The Best Office Chairs for a Comfortable Workday - Buy Side from WSJ

If you have to sit all day, you deserve a great ergonomic office chair

Written By

Written by

Contributor, Buy Side from WSJ

Jenni Gritters is a contributor to Buy Side from WSJ.

Updated October 14, 2024, 5:46 PM EDT

$1371

$499

$96

$350

$1805

$1072

Many health experts have adopted the mantra: “Sitting is the new smoking.” And their worries aren't unfounded: Research shows a link between sitting for long periods and increased blood pressure, unhealthy levels of cholesterol and higher risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. If your job requires sitting, then buying an ergonomic, supportive, adjustable and comfortable office chair is incredibly important. Pair that with a standing desk and behavioral changes such as standing up every 90 minutes (or less), and you're likely to stay healthier and experience less back pain.

We consulted with physical therapists about chair ergonomics, tested nine of the most popular office chairs and found the Steelcase Gesture to be the best option thanks to its fantastic adjustability, ease of use and comfort. We also identified a few other well-made, comfortable and supportive chairs: The Autonomous ErgoChair Pro is the best for ergonomics, the Union & Scale Essentials Fabric Task Chair performed surprisingly well at a lower price, and the Laura Davidson Soho II is ideal for those who appreciate a more executive style.

Buy Side Top Pick

$1371 at steelcase

This office chair offers superior adjustability, ease of use, ergonomic support and top-notch comfort.

The best office chair we tested, and the model we recommend for most sitters, is the Steelcase Gesture. It carries a higher price tag than some of the competition, but the cost is worth it for the adjustability, comfort and durability you get-especially if you plan to sit in this chair day after day, week after week, month after month.

Compared with the other chairs we tried, the Gesture is one of the most adjustable. You can fine-tune seat depth, armrest height and positioning with easy knob adjustments. This is important because the best chair is the best chair for you; if you can't adapt the features to fit your body, you'll start to experience pain quite quickly. Adjustability also impacts ergonomics, as you can set up the chair to support your specific height, weight and positioning needs. We especially appreciated the lumbar support, which was superior to that of the other chairs we tried, even on the base-model Gesture. Our experts highlighted lumbar support as being absolutely necessary for preventing lower-back aches. The Gesture also has a larger height range than most models, including 3 extra inches over the Autonomous ErgoChair Pro.

The Steelcase ordering process allows you to customize many parts of the chair for an extra fee, including the backing materials (upholstery or shell), color of the materials and base, added lumbar support and special wheels for hardwood floors. We found the Gesture took only about three minutes to build, as it arrived almost fully assembled. But it's heavier than some of its competitors, which makes it tough to move. It doesn't roll well across the carpet or hardwood floors, but that is not necessarily a deal breaker. In fact, it's somewhat of a benefit because the chair doesn't move when you don't want it to. (If you prefer a smoother glide, consider rollerblade-style wheel replacements.) We ordered the most basic version of the Gesture and found ourselves wishing that it had a headrest, which was recommended as "nice to have" by our experts. That said, you can choose to have the chair configured with an adjustable headrest if you'd like, for an extra cost.

I found that after a long day of work, my neck and back didn't ache at all after sitting in the Gesture like they did with other chairs. Steelcase's chair is quite hardy, too. Customer reviews note that it lasts for years, and the brand offers a lifetime warranty program (which varies by country) if you experience any issues.

$499 at Autonomous

This comfortable chair can be adjusted to support many body types, with lumbar support and premium armrest positioning.

At roughly a third of the cost of our favorite chair, the Steelcase Gesture, the Autonomous ErgoChair Pro offers many of the same features and arguably improved ergonomics, with a headrest, superior lumbar support and adjustability on nearly every single element of the chair. The ErgoChair Pro's seat height, seat depth, headrest and armrests can all be changed to adapt to the needs of the individual. It meets all the marks for maintaining proper working posture, too, as per our experts' recommendations. Unlike the Gesture, which doesn't have a headrest at all unless you choose an upgrade, the ErgoChair Pro's headrest comes standard, and it was the most comfortable one we tried, offering an up-and-down rotation that accommodates both taller and shorter people.

