HANDS-ON REVIEW
GoDonut Phone & Tablet Stand Review: Is It Worth It?
The doughnut-shaped, non-slip phone holder that props any phone or tablet at almost any angle — no clamps, no charging, no fuss.
Quick answer: Yes — the GoDonut is worth it, and it's the phone stand we'd recommend to almost anyone who ends up propping their phone against a coffee mug. It's almost too simple, and that's exactly why it works: no hinges to loosen, no charging, no device-specific fit, no failure modes. It just holds your phone or tablet at the angle you want, in any room, for years. Most people who buy one end up buying a second for another room.
The GoDonut grips any phone or tablet and props it at the angle you want. Photo: GoDonut
Our verdict
Yes — the GoDonut is worth it, and it's the phone stand we'd recommend to almost anyone who ends up propping their phone against a coffee mug. It's almost too simple, and that's exactly why it works: no hinges to loosen, no charging, no device-specific fit, no failure modes. It just holds your phone or tablet at the angle you want, in any room, for years. Most people who buy one end up buying a second for another room.
The short version
Propping your phone against a coffee mug or a stack of books finally has a real fix. GoDonut is a small, donut-shaped non-slip stand with grooves all around it, so you can sit a phone or tablet in it at practically any angle — upright for video calls, low for typing, landscape for recipes or movies. No clamps to adjust, no magnets, nothing to charge. It just works, on any device, anywhere in the house.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Holds any phone or tablet — even with a case on
- Props devices at almost any angle, portrait or landscape
- Non-slip material grips both the device and the surface
- No clamps, magnets, hinges or charging — nothing to break
- Light and compact for desk, kitchen, nightstand or travel
- One simple piece; works for the whole household
Cons
- Not an adjustable arm — you reposition the device, not a hinge
- Very large, heavy tablets sit best at lower angles
- Simple by design — no height adjustment or mount
How it works
Set it down
Place the GoDonut on any flat surface — desk, counter, nightstand, tray table.
Rest your device in a groove
Sit your phone or tablet into one of the grooves around the donut at the angle you want.
Use hands-free
The non-slip material holds it steady for calls, recipes, videos or typing — then move it room to room.
Who it's for
- Anyone who watches videos or takes calls hands-free
- Cooks who follow recipes on a phone or tablet
- Remote workers who want their phone propped at their desk
- People who want one simple stand for every device in the house
Why the GoDonut works when other stands annoy you
Most phone stands fall into two camps: rigid cradles built for one device size, and clamp-and-arm contraptions with hinges that loosen, joints that sag, and a setup ritual every time you use them. The GoDonut throws all of that out. It's a single piece of grippy, donut-shaped material with grooves cut around its edge, so you simply rest a device in whichever groove gives you the angle you want.
That simplicity is the whole appeal. There's nothing to tighten, nothing to charge, and nothing to wear out — which means it works identically with a slim phone, a big phone in a thick case, or a tablet. Because it grips both the device and the surface it sits on, it stays put even when you tap the screen.
One stand for the whole house
The reason people end up buying two or three GoDonuts is that it's useful in every room. In the kitchen it props a tablet up for a recipe and wipes clean of flour. On a desk it angles your phone for notifications and video calls next to your laptop. On the nightstand it holds your phone for an alarm or a show, and it's light enough to toss in a bag for a flight tray table.
Compared with a mounted arm bolted to one desk, the GoDonut's portability is the point — it goes where you go. It won't hover a phone in mid-air like an articulated arm, so for filming, low-angle overheads or awkward mount points, a bendable suction mount like the Tenikle flexible phone mount is the complementary tool — it wraps around bike bars, kitchen cabinets and treadmills for the shots the GoDonut can't reach. For the everyday job of 'prop my screen at a good angle so I'm not holding it,' the GoDonut covers nearly every situation a normal person actually has.
Phone and tablet sizes, and getting the best angle
The GoDonut handles phones and most tablets, cases and all. For a steep, upright angle — ideal for video calls — use the deeper grooves and a lighter device; for a heavy tablet, a slightly lower angle keeps it rock-solid and prevents any chance of tipping. Landscape works just as well as portrait, which is what makes it great for movies and recipes.
Set it on a surface with a bit of grip rather than glass for the most stable hold, and rotate the donut to find the groove that lines your screen up where you want it. There's no learning curve beyond that — and because it's one solid piece, it's the rare accessory that does exactly what it promises for years.
Frequently asked questions
What devices does the GoDonut hold?
Phones and tablets of essentially any size, with the case left on. It isn't sized to one specific device — you just rest whatever you have in one of the grooves around the donut.
How does it stay in place?
It's made of a non-slip material that grips both your device and the surface it sits on, so the phone or tablet stays at the angle you set even when you tap the screen.
Can it hold a phone upright for video calls?
Yes — the grooves let you prop a phone or tablet at steep, upright angles for calls, as well as low angles for typing or landscape for watching and recipes.
Does it need charging or any setup?
No. There's nothing electronic, no clamps and no assembly — you set it down, rest your device in it, and it works.
Will it work with a big tablet?
It holds tablets well; very large or heavy tablets are most stable at a slightly lower angle, which the grooves accommodate.
Is it good for travel?
Yes — it's light and compact enough to drop in a bag and use on a desk, kitchen counter, nightstand or airplane tray table.
Is the GoDonut worth it, or is it just a gimmick?
It's worth it, and the reason it doesn't feel like a gimmick after a week is that it's the rare accessory with zero failure modes. There are no hinges to loosen, no magnets to weaken, no cable to fray, no battery to die, no app to update, no device-specific fit to become obsolete. It's one solid piece of grippy material with grooves cut in it — you rest a phone or tablet in a groove at the angle you want, and it holds. That's the entire product. Compared with hinged folding stands (which sag), clamp arms (which slip), magnetic stands (which limit you to compatible cases), and 3D-printed cradles (which fit one device model), the doughnut is the pick that keeps working with every phone you'll own for the next decade. Most first-time buyers end up ordering a second one for another room within a month — that's the honest answer to 'worth it.'
Is GoDonut better than a folding kickstand or a MagSafe stand?
It solves different problems. A folding kickstand (like the one built into some cases) is the pocketable option — always with you but usually offers one or two fixed angles and only works in landscape. A MagSafe stand is elegant for compatible iPhones but useless with a non-MagSafe case, an older phone, an Android, or a tablet. The GoDonut sits in the middle: it lives on a desk, counter or nightstand rather than in your pocket, but works with literally any device (with the case on), at practically any angle, portrait or landscape. If you want one stand you'll keep long past your next phone upgrade, the doughnut is the safer bet.
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