Most of us spend a lot of time in our chairs, whether we're working in an office or playing video games at home. All that time can really add up, and that can lead to tight muscles, soreness, and health issues. Short of switching to a standing desk, there's little we can do to get free of the chair without just being more mindful and taking short breaks to get up and move around a bit. But, we can at least get a chair that won't exacerbate the problems that come from extensive sitting.
A good office chair can help you get into a comfortable and ergonomic sitting position that won't make you feel like you're straining to maintain a good posture. You'll be able to sit up straight, keep your legs at a 90-degree angle, and rest your arms while still being able to reach your desk. Some will go even further with headrests, leg rests, and reclining features that let you take a load off now and then. And, you can even find unconventional office chairs that may better suit your work situation. What matters is getting a good fit for you and your work setup. If you do that, you'll quickly feel the difference.
We spend a lot of time seated writing up guides like this one, so we naturally have a first-hand understanding of the value of a great office chair. Because of that, we've put together this list to help you find a comfortable chair that'll help get you through the long workday.
TL;DR – These are the Best Office Chairs
- Steelcase Think
- Autonomous ErgoChair Core
- Hbada Office Task Desk Chair
- Humanscale Freedom
- Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Series
- HÅG Capisco Puls
- Herman Miller Embody
- Varier Variable Balans Kneeling Chair
- Secretlab NeueChair
- Steelcase Gesture
1. Steelcase Think
Best Office Chair
Sometimes, a straightforward product is your best bet. That's the case with the Steelcase Think. This office chair is a taskmaster with a smart design that doesn't go in for a ton of extras that can work for some people and not for others. At the heart of the Steelcase Think is a large and supportive seat cushion. That cushion is flexible too, with an adjustable depth and edge, to help users with different leg lengths all find a comfortable fit.
The Steelcase Think includes a mesh back for breathability and support, though an upholstered option is available as well. The seatback includes a flexible and adjustable lumbar support and offers several different reclining functions. Plus, the chair includes the ever-important adjustable armrests that help you get proper ergonomics at your keyboard. The seat provides a height range from 16.5 inches to 21.5 inches. If you need to go even higher, Steelcase also makes a stool model. The Steelcase Think comes fully assembled and backed by a lengthy warranty, ensuring minimal fuss.
2. Autonomous ErgoChair Core
Best Budget Office Chair
Most inexpensive office chairs – the generic models you run across in office supply stores – are pretty sad affairs that aren’t comfortable and offer the bare minimum of adjustability. That’s why it’s great to encounter a chair like the Autonomous ErgoChair Core (formerly MyoChair), which costs well under $200, yet looks and feels like a much pricier seat.
The ErgoChair Core has all the essentials you look for in an office chair. The mesh backrest is comfortable that distributes your weight and adds breathability. You still get a thickly padded foam seat and it's covered with a high-quality polyester shell. In addition, the chair has a balancing mechanism (which Autonomous emphasizes is Italian-designed) that lets you switch from upright to reclining in a single action. It also has the obligatory height and tilt controls.
And while this is a budget chair, for just $50 more than the base price, you can add a headrest and footrest, amping up the chair’s comfort factor substantially.
3. Hbada Office Task Desk Chair
Best Ultra Cheap Office Chair
If you're trying to save an on office chair, you don't have to miss out on all of the features they offer. The Hbada Office Task Desk Chair comes with a lot of the perks of office chairs, albeit in a slightly toned-down manner. The upshot is that the Hbada costs well under $200 where many office chairs cost over $200, and a plenty are even further above that.
The Hbada Office Task Chair starts with a wide seat packed with high-density foam. There are no tall edges at the sides of the seat to dig into your thighs either. The chair features a curved mesh back to support the natural shape of your back while also helping you stay cool on hot days. And, it even allows a 30-degree recline. You'll fairly basic armrests that lack any mechanism for adjusting their position, but they at least fold up out of the way if you want to easily tuck your chair under your desk or sit with a guitar across your lap during a break. The seat height can adjust from 17.7 inches for shorter users up to 21.3 inches for taller folks.
