We feature the best office chairs for all budgets, for the home and workplace, such as for remote working at home as well as online learning.
One of the best office chairs could also be one of the very few things that stand between you and chronic back and shoulder pain. Excellent ergonomics could be the last thing on your mind when you’re going about your hectic day at work, which makes having the right chair to ensure your well-being all the more important. With one of these desk chairs overseeing your comfort and making sure that your body is in that ideal position all day long, you can go about your tasks for hours without worrying that you’ll suffer from injuries at the end of the day. Investing in one, therefore, is vital – just as vital as getting the most ideal PC, laptop and peripherals – especially when paired with an excellent standing desk. We’ve gathered some of the best office chairs, some of which make for excellent gaming chairs as well, at different budgets and with different feature sets. Find the best office equipment: fax machines, scanners, shredders, copiers, coffee machines
Note that we haven’t tested the below products, except of course where it’s made clear that there’s a review on TechRadar Pro. Rather, outside of reviewed products, we’ve compiled our listing of top picks by thoroughly researching the chairs in question, comparing relative specs, available features, build materials, feedback across various online forums and customer reviews, as well as taking into account other factors such as support, warranties, and overall value proposition. Humanscale makes some seriously nifty high-end ergonomic office chairs, and the Humanscale Freedom is, for us, the pinnacle of that niftiness. It not only looks fabulous – particularly in the leather option, which offers additional advantages in case of accidental drink spillages – but the really clever bit is that the Freedom is designed to do away with the complex knobs or levers that many ergonomic options can baffle you with. Instead, it adjusts itself automatically to fit the ideal ergonomics for your body. For example, when reclining in the chair, it automatically adjusts the backrest resistance to the optimal level. The end result is a whole lot of comfortable sitting, without having to do any thinking about tension settings and so forth. There are, of course, some adjustable elements, including the armrests which move in tandem (so they’re always at the same height as each other). You can also slide the seat pan forwards (or back), and adjust the height of the backrest, and the headrest (simply by pulling it in the latter case; in fact, all these adjustments are dead easy to make). So there is a lot to like here, but the downside is that this is not an office chair for the faint of wallet. Bear in mind, however, that the pricier models are the leather and polished aluminum offerings. Remember that there are versions with plain fabric and a graphite frame – they might not look as high-end, but they still provide the same superb sitting experience, often for hundreds of dollars less. Also note that this chair is backed by a 15-year warranty, which inspires confidence for sure. At the time of writing, in the UK this chair has a substantial 20% discount (use the code WFH20-UK at checkout to get that chunk of money off plus free shipping). Read the full review: Humanscale Freedom
The X-Chair X2 K-Sport Mgmt Chair is a premium office chair with a unique design. While other ergonomic office chairs feature a mesh back to keep you cool while working, the X-Chair takes things up a notch by also using mesh for the seat. This helps keep your whole body cool while also making the chair quite easy to clean. X-Chair offers plenty of optional extras like a headrest, an extended width seat, rollerblade style rubberized casters and armrests that rotate a full 360 degrees for those that want to make the X2 their own. At the same time, the company’s heat, massage and cooling modules slip into the X2’s Dynamic Variable Lumbar support and can be charged with an AC adapter or using a USB cable. The X2 is certainly an investment but those who spend a long time sitting at their desk each day will appreciate its comfort and adjustability. Read the full review: X-Chair X2 K-Sport Mgmt Chair
The IKEA Markus chair has been around for a long time, and is a well-liked option for many folks who want one of the best office chairs around without having to break the bank (some of the seats out there can take a truly exacting toll on your wallet). You don’t get much in the way of adjustments with the Markus, at least not compared to the fancier ergonomic chairs around, but this is a sturdy seat which offers a comfortable upright sitting position, with a long back and integrated headrest. Furthermore, the back is made of a mesh material to let the air through and provide better breathability, which is always good for those longer sitting sessions. You can adjust the Markus for height, tilt, and the back can be locked in place, or it can be reclined. So there’s a decent amount of adjustability, and overall, this is a solid chair which is well-made for the money. An unexpected bonus in this price bracket is that this IKEA product comes with an impressive 10-year guarantee. Herman Miller is a renowned maker of high-end office chairs, although some models will truly set you back an arm and a leg. For those who don’t want to spend quite so much, but still want a high-quality chair for a (relatively) more affordable asking price, we recommend the Celle. Be warned, it could in no way be described as a budget product – if you want more wallet-friendly, look to some of the other chairs elsewhere in this list – but for what you’re getting, the Celle represents great value in our eyes.
