The best ergonomic office chairs for your home office, tested by our team

How we test office chairs

Our expert tester gets started just like you would at home – by assembling each chair. They analyse the instructions and whether any tools are provided, and even what the packaging is like.

Once the chairs are up, we look at general wear and tear. We mark each one with everyday household stains such as tea, coffee, biro, and ketchup, before seeing how easy the chair is to clean – both immediately after staining and when left to set in for 24 hours.

Finally, our team at the Good Housekeeping Institute takes turns to work from each chair and share their verdicts. At least five people try each chair for half a day.

All the testing is then tallied up to award a final score.

Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute

With 100 years of testing under our belts, we have lots of experience to draw on when analysing new products. Our homes tester, Masudah Khatun, looks after our home office reviews, making sure we’re judging each product rigorously and fairly, from ergonomic chairs to the best standing desks.

Our senior homes and lifestyle writer, Megan Geall, ensures that the testing protocols cover everything you might want from an office chair, and that we’re including the leading brands and latest launches across the category. She then transforms Masudah’s findings into easy-to-read reviews, so that you can find the best buy for you.

What is an ergonomic office chair?

Ergonomic chairs are specifically designed to provide support for your body. But we wanted to understand more about why they're worth investing in, so we asked Dr Lara Shemtob, an occupational health expert who writes a weekly newsletter on health and work, to tell us more.

“Posture at work is important to get right because it affects musculoskeletal health and therefore productivity,” says Dr Lara. "The two are inextricably linked in a work context, so there are clear incentives for optimising a desk set-up.

“Chairs are one piece of the puzzle when it comes to work, health and productivity. It always surprises me how many people spend hours uninterrupted at unsuitable and sometimes even unstable chairs.”

So, where we’re sat is crucial for concentration, as well as our overall health. But Dr Lara has a caveat: “Having an amazing chair is not a panacea when it comes to work and health,” she explains.

Instead, it should be “part of a wider, good occupational health set-up,” which, yes, includes your workstation, but also extends to the culture of the company where you work. Ultimately, Dr Lara says that lots of factors contribute to workplace health and productivity, so while having the right chair is important, it’s worth taking a holistic look at your office environment.

What is the best sitting position for working?

So how do we ensure we're sitting comfortably? “There's no one perfect desk set-up that suits everyone,” says Dr Lara. "However, as a guide, when seated, the lower back should be supported. Forearms should be able to rest horizontally, and your eye level should be roughly at the same height as the top of the display screen equipment. Feet should be able to rest flat on the floor, with your knees at 90 degrees.”

Dr Lara also recommends looking for “chairs with functioning adjustment mechanisms for seat back height, tilt and castors or gliders.”

"For people with musculoskeletal conditions who find movement a helpful way of managing symptoms such as pain and stiffness, the best standing desks or standing desk attachments can be useful,” she adds.

Finally, she recommends, “identifying and reducing tasks that involve repetitive motions and encouraging regular movement breaks.” Really want to get some movement in while you work? We've also tested the best walking pads and best under-desk bikes.

What to look for in an ergonomic office chair

So, ergonomic chairs are a good investment for your home and your health. But they don’t all offer the same level of support, so here are some things to consider before you buy.

Design

Decide if you’d like a head rest or a lumbar pad (for extra lower back support), and whether you need wheels.

Then consider the adjustable features Dr Lara mentions above – most office chairs allow you to alter the height of the seat and potentially the arm rests, but for even more tailored support, look for chairs that let you adjust the tilt or back height.

Of course, design encompasses aesthetics too, but really the way these chairs look is secondary to the support they offer.

Assembly

If you suffer from back pain, it may be advisable to look for a chair that will arrive already assembled, rather than building one yourself.

If you're suffering from back pain or stiffness at work, we recommend consulting a specialist for dedicated advice.

The verdict on ergonomic office chairs

With adjustable head, back and lumbar support, the Flexispot Flexi-Chair Ergonomic Office Chair BS8 is hard to beat when it comes to its ergonomic design.

It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing though; that crown goes to Herman Miller’s Sayl Office Chair with its customisable cushion.

But both will set you back a fair bit, so if you’re on a budget, we suggest John Lewis’ Anyday Dorsal Office Chair – it’s a simpler design but was still a comfortable hit with our testing team.

31 July 2025: We updated this article by checking prices and stock levels and by restructuring the page to make the shopping experience even better.