A tabletop telescope is a dobsonian shrunk to sit on a surface rather than the ground, and it is the best value in this index by a clear margin. It is also the design that catches out the most beginners, for a reason nobody mentions in the listing.
What you get for the money
Sky-Watcher prints $305.00 for its cheapest tabletop dobsonian and Celestron prints $79.95 for a 76mm one. In between sit 100mm and 114mm models. At every one of those prices the tabletop design puts more aperture in front of you than any tripod-mounted instrument, because the base costs almost nothing and is steadier than a tripod.
The table, which nobody mentions
It needs a surface about waist high and stable. A garden chair is too low and leaves you crouching; a picnic table is often right; a plastic storage crate is what most owners settle on, because it is stable, weatherproof and doubles as the case. Solve this before the first clear night rather than during it.
What it shows
A 130mm tabletop is the smallest instrument in this index that shows deep sky objects convincingly: globular clusters begin to grain, the brighter galaxies show shape, and the Orion nebula is genuinely structured. On the moon and planets it is limited by the air on most nights rather than by its aperture.
Where it stops
It does not track, so objects drift at high power. There is a goto version of the design from more than one brand, which keeps the aperture per pound advantage and adds finding and following, at a price between the manual tabletop and a full sized instrument.
Questions people ask about telescope
What is a tabletop telescope?
A small dobsonian designed to sit on a surface rather than on the ground, giving the most aperture per pound of any design.
What do I stand a tabletop telescope on?
Anything stable at about waist height. A plastic storage crate is the common answer and doubles as somewhere to keep the eyepieces.
Is a tabletop dobsonian good enough?
A 130mm one is the cheapest instrument here that shows deep sky objects convincingly, and it will outperform most tripod telescopes at the same price.