The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best for ergonomics
3. Best budget
4. Best for long hours
5. Best for gamers
6. Best for under AU$500
7. Best executive
8. Best for larger people
9. Best leather office chair
FAQs
Getting a good office chair is essential if you work a desk job. The thing that you’re sitting on all day needs to be up to the task of keeping your back supported, so that you’re not constantly shifting your position. The best office chair will boost your productivity and keep your back in shape – but it can be difficult to find the right one for your particular needs.
Ideally you’ll want a chair that offers comfort in the places where it’s needed most. Think about your lower back, your arms and even your neck posture. You’ll also want a chair with the right amount of adjustments so you can tailor the experience to your needs.
Ultimately the chair needs to be comfortable while also reinforcing a healthy posture – lest you hunch over your desk in a prawn-like shape. The chair needs to be built to last with high quality materials and needs to be made of a fabric you actually like. Living in Australia, I prefer fabrics to leathers, for example.
The checklist of things you need to consider is also stymied by your budget – but if you ask me, and this isn’t just because I’m writing a guide to the best office chairs in Australia, you shouldn’t be afraid of spending the big bucks on a good seat. You’ll be using it for a while and a bad seat certainly won’t do you any favours.
So that’s where we come in. Our team of experts has been reviewing dozens of office chairs to find the best seat for your needs. Let’s get into it.
Recent updates
August 30, 2024: We've changed our picks for the best office chair overall, best ergonomic office chair and best gaming chair. We also double-checked that all the other products listed below are still available.
Best Office Chairs: the quick list
A brilliant office chair that is well-designed and constructed, with top-notch adjustability that offers comfort all day long.
Our pick for relieving back pains while sitting for long hours - an ergonomic office chair that gave us all-day comfort and zero fatigue.
A comfortable chair with a splash of personality, the Steelcase Personality Plus might be the affordable ergonomic chair for your home office.
The Herman Miller x Logitech Embody laughs in the face of gaming chair naysayers as an extremely comfortable office chair carrying the Logitech G badge.
Not the cheapest office and gaming chair. But it features excellent lumbar support and a smart design built for a range of body types.
An Aussie-owned office chair is for those who like simplicity and need to move a little more when sitting down.
Load the next 3 products ↓
This entry-level chair is great value for money, especially if you're after an executive-level aesthetic and comfort level.
One of the best gaming chairs is a top pick for those with larger bodies, with leather and fabric variants available.
Mesh chairs won’t cut it for everyone, and as a real leather chair with a premium build and a stack of customisation options, the Noblechairs Epic Real Leather ticks all the boxes.
Best office chair overall
Taking the top spot on our list of the best office chairs is the ErgoTune Supreme V3, a brilliant office chair that office great adjustability and an excellent 12-year warranty.
It’s ergonomically designed to provide comfort for hours on end while being customisable from head to toe. The stiff mesh back is designed to suit your sitting posture, perfectly suited for most body sizes.
That being said, the seat may be seen as narrow for some and the lumbar support, while effective, might feel a bit harsh. Reclining resistance could also be a little stronger.
Out of all the chairs that we’ve reviewed, the ErgoTune Supreme V3 is one of the only ones that offers the complete package.
Read our full ErgoTune Supreme V3 review
Best for ergonomics
Ergonomics are obviously an important part of every chair and the Sihoo Doro S300 has some of the best we’ve ever seen. The dynamic lumbar support of the Doro S300 makes it an extremely worthwhile investment if you’re looking for all-day comfort at what is honestly a pretty good price for a chair like this.
The build quality of the C300 is outstanding, but that comes with a caveat: you’ll be building it yourself, with the seat coming completely disassembled. The back support is completely mesh with support up to the shoulder level.
In our review, we found the C300 to be comfortable all day, however the 3D armrests (named so as they can move left, right, back, forward, up and down) have a tendency to wiggle about and be a distraction.
Read our full Sihoo Doro C300 ergonomic office chair review
Best budget
It's not the most ergonomic chair we've tried, but we love the Steelcase Personality Plus for its value for money. Not only is it well designed, with different colours available directly from the manufacturer, it's got some features that you won't find in some other entry-level office chairs. For one, the armrests pivot a little and can be adjusted for height, the seat itself can be moved back and forth marginally and, importantly, it's well made with a sturdy frame.
