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- Best office chairs: At a glance
- How we test office chairs
- The best office chairs you can buy in 2025
- 1. Best office chair overall: Slouch Task One
- 2. Best budget office chair: Sihoo M57
- 3. Best high-end office chair: Herman Miller Aeron
- 4. Best for ease of use: Orangebox Do Better
- 5. Best for style: Herman Miller Sayl
- 6. Best for adjustable features: Sihoo Doro S300
- We also tested...
- How to choose the best office chair for you
- We’ve tested 20 office chairs here at Expert Reviews, from basic desk chairs to kitted-out ergonomic models
- In addition to comfort and support, we rate office chairs on their features and ease of use. We test the chairs in our office and give them a score out of five for each one of these key factors.
- Our favourite office chair is the Slouch Task One: smart and stylish, comfortable and great value for money. It’s a five-star Best Buy chair and was a winner in our 2023 Remote Working Awards
- Our roundup below features a range of office chairs that have been tried and tested, and selected to suit a variety of needs and budgets
Our favourite office chair is the Slouch Task One. It’s comfortable, great value for money, and looks smart and unobtrusive in your home office. Beyond that, our tried-and-tested product roundup includes feature-packed models from Sihoo, a modern design icon from Herman Miller 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 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 and scored on key metrics including comfort and ease of use.
Scroll down for a quick at-a-glance list of our top recommendations, or read on for an explanation of how we test office chairs, followed by our full product roundup and a comprehensive buying guide detailing the features to look out for and the key things to consider when purchasing an office chair.
We have a separate buying guide and roundup recommending our favourite gaming chairs
Best office chairs: At a glance
- Slouch Task One: Best office chair overall | Check price at Slouch
- Sihoo M57: Best budget office chair | Check price at Amazon
- Herman Miller Aeron: Best high-end office chair | Check price at John Lewis
- Orangebox Do Better: Best for ease of use | Check price at Wellworking
- Herman Miller Sayl: Best for style | Check price at Wellworking
- Sihoo Doro S300: Best for ergonomic features | Check price at Amazon
How we test office chairs
We test office chairs by sitting in them as we go about our day-to-day work, reviewing most in our London office.
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 and score each one out of five on the following criteria: comfort, features and ease of use. You can see how we’ve scored each chair in the bar charts attached to each review below.
The best office chairs you can buy in 2025
1. Best office chair overall: Slouch Task One
Price when reviewed: From £269 (without arms) | Check price at Slouch
- Comfortable with supportive features
- Looks great
- Good value for money
- Armrests could be more comfortable
- Forward tilt costs extra
The Slouch Task One is not only one of the nicest-looking office chairs I’ve reviewed, it’s also a supremely comfortable and supportive option at a strikingly reasonable price for an ergonomic office chair. It more than justifies its modern branding featuring those aloof and attractive models.
The Task One ticks a number of boxes when it comes to ergonomics and occupational health, and I found that its fabric-upholstered foam seat and mesh backrest remained very comfortable throughout a full working day. Its features include adjustable seat depth; recline with four locking positions; height, depth and angle-adjustable arms; and the all-important height-adjustable lumbar support.
The armrests are harder than some others we’ve reviewed, and you’ll need to pay an extra £39 for a forward tilt feature. But these are relatively minor qualms, and it doesn’t prevent the Slouch Task One being one of the best (and best-value) office chairs I’ve tested.
Read our full Slouch Task One office chair review
Key specs – 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. Best budget office chair: Sihoo M57
Price when reviewed: £230 | Check price at Sihoo
- A good selection of ergonomic features
- Relatively affordable
- It’s a bit of a dust magnet
For ergonomics and adjustability at a reasonable price, the Sihoo M57 is a great option. It’s the chair our very own Managing Editor works from in his home and if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.
The chair has a comfortable and cool mesh design, with plenty of adjustable features including back tilt, lumbar support, fully adjustable arms and of course gas lift height adjustment. You get a headrest too, which isn’t something we often see at this price.
That we’ve listed a £230 chair as our budget buy might raise a few eyebrows, but it’s a hill I’ll die on. There’s a good reason that there aren’t any two-figure price tag chairs in this roundup: they’re not very comfortable, supportive or durable in the long run. When you consider the number of features the Sihoo M57 offers, it’s remarkably good value. And what’s more, you can regularly find it discounted on Amazon during peak deals periods such as Black Friday and Prime Day.
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
3. Best high-end office chair: Herman Miller Aeron
Price when reviewed: £1,399 | Check price at Wellworking
- Great array of adjustable features
- A modern design icon
- Astonishingly expensive
Plenty of adjustable features, coupled with the breathable and buoyant mesh fabric covering the seat and backrest makes the Aeron another winner in my eyes. And the lack of cushioning didn’t prevent me from feeling comfortable as well as supported. The Aeron is a design and pop culture icon (the only chair that appears both in this roundup and in the MoMA).
There’s really not a great deal I can say to criticise the Aeron, which brings me neatly to my only caveat: the price. At over £1,000, it’s only a realistic option for the biggest budgets. But, if you have the money and want to feel like Dr Gregory House, Iron Man, Barack Obama or God in the Simpsons, it’s an easy recommendation.
