What did we learn?
That it’s indeed possible to find a reasonably priced office chair that’s comfortable to sit in, easy to adjust, and outfitted with plenty of support for your back, butt, and arms. In fact, we found three—all priced at $200 or less.
While many chairs are marketed as being ergonomic, keep in mind that that term gets used very loosely. “When you see a chair branded as ergonomic, you can’t put a lot of stock in that,” says Ritchey, who has a doctorate in public health and is also a certified professional ergonomist (CPE). “What you should be looking for is adjustability, because one hallmark of ergonomics is understanding that one size does not fit all.”
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, good ergonomic design can help reduce the number and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders caused by varied and repeated stress on muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, and tendons.
In our testing, we rate office chairs not only on ergonomic design (how well they comply with standards and best practices) but also for comfort, ease of use, and ease of assembly. We give more weight to the ergonomic design scores than ease of assembly for one simple reason: While building a chair can be a hassle, you only have to do it once.
The comfort scores are determined by three people with various body types, who review each chair after sitting in it for 90 to 120 minutes in a typical work setting. Ease of use considers things like how simple it is to adjust the chair’s controls while seated, how well the controls are labeled, and how clearly the model’s features are explained in manuals and other documentation from the manufacturer.
Below we’ve listed the three best budget office chairs based on our testing, plus a slightly higher-rated option for folks who can stretch the budget to $400. For even more help, CR members can consult our in-depth office chair ratings and our article about the best office chairs overall.