We prefer the mesh back Personality Plus models, as these are more suitable to hot Aussie summers, but you can opt for an upholstered/padded version too.
Despite the limited number of adjustments that can be made, the Personality Plus is very comfortable, but it lacks decent lumbar support. There is a moveable curved panel for some curvature, but you'll hardly know it's there. If your lower back doesn't require that additional support, the Personality Plus will go a long way, with a 12-year warranty in place.
Read our in-depth Steelcase Personality Plus review to find out more.
Best for long hours
With two variants including one co-designed by Logitech, the Herman Miller Embody is a chair that has been designed to keep you comfortable for hours at a stretch, whether you’re gaming or working. It features a modern design that looks like it’s been picked right out of a utopian science-fiction movie, and has been built with high-quality materials so it’ll also go the distance, even with long periods of use.
It comes out of the box prebuilt, and is suitable for both petite and larger people, thanks to a comfortable spring/foam hybrid backrest that is suitable for taller folks as well. There’s a stack of adjustability options on this chair too, though they’re not all the most intuitive. Besides typical office chair adjustments such as armrest height, the BackFit adjustments allow the chair’s backrest to be tightened or loosened, for a level of customisation that comes down to an individual’s spine.
Read our full Herman Miller Embody review
Best for gamers
If you’re looking for a gaming chair that has the form and aesthetic that the niche attracts, then you’d best consider the Razer Enki. boasting a brilliant level of comfort and great fixed lumbar support, the Enki is ideal for both work and play.
The Razer Enki comes in a gorgeous black design that we can’t help but love, though it is on the pricier side of office chairs. Its wide shoulder arches make it a great choice for a wide range of body types.
Although there’s no mesh variant, we were perfectly comfortable with how well the Enki dealt with body heat. It never became too hot in the seat to stop gaming. We liked this chair so much that we gave it a Techradar Pro Recommends badge, but if you’re looking for something cheaper, you might want to consider the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022.
Read our full Razer Enki review
Best for under AU$500
Simple and more budget-friendly than every other chair on this list, the Desky Swivel 3D Tilt is no slouch at this price point. While it doesn't have any cushioning or padding on its seat and backrest, it does something no other chair can handle as well – it offers a full 360º tilt on its axis (or the gas lift mechanism) that encourages micro movements while you're working. These movements burn calories and, importantly, can help your core muscles a little, although it takes a little more effort to move the seat in some angles than it does in others.
Our reviewer didn't think this chair would suit everyone. The seat is narrow and the plastic build can get hot and uncomfortable during Aussie summer conditions if you don't have an air con going. It would best suit a small-built person and the chair itself is ideal for small spaces.
Other than the tilting feature and changing height, there are no other adjustments you can make to the chair. It lacks lumbar support but, if you don't have lower back issues, you likely won't miss it at all.
Also note that this chair is only available in a single white-grey colour scheme – while that will suit most spaces, whether at home or in an office space, you can't expect a pop of colour here.
Read our full Desky Swivel 3D Tilt office chair review
Best executive chair
Humanscale makes some seriously nifty high-end ergonomic office chairs, and the Freedom is, for us, the pinnacle of that niftiness. It not only looks fabulous – particularly in the leather option – but the really clever bit is that the Freedom is designed to do away with the complex knobs or levers that many ergonomic options can baffle you with. Instead, it adjusts itself automatically to fit the ideal ergonomics for your body.
For example, when reclining the chair, it automatically adjusts the backrest resistance to the optimal level. The end result is a whole lot of comfortable sitting, without having to do any thinking about tension settings and so forth. There are, of course, some adjustable elements, including the armrests which move in tandem (so they’re always at the same height as each other).
This is not a chair for the faint of wallet, but bear in mind that the pricier models are the leather and polished aluminium offerings. Remember that there are versions with plain fabric and a graphite frame – they might not look as high-end, but they still provide the same superb sitting experience, often for hundreds of dollars less. Also note that the Freedom is backed by a 15-year warranty.
Check out our full Humanscale Freedom review for more info.