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
4. Best for ease of use: Orangebox Do Better
Price when reviewed: £499 | Check price at Wellworking
- Nifty automatic adjustment features
- Sustainable credentials
- Armrest adjustability could be better
The Orangebox Do Better is a comfortable and supportive chair, but the star of the show is its “weight balancing mechanism”. This responds to the weight of the user and automatically adjusts the tilt tension, removing the need to fiddle around with knobs. While I can’t necessarily speak for how this fares with heavier uses, I found that it hit the sweet spot: neither too firm nor too sensitive to my weight.
Elsewhere, you’ve got the usual seat height lever, plus easily-adjustable seat depth and lumbar support. The only thing I thought was missing was more adjustability in the arms: these can only be raised or lowered.
The Orangebox Do Better also has some appeal to the eco-conscious consumer. It’s made from mostly recycled or recyclable materials, which gives it a 40% smaller carbon footprint compared to the original Orangebox Do – according to the brand. Although it’s not necessarily environmentally friendly to manufacture anything, it seems Orangebox is doing better at reducing its impact.
Read our full Orangebox Do Better office chair review
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: 14.6kg; 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. Best for style: Herman Miller Sayl
Price when reviewed: £899 | Check price at Wellworking
- A cool, modern look
- Supportive and comfortable
- Fully adjustable additions cost extra
The Sayl’s outlandish design – a single bracket supporting its otherwise unframed backrest – owes its inspiration to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge: a unique design that, if you ask me, looks uniquely cool in a world of drab mesh office chairs.
And whether or not you agree, it’s undeniable that the Sayl is a striking chair. Sceptics can be reassured that it’s more comfortable than it looks too: while I found that the backrest felt quite hard and rubbery to the touch, it felt exponentially more comfortable and supportive as a backrest.
It’s a shame that you’ll need to fork out extra for adjustable extras such as lumbar support and fully adjustable arms, but I was perfectly comfortable sitting in the standard Sayl throughout the working day.
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. Best for adjustable features: Sihoo Doro S300
Price when reviewed: £800 | Check price at Sihoo
- Adjustable to the nth degree
- Excellent lumbar support
- Expensive
- Build quality slightly disappointing
For a truly feature-packed ergonomic experience, look to Sihoo’s aerospace-inspired Doro S300 office chair. It offers heaps of adjustable features: you’ve got seat height, depth, backrest tilt (for which you can set the limit in three positions) as well as the most versatile arms I’ve seen on an office chair. These can be adjusted by height, depth, width and angle while also tilting upwards.
During testing, I was also very impressed with the Doro S300’s lumbar support: a unique, dual wing-like design that felt much more comfortable and supportive than I expected it to.
My only caveats are that build quality feels a bit loose in areas, and it’s expensive. However, it’s also a very hefty chair – which often translates to good build quality – and you can often get it for less than its RRP in one of Sihoo’s online sales.
Read our full Sihoo Doro S300 review
Key features – Overall height: 109.5-125cm; Seat width: 51.5cm; Seat depth: 40-47cm; Seat height: 47-55.5cm; Backrest width: 45cm; Backrest height: 62.5-69.5cm; Weight: 26.2kg; Seat material: Mesh; Backrest material: Mesh; Adjustable lumbar support? Yes; Seat depth adjustment? Yes; Arms? Yes; Adjustable arms? Yes; Tilt adjustment: Yes; Tilt lock: No (tilt limiter only); Tilt tension: Yes; Maximum load: 136kg
We also tested…
Wait, don’t get up yet. I’ve tested many more chairs than our top recommendations featured above. I’m never done testing office chairs. In fact, I’m testing an office chair right now as I write this. Below, we’ve listed some of the options that didn’t make the grade for inclusion in the main roundup, had a spot before being replaced by a more impressive alternative, or are no longer available.
- Boulies Nubi
Our rating: 4/5 (Recommended) | Price when reviewed: £400 | Check price at Boulies - FlexiSpot C7
Our rating: 4/5 | Price when reviewed: £380 | Check price at FlexiSpot - Boulies EP460
Our rating: 4/5 | Price when reviewed: £310 | Check price at Boulies - Herman Miller Mirra 2
Our rating: 5/5 (Best Buy) | Price when reviewed: £779 | Check price at Wellworking - Herman Miller Verus
Our rating: 4/5 | Price when reviewed: £425 | Check price at Wellworking - Boulies Nubi
Our rating: 4/5 (Recommended) | Price when reviewed: £400 | Check price at Boulies - Elite Team Plus
Our rating: N/A | Price when reviewed: £199 | Check price at Wellworking - HAG Capisco Puls 8010
Our rating: N/A | Price when reviewed: £499 | Check price at Wellworking - John Lewis Anyday Gerard
Our rating: N/A | Price when reviewed: £79 | No longer available - John Lewis Anyday Penny
Our rating: N/A | Price when reviewed: £129 | No longer available
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.