4. Humanscale Freedom
Best Ergonomic Chair
The Humanscale Freedom isn’t quite your typical office chair. It’s a robust seat that can hold up to 300 pounds, and the magic of its design is that it can help you stay comfortable in almost any position you choose to sit in. And, with a 21-inch wide seat covered in foam, you’ll enjoy a soft place to settle down.
With the Freedom’s design, you’re getting discrete components that can be positioned to better fit your body. The back section’s ability to move vertically will be especially helpful for getting it in the right spot, upgrading over simple, sliding lumbar supports. The wide headrest pulls off the same trick to cradle your head. The chair will let you recline to relax, and it actually uses your body weight to automatically adjust recline support. With the armrests attached to the back of the chair, they’ll also recline with you, so they’ll still be handy when you’re kicking back.
5. Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Series
Best Gaming Chair
The best gaming chair just got even better with the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Series (read our review). You’ll find a lot of similarities to earlier models that made Secretlab’s seats so great, but there are a number of notable upgrades. The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Series delivers a big, memory foam-packed seat measuring 18.5 inches wide and 19.3 inches deep — not including the sides of the bucket seat. It also has a lengthy backrest with a built-in, adjustable lumbar support.
This new model features a bit of magnetism with a neck pillow and armrest toppers that connect to the chair using magnets. The default armrests have somewhat soft tops, but Secretlab will be offering alternative options that will be super easy to swap out. This chair is also designed for flexibility with a wide range of reclining angles, height adjustment, and 4D armrest adjustment. It can even hold up to 285 pounds, making it a viable chair for a wide range of users in case you have multiple people in the home sharing the same desk.
6. HÅG Capisco Puls
Best Standing Desk Office Chair
Standing and convertible desks are great to have. They let you get up and move a little bit. But, sometimes you want to give your legs a little rest. That’ll usually mean lowering your desk back down to use with a standard office chair or sitting somewhere that you can’t really use your desk from. The HÅG Capisco Puls solves that. This chair gives you a huge height range from 21.3 inches up to 30.9 inches with the 265mm gas lift.
You can use the HÅG Capisco Puls at your standing desk seated or partially seated, just to take a bit of the weight off your legs. The chair offers some extra customization options, too, like a ring at the base to rest your feet on or some upholstery. Unlike the stools you’ll commonly find offered for standing desk users, the Capisco Puls comes with a backrest, which even includes small sides that can serve as armrests. Beyond its utility, the chair’s unique look also lends it a bit of style — heck, it was even the chair Dr. Robotnik used in the recent Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
7. Herman Miller Embody
Most Comfortable Office Chair
You may know the iconic Herman Miller Aeron chair, but the Embody is actually the model that Herman Miller stakes its reputation on for high end, premium office seating. That’s apparent from the warranty – a generous 12 years – and the substantial weight of the chair, which tips the scales at 50 pounds. Take a quick look at the chair and you can see why it’s so heavy; there’s steel and aluminum everywhere.
More than anything else, the Embody’s signature feature is probably the backrest, which is designed to mimic the human spine, with flexible ribs that adjust to align with your back’s curve. It works in concert with the seating material itself, which is a combination of breathable foam and something Herman Miller calls a “pixelated support system,” which automatically conforms to your body’s movements and distributes your weight evenly in the seat. It all works as part of four layers of material – elastic bands that provide suspension, mattress-like coils for support, hexagonal rings that adjust to your movement, and a breathable mesh that encourages air circulation.
Combine all those elements and you get a graceful, comfortable chair that is easy on your back and bum, even after hours in the seat. Visually, it’s also stunning – those ribs in the back make it clear this is no ordinary seat. While it’s not covered in leather almost any executive will appreciate the engineering and comfort of this seat.
8. Varier Variable Balans Kneeling Chair
Best Kneeling Chair
If you want something a bit different, you can always go with a kneeling chair. The classic design of the kneeling chair has been around since the 1970s, and the Varier Variable Balans kneeling chair sticks with the original design of Peter Opsvik.
