I’ve been testing the best office chairs for years now and I can’t overstate the importance of having a well-built, supportive chair, especially when you’re working for long hours from the comfort of your own home like I do. You want a chair that’s comfortable but also gives your back and shoulders the extra support they need.
Over the past three years, I’ve put more than 5,000 hours into extensively testing each chair I’ve reviewed. From high-end office chairs that are an investment in your health and well-being to budget office chairs that get the job done for less, I’ve built, tested and compared them all.
Based on my testing and real-world experience, the best office chair overall is the Branch Verve Chair. It has an adjustable lumbar support, a contoured seat and a breathable 3D knit backrest for better airflow. Plus, the Branch Verve Chair comes in a variety of colors and won’t set you back anywhere near as much as some of the more expensive chairs on this list. If you’re on a tight budget though, I strongly recommend the Boulies EP460 which is often on sale for $299 and features an all-mesh design, comes with a headrest and even has a flip-out leg rest for those times when you want to fully recline.
Below, I’ve put together several recommendations for all types of use cases, including my favorite ergonomic option, the best office chair for back pain, my top pick for gaming and more. These are the best office chairs you can buy right now that I personally recommend.
Recent updates
We've added our reviews of the Boulies EP460 and the X-Chair X3 to the guide as well as rearranged a few things to make it easier to find the right office chair for you and your budget.
The quick list
Value: ★★★★☆
Comfort: ★★★★★
Customization: ★★★☆☆
The Branch Verve Chair is as comfortable to sit in as it is beautiful to look out. The 3D-knit mesh back not only keeps you cool but it also wraps around you while you're sitting in the chair. In addition to this gorgeous coral color, the Verve chair is also available in black, white, light green and light blue.
Value: ★★★★☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★★☆☆☆
The Boulies EP460 is a budget-friendly ergonomic office chair with a full mesh design. It's available in either black or gray and comes with a built-in headrest. The Boulies EP460 also features an adjustable lumbar rest as well as a flip-out leg rest when you want to fully recline in your chair.
Value: ★★★★☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★☆☆☆☆
The Autonomous Ergo Chair Pro is an ergonomic office chair that's quite comfortable without breaking the bank. It features a mesh backrest and headrest with a fabric seat cushion as well as a flexible lumbar cushion. The Autonomous Ergo Chair Pro is available in several colorways but there isn't much else to customize at checkout.
Value: ★★☆☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★★★★★
The Herman Miller Aeron is the best office chair if you can afford it. It's extremely comfortable with an iconic design. The Aeron is made entirely of mesh to keep you cool and you can adjust just about everything about it.
Value: ★★★★☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★★★☆☆
The Haworth Breck manages to combine style, comfort and ergonomics at a mid-range price. It features a weight-activated mechanism that responds to your body's movements as you sit or recline and its GeoStretch backrest is comfortable yet firm. The Breck weighs in at only 30 pounds and comes in several colorways to match your existing décor.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★★
Customization: ★★★★☆
The Steelcase Karman is an extremely comfortable and light office chair. It uses a proprietary textile called Intermix instead of mesh that can respond to your body's movements. The Steelcase Karman is also available in a wide variety of color combinations.
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Value: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★★☆☆☆
The SIHOO Doro S300 sports a futuristic look and a dual dynamic lumbar support which is also adjustable. Its mesh is made from a combination of Italian velvet and DuPont TPEE and has great elasticity. The Doro S300 is available in either white or black.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★★
Customization: ★☆☆☆☆
The Razer Fujin Pro is a gaming chair that doubles as an office chair thanks to its sleek, all-black design. This premium chair has a mesh backrest and seat pan as well as an aluminum alloy frame. It's only available in black but offers plenty of adjustment options. If it's too expensive for your budget, you can always pick up the standard Razer Fujin instead.
Value: ★★★★☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★★★☆☆
The Vari Task Chair is a mid-back office chair with a mesh back and a padded seat rest. It’s available in several different colors including red and blue but the version with a headrest only comes in black. The Vari Task Chair is also quite comfortable to work in for long hours thanks to its contoured frame that’s designed to mimic the natural curves of your spine.
Read more below
Value: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★★★★☆
The Haworth Fern is an extremely comfortable office chair with a unique design. The chair's 3-part system provides plenty of support for your back but you can also outfit it with an optional lumbar support. From mesh to digital knit to leather, there are plenty of variations and color options to choose from.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★★
Customization: ★★★★☆
The X-Chair X3 gives you the best of both worlds with a mesh backrest and a comfy foam seat. It's a durable and well designed chair with a lumbar support that reacts to your movement and X-Chair’s proprietary A.T.R fabric has a more responsive feel in addition to being spill and stain-resistant. There are also some great optional accessories like a heat and massage unit.
Value: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Customization: ★☆☆☆☆
The OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 is a premium mesh office chair with a unique design and plenty of features. It's only available in black but it does come with a built-in headrest. The back bar at the top of the lumbar rest makes the chair easy to move and it's also perfect for hanging up your jacket.
Anthony Spadafora has been working from home exclusively for the past six years (two full-time with Tom's Guide) and during that time, he's tested work from home accessories, standing desks and of course, office chairs. In fact, he has reviewed more than a dozen office chairs from full mesh chairs to task chairs to ergonomic chairs. Anthony can tell you how comfortable a particular chair is to sit in for long hours at a time as well as what goes into putting it together.
Three things to consider when buying an office chair
Material - From fabric to mesh to leather, the right material can make all the difference.
Headrest - If you want a headrest, this is something you should be looking for as some chairs don’t come with this option.
Warranty - With an inexpensive starter chair, the warranty isn’t as important but with a premium office chair, you should look for one with a long warranty.
For more, check out how to choose the best office chair for you.
The best office chairs you can buy today
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The best office chair overall
As the follow-up to the Branch Ergonomic Chair, the Branch Verve Chair immediately sets itself apart from the competition thanks to its unique design which won this chair an iF Design Award. Instead of a mesh back, it has a 3D-knit backrest that's extremely comfortable while also being breathable. Besides the Coral color seen here, the Branch Verve Chair is available in black and white as well as light green and light blue.
Besides being pleasing to look at when pushed in at my desk, the chair's V-shaped suspended back also houses its adjustable lumbar rest. Likewise, its inward curving arms help the Branch Verve Chair stand out (in a good way) and I love how the base of the chair is the same color as its seat and backrest.
I found the Branch Verve Chair to be quite comfortable during testing and was impressed by how my body sunk into the chair. At the same time, its nylon casters also made a big difference and were much smoother when rolling around on my hardwood floors. The Branch Verve Chair features six points of adjustment and it felt really good leaning back in the chair while taking short breaks throughout my workday.
Read our full Branch Verve Chair review.
The best budget office chair
The Boulies EP460 is ideal if you want the styling and comfort of a full mesh chair without having to breat the bank. This ergonomic mesh chair is packed with features, is super adjustable and very comfortable, yet only costs $299, making it a great budget purchase.
In testing, we loved the effortlessly comfortable support of the full mesh design. The seat base, seat back and headrest are constructed of Airy Chenille Hybrid Mesh fabric, which adapts to the shape and contours of your body and provides high levels of support. The lumbar support and armrests are also highly adjustable and lockable, providing appropriate support for upright sitting, forward sitting and reclined positions. Underneath the base of the EP460 is stashed a pull-out footrest, supporting your legs in the fully reclined position.
Naturally, the EP460’s low price results in a few corners being cut. While the chair’s build quality is still quite good, some of the materials used feel cheap and features like the leg rest and seat back height adjustment feel a little flimsy. There are also some awkward controls, namely the seat back adjustment, but no user manual from Boulies to explain how things work. Finally, the warranty is only for two years. If you need the comfort and support of a mesh chair but you’re on a strict budget, don’t let the EP460’s relatively minor flaws put you off.
Read our full Boulies EP460 review.
The best mid-range office chair
The Autonomous ErgoChair Pro should definitely be added to your shortlist if you need a highly-adjustable mid-range office chair with the benefits of a mesh design. The headrest and back cushion of this chair are both made from extremely comfortable mesh, and there’s plenty of adjustment, including 5-stage lockable recline, adjustable lumbar support and a movable headrest.
This chair isn’t perfect. While the back and headrest are supremely comfortable, the seat cushion features traditional foam padding, which isn’t as comfy as mesh. If you struggle with lower back pain, you may want to consider a full mesh design instead. Similarly, the armrests are quite firm, so you may need to invest in some elbow cushions or look for a different chair, if that’ll be a problem.
We also had a couple of QC issues in testing, too: namely an internal nut that came free from its housing which stopped us tightening a bolt, and a loose lumbar cushion that kept falling out of its set position in use. Still, for under $500, the Autonomous ErgoChair Pro offers decent value for money.
Read our full Autonomous ErgoChair Pro review.
The best premium office chair
In addition to being one of the most expensive chairs on this list, the Herman Miller Aeron is also the oldest. Though work began on its design during the late 1970s, the Aeron was first released in 1994. It’s still going strong all these years later and today, it’s one of the most iconic Herman Miller chairs alongside the Embody.
So what’s it like sitting in the gold standard of office chairs? Extremely comfortable to say the least. This is because you can adjust almost every aspect of the Aeron. You can raise and lower its seat, change the height and angle of its arms, raise or lower its lumbar support and even enable forward tilt for when you need to focus on a particular task.
The Aeron is available in black, gray or a combination of the two but you may not know that there are actually three different sizes. The chair comes in small, medium and large and there are also three types of arms to choose from at checkout along with the option to outfit it with leather arms if you want an even more premium look.
With an all-mesh design, the Aeron helps keep you cool while working and its ergonomic design helps you maintain good posture. In addition to a lumbar support, there’s also a sacrum support below it and you won’t find this feature in other office chairs. With a starting price of over $1,400 (when on sale), I highly recommend trying one out in person at your local Herman Miller store before investing in an Aeron chair for your home office.
Read our full Herman Miller Aeron chair review.
The best task chair
With its latest release, Haworth has managed to combine excellent ergonomics, style and comfort at a much lower price than its iconic Fern office chair. The Haworth Breck is a low-back, task chair that’s designed in such a way that you don’t need to make any adjustments for a comfortable fit thanks to its weight-activated mechanism.
The Breck is available in a number of different colorways from your standard black and grey to blue and even a light mint green and depending on how you configure it, this office chair can either blend in with your existing home office décor or stand out. You also have the option to choose a white or black base for additional contrast. However, there aren’t any other customization options besides the Breck’s color.
For the price though, you’re getting a built-in lumbar support, 4D arms, hard casters and a breathable backrest made from GeoStretch technology that offers both comfort and stability. Just like the Steelcase Karman, this is also a very lightweight office chair at just 30 pounds that looks and feels like a more premium version of the Branch Ergonomic Chair. If you want a comfortable office chair to sit in while you work that can also turn heads depending on how you configure it, the Haworth Breck will absolutely meet your needs.
Read our full Haworth Breck review.
The best office chair for comfort
The Steelcase Karman goes beyond a traditional mesh chair thanks to the company's proprietary Intermix textile. This office chair is available in a number of differ