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Sep 24, 2023

Best Office Chairs 2023

Our evaluations and opinions are not influenced by our advertising

Our evaluations and opinions are not influenced by our advertising relationships, but we may earn a commission from our partners’ links. This content is created independently from TIME's editorial staff. Learn more.

If your back and shoulders ache the moment you take a break from productivity, schoolwork, or online play, it's time to upgrade to the best office chair for you. A premium office chair is an important investment for anyone who sits in their home office for hours on end. Buyers who don't know the essential features to consider when shopping for a new office chair may end up bringing home an uncomfortable burden instead of an ergonomic blessing.

The good news is that there are plenty of quality office chairs available for anyone who values comfort, adjustability, and a sense of style.

No matter what you plan to do while you sit, do yourself a favor by budgeting for the best ergonomic office chair you can afford.

Like how purchasing a quality bed will provide a more restful night's sleep and a more productive day than a cheap mattress, spending more on a superior office chair is worth the lumbar support, contoured seat, and overall comfort you will feel when you are behind the keyboard and for a long time afterward.

Some of the most essential features to look for when comparing office chairs include a body-supporting ergonomic design, multiple adjustable components, and models that offer additional customizability options, so you can design an office chair to suit your exact needs and style.

You would expect an office chair made with the combined expertise of an acclaimed chair designer and a professional chiropractor to be the best option for anyone who sits for eight or more hours a day, but all33's Axion exceeds those expectations by a mile. The Axion gently cradles the user's spine and its innovative design moves alongside the body's natural back, shoulder, and hip movements to deliver the best ergonomic design on the market. It may be a little pricey, but between how the design promotes proper posture and provides consistent comfort, an Axion office chair is well-worth buying for workplace professionals who spend the majority of their day in the seated position, an Axion office chair is well-worth buying for workplace professionals who spend the majority of their day in the seated position.

Office professionals looking for a fully customizable office chair will appreciate the huge list of options offered by X-Chair's X2 K-Sport Mgmt Chair. While the core X2 package is a solid choice due to its spine-bracing lumbar support and range of adjustment features, some of the premium perks offered include a cozy heating system, integrated cooling fans, and multiple massage modes. Whether you need a headrest that pivots with your neck movements, a powerful massage, locking wheels, or a combination of all three and more, X-Chair is the best choice for anyone considering a custom office chair.

Steelcase clearly went above and beyond to create an office chair for everyone with the stylish and durable Gesture. The Gesture's rugged polished aluminum base supports up to 400lbs, actively cradles the user's spine via its brilliantly designed 3D LiveBack support system, and is offered in 20 vibrant fabric colors so this ergonomic chair looks perfect in anyone's office. With its array of adjustable parts, ability to fit all sizes, and easy customizability, the Gesture is not to be overlooked.

Anyone seeking a plush surface, top-level durability, and a design made for all-day comfortable sitting needs to look at the Razer Enki Pro. Razer knows exactly what dedicated PC gamers want, and the rugged Enki Pro delivers with its super-soft Alcantara fabric, extra-wide seating surface, automatic reclining feature, and supportive backrest. Its bold colors may not suit everyone's tastes, but the Enki Pro is the best office chair for staying cozy while blasting zombies from your gaming room.

Gamers of all fandoms and body types will enjoy customizing the TITAN Evo 2022 Series to become their ultimate office chair. Not only are Secretlab's best office chairs relatively affordable, they are available in small, regular, and extra-large, making the TITAN Evo 2022 Series a must-have model for taller and shorter users. The variety of cool pop culture designs based on fan-favorites like Overwatch, Attack on Titan, and The Joker will catch your eye, but people who adopt a TITAN Evo 2022 Series will enjoy this office chair's wide reclining angle, lumbar support that automatically adjusts to the user's spine movements, and sturdy aluminum base designed to last for years to come.

Nouhaus’ Rewind Ergonomic Office Chair is the best pick for anyone who spends a substantial amount of time in their home office, but especially for those who would value the ability to kick back and rest in their ergonomically designed recliner whenever they have a little down time. While the Rewind's key feature is its retractable footrest and steep reclining feature, this innovative office chair also provides dynamic lumbar support, premium wheels, and a handy coat rack hook.

If you are looking for a modern office chair for short-term sitting in the home office, Humanscale's core-strengthening Ballo is an unconventional office chair that stands apart from the competition. Portable and surprisingly comfortable, its unusual design promotes a healthy posture and allows the body to move more freely than the average office chair. Inflating your office chair with a hand pump may seem strange at first, but tossing this 13.5lb seat in the closet whenever you need more room is a major plus for anyone working in a small space.

Branch's Ergonomic Chair proves that you do not have to spend a fortune to upgrade the home office with a premium office chair to comfortably support your spine throughout the average workday. Available in black, gray, and light blue, this stylish model sports seven adjustment points, breezy nylon fabric, and is extremely easy to assemble. It's soothing lumbar support and proper posture-promoting backrest which makes the Ergonomic Chair a steal at only $329.

There are plenty of ergonomic office chairs on the market, but only Humanscale's Smart Ocean is made with nearly 2lbs. of repurposed netting and plastic waste pulled from the world's oceans. The recycled netting works well as a breathable fabric and quality lumbar support, and its solid aluminum base ensures that the Smart Ocean was built to last. Humanscale offers a gorgeous rainbow of color options for the Smart Ocean's back mesh and seat fabric, so buyers can easily customize a sustainable chair to match their home office.

Its combination of warm fabrics, soft colors, and a charming ergonomic design makes IKEA's HATTEFJÄLL the best office chair for shoppers on a budget. The HATTEFJÄLL sports a range of arm, seat, and reclining adjustment options, plush foam cushioning, and an impressive 10-year warranty that you may not expect for a quality office chair priced under $400. Anyone who appreciates pastel fabrics, durability and ergonomic design should consider this budget-friendly option.

Our process to identify the best office chairs of the year centered around closely examining a range of mainstream and niche office furniture brands and their respective product catalogs, vigorous testing, and closely examining hundreds of user-reviews to compare our experiences. Some of the key factors that we took into account to select the top chairs include comfort, features, adjustability, durability, price, style, and how we felt about each model after sitting in it all day.

The information presented here is created independently from the TIME editorial staff. To learn more, see our About page.