The Varier Variable Balans kneeling chair has a curved base, letting you get a bit of rocking action into your seating. This lets you keep your body slightly more active. This seat comes at a high price, but it's made of sturdy wood that Varier backs by a seven-year warranty. It may feel unusual at first, and may not be the only chair you want to have by your desk, but it could be helpful for your posture and health to switch out to a kneeling chair like this once in a while.
9. Secretlab NeueChair
Best Mesh Office Chair
Mesh might not immediately seem like one of the better materials to use for a chair that's going to see the rigorous use of an office environment, but the Secretlab NeueChair makes effective use of it. This seat uses a strong and abrasive-resistant mesh made from polyester fibers and DuPont yarn, so it can hold up to long hours of use while staying comfortable and breathable. The Secretlab NeueChair rides on 65mm caster wheels designed to stay quiet, and the seat itself is built sturdy with aluminum alloy to support up to 240 pounds.
Comfort is also at the core of this chair. You'll find an adjustable lumbar support that can help you keep the natural curvature of your spine while you sit, as well as padded armrests to let you relax your shoulders while you work. If you want, there's even an optional headrest add-on for full support when you lean back. Adjusting the height and angle of the chair is also simple thanks to controls built right into the armrests instead of underneath the seat.
10. Steelcase Gesture
Best High-End Office Chair
Steelcase is a formidable name in high-end office seating, and the Gesture is one of its most popular models. For good reason: The Gesture is among the most comfortable and durable office chairs money can buy, competing closely with alternatives like the Herman Miller Embody and the Humanscale Freedom.
Part of the chair’s comfort comes from the way that the backrest and seat are synchronized to move together; when you lean back, for example, the seat tilts along with the backrest. The overall effect is one that keeps your body in contact with the chair to optimally distribute your weight, and keep the right contours supporting your lower back. The Gesture has adjustments you simply don’t see in most other chairs, including the seat pan, which can be slid forward and back. That ergonomic approach extends to every aspect of the chair, including the armrests, which are four-way adjustable – up and down, in and out, front to back, and diagonal.
The Gesture is so configurable, the chair almost seems bespoke. If you order it directly from the Steelcase site, you can choose the upholstery (fabric or leather), color – there are over 60 options – along with the frame color scheme, whether to include lumbar support and even if the wheels should be optimized for carpet or hard floor. Of course, choose the version with a headrest. It’s comfortable and adjustable so you can align it perfectly for your own neck and head position.
What to Look for in an Office Chair
It can be intimidating to shop for an office chair, especially since prices can quickly go stratospheric. And some brands justify their prices in part by describing their ergonomics, construction, and materials in ways that obfuscate the fact that they’re just chairs, not Mars landers.
How do you know if you’ve selected a good chair? Sit down. If it’s comfortable and you don’t get fatigued spending time in it, then by definition, it has good ergonomics. Unfortunately, trying a chair out is not always possible, unless there’s a nearby office supply store with a good selection.
If you have to evaluate chairs from a long distance, look for adjustability. In general, you’ll want a good height range so you can sit with your thighs resting parallel to the floor – you can measure that height in your existing chair before you start shopping online.
A contoured backrest that offers lumbar support is also important, as is the ability to move the backrest itself to fine-tune it to your body. Any other adjustments, like a full recline or a seat and back which moves in some sort of high-tech synchronicity, are gravy.
If you want to be really comfortable, make sure the seat is wide and deep enough for your personal bottom – and if you are a plus-sized individual, ensure the chair can carry your weight. The max load can catch you by surprise in other ways. We know someone who had bought a fairly high-end chair for his home office, and one day his wife tried sitting in his lap to see his computer screen. That exceeded the chair’s capacity and it failed catastrophically.
Don’t neglect the seat’s surface and padding. Some chairs are generously padded and covered in some sort of upholstery; others use bare webbing. Either approach can be comfortable, but it’s very much a matter of personal taste. Is the upholstery – be it a fabric, vinyl, leather, or synthetic – breathable, durable, and easy to clean?
Dave Johnson has been writing about gaming and tech since the days of the Palm Pilot. See him shout into the Twitter void @davejoh
