, I tested for sturdiness and durability. I nudged them to mimic an accidental bump, pushed them around on a piece of laminated wooden flooring, and observed whether the small plastic or foam feet on the underside of the organizers scratched the surface. I also wanted to see how easy organizers were to both mark and clean, so I drew on them with a ballpoint pen and tried to wipe the marks off with Lysol wipes.

I also measured each organizer's footprint to see how much space it took up on a desk, and placed it on my own 4-foot-long desk next to my monitor. While I didn't use specific measurements as criteria, I noted whether each organizer felt imposing or crowded my setup.

Once I narrowed the group down to our finalists, I put my own accumulated pile of supplies and papers into them to gauge the versatility of their compartments for items large and small. My own test items included a magazine, mail, pens, pencils, Sharpies, scissors, sticky notes, binder clips, a tape measure, earbuds, a voice recorder, stamps, stickers, business cards, and one random paintbrush.

You can easily see what's inside this sturdy, clear organizer. It has several easy-to-reach compartments for smaller items, in addition to two slots for your most important papers, and it won't take up too much space on a desk.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $21.

The Innovative Storage Designs Desktop Organizer is the best option for most people because its compartments of varying sizes can neatly fit a range of supplies and papers, and it's clear, so you can easily see everything inside. It also costs less than many organizers we tested with modular components, while offering more-versatile storage. Compared to other plastic organizers we tried, it's sturdier, too.

Because the Innovative Storage Designs organizer is one solid piece, it doesn't require any setup, and you don't have to worry about pieces sliding around or falling off. Although we like having the option to customize organizers, the no-fuss Innovative Storage Designs is appealingly simple—and less expensive than build-your-own organizers with multiple components. The front sticker was even easy to peel off and didn't leave residue.

The Innovative Storage Designs organizer measures 5 inches tall, 6 inches deep, and 12½ inches wide. It fit nicely behind my monitor screen on my 4-foot-long desk, and didn't feel imposing, unlike some of the larger, stacking organizers I tested. About half a ream of paper, or 250 sheets, fit in the Innovative Storage Design's two file slots, and the file dividers are sturdy and tall enough to keep papers vertical. In other organizers, paper and folders sometimes sagged over the dividers (which looks both messy and sad). The file slots also have open ends that allow you to stash documents of varying sizes, and the dividers are shorter in front, so you can more easily see smaller papers or more important documents and tabs on file folders.

The four shallow storage areas in front are fairly small, best for items like paper clips, push pins, or mini binder clips, not for larger or more awkwardly shaped supplies like medium binder clips or earbuds. But these small spaces will help keep your supplies from getting lost in a larger drawer. The organizer's pen cup, which can hold up to 40 pens, is divided into four sections to help keep items upright even when the cup isn't full; pens and scissors often slid down in other organizers’ larger cups. The sections in this cup also let you separate writing implements like markers, pens, and pencils so you can easily find the tool you need. Finally, the flat tray for sticky notes lets you write on them like a pad and see your notes.

Made of clear polystyrene, the Innovative Storage Designs organizer still looks, undeniably, like a plastic accessory. But the clear design lets you see everything inside, a feature our organizer experts unanimously agreed is important. It's also sturdier than the Like-It-Large organizer—the Innovative Storage Designs organizer doesn't bend when squeezed—and more stable on a desk when nudged or pushed. Our experts also pointed out that clear organizers match any decor. If, however, you don't like staring at your (nicely organized) files and supplies, check out the Like-It-Large and MobileVision organizers below.

The Innovative Storage Designs is reasonably priced and more affordable than other modular plastic organizers we tested with fewer compartments, like the Container Store's Poppin Accessory Trays.

I was able to mark the Innovative Storage Designs organizer with a generic ballpoint pen, and the spot didn't come off with Lysol, but that was the case with most of the organizers we tested. This organizer also lacks rubber feet on the bottom, but it didn't scratch laminated surfaces in our tests—and add-on feet are inexpensive and easy enough to add yourself.

Thanks to movable dividers, you can create smaller or larger compartments as needed. But it feels cheaper than our main pick, and it's not as sturdy.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $25.

The Like-it Large Desktop Station is another see-through organizer we like, but we recommend it only if the Innovative Storage Designs is unavailable. The Like-It organizer has nine compartments, many of which you can resize or remove, and similar file storage (although the dividers aren't open-ended, so you won't be able to fit items wider than about 13 inches). The Like-It organizer's plastic isn't as sturdy as the Innovative Storage Design's plastic—it bends under pressure and can look slightly warped—but we still think it's a good, affordable option that will help you get organized and keep track of important documents and supplies without taking up too much desk space.