The ErgoChair Pro can be easily rolled across carpet and hardwood because it's lightweight and the wheels are made well. Reviewers are largely positive when it comes to durability, and we found the seat fabric to be hardy (it's made with polyester fabric that can be spot-cleaned, on top of molded foam), and the breathable mesh backing is ideal on hot days. Autonomous offers a two-year warranty and claims to make their products with sustainable materials.

There are only minor downsides to the ErgoChair Pro. The seat height is slightly lower than that of our top choice, which can be an annoyance for anyone over 6 feet tall, and the armrests also have less range than those on the Gesture. All that adjustability can be complicated to learn, too; we found that it took a few hours to get the hang of it.

$96 at Amazon

$100 at Staples

$180 save $80

This desk chair is highly adjustable for its price and includes a tilted backrest and easy height adjustment, but you lose out on style and lumbar support.

The lower-cost office chair category is rife with poor materials, subpar adjustability, uncomfortable armrests and headrests, and a lack of mobility. But the Union & Scale Essentials Fabric Task Chair, which usually costs about $100, was the best lower-price chair by a mile. It has a lower-than-average range of adjustability compared with higher-price chairs, but is superior to other lower-price chairs like the popular IKEA Markus (which costs nearly three times as much). The Union & Scale's backrest tilts and locks into position, so you can lean forward without the chair reverting to its original position every time. The lumbar support is minimal but present and the armrests, while stationary, served both me and my very tall husband just fine. A headrest would have been nice, but the headrest on the company's FlexFit Hyken chair, an apparent upgrade to the Essentials, was so poorly designed that we found ourselves happy to go without.

Compared with the other lower-cost chairs we tried, the Essentials has easy-to-use adjustment knobs, and it's lightweight enough to roll well across carpets and hardwood floors. The materials are nicer and sturdier than the comparable Markus, but this chair isn't likely to last as long as the others on this list, nor is it as comfortable. After a day spent working in this chair, I happily switched it out for the Steelcase Gesture because my tailbone was starting to hurt, but that was the case with every chair in this price range. Aesthetically, the Essentials is not much to look at, but you can choose from five different colors, depending on where you purchase the chair. Union & Scale also notes that your warranty terms depend on where you buy. If you purchase from Staples, for example, you can get a seven-year warranty that covers you for design defects. Staples is responsible for submitting that warranty request to Union & Scale. This is a much more complicated warranty system than the other chairs we looked at have, and seemingly less reliable.

$350 at Amazon

This attractive leather office chair is surprisingly comfortable and hardy, but lacking in adjustability.

Chairs that are both comfortable and stylish are not a given. This can be especially true with executive chairs, known for their high backs and luxe looks but often low on ergonomic options. The Laura Davidson Soho II Padded Management Chair was a surprisingly strong contender in our tests because it's comfortable and hardy, with a chic, boss-style look. It's far less adjustable than the other chairs we tried, with a static seat depth and tilt, nonadjustable armrests and stationary lumbar support. There's no headrest, either. But the two levers (which adjust seat height and backrest recline) are easy to use. It's also heavier than we expected given the size, but it rolls well enough across carpet and hardwood floors.

My 180-pound husband, an ergonomics nut, was an unwilling fan of this chair; he wanted to hate it, but noted that “the extra cushion on both the lumbar and thoracic sections of the chair were ideal.” I also loved this chair, despite its lack of adjustability, mostly because of the aesthetics: Its Midcentury Modern design is sleek and shiny, with many leather color options available and smooth lines across both the leather and the polished steel. Laura Davidson offers a two-year full warranty on your purchase, and you can also opt for its 60-day trial if you're not sure how the Soho II chair will look in your office space.

$1805 at Herman Miller

$1805 at Design Within Reach

The highest-price chair we tried, the Herman Miller Aeron Chair, was similar in terms of comfort and support to our best overall pick, the Steelcase Gesture. If the Gesture is out of stock, we think the Aeron is a worthy runner-up. It comes fully built, requiring no assembly, and is easy to adjust in terms of height, lumbar support and seat depth. The armrests were not as adjustable as the Gesture's, which was a disappointment, and the bowl-shaped seat was less comfortable for both our testers, compared with the Gesture's wing-shaped seat. It also doesn't have a headrest like the Autonomous ErgoChair does. But the Aeron has high-quality, breathable fabric on the seat and offers the kind of ergonomic support you'll need if you'll be sitting for long hours each day.

