The Best Office Chairs of 2022

Best Ergonomic Chair

Hands-down the most comfortable chair we’ve yet sat in. The mesh seat and back provide lots of support yet are airy enough to keep up from getting too hot. It can be adjusted in every way possible and comes in three sizes, so it can be adapted to fit just about everyone. It has a high asking price, though, so check for discounts and pre-owned models.

This top-tier chair allows you to adjust everything, including more esoteric things, like the tension of eight zones of the fabric (including the important lumbar support) and the tilt and angle of the armrests. It also supports working in two profiles: one for when you are leaning forward and another for when you are leaning back and reclining.

View Price on Amazon

Best Budget Chair

While sleeker than most other office chairs, there’s nothing overly flashy about the Branch Ergonomic Chair, and maybe that’s a good thing. Once we settled into this $300 office chair, we largely forgot about it as sat on it while working from home. But isn’t that the point of any good office chair?

The Branch Ergonomic Chair has seven adjustment points (the height and width of the armrests, as well as how far forward you want them, seat height, backrest angle, and position of the seat relative to the backrest), which were easy to change. Our one critique is that its padded seat didn’t feel as comfortable as mesh seats.

View Price on Amazon

Great Ergonomic Chair

If you struggle with back pain, you want a chair that adjusts to you. While many chairs can be tweaked to your requirement, the Steelcase Leap takes an alternative approach: It shifts as you use it. The back bends, the lumbar support shifts and the entire chair tilts as you adjust your position; you set these by using three controls that allow you to tweak how you configure the chair for your spine, lumbar region and posture. That makes this chair a great pick for people with chronic back or spinal issues, as adjusting these controls can make a chair much more comfortable.

While the Leap has more of a traditional office chair look than the Herman Miller Aeron, we preferred the back support of the Leap, which felt a bit more firm. The Leap also comes in many more color options, too.

The Steelcase Leap isn’t cheap, though; at around $1,000, it is one of the more expensive chairs we looked at. That might be a sound investment if you use it a lot and want something that can be adjusted to suit your mood.

View Price on Amazon

Comfortable Budget Chair

The Hon Exposure is like the Honda Civic of office chairs: It’s dependable, it’s affordable, it gets the job done, but isn’t the flashiest of seating. The Hon Exposure, which costs around $200, has the usual adjustable arms and height, but also has lumbar support, which can be moved in and out to provide support for your lower back.

We found the Hon Exposure comfortable, but a bit firmer than the Branch Ergonomic Chair, which also had a bit more style — but is also about $90 more expensive. In all, you can’t go wrong with the Hon Exposure, but there are more exciting models out there.

View Price on Amazon

Best Value Chair

What sets this chair apart is its design. It is undeniably Ikea with the simple, modern look so typical of the Swedish manufacturer. The ‘Glose Back’ version has a comfortable, padded leather seat, which not only looks the part, but with its protective coating, is durable and easy to keep clean too. The breathable mesh backing – which is generally a feature of more expensive chairs – ensures that you can stay cool and supported, which is important during the hours of Zoom calls and long working sessions.

Though the Markus chair doesn’t have as many adjustable features as some other chairs, its height and tilt can be easily adjusted and the back can be locked in place to provide a comfortable upright seating position or a more relaxed reclined one. The armrests are padded but do not adjust, and although there’s a built-in headrest, it’s not adjustable, which might be a problem for some people. Despite this, many tall people love this chair, which suggests the headrest and other features are set in the most ergonomic positions.

Effective lumbar support is considered essential for good back health and correct posture is known to help alleviate back tension. The Markus chair can help, thanks to its supportive mesh back and built-in lumbar support.

View Price on Amazon