To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED Compact Office Desk
You have probably given more thought to the mattress you sleep on than the chair you sit on. That’s fine! Sleep is extremely important. But if you spend several hours—more than eight, if you’re like me—at your desk, it’s a good idea to give the humble chair more attention. Finding the best office chair is not just about finding a comfortable seat. The right materials can whisk away body heat, and adjustability options can tailor the chair to your body. We’ve spent the past two years sitting on more than 50 office chairs, and these are our favorites.
Be sure to check out our other buying guides, including the Best Laptop Stands, Best Work-From-Home Gear, Best Mattresses, and the Best Window Air Conditioners.
Updated May 2024: We’ve added Razer Iskur V2, Razer Fujin Pro, Hinomi X1, BodyBilt Midcelli, and mentioned the Branch Verve’s new headrest.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
A good chair often means one that offers a variety of adjustments. Branch's Ergonomic Chair fits this criterion. It's surprisingly easy to assemble in minutes (the instructions are great), and there are tons of little tweaks you can make to dial it the fit. You can push the armrest back and forward, up and down; the seat can extend out or be pushed in; you can lock the recline. There's even adjustable lumbar support. The chair does all this while managing to look sleek—there are several colors to choose from—without an outlandish price. (There's no headrest, but you can pay to add one.)
It doesn't keep my back as upright as I'd like, but the double-woven nylon mesh backrest feels nice to lean against. The seat is made of high-density foam—it's firm yet comfy—and it doesn't trap heat as much as other foam seats I've tried. It's a great chair for a variety of body sizes; my 6'4" self enjoyed sitting on it, as did my 5'1" partner. Fair warning though: Pet hair tends to cling to the upholstery, and I've noticed the fabric on the front end of the seat tends to pill quite quickly.
The humble Hyken is frequently available for just $160 during big sale events, making it one of the most affordable good chairs out there. It reclines, has a breathable mesh fabric on the back and seat, and it's sturdy. You even get a headrest and lumbar support. After four years of continuous sitting, WIRED reviewers say the Hyken's mesh has compressed a bit, but it's still comfy. However, it may not be the best option if you need a wider seat.
★ Alternative: If you need a wider seat, the Giantex Executive Chair ($230) is a fine option. It has a strange setup process I haven't seen before where you slide the backrest into grooves on the seat base. This backrest doesn't go all the way down into said grooves, apparently by design. This is odd, but it didn't cause any issues. The foam padding on the seat and backrest is plush and cushiony, you can make decent adjustments, and you can raise or lower the lumbar support. The reclining mechanism is a bit stiff. Just know that this chair seems to be a clone of the Clatina Mellet, which I haven't tried.
Take everything about the Branch Ergonomic Chair and upgrade it a notch—that's the Branch Verve. It looks more elegant (especially in the lovely Coral color), it keeps my back straighter, it's quite comfy, and it can make nearly the same adjustments with a higher level of polish. Nearly. The armrests only go up and down, which is limiting. I also wouldn't have minded if the seat was a smidge wider—folks who need a wider seat may want to look elsewhere.
After more than a year, Branch finally released a headrest for this chair, but disappointingly, it's only compatible with newer versions that have screw holes under the top of the chair's frame. That means if you bought the Verve when it originally launched, in 2022, you're out of luck. The company sent me the new version, and I installed the headrest—a very simple process—and I still really like the chair overall. The headrest doesn't go as high as I'd like, but this won't be an issue for most people, as I'm 6' 4".
I try to sit on these chairs for several weeks if not months, but I rarely can sit on one for years as I have so many to test. However, I have a friend who owns the Verve who said that after more than two years, the chair started to sink whenever he sat on it. Thankfully, he says Branch's customer service was very responsive and is sending him a new cylinder.
If your budget can stretch a little over $500, I think it's worth shelling out for the Branch Verve above. However, if you must have a headrest and need a wider seat, then take a look at the Autonomous ErgoChair Pro. I sat on it for a month with no major problems, except that the box it came in was massive and barely fit through my front door. The levers under the chair also aren't super intuitive—I highly recommend checking out this video from the company when you first set it up to dial in your preferences.
All the standard adjustments are present, from seat depth and lumbar support to fine-tuning the recline. What surprised me more was the ability to tilt the seat so it's angled down—you don't see that in many chairs. The overall build quality has been solid, and I even enjoyed the headrest when I kicked back to watch House during lunch. The only woes? I wish there was a locking mechanism for the arms, as they tend to slide back and forth. And while the foam seat is quite comfy, it can get warm if you're in a toasty room (though the mesh back helps keep things cool).
Steelcase's Gesture is comfortable, no matter how you're sitting. Tuck one leg under the other, cross your legs at the knee, or sling one over the armrest, and you'll be fairly well-supported. The adjustments also have a wide range, so you can precisely tailor the whole package to your body and posture. Unfortunately, it isn't as breathable as other cheaper chairs, and the upholstered fabric hasn't held up as well as other pricey chairs like the Herman Miller Embody (see below). That said, there are several different fabrics you can choose from, and Steelcase also has one of the best warranties around (12 years).
We initially had this chair as an alternative to the Embody, but the Herman Miller chair has exploded in price since we tested it. The Gesture costs much less but comes close in quality.
I sat on Steelcase's Karman for more than three months, and it's my new favorite all-mesh chair, especially since it has a smaller footprint than some of its peers. These types of office chairs are great for people who run warm or are generally working in hot spaces—maybe you don't want to run the window AC all day. The Karman's Intermix mesh fabric was comfy to sit on—I'm 6'4" but my 5'1" wife also likes it—and it didn't feel abrasive against the skin.
There's not much to adjust here, and that's by design—the company says the chair “responds automatically to your weight.” You can raise or lower the seat and the armrests, lock the recline, and adjust the angle of the armrests, but that's about it. It doesn't have any traditional lumbar support, though you can add it as an upgrade during checkout. I didn't need it. Even after long stretches on the chair, my back felt well-supported. Most importantly, my body never ran too hot.
★ A cheaper alternative: The Nouhaus Ergo3D Ergonomic Office Chair ($360) is another all-mesh chair. The ElastoMesh seat isn't as comfy (it'll feel worse on the skin if you, uh, tend to sit at your desk without pants). It's otherwise quite adjustable and roomy, plus it even comes with two sets of wheels (casters or rollerblades) so you can choose which works best for you and your flooring. If you're in a particularly hot environment, it won't trap heat and will keep your whole body cool for a fraction of the price.
You might be wondering why a “chair” for easing back pain is a stool with no backrest. Well, that's because The Ariel 1.0 targets the sitz bones in your pelvis to ensure you're sitting upright. The base of the stool rocks around slightly so your body will continually shift a little throughout the day, but most importantly, it made me want to get up and move. That might sound like a bad thing, but movement is one of the best ways to counter the woes of sitting in a chair all day. If you want to transition from a chair to one of these, you should definitely ease into it and follow the company's instructions. I started by using it for 30 minutes a day because sitting on it for any longer just left me really sore. After a week of gradually increasing the length of time, my back pain started to disappear, and I felt my posture improve whenever I was away from my desk.
The company has since released The Ariel 2.0, which is pricier but has a comfier seat and a little more stability, but I have not tested this model yet. I've written more in-depth about these kinds of active chairs here. The consensus, after speaking to experts, is that you're better off getting a normal chair and introducing more movement into your workday, even if you're just standing up to get some water every hour. After testing several active chairs, the Ariel 1.0 was the one that felt most effective, but there's a good chance you don't need it.
I was prepared to hate the Zeph. Don't get me wrong, it looks wonderful—there are dozens of color customizations, and it looks nothing like many of the chairs in this guide. But you can only raise the seat up or down. That's it. You'll find nothing else to adjust here. Turns out, that's OK! This lack of adjustability is intentional as the Zeph is shaped to mold around your body. I sat on this plastic one-piece seat for a month and didn't experience any of the back pain I sometimes feel from switching to a new chair. It feels supportive for my 6'4" frame (my 5'1" wife likes it too), and it even makes a decent recliner. I strongly suggest you get the seat pad and arms, which add a smidge more comfort, though this will jack the price up.
The seat pad is made of 50 percent recycled polyester yarn and generates zero fabric waste. (It's also easy to remove and clean.) The padding is thin, and while I wouldn't say it's supremely comfortable, I've had no qualms. The Zeph is compact, making it a great option for smaller spaces. I still think most people will prefer having the option to adjust a chair to their liking, but if you don't want to fuss with knobs and levers, this is the chair for you. Oh, and I should mention the excellent 12-year warranty.
Maybe you work in a nook. Maybe you work in a hallway. Maybe you share home office space with one or two others. If space is at a premium in your WFH arrangement, you don't have room for a big, luxurious chair. So get this small, luxurious chair instead. Measuring 20 inches wide and 21 inches deep, the Path is one of our most compact picks (even more than the Zeph). Its minimal design features tiny arms that don't jut out. Even better, the fully configurable chair can be ordered with no arms at all, which makes it more manageable in tight spaces and also lowers the price.
Humanscale is one of the more forward-thinking office furniture companies when it comes to sustainable design. Each Path chair contains almost 22 pounds of recycled materials—mostly plastic bottles and ocean plastics—and the many textile options include an Eco Knit material made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester. The recycled fabric is comfy, cool, and easy to get clean. The chair arrives in a minimal cardboard box with the three chair pieces (legs, seat, and back) wrapped in compostable bags. Like Humanscale's Freedom Headrest (see below), this Path task chair earns high marks for its minimal ecological impact. It's also just a comfortable chair, with Humanscale's ergonomic reclining mechanism on the back and a smoothly supportive cylinder beneath the seat.
It might take you a week or two (maybe even a month) to get used to the Herman Miller Embody, but it's well worth your patience. This is what I fall back to after testing all other chairs, and it always feels like a breath of fresh air. Its upright positioning supports my back well and eased lingering back pain from years of sitting in a cheap gaming chair. The seat feels rigid at first but eventually becomes surprisingly pillowy, and the armrests stay firmly in place. It does a nice job of whisking heat away from my body, though not as well as all-mesh chairs. It's one of the most adjustable chairs around: You can pull out the seat, change the height and angle of the armrests, and tweak the Backfit adjustment to follow your spine's natural curve.
Did I mention it's pretty? I'd argue this is one of the most eye-catching chairs around, especially with the rib-like design on the back. Not to mention the surprisingly small footprint. I know, I know, it's incredibly spendy—I bought it for roughly $1,465 back in 2020 and the price has skyrocketed since. But what's amazing is that after more than three years in this chair, it feels just as good as new with barely any squeaks. Herman Miller offers a 12-year warranty that covers every part of the Embody, and the chair arrives completely assembled. Pick one of the Medley upholstery choices with the graphite base finish to see the lowest price.
When I leaned back in the Humanscale Freedom Headrest—which we wrote about more than 20 years ago—I felt bliss. Designed by the famed Niels Diffrient, this chair gracefully supports my back like a mother gently laying a baby in a crib. If you tend to recline, this is the chair for you. By design, there aren't as many adjustments you can make compared to other high-end chairs; the idea is that the chair will adapt to your own body. For example, there's no way to lock the chair so it won't recline, but it never reclined when I didn't want it to. You can adjust the lumbar support, seat height, armrest height, and seat depth—I often had to readjust the headrest, as it tends to slide down—but otherwise, this chair pretty much lets you set it and forget it. It even comes fully assembled. There's a 15-year warranty to boot. The armrests are just about the only part I don't like as much—it's easy to adjust them accidentally when you shift in the seat. After more than a year of sitting on it, I've only noticed some pilling at the seat edge of the fabric.
If you don't care for the headrest, there's a version without it. And sustainability-wise, this is a net positive product, meaning the company does more good than bad by making one of these chairs. For instance, Humanscale has rainwater capture systems in its manufacturing sites and uses this for all final assembly. The product's environmental rating is certified by the International Living Future Institute, a nonprofit organization.
There's a reason the classic Aeron is the chair of choice in many offices: It's durable, supportive, and airy. It comes in three sizes—A, B, and C, with C being the largest—and you're able to adjust pretty much everything on the chair to suit your body. That includes the arms, seat depth, and lumbar support. That said, we don't recommend splurging on a brand-new Aeron. There's a very good chance you can find one for significantly less than full price at a local furniture reseller, on eBay, or on Facebook Marketplace. Or you can luck out like WIRED senior editor Michael Calore, who walked away with a free Aeron after a startup in his town closed up shop.
Cheap Desk Tables Read our guide on buying used gear on eBay to make sure you don't overpay.