Best for larger people
Secretlab is known for its quality gaming chairs, and while most thrones in this category might be considered a little bit too flashy for the office, this isn't as important when you're in your own home. In fact, for a gaming chair, the default design of the latest 2022 model Titan Evo is actually rather subdued, with minimal branding and quieter trimmings, but there's plenty of customisation to be had if that's what you're after.
The best thing about the Titan is that there's an XL option that's purpose-built for people on the larger side – both vertically and horizontally – so people that fit this category don't have to make do with a 'one-size-fits-all' solution. You have plenty in the way of adjustments, including lumbar support, and the pleather is easy to clean (albeit a little sweaty at times).
You can check out our detailed Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 gaming chair review to get a better idea of what you're in for.
Best leather office chair
It's not as aesthetically subtle as the other offering from Noblechairs, but if you don't mind that then it's a real winner. From the cross-thatched embroidery to the real leather of its namesake, if you’re looking for a no-compromises gaming throne, this is it. Plus, it’s surprisingly quick and easy to set up. And, once the set-up is complete, the Epic Real Leather is a dream to sit on – and you can customise your position however you want. Just do us a favour, and read the instructions while you’re setting it up. Synthetic leather is also an option if you want to save some money.
Best office chairs: FAQs
Best office chairs: How did we pick them?
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Looking for the best office chair? We've got you covered with our top picks! Our thorough research included comparing relative specs, available features, build materials, and customer feedback from various online forums and reviews. We also considered factors such as support, warranties, and overall value proposition to bring you the best options.
We've reviewed and compared top brands such as Herman Miller, Steelcase, and ErgoTune to bring you the most highly recommended and trusted office chairs on the market. Whether you need a chair for your home office or a professional workspace, we've got you covered with the best choices available.
How to choose the best office chair
Our 5 essential features of a good office chair gives an in-depth guide of what to look out for when picking the perfect seat, but here’s a quick summary of what to look for when you’re shopping for your next piece of office furniture:
Adjustability
With a wide variety of desks, pairing the right office chair can come down to its adjustability. How high can the chair rise? Are the armrests movable? Does the backrest tilt? These options can impact how you sit at your desk, and you want to make sure you have the right chair with the adjustments you need for the most comfortable seat.
Size
You’ll want to find a chair that not only fits in your space, but also one that fits your body comfortably. While a lot of gaming chairs offer options for bigger and taller people, not every office chair has been designed to fit every body type. Each chair has weight limits and recommended heights, so it’s important to check those specifications if you’re on either end of the size spectrum.
If you’re working with a smaller space, consider looking at chairs with removable armrests and a minimalist design – though you might have to go without all the adjustability options you’d otherwise have.
Support
You’re likely going to be sitting in your office chair for hours a day, so you want to make sure it offers the right support. From lumbar support to headrests, these can be the difference between a chair that’s comfortable for the first few hours, and a chair that will keep you comfortable and sitting correctly throughout the whole day.
Ergonomic chairs can also help to keep you productive – you won’t be spending your valuable time thinking about how uncomfortable you are, and instead can focus on your task or game.
Materials
The right material can also impact the comfort of your office chair, as well as how long it'll last. High-quality materials will increase its lifespan, saving you time and money in the long run while still providing a comfortable seat.
Additionally, different materials can help keep you cool or warm, depending on your office’s climate. If you have a warmer office, consider looking into mesh chairs, or other breathable fabrics. Alternatively, if you want a premium chair and have an office with good regulated temperature, leather – or faux leather if you prefer – chairs should be your go-to, as they both look and feel the part of an executive seat.
Cost
The bigger the budget, the more options you’ll have. Though, that’s not to say there aren't high-quality affordable office chairs out there. It really will come down to what you’re looking for, but cost can be impacted by brand, material and design.
How we test
Each office chair we review is tested for over a month, with close consideration given to the comfort, material, adjustability, durability and weight limit of the seat. It’s not just a matter of sitting in the chair while we work, we carefully consider each of the above categories, and how the chair impacts our productivity.
Additionally, we also look at how easy each chair is to assemble and, more importantly, its cost. Options from both the premium and lower end of the price spectrum are put to the test, so we can assess a big variety of chairs. We also take into consideration the design and size of a chair, as each workspace will have its own spatial needs.
See more about our testing process in How we test, review and rate on TechRadar Pro: Office Chairs.
