Ensuring you have the best ergonomic office chair is essential. It should keep you comfortable, help maintain good posture, and support your back to prevent physical injury. If your chair isn’t working for you, you might feel the effects in your arms, neck, or back.
According to Laura Wilson, physiotherapist and director at The Swiss Touch, your feet should be flat, either on the floor or a footrest, and you need proper lumbar support. You should also be able to tilt the seat. “You want about 90 degrees between your hips and your knees, or a little bit more”, she advises. Without this function, you could get “a lot of stiffness and mechanical loading in your lower back, which in time can cause pain”.
Getting the armrest position right is also important. Wilson states that your elbows should be at a 90-degree angle to your shoulders so you can rest your forearms on the chair. Or you should be able to completely lower the armrests and have your forearms on the desk. If they’re too high, armrests can “cause a lot of compression within the shoulder and neck joint, and that can cause tightness and impingement over time”, she explains.
If you do repetitive movement in one direction, Wilson also suggests using a chair that swivels. And she recommends paying attention to the cushioning, noting that you should opt for a firm but padded seat that will “absorb shock” but still ensure that you have to “sit yourself properly” as opposed to a softer chair which moulds to you.
In addition to consulting with experts on the importance of having a good chair for posture, I tested countless chairs myself. I’ve combined my decades of experience as a consumer product critic with an understanding of what you’ll require in your home office to narrow down the best ergonomic office chairs.
The best ergonomic office chairs for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Humanscale freedom chair: £1,107.01, Humanscale.com
- Best budget option – Habitat Ezra office chair: £90, Habitat.co.uk
- Best for lumbar support – Flexispot C7 morpher: £599,99, Flexispot.co.uk
- Best for adjustability – Hinomi H2 pro: £639, Hinomi.co
How I tested
I set up each office chair in my home, where I spent many hours sitting and typing, and assessed each one. I considered lumbar support, adjustability, and the materials used. I also noted whether the brands offered repairs, upgrades, or lengthy warranties in case of wear and tear. Crucially, I wanted the chairs to be comfortable and have a positive impact on my posture. You can read my full testing criteria at the end of the article.
Humanscale freedom chair
Best: Ergonomic office chair overall
Upholstery: Textile or chrome free leather
Recommended height: 5ft 5in – 6ft 3in
Maximum weight: 160kg
Seat depth: 47cm
Seat height range: 45cm – 54cm
Why we love it
- Design classic
- Plenty of adjustments
- Available in more than 300 colours
- Easy to adjust
- Follows the body’s natural movement
Take note
- Expensive
- Automatically adjusting headrest takes some getting used to
Humanscale is a market leader for ergonomic seating. The brand’s freedom chair has a unique and innovative design that impressed me from the outset. At first glance, the design is extremely minimalist, but there are plenty of possible adjustments. And the self-adjusting reclining and mechanics really mark it out for absolute comfort.
For this price, you’d expect something exceptional, and sure enough, the freedom offers far more than most straight office chairs. The sculptural design of the back, with linked arms, enables you to recline while the chair automatically adjusts the headrest, and it takes a little getting used to. However, it absolutely makes sense to ensure your head remains focused on work rather than lolling back, as it would in almost any other chair.
The freedom easily takes the lead on comfort and ease of adjustment. Every aspect is designed to enhance comfort, while still giving you the support and posture that you need for work.
Another thing that really stood out was how easy it can be adjusted to truly fit my needs. The chair height, lumbar, headrest, and seat depth all move to provide a better fit. The armrests were the most adjustable of any I tested, almost lying flat against the height of the seat, meaning the chair can be pushed tightly under the desk. The armrests are linked – most others require the adjustment of one arm, then the other, and it's usually hard to find the right balance – and then you can pivot them into position, and they lock.
All of the chairs I tried for this review were extremely comfortable, but the Humanscale’s freedom chair has the edge. It balances comfort with a work-focused posture and evolves with you during the day.
Buy now £1107.01, Humanscale.com
Habitat Ezra office chair
Best: Budget ergonomic office chair
Upholstery : Fabric
Recommended height: Not specified
Maximum weight: 110kg
Seat depth: 44cm
Seat height range: 45-53cm
Why we love it
- Great looks
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
- No fuss design
Take note
- Minimal padding
- Construction could have been smoother
- Best suited to occasional use
Habitat is known for its stylish yet affordable homeware, and this chair is no exception. As a seat for occasional use, it’s great, but you’re getting what you pay for.
It’s noticeably lightweight – in fact, it was the only chair the courier could easily hand over to me in its box, with all the others’ weight and bulk requiring a sack trolley for delivery. That said, it seems well-made, and the instructions for construction were straightforward. The only issue while building the chair was the backrest, which required a little prying to match the screw holes through the frame and the backrest.
Once everything was bolted together, I was left with a very nice-looking seat, but one that lacked the adjustability and high-quality finish of the others on test. The seat material looked great, but with minimal padding for the seat, as well as for the back and armrests, I quickly got the impression the chair was an entry-level option for occasional use. It was comfortable with its height adjustment and lightweight build, but I used a pillow for some additional lumbar support partway through the day.
It looks great, but it lacks the adjustment and long-term comfort and fit of the other chairs on test.
Buy now £90.00, Habitat.co.uk
Herman Miller aeron
Best: Stylish ergonomic office chair
Upholstery: Standard or leather
Recommended height: 4ft 8in - 5ft 4in (small), 5ft2in - 6ft (medium/large), 5ft 10in-6ft7in (extra large)
Maximum weight: Up to 159kg
Seat depth: 44.2cm (small), 46.2cm (medium/large), 50.2cm (extra large)
Seat height range: 40.1-50.7cm (small), 45-58cm (medium/large), 46.3-59.3cm (extra large)
Why we love it
- Stunning design
- Plenty of adjustments
- Mesh is extremely comfortable
- Premium build quality
Take note
- Mesh is firmer than fabric or leather
- Armrests need to be adjusted individually
Herman Miller’s aeron chair sits at the top end of the premium end of the spectrum. As soon as I wheeled it out of its packaging, the quality of the design and materials was evident. It’s on a par with the Humanscale freedom in terms of value, and, with both chairs, it’s instantly clear what you're paying for. While the brand’s metal work is simply stunning, the aesthetic of the aeron stands out; it’s essentially a piece of art.
It’s instantly comfortable, with small adjustments that can be made to the height, lumbar, armrests, and other areas to fit your body shape. These adjustments were more subtle compared to some cheaper chairs. The mesh seating style, while offering plenty of support, felt harder than fabric or leather, but this held me in an alert seating position for work.
The armrests offered a little more freedom of movement than I would have liked, although this issue wasn’t isolated to the aeron. The lever locks look great, but I had to adjust their heights individually, and it took a little time to align them perfectly. Once locked, you don’t need to worry about them, though.
While the chair supports you in a traditional boardroom-style seating position and gives you a posture of strength, some people may prefer a chair that is a little more forgiving. But it’s hard to look past its absolute beauty, and its build quality is on another level.
Buy now £1160.00, Hermanmiller.com
Flexispot C7 morpher
Best: Ergonomic office chair for lumbar support
Upholstery: Mesh
Recommended height: 160-195cm
Maximum weight: 163kg
Seat depth: 43.5-48cm
Seat height range: 45-54cm
Why we love it
- Good quality structure
- Easy to assemble
- Solid build quality
- Plenty of adjustments
If you’re looking for the best ergonomic office chair for lumbar support, I’d recommend Flexispot’s C7 morpher.
Assembling is relatively straightforward, although a second pair of hands would have been useful at points, only to hold things in place while screwing in the bolts. When putting it together, the quality of the metal work really stands out, and everything fits together neatly and with precision. The metal structure feels sturdy. It’s an impressive-looking modern-style chair that offers plenty of adjustment to contour your seated body, and I liked that I could remove the armrests without impacting the overall design and aesthetic.
As with the majority of the chairs I tried, it features a full mesh seat, back, and headrest – all well-designed and with a firm feel. The headrest section bolts in place, and there’s quite a bit of flexibility with the positioning. However, the position of the headrest remains tied to the angle of the seat back, so when you lean back, the headrest also tilts back, enabling you to take a more relaxed, yet less work-focused position.
The number of adjustments is notable; you can adjust the lumbar height, and there’s a manual air pump on the back to adjust the firmness. The seat height, angle, and depth can be adjusted. The one issue that I had was the 4D armrests, which offered an exceptional amount of flexibility over the positioning, but to a degree that was far beyond what I needed. The rotating design of the armrests is common and a love it or hate it feature. Personally, I prefer the arms rotation to be fixed.
The adjustments were, for the most part, a little heavy-handed, especially for the lumbar support. What you really need to do is settle into the seat and then carefully adjust to get your fit, which takes a while. For some, the lumbar support may feel a little too prominent.
All in all, while I like this chair, the over-flexibility of the armrest adjustment was a minor drawback; however, with plenty of fine-tuning, this is a very solid office chair with a decidedly modern look and feel.
Buy now £599.99, Flexispot.co.uk
Hinomi H2 pro
Best: Ergonomic office chair for adjustability
Upholstery : Mesh
Recommended height: 5ft1in - 6ft 6in
Maximum weight: 150kg
Seat depth: 42.4cm - 50.5cm
Seat height range: 45.72cm - 58cm
Why we love it
- Fast construction
- Solid build
- Plenty of adjustments
- Comfortable mesh covers
Take note
- Initial adjustment takes some time
Packed into a surprisingly neat box, the Hinomi H2 pro chair unfolds – quite literally – to offer you an almost ready-to-go chair. The design and aesthetic are similar to the other mesh chairs in this test, including the Flexispot C7 morpher and the Sihoo doro C300. But construction is far easier, with most of the hard work already done for you. It took less than 10 minutes to unfold and get the basics of the chair adjusted, assembled, and ready for use.
The entire structure stands out for its solid, ergonomic feel. Looking over the chair, there's also plenty of adjustment in seat height and depth, lumbar, headrest, tilt angle, and tension control for the recline. The overall layout of the chair is well-conceived, with the main height adjustment, recliner tension, and lock all easily accessible from the seated position.
Like the Sihoo and Flexispot, the H2 pro offers a high level of adjustability. The initial construction of the seat was fast, but the micro-tuning of all the adjustments took a little more time, with tweaks needed at the start to truly fit the chair to my body shape.
The level of adjustment, while high on the majority of the other chairs, takes another leap here. However, most of these adjustments are only designed to be made during the initial setup, and once done, you'll probably never need to revisit, although the lumbar depth took me a while to get right. The headrest is identical to Flexispot’s. Their bases are similar too.
I particularly liked the armrests, as while they reflect the adjustment options (raise and widen) of the other chairs in this review, the friction of the rest rotation was just a touch stiffer. I also liked that the adjustment and locking were precise, giving the seat a quality, solid feel.
There's little to separate the Flexispot C7 morpher and the Hinomi H2 pro when it comes to the quality of the design and manufacturing. But with more adjustability and solid mechanics in the armrests, the H2 Pro is better than the Flexispot in terms of comfort over longer periods. At the same time, the Flexispot feels like a better option if you're up and down from your seat throughout the day, or you want to relax with a bit of gaming.
Buy now £639.00, Hinomi.co
Sihoo doro C300
Best: Value for money from an ergonomic office chair
Upholstery: Mesh
Recommended height: 150-180 cm
Maximum weight: 136kg
Seat depth: 42.5cm
Seat height range: 47-55 cm
Why we love it
- Stylish design
- Plenty of adjustments
- Great lumbar support
- Lightweight
Take note
- Time consuming construction
- A lot of plastic
The design of the doro C3 is in line with the Flexispot C7 morpher and Hinomi H2 pro. But I soon realised that constructing it was a very different proposition – and one that I liked. While the main base is metal, it requires almost every part of it to be constructed, which means it took slightly longer than some. While this was relatively straightforward, I needed to double-check that I was bolting together the right armrest and arm. Helpfully, Sihoo has ensured that everything is relatively clearly labelled and easy to construct.
During assembly, it was obvious that this chair is cheaper than the Flexispot and Hinomi, given the use of plastic over metal. However, the quality of the plastic is exceptionally high, and gives the chair an ultra-modern and ergonomic look. Once everything is bolted together, you're left with one of the best-looking chairs I've tried, with plenty of adjustability and a very comfortable mesh-style seat.
Like the mid- to high-end office chairs that I tried, this chair has plenty of adjustability, but I particularly liked the lumbar support. The additions to the lumbar support at the lower part of the chair take some getting used to, with a linkage mechanism that enables the lumbar support to move independently from the rest of the backrest. This means that rather than your back lifting away from the support as you lean back, contact is maintained. It's a nice feeling and really elevates the overall comfort of the chair.
Once again, the 4D armrests can be spun into position, and the arm heights are independently adjustable with a pull-up and lock mechanism that seems to be common. The headrest is very simple – you can manoeuvre it into position as you need.
This is a very comfortable chair, and while it’s lighter and features more plastic than most of the other chairs here, it's a decent all-rounder. It offers the adjustment, support, and comfort you’ll need from an everyday chair at a great price.
Buy now £339.99, Amazon.co.uk
Your questions about ergonomic office chairs answered
What is the best ergonomic office chair?
The HumanScale freedom, while one of the more expensive chairs I tried, wins out for its overall comfort, while its relatively simple aesthetic hides the complexity of its design. The Herman Miller aeron is a work of art and, again, comfortable, but with a more stylish boardroom look, and a build quality and aesthetic that far surpasses the competition. The Flexispot C7 morpher and Hinomi H2 pro are extremely closely matched, and you won't be disappointed with either. However, the Sihoo doro C300, at almost half the price, balances features and costs perfectly.
How I selected the best ergonomic office chairs
I consulted experts on what to look for and then used the chairs in the same environment you would: working from my home office. When testing and comparing each chair against eachother, I considered the following:
Setting up your office chair to avoid back pain
First off, the height of the chair must match the rest of your setup. It’s best to be relatively upright when you can, but feel free to recline the backrest every now and again. As a rule of thumb, you should be as close to your desk as possible. Then, ensure your computer screen is at the same level as your eye line. Preferably, you should be looking two to three inches below the casing on the top of the screen.
Physiotherapist and director at The Swiss Touch, Laura Wilson, stresses the importance of movement throughout the day, no matter how good your ergonomic office chair may be. She says: “In an ideal world, you would stand up every 20 to 30 minutes, even if you’re just standing up and sitting down, or literally just walking around the office and sitting back down again….The same with a standing desk, you don’t want to be standing for too long, it’s all about frequent movement.”
How adjustable should my office chair be?
As a rule of thumb, the chair should enable you to sit with your feet placed flat on the floor, and there should be around 90 degrees between your hips and your knees, or a little bit more, says Wilson. If the chair doesn't adjust to allow this, or if your desk is too high for you to have your feet flat on the floor, you can always use a footrest.
Look for chairs with adjustable lumbar support that can be fine-tuned to the natural curve of your lower back. The ability to recline slightly can take pressure off your spine, so it’s best to use a chair with adjustable tilt tension to control the resistance. As for armrests, these should be adjustable so that they allow your elbows to be in line with the desk.
How to protect your carpet from office chairs
An office chair mat will create a level of protection between your chair and the floor, helping to reduce friction and damage to the carpet fibres. For chairs without wheels, chair coasters offer similar protection.
How to clean an ergonomic chair
For chrome and plastic components, such as arm rests, you can simply wipe them clean – dampen a cloth with a mix of water and mild dish soap to tackle any stubborn marks, and be sure to dry the areas thoroughly afterwards.
When it comes to fabric components, it’s best to avoid liquid cleaning solutions. Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get rid of any dust or crumbs that have accumulated on the seat and backrest of your chair. If you happen to spill your coffee (or any other fluid) on the fabric of your ergonomic chair, soak up as much of the liquid as possible and use a suitable fabric cleaner to spot clean any remaining stains – it’s a good idea to test cleaning solutions on a small, inconspicuous area, to make sure the product won’t discolour the fabric of your chair.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Alastair Jennings is a technology journalist with more than 30 years’ experience. He has carried out thorough, hands-on testing with countless pieces of kit, from cameras to laptops. Alastair reviewed the Bambu Lab H2D laser full combo 3D printer for The Independent, for instance. And as a journalist, he’s a WFH pro, meaning he understands the twinges and annoyances that come with sitting on the wrong chair. After hours of use, these are the models that passed his tests.
For more ways to make working from home more comfortable, read our round-up of the best laptop stands
