There is a growing societal movement to get healthier. Gym memberships, healthier diets and full-blown lifestyle changes are more and more commonplace as people become educated about potential health risks. This has also extended into the workplace. People are learning that sitting for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to your health. This has caused an explosion in the standing desk category. Everyone from fortune 500 companies to home office users are buying standing desks.
The popularity of standing desks has opened the door for entirely new product categories. One of them is standing chairs. I ordered the most popular standing chairs, currently available, so that we could try them for ourselves. This list will provide you with unbiased, honest feedback so that you can decide which standing chair is best suited for your needs.
Full Disclaimer: We are an office furniture dealer and sell some of the standing desk chairs we review. To learn more about the products we sell, our review process and why you can trust us, please visit: Why we’re different. Who is BTOD.com and The Breakroom Blog?
7 Highly Rated Standing Chairs For 2025
- Sitmatic Pogo – 86/100 Rated Standing Chair
- Leanrite Elite – 79/100 Rated Standing Chair
- BackApp 2.0 – 79/100 Rated Standing Chair
- Varier Move – 75/100 Rated Standing Chair
- Stance Angle – 74/100 Rated Standing Chair
- aeris Muvman – 69/100 Rated Standing Chair
1. Sitmatic Pogo – 86/100 Rating
Pogo 2025 Price: $482.99 Where To Buy: BTOD.com
Read Full Sitmatic Pogo Review >>
Pogo Stool Pros and Cons
Pros:Made in USA |
Cons:May not be good for long hours |
Sitmatic Pogo Summary
What we liked
The Pogo is a standing chair that is made in the USA by Sitmatic. It has a solid steel base with a piston that is mounted to the base with a spring. The piston is tilted forward slightly. The spring at the base gives you a big range of motion. The Pogo has the largest range of motion out of any chairs with this type of design.
The seat is made from thick molded foam. The seat is not big but it is flat, so you get more surface area than similar chairs that have seats with rounded tops. The foam is soft, supportive and feels nice to sit on. It is not firm like most chairs on this list. The Pogo is also a nice option for big and tall people. It has a massive seat height range and no weight limit.
What we didn’t like
There are a couple things that may be deal breakers for people considering the Pogo. The first is that the Pogo is not a good choice if you need a chair to use for many hours in a day. It takes quite a bit of energy to use the chair so it may not be reasonable for some people to use it for several hours at a time. Our next downside is that the Pogo does not have any sitting mobility. Most of the chairs on this list are in the same boat, but it is not something to overlook.
2. Ergo Impact Leanrite Elite – 79/100 Rating
2025 Price: $599.00 Where To Buy: Amazon.com
Read Full Leanrite Elite Standing Chair Review >>
Leanrite Elite Pros and Cons
Pros:Unique seat tilt function |
Cons:Takes up a lot of space |
Ergo Impact Leanrite Summary
What we liked
The LeanRite Elite is a standing chair that features a dual stage height adjustment system. This gives it a massive height adjustment range. The LeanRite’s seat also has the capability to tilt and it can tilt enough to be straight up and down. This allows you to rest up against it with you lower back when you are fully standing. This is the only standing chair we have tested that allows to you lean while fully standing. The massive seat height range also means that the LeanRite will work for a wide range of people. The Leanrite features a built-in footrest with an anti-fatigue mat. The footrest help tot keep the chair stable while also giving you a soft surface to stand on.
What we didn’t like
The LeanRite Elite is not a standing chair you buy if you plan on moving it around the office or if you have a limited amount of space. The chair has a large footprint because of the built-in footrest. This makes it more difficult to move and put to the side in your office.
The seat may also be an issue for some people. Like most standing chair seats, it is fairly small. It is also firm. The integral skin used is durable and easy to clean, but it is not soft and has a more industrial feel.
3. Back App 2.0 – 79/100 Rating
2025 Starting Price: $599.99 Where to buy: BackApp.com
Read Full Back App 2.0 Review >>
Back App 2.0 Pros and Cons
Pros:Good build quality |
Cons:Saddle seat is not for everyone |
Back App 2.0 Summary
What we liked
The Back App 2.0 was designed by Dr. Freddy Johnsen and features high quality components that are backed by a strong 5-year warranty. The base is composed of recycled aluminum with a rubber like material, called Nitrile, around the bottom. The rubber material allows the base of the chair to wobble.
The chair features a ball on the bottom side of the piston which can be adjusted in or out. When the ball is extended out, the amount of tilt will be increased, which will allow you to move more while you work. This is one of the only chairs I have tested that has some type of adjustability to the motion produced by the chair.
The Back App 2.0 also features a large, saddle shaped seat with thick padding and a collar around the back. Most chairs on this list feature small, firm seats so the seat on the Back App 2.0 really stands out in this group. The Back App 2.0 is one of the only standing chairs I have tested that was still comfortable after 2+ hours of use in one sitting.
What we didn’t like
The biggest drawbacks to the Back App 2.0 are going to be the saddle shaped seat and limited height adjustment range. The saddle shaped seat is pretty specific and may not be comfortable for everyone. The height adjustment range should be ok for most people, but it will not adjust low enough to be used at a standard height desk. You will need to have an adjustable height desk to use the Back App 2.0.
4. Varier Move – 75/100 Rating
2025 Starting Price: $399.00 Where To Buy: Amazon.com
Read Full Varier Move Standing Desk Chair Review >>
Varier Move Pros and Cons
Pros:Good build quality |
Cons:Saddle seat can be awkward for some |
Varier Move Summary
What we liked
The Move by Varier is a product that was designed in Norway by Per Øie and is currently manufactured in Poland. It has been in production since 1985 so it has stood the test of time. It features a high build quality with parts coming from Germany and Norway and it is backed by a strong warranty. The base is made from hardwood and is curved upwards on the edges.
The Move is a bit unique because it promotes a wobble motion but the base also has a flat section to allow to you sit without having to hold the chair in place. The edges of the base don’t end up going completely vertical so the range of motion is more limited than products like the Pivot or Uncaged Wobble.
The Move is the second saddle seat product to be featured on this list but it is much different than the Back App 2.0. The seat has three sides and each corner curves up slightly. The seat is well padded and the fabric used is good quality. The height adjustment range is massive because there are three cylinder height options. They provide a total range of 19”-34” which makes the Move a good choice for people of almost any height.
What we didn’t like
The seat is meant to be sat on top of so it can be a bit awkward to use the Move at a full upright leaning position. It doesn’t tilt far enough forward to allow you to sit on top of the seat and the points in the saddle make it uncomfortable to sit on the edge. I found it to be much more comfortable in perching positions.
5. HealthPostures Stance Angle – 74/100 Rating
2025 Starting Price: $1,100 Where To Buy: HealthPostures.com
Read Full Stance Angle Review >>
Stance Angle Pros and Cons
Pros:Made in USA |
Cons:Large footprint |
Stance Angle Summary
What we liked
The Stance Angle is the only chair on this list that is like a normal office chair, with the ability to also be a standing chair. It is made in the USA with nice components and quality craftsmanship. It features a large seat and backrest that has thick, soft padding. The Stance Angle has a double adjustment system that lets you adjust the height and angle of the seat, separately.
The chair also features an adjustable knee pad that features the same comfortable foam as the seat. The combination of the tilting seat, along with the knee pads, lets you sit in a wide range of positions. You can sit like a normal office chair with your knees, hips and elbows at 90°. You sit in a kneeling position at various angles. You an also sit in a fully upright position by leaning against the seat and backrest when they are in an almost vertical position.
What we didn’t like
There are a few concerns with the Stance Angle. The first is that the chair has a very large footprint, so it takes up a lot of space. The large footprint will not allow the chair to work at a desk that is 24” deep if the desk has a cross support or is against a wall. Since the chair is so large, it is not a good option to use in multiple work areas.
The next concern is that the armrests are wider than most office chairs with arms. This made them uncomfortable because my elbows were far away from my body. The arms also made it difficult to type at standing height because they do not go low enough to be useful or out of the way.
6. aeris GmbH Muvman – 69/100 Rating
2025 Starting Price: $499.00 Where To Buy: Amazon.com
Read Full aeris GmbH Muvman Standing Stool Review >>
Muvman Pros and Cons
Pros:Good build quality & aesthetics |
Cons:Uncomfortable seat |
aeris GmbH Muvman Summary
What we liked
The Muvman by aeris GmbH is the original standing chair to use its type of design. It was developed in 2006 by Henner Jahns, the same designer who made the Swopper. It is the recipient of numerous industry awards including the Red Dot Award and Best of Neocon Award. You will notice that a lot of competing products have done their best to copy the design and functionality of the Muvman.
The Muvman is made in Germany with some of the highest quality parts I have seen among the standing chair category. The Muvman features a round, glass-fiber reinforced polymid base with a non-slip rubber rim. The base is stable at all heights. The steel cylinder has a massive 13” adjustment range with an extended height option which gives you an additional 3”. It is anchored to the base with a strong steel mounting plate. One of the best things going for the Muvman is that its height adjustment range is large enough to allow for a normal sitting position, perching or leaning.
The cylinder is tilted forward 4° to create a better seat angle for perching and leaning positions. The cylinder tilts from a joint in the base plate allowing for 360° of movement. The tension still allows for a wide range of motion and it is very smooth. The seat pan is made from glass reinforced polymid and features a convex shape with a built-in handle on the back for easy carrying. The seat upholstery is made