I've been reviewing the best office chairs available for a few years now. And I've come to the conclusion that not all the super expensive chairs are worth your hard-earned money – but many of the cheaper options are. So I've put together this list of quality chairs that come without the premium price tag.
After recently reviewing the best ergonomic office chair that money can buy (the Herman Miller Embody, if you're asking), I was struck by what you have to give up, ergonomics-wise, when you go for a budget option. TL:DR – not always a huge amount. Will you get the quality leather finish, or the state of the art adjustability? No. But you can get plenty for a little, and I'm talking under $300!
If your budget can stretch a bit further, my list of the best office chairs for back pain focuses on ergonomic features for improved comfort. However, the top pick of our best budget office chairs below – the Sihoo M57 – combines both a budget price tag and ergonomic features. I wholeheartedly recommend this model as the best cheap office chair, as I've personally used it for several months, putting it through its paces, and though it's not the best looking, or the best designed, it's a whopper when it comes to value for money.
Of course, it's not all about price. I've focussed on affordability and dependability, build quality and comfort. So, let's get right into it, shall we?
We're fans of the cheap yet great value chairs that Sihoo produce, and you can't get better budget than the M57. It adds a touch of class with its lumbar support, which you won't usually find at this price point. It's airy with its mainly mesh surface, and for under $250, it's the best budget option out there right now. Read more below
The Doro C300 steps up the quality and ergonomics, but I've seen it sell for as low as $370. It's a comfortable, dependable chair that also looks a lot nicer than the M57. When we tested it, we loved the cloud-like comfort that you get, and all the adjustability options. Read more below
This is where quality and design ramps up. The ErgoChair takes the skeletal back support idea from the Herman Miller Embody, and runs with it. It's super comfortable and a lot more design on show than the standard mesh. It's also the chair chosen by Apple for its workers, apparently. Read more below
If you want the best quality budget office chair, Sihoo has a fantastic range of options, and if you want to hit that sweet spot where the lowest price possible and the best possible ergonomics meet, I don't think you can currently get better than the Sihoo M57.
Let's get something clear from the off: there are prettier chairs; there are better designed chairs; there are chairs that offer more bells and whistles. But if you don't want to spend lots of money (the Herman Miller Embody I recently reviewed sells for around $1,500), the M57 is a steal! You feel supported, the adjustable lumbar support offers ergonomics way above the M57's price bracket.
The mesh back, although cheap and cheerful, is breathable and I was comfortable sitting in it through many hot summer days. It’s also adjustable: you can tweak the back support, headrest, armrests, height and tilt of the chair – all the usual adjustments that you would demand from just about any modern office chair.
The level of finish is not up to the standard of more expensive designer chairs. No real leather here! No memory foam, thank you! We won't be needing that beautifully coloured, brushed metal on this chair thank you very much!
But this chair is $250 – and I've even seen it go for a bit lower! And when you consider you can will be able to get many years of comfortable sitting from it, that's well worth shouting about.
I should start by saying that although the SIHOO Doro C300 is labelled as the best budget chair under $400, you can actually get it for under $300, as Sihoo often has sales that take around $100 off the asking price. Not a bad start! But what about the chair?
This is an office chair that punches above its weight, with a nice minimal design, decent lumbar support for your lower back, and a good range of adjustable features. As with all Sihoo chairs, there will be a lot of assembly involved, but once it's put together you'll have a quality build that should last a long time.
Although the materials aren't all premium, this chair is very comfortable and feels great to sit on, thanks to the clever webbing design. It's also easily adjustable, in a wealth of ways, with a pull and release function and moveable armrests.
The ErgoChair Plus is a great choice for those who appreciate a fun design and sturdy support. It might not be the cheapest office chair you can get, priced at $449 for the blue and white design which we reviewed back in April. But if you like it without the fabric, you can get it for $399 – which is about right for a quality office chair. If you buy directly from Autonomous, you can also get a five-year guarantee.
According to the company's website, this chai has been owned by 300+ Apple employees, who highly recommend it. And we can see why. It's both good-looking and fun, with decent skeletal plastic mesh-designed back support. There are cheaper budget office chairs, like the others in this guide, but then there are also chairs that aren't as agile, comfortable or easy to put together as the ErgoChair Plus.
If you want the gaming aesthetic, but still want a comfortable seat, the Vertagear SL5800 is one of the most comfortable chairs I've sat in thanks to its plush memory foam. Its pillow headrest is detachable, and you'll get the added air ways in the neck of the back with the Vertagear. You'll also have the option of buying LED lights (for $299!!), if that's your thing. If you like a more stylish, subdued aesthetic, this is on the lesser garish side of gaming chairs, especially the carbon black option.
The SL5800 does not have adjustable lumbar support. Don't get me wrong, there is still quality lumbar support here, and after around a month of using this chair, I was happy with the support I got from it. But if you wish to be able to move the position of the lumbar support in your chair, I'd look elsewhere. In either case, for $400, this is the best budget-to-mid-range gaming chair out there.
The Union & Scale FlexFit Dexley is our pick as the best overall budget office chair you can buy in 2023. It's comfortable and well built, and offers an adjustable lumbar support that you can slide up and down, tilt tension and tilt lock options, and even an angle-adjustable headrest.
The breathable mesh material will stop you getting too sweaty on hot days (plus can be cleaned easily). The Union & Scale FlexFit Dexley feels solidly built, proving that cheap office chairs don't need to feel cheap, and there's a seven-year limited manufacturer's guarantee to give you further peace of mind. The only downside is that it's not the most attractive of office chairs, and only comes in two colors - black and blue.
Many of the budget office chairs in this guide have been personally tested by our writers here at CreativeBloq. When testing office chairs, we look not just at the price, but how easy it is to assemble - as office chairs often come disassembled.
We then use the chairs during our day-to-day work and make note of how comfortable they are, as well as how adjustable each part of the chair is - an important consideration when it comes comfort and safety.
When buying a budget office chair, you may worry that you need to sacrifice comfort to get a low price. However, while some very cheap chairs may lack the ergonomic features you'd find in pricier models, there are still plenty of budget chairs with some ergonomic features for your home or office, offering adjustable backs, lumbar support and tilt controls.
What's the best budget chair?
Though there's probably not one perfect chair for everyone, it's clear that Sihoo have cornered the market when it comes to super affordable office chairs. In this list I've chosen the Sihoo M90C as my pick of the best budget chairs, but there are even cheaper option over at the Sihoo store. It just combines a good price with decent features and comfort.
Beren has worked on creative titles at Future Publishing for over 13 years. Cutting his teeth as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, he moved on to edit several creative titles, and is currently the Ecommerce Editor on the most effective creative website in the world. When he's not testing and reviewing the best ergonomic office chairs, phones, laptops, TVs, monitors and various types of storage, he can be found finding and comparing the best deals on the tech that creatives value the most.