$1072 at steelcase

The Steelcase Karman, a lower-cost option compared with the Steelcase Gesture, came fully assembled, which was a nice touch. Like the Gesture, it was simple to control, with height adjustment and a backrest tilt, as well as adjustable (and sturdy) armrests. But this chair doesn't offer adjustments to the seat position, which is a problem for anyone who is taller or shorter than average, and can lead to poor posture. The Karman is also missing the top-notch lumbar support of the Gesture, and it lacks a headrest. Overall, it's a fairly good office chair if you'd like to spend a bit less than the Gesture costs.

The minimalist, lower-price IKEA Markus Office Chair took just 10 minutes to put together, but as with many IKEA products, you'll need to use a complex instruction manual (pictures only) to assemble the chair; thankfully there aren't many pieces. The Markus is less adjustable than the other chairs in this guide, with only two levers for height adjustment and back support, and no adjustment for the armrests or minimally padded headrest. Overall we found it rigid and uncomfortable.

The Branch Ergonomic Chair was complicated to build; assembly took double the time of most of the other chairs due to the many parts and the absence of instructions. Beware of the wobbly armrests; you'll need to read through the instructions about how to fix them, and they move freely enough that they can feel less sturdy even after you do. That said, we liked that the armrests are customizable (you can place the pads forward or backward) and we found the seat and backrest to be comfortable. The basic version of this chair doesn't come with a headrest, and the chair itself fit me, but was too short for my tall husband.

The Union & Scale FlexFit Hyken Mesh Task Chair is an upgrade to the Essentials that we didn't like as much. The build time was as long as that of the Branch chair, and it has only two adjustable features: height and backrest. The headrest was the most uncomfortable one we tested; it's not very adjustable and forced my head forward into a position that wasn't sustainable for work. Despite being a foot taller, my husband experienced the same thing. The seat was also less comfortable than other chairs of the same price. One bonus: The Hyken is easy to move across any surface because of its small size.

I'm a freelance journalist who has been writing product reviews and feature stories for over a decade. I have worked as a full-time editor at Wirecutter, where I reviewed and wrote about outdoor, travel, parenting and sleep products. Since then, I've written product-focused stories for Reviewed, Slate, Wirecutter, Gear Patrol, Forbes, REI and others. I've also worked from home for the past decade, so I'm quite accustomed to the neck pain associated with crouching over a laptop all day, or the back pain that comes from sitting on an old office chair with my legs tucked up under me. And I have a bit of knowledge about ergonomics too, given that I'm a trained yoga teacher.

I also spoke with three experts in office ergonomics to understand what makes a good office chair, and what we can all do to avoid the poor effects of sitting all day long. Melinda Sganga, a physical therapist at the Fyzical Therapy and Balance Centers, helped me understand proper posture while sitting. Lindy Royer, a physical therapist and Pilates instructor from the Center for Movement, talked with me about different chair features, including headrests, tilted seat and seat firmness. And physical therapist Jasmine Marcus provided insight into the research on sitting in one place for too long.

We spent several hours researching the best office chairs out there, and read dozens of customer reviews. In the end, we opted to test chairs that met the following criteria:

Moyer explains that you should test any chair to make sure it accomplishes the following for your posture:

After finishing our research, we picked nine chairs to test. My husband and I assembled the chairs (if needed-some of the more premium options came fully built). We used the instructions provided in the box and took note of when we needed to Google a feature. We also timed the build process. Then we tested each chair in our home office for two days; we both work primarily from home.

My husband is tall (6 feet 3 inches), while I'm petite (5 feet 3 inches), so we were able to compare notes to see which chairs worked best for both of us. Each morning, we set the chairs, adjusting the seat height, depth, armrests, headrests, lumbar support and beyond, according to expert recommendations. We took notes on how easy or difficult that process was. We quickly eliminated the chairs we didn't love, then continued to use the best options for two more weeks at home, scooting them around to provide seating when guests were in town and even using them for sessions at the piano.

Jenni Gritters is a contributor to Buy Side from WSJ.

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The Best Office Chairs for a Comfortable Workday - Buy Side from WSJ