The Like-It Large Desktop Station, which measures 7 inches tall, 5.5 inches deep, and 13 inches wide, fits nicely at the back of a desk. Its slightly larger than the Innovative Storage Designs organizer but fits about the same amount of supplies and documents. It has a roomy file holder that fits about half a ream of paper and a section in front with six removable dividers (pieces of plastic that slide into plastic slots), so you can create smaller vertical compartments or remove the dividers entirely to create another wide slot for file storage. While the dividers aren't that sturdy, they’ll likely hold up over time against the weight of smaller items like pens or markers. The Like-It Large also has two pen cups with a similar total storage capacity (about 40 pens between the two cups) as the Innovative Storage Designs, and three shallow trays that fit small binder clips and paper clips, but won't hold medium-size clips or rubber bands as neatly. The three small trays in front are also removable, so you can instead opt for one larger, wide storage area.

The frosted plastic on the Like-It Large doesn't look as nice as the clear plastic of the Innovative Storage Designs organizer, and it feels less sturdy. But our ballpoint pen didn't mark this organizer, so it might be a good option if you use markers or pens more frequently. This organizer also doesn't have any rubber feet, but it didn't mark laminated surfaces when pushed around.

One of the main reasons we originally decided to test this organizer over similar plastic models was that the manufacturer claims that it can be paired with the Like-it Landscape Paper Drawer for more storage. But when we tried to do so, the organizer didn't properly align on top of the drawer, and it easily fell off.

This bamboo organizer has multiple file slots that, together, fit a whole ream of paper, and a drawer for larger items like earbuds or notepads.

Additional storage for slim, tall items like scissors, pens, or pencils that you want to keep upright and within reach.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14.

The MobileVision Desktop Paper Tray File Folder Holder & Bamboo Drawer Set with Caddy Add-On is the nicest-looking, sturdiest organizer we tested. We recommend it over the clear plastic Innovative Designs organizer if you want a more-stylish desk accessory and you don't mind spending more: The three modular components together cost about three times as much. Because this organizer is made of bamboo, you won't be able to easily see what's inside—a drawback according to our experts—but some people, including me, prefer organizers that hide your stuff while still keeping everything in its place. MobileVision has several modular bamboo components that you can mix and match, and after considering all of them and calling in three to test side by side, we think this combination offers the most storage options while taking up less room on a desk than MobileVision's other multi-compartment organizers geared towards file storage.

The stacking components of the File Folder Holder, Drawer Set, and Caddy Add-On are a cinch to assemble. The File Folder Holder fits on top of the drawer, and the caddy easily slides onto the smallest divider on the organizer. Alternatively, you can hook the caddy over a small wooden lip on the top edge of the drawer, which I preferred. We found this organizer to be sturdier than others we tested—its components didn't rattle or slide as much as others we tested.

The File Folder Holder has five slots, with the frontmost slot half as tall to keep important items like mail more visible. Altogether, the File Folder Holder can hold a ream of paper. The sturdy dividers reach high upon both papers and file folders, which keeps them from sagging over the sides but keeps the tabs visible on labeled folders. The dividers are open ended and can fit documents of varying sizes.

The roomy drawer on the Drawer Set slides in and out easily and stays put if the organizer is nudged or moved. I personally prefer a larger, undivided drawer. It let me keep items like my voice recorder, earbuds, business cards, and even iPhone tucked out of sight when I didn't need them. However, the drawer lacks smaller, divided compartments for things like paper clips or mini binder clips, so these may slide around or become jumbled with other items. The Caddy Add-On offers plenty of storage for pens and scissors; however, its similarly open design means that these items may slide down a bit if the caddy isn't completely full.

We also tested other Mobile Vision components, including the MobileVision Office Desktop Bamboo Organizer for Files, Paper Tray, Letter Sorter, Document Holder with the Pencil Holder with Tray as an add-on, and MobileVision sent us the All-in-one organizer as well. We prefer the combination of the Folder Holder, Drawer Set, and Caddy Add-On, because it takes up much less space than the company's paper tray organizer, and has open-ended file storage, unlike the all-in-one organizer. If you prefer a different combination, we like the quality of the MobileVision organizers overall.

The MobileVision components’ handsome bamboo stood out in a sea of black wire mesh, fabric, faux wood, and plastic. The light brown color is neutral, and the material feels solid. It also won't slide around on or scratch your work surface, thanks to its small rubber feet, which do a better job at staying put than the foam feet on some of the mesh organizers we looked at. However, I was able to mark the File Folder Holder organizer with a pen, and wasn't able to remove the spot with Lysol wipes. A MobileVision representative recommended cleaning the components’ surfaces with a non-abrasive cleaner.

If you don't need as much storage for papers or files, this organizer's sturdy bamboo will look good with most decors. It's small but it still has plenty of space for essential office supplies.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $33.

For those who don't need to sort and store many files or papers and prefer an opaque organizer to hide clutter, the MobileVision Bamboo Multi-Function Desktop Organizer is the best option we tested. Since it's primarily a supply organizer, it doesn't take up much space but we like that it still has room for at least some mail or a notebook and a few file folders.

The Multi-Function organizer measures 4 inches tall, 7½ inches deep, and 8½ inches wide. Its pen cup is divided into four sections that are pretty tall, which keeps pens and scissors upright even if the cups aren't full. Like many of the other divided pen cups, these sections are useful if you want to further organize implements like markers, pencils, pens, or scissors. The organizer has a shallow tray for a 3-by-3 sticky note pad, so you can easily write on it and see your notes, but you can put other smaller, frequently used items in this space. Just behind that is a deeper compartment that fits small binder clips and paper clips; we were also able to fit extra sticky notes pads in here. An open-ended slot for files or mail lets you store files or paper (about 300 sheets) of any length; MobileVision's online image of this organizer shows an iPad in this slot, which is another interesting use for this space. While this slot isn't that tall, neither the magazines or printer paper we placed in it flopped over the walls during our testing.

While I was able to fit all of my test items into the organizer's surprisingly roomy cups, not everything had its own dedicated spot. Depending on how much stuff you have, you’ll need to cut down or get creative with what you put where.

Rubber feet underneath the Multi-Function Desktop Organizer keep it from sliding around on or scratching a desk or table. It's also one of the sturdiest supply organizers I tested, especially compared to flimsier mesh organizers that rattled around and moved more easily when pushed. Plus, the bamboo walls on the Multi-Function organizer arrived without dents, unlike almost all of the mesh organizers I ordered for testing. The bamboo is a neutral color, looks great on a desk, and feels solid. Pen did mark this material, and I wasn't able to remove it, but this was true of almost all the organizers we tested.

The large, multi-compartment Staples All-in-One Black Wire Mesh Desk Organizer seemed promising because of its vertical file dividers stacked atop three file drawers, but this organizer measures 16 inches tall by 9.5 inches deep by 11.5 inches wide. It feels gargantuan on a desk. The separate pieces don't attach solidly, making the whole organizer a precarious leaning tower of office supplies. The drawers can slide back and forth on their runners when the organizer is moved, the hook-on caddy also fall off easily. This was the only black mesh model that didn't arrive dented, but Wirecutter staffers expressed general concerns about dust collecting on mesh organizers.

The colorful, stackable Poppin Accessory Trays, available in multiple colors, are cute, and we like the many customizable options. But these trays don't lock into place when stacked and can slide around, and they don't offer as much file organization as a vertical file holder, in which you can add file folders or tabs to divide your files. You’ll also need several of these trays to create a versatile organizer, and the cost starts to add up quickly.

While the Poppin Stackable Letter Trays offer more open-ended dividers for files than the Accessory Trays when stacked, we still preferred vertical file folders. We hoped that putting the Poppin Silicone Organizer on top of the trays would add more storage, but the silicone tray was too small to hold many items.

The fabric-covered Bigso Marten Chestnut Desktop Organizer looks great on a desk, and we like that you can separate the four cups of varying sizes or group them together on a small tray. Surprisingly, we were also able to blot a pen mark off of this organizer. We dismissed it because it doesn't have a slot for any mail, files, or even sticky notes, and we think our also-great pick is more versatile.

We like that the Victor Technology Wood Desk Organizer with Smart Phone Holder has a dedicated slot for a phone, something no other organizers offered. But the finish and frosted glass accents on this organizer look cheap for its high price, and it also lacks any mail or file storage.

The super cheap, black-plastic Sparco 5-compartment Desk Organizer will hold some stuff on your desk, but not much. We dismissed it because it's too small.

The Eldon Super Cup With Small Storage Drawers is clear, a feature our experts recommend, so we wanted to test this round cup organizer. Unfortunately, its small drawers wouldn't stay shut, which was unsightly and annoying.

We tested several similar-looking black-mesh organizers, including the DecoBros Desk Supplies Organizer Caddy. The DecoBros arrived with a small dent, and its two smaller compartments were off kilter, as if they weren't cut or assembled properly.

Of the black mesh organizers we tested, we like the Greenco Mesh Office Supplies Desk Organizer Caddy the best. It's inexpensive, with multiple pen compartments, a space for files, shallow compartments for small supplies, and a space for sticky notes. But we noticed that, unlike our MobileVision Multifunction Bamboo pick, the Greenco's file slot isn't open ended, so larger files may not fit. The organizer also wasn't very sturdy, and it arrived with a small dent.

Like most of the black-mesh organizers, our main complaint about the Brenton Studio Metro Mesh Organizer was that it arrived dented and wasn't sturdy on a desk. It has a pen cup with four compartments, three shallow compartments that fit medium binder clips and paper clips, and a pull-out drawer that fits sticky notes.

Tom Nevermann, president, Orgodomo, phone interview, October 9, 2017

Amy Trager, professional organizer, email interview, October 5, 2017

Melissa George, organization and decor blogger at Polished Habitat, email interview, October 9, 2017

Anna Perling

Anna Perling is a former staff writer covering kitchen gear at Wirecutter. During her time at Wirecutter, she reported on various topics including sports bras, board games, and light bulbs. Previously she wrote food and lifestyle pieces for Saveur and Kinfolk magazines. Anna is a mentor at Girls Write Now and a member of the Online News Association.

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Multiple compartments: Show what's inside: Sturdy, well-constructed, and easy to clean: Small footprint: Open versus closed compartments: $50 or less with good availability: Neutral style: