The best office chairs tried and tested for comfortable home working in 2024
We got hands on with the best office chairs from Herman Miller, John Lewis and more
The best office chair can do wonders for your health and posture, and significantly increase your comfort while working. We’ve spent hours assembling, testing (and then disassembling) office chairs to bring you a list of the top options available, all of which have been put through their paces in our London office or the home of one of our experts.
Below, you’ll find an at-a-glance list of our favourite picks followed by an explanation of how we test office chairs. We’ll then jump into reviews of the products we recommend before wrapping up with a comprehensive buying guide detailing the features to look out for and the key things to consider when purchasing an office chair.
Best office chairs: At a glance
| Best chair overall | Slouch Task One (~£269) | Check price at Slouch |
| Best budget office chair | John Lewis Gerard (~£79) | Check price at John Lewis |
| Best chair on Amazon | Sihoo M57 (~£180) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best mid-range ergonomic office chair | Orangebox Do Task Chair (~£473) | Check price at Office Furniture Direct |
| Best for designer style | Herman Miller Sayl (~£889) | Check price at John Lewis |
How we test office chairs
We test our office chairs either at our London office or at home, sitting in them as we go about our day-to-day work.
Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that. In addition to assessing how comfortable the seat and backrest are, we consider ergonomics such as the feel of the armrests, plus any additional features such as lumbar support. We also note a chair’s ease of adjustability – for example, whether it offers gas-lift height adjustment, fully adjustable arms, backrest tilt and an adequate seat depth. The breathability of materials is important, too, with mesh chairs particularly effective at ensuring you don’t end up too hot and clammy by the end of the day, as is general build quality and ease of assembly. Finally, we consider a model’s value for money.
We collate each chair’s specs in a table, as well as scoring each one out of five on the following criteria: overall comfort, seat comfort, backrest comfort, arms comfort (where applicable), features and ease of use. You can see how we’ve scored each chair in a bar chart below each mini review.
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- Great for… most home workers with a mid-range budget
- Not so great for… people who want cushioned armrests
Initially, it will be the hip and modern marketing that makes Slouch stand out from other office furniture brands. However, when the brand’s Task One office chair arrived for testing at our office, we were pleasantly surprised. It ticks a number of boxes when it comes to ergonomics and occupational health, offering an adjustable seat depth, recline with four locking positions and height-adjustable lumbar support. All of these make the Slouch Task One a worthy winner of the Expert Reviews Remote Working Awards 2023.
We found that the Task One’s cushioned seat and mesh backrest remained very comfortable throughout the working day. It comes available in grey or black, with a choice of five colours for the seat (should you wish, you can order free fabric samples before you buy). The only real fault we could find with the chair was that the armrests could be a bit softer, and even this was a minor complaint.
Note that these armrests – which can be adjusted for height, depth and angle – will add an extra £20 to the base price. It’s a relatively small extra price, but also means good news for those who prefer not to have armrests at all (such as Expert Reviews’ own deputy editor).
Crucially, for all that you’re getting, £259 (or £279, if you want armrests) is an excellent price – making the Slouch Task One one of the best-value office chairs we’ve tested.
Read our full Slouch Task One office chair review
Key features – Overall height: 95.5cm-107.5cm; Seat width: 50cm; Seat depth: 42-48cm; Seat height: 42-54cm; Backrest width: 50cm; Backrest height: 55cm; Weight: 15kg; Seat material: Textile upholstered foam; Backrest material: Mesh; Adjustable lumbar support? Yes; Seat depth adjustment? Yes; Arms? Yes (at extra cost); Adjustable arms? Yes; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: Yes; Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: Unspecified
2. John Lewis Gerard: Best budget office chair
Price when reviewed: £79 | Check price at John Lewis
- Great for… tight budgets
- Not so great for… permanently remote workers
Not to put too fine a point on it, but when compared to some of the other chairs on this list, the Gerard is about as basic as swivel office chairs come. The good news is that this is reflected in the chair’s price tag. Part of John Lewis’ Anyday range of affordable furniture and homewares, this budget-friendly office chair costs just £79 – a mere fraction of some of the other options here. Because of this, the Gerard is our favourite budget office chair and winner of the Highly Commended award in our 2023 Remote Working Awards.
Adjustable features are limited to gas-lift height adjustment, and in our testing it did feel a little bit hard to sit on. As such, it’s perhaps better suited to someone who needs an office chair for occasional use rather than a permanently remote worker (indeed, John Lewis’ own specifications recommend only four hours of use a day). But that’s not to say it’s devoid of any cushioning, and it certainly felt very solid and supportive, if a bit stiff.
Note that we did notice a slight chemical smell on initially unboxing and assembling the chair, but found that this dissipated after a day or two. Putting the chair together was simple, although John Lewis does offer an assembly service for £22 – which puts up the total cost up to a still very reasonable £101.
All in all, it might not be the most advanced of the bunch, but a sub-£100 price tag makes the Gerard a great budget option. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s measurements before you buy, though; this chair is slightly on the smaller side, so it may not be suited to bigger builds.
Key features – Overall height: 99cm; Width: 60cm; Depth: 55cm; Height: 45-55cm; Backrest width: Unspecified; Backrest height: Unspecified; Weight: 9.4kg; Seat material: Textile upholstered foam; Backrest material: Textile fabric; Adjustable lumbar support? No; Seat depth adjustment? No; Arms? Yes; Adjustable arms? No; Tilt adjustment: No; Tilt lock: No; Tilt tension: No; Maximum load: 110kg
3. Sihoo M57 office chair: Best office chair on Amazon
Price when reviewed: £180 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… full adjustability at a reasonable price
- Not so great for… brand recognition
Admittedly, Sihoo isn’t exactly a household name over here, and I’ll admit I’d never heard of the Chinese brand until I saw how popular its chairs were on Amazon. We found its M57 office chair to be a great option if you’re after ergonomics and adjustability at a reasonable price. In fact, it’s the chair our very own Production Editor works from in his home office.
The M57 has a comfortable and cool mesh design, with plenty of adjustable features: including back tilt, lumbar support, fully adjustable arms (meaning you can adjust their angle and depth as well as height) and of course gas lift height adjustment. You get a headrest too, which isn’t something we often see at this price.
At £230, it’s remarkably good value for money considering the number of features it offers. And what’s more, it’s often discounted during Black Friday and other Amazon deals events.
Key features – Overall height: 110-127.5cm; Seat width: 51cm; Seat depth: 46cm; Seat height: 45.5-55.5cm; Backrest width: Unspecified; Backrest height: Unspecified; Weight: 16.82kg; Seat material: Mesh; Backrest material: Mesh; Adjustable lumbar support? Yes; Seat depth adjustment? No; Arms? Yes; Adjustable arms? Yes; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: Yes; Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: Unspecified
4. Orangebox Do Task Chair: Best office chair for easy adjustment
Price when reviewed: £473 | Check price at Office Furniture Direct
- Great for… responsive automatic adjustment
- Not so great for… smaller budgets
You can throw a lot of money at an ergonomic office chair that gives you tonnes of adjustable features for the best comfort and support possible. But with the Orangebox Do, you get a comfortable mesh chair with just as much versatility, for less than half the price.
You can adjust the arms and seat depth manually, but the best thing about the Orangebox Do is its weight balancing tilting mechanism. This responds to your weight and movement while using the chair and allows it to adapt to your posture automatically, dispensing with, as Orangebox puts it, “a multitude of knobs and levers to find and struggle with”.
Key features – Overall height: 97cm; Seat width: 52cm; Seat depth: 40-47.6cm; Seat height: 40.5-53.5cm; Backrest width: Unspecified; Backrest height: Unspecified; Weight: Unspecified; Seat material: Textile upholstered foam; Backrest material: Mesh; Adjustable lumbar support? Yes; Seat depth adjustment? Yes; Arms? Yes; Adjustable arms? Yes; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: Yes; Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: 150kg
5. Herman Miller Sayl: Best office chair for designer style
Price when reviewed: £889 | Check price at John Lewis
- Great for… making a statement
- Not so great for… those who don’t want to pay extra for adjustable features
The Herman Miller Sayl’s unique suspension bridge inspired design makes this office chair more than a bit of a statement piece. Not only is this a stylish item of furniture; it’s also comfortable to sit in. Indeed, its rubbery backrest is very supportive and, when testing, this felt much more comfortable than initial impressions suggested it would. That said, a statement piece is very much still is and we wouldn’t recommend putting this in your home office if you don’t want it to stand out.
As standard, the Sayl offers all the necessary adjustable features, including seat height, armrest height and backrest tilt as well as a few handy options such as forward tilt and seat depth. Wellworking’s ‘Create Your Own’ option gives you more adjustable options for you to add depending on your budget, including fully adjustable arms and additional lumbar support. Of course, there are additional costs involved here, but these are manageable.
Ultimately, if you’re looking to invest in a chair but don’t want to take a mortgage out on your new piece of office furniture, the Sayl is a fantastic option.
Read our full Herman Miller Sayl review
Key features – Overall height: 103.5cm; Seat width: 46.4cm; Seat depth: 40.6-45.7cm; Seat height: 41.9-55.9cm; Backrest width: 62cm; Backrest height: 53.1cm; Weight: Unspecified; Seat material: Textile upholstered foam; Backrest material: Plastic; Adjustable lumbar support? Yes (at extra cost); Seat depth adjustment? Yes; Arms? Yes; Adjustable arms? Yes; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: Yes; Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: 159kg
6. HAG Capisco Puls 8010: Best saddle office chair
Price when reviewed: £449 | Check price at Wellworking
- Great for… sitting options
- Not so great for… those who prefer a traditional seat
This unconventionally styled office chair might look uncomfortable, but in practice the Capisco Puls 8010 is something of a revelation. Where rival chairs cosset your behind with padding, the base model of the Capisco range has a tiny patch of padding encircled by a wave of ergonomically shaped plastic. Think of it more as a saddle than a seat and you’re halfway there.
You can sit forwards or backwards, with the backrest functioning as an armrest. Beyond the key adjustments, including seat depth, tilt and adjustable backrest, the standard 200mm gas lift moves the seat from a low sitting position to a higher sit-stand position. During testing, this allowed us to sit comfortably at a desk as well as perch at a higher table.
The standard model featured here is very much a starting point: the Capisco range can be customised with three heights of pneumatic lift, saddle seats, headrests, footrings and a huge range of colour and upholstery options. If you struggle to get on with traditional office chairs, a Capisco could be just the ticket.
Key features – Overall height (200mm gas lift): 92.5-109cm; Seat width: 46cm; Seat depth: 40-47cm; Seat height (200mm gas lift): 45.5-62cm; Backrest width: Unspecified; Backrest height: 47cm; Weight: 11.1kg; Seat material: Plastic, fabric upholstery; Backrest material: Plastic, fabric upholstery; Adjustable lumbar support? No; Seat depth adjustment? Yes; Arms? No; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: Yes; Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: Unspecified
7. Herman Miller Aeron (Size B): Best high-end office chair (if you can afford it)
Price when reviewed: £1,359 | Check price at John Lewis
- Great for… those who can afford to splash out over a grand on a chair
- Not so great for… those who can’t
An icon of modern design (its inclusion in the MoMA is enough evidence of this), the Herman Miller Aeron is among the best office chairs we’ve ever tested (we specifically reviewed the Size B model, but it is available in smaller and larger sizes too). It offers a range of features including forward tilt and fully adjustable arms, along with essentials such as seat height and back tilt.
We found the mesh fabric covering the back and seat to be breathable and buoyant enough to provide decent levels of support and comfort, although some people might prefer a more cushioned model. Regardless, the Aeron is a chair that delivers in all areas. The only catch is its thousand-pound price tag. This won’t be within everyone’s home office budget, but if you do have the money you really can’t go wrong with the Aeron.
Read our full Herman Miller Aeron review
Key features – Overall height: 93.3-104.5cm; Seat width: 51.4cm; Seat depth: 43.2cm; Seat height: 37.6-57.9cm; Backrest width: Unspecified; Backrest height: Unspecified; Weight: 20kg; Seat material: Mesh; Backrest material: Mesh; Adjustable lumbar support? Yes; Seat depth adjustment? No; Arms? Yes; Adjustable arms? Yes; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: Yes; Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: 159kg
Best office chair: Also worth considering
Many of the office chairs we test don’t meet the standards required to make it onto this page, while others come mighty close.
Below we’ve listed a few of the options that either; had a spot on this page before being replaced by a more impressive alternative, or narrowly missed out on being included.
They’re still worth considering, especially if you can pick them up at a discount, but don’t necessarily stand out so obviously in a crowded market.
Herman Miller Verus | Herman Miller on a “budget” | £580 from John Lewis
Elite Team Plus | Plain but comfortable and affordable | £199 from Wellworking
John Lewis Penny | A decent budget John Lewis pick | £129 from John Lewis
How to choose the best office chair for you
Does a good office chair have to cost a lot?
The world of office chairs is one in which you should buy the best you can afford. Pricier chairs generally give you superior ergonomics, more adjustability and longer warranties, while cheaper chairs tend to be a false economy. That said, there are occasional bargains to be had for surprisingly decent office chairs, while a few of the chairs costing several thousand pounds aren’t actually any better for sitting for long periods than those costing several hundred.
What are the key features to look out for?
Adjustable height, back position and tilt: Adjust all three so that when your bottom is pressed against the back of the chair, your lower back is slightly arched and feels well supported and cushioned and your knees sit just below your hips while your feet are either flat on the floor or on a footrest.
Adjustable seat depth: Make sure that when you recline in the chair, the backrest doesn’t drop away. You want the angle of the seat and the back to stay the same whether you are sitting upright or leaning back, not unlike a rocking chair.
Armrest adjustability: Chairs with arms that are non-adjustable aren’t typically the best choice unless you’re really on a tight budget. Your wrists and forearms should go straight out in front of you and your keyboard should have approximately four to six inches in front where you can rest your wrists when taking a break from typing.
Lumbar support: Make sure the backrest provides lumbar support that fits naturally into the curve of your spine. Some chairs provide ‘additional’ lumbar support, but others provide a flexible backrest that will mould around your spine.
Free float tilt mechanism: Make sure your chair moves with you and doesn’t get stuck in a static position. We may have been told to sit up straight at school, but the best for your back is to keep moving whilst seated.
Different size options: We are not all the same size and build so ensure the chair is the right size for you. Better quality chairs will offer a range of adjustability so that they can be tailored to your exact specifications.
Is there anything else you need to consider?
What kind of floor do you have? Get the right type of castors for your floor – hard floors, stone, carpet and so on – to prevent you sliding around when you don’t want to, or potentially damaging your floor.
How tall is your desk? Standard desks are around 710-740mm (28-29in) high, and this broadly suits most of us, but if you are a shorter or taller person make sure the desk is comfortable for your use. Ideally, set up your chair to optimise your posture and get a desk to accommodate your chair (not the other way round). For the ultimate setup, try a ‘sit-stand’ desk that allows you to both sit and stand throughout the day. Try 20 minutes standing for every 40 minutes sitting.
Screens and monitor: Your screen should be an arm’s length away, with the centre of the screen at eye level. Don’t change your chair setup – change the height of the monitor with an adjustable arm or stand.
Try it out: Where possible, it’s a good idea to try before you buy. This is sometimes easier said than done, and you’re not likely to benefit from lengthy home trials such as the ones offered by bed-in-a-box mattress brands. Every individual has a unique anatomy and what feels fabulous to a friend or colleague may feel surprisingly uncomfortable to you. So, when testing office chairs, we take this fact into account to make balanced and well-rounded recommendations.
Check the warranty: Your chair needs to last, so ideally the warranty should last five years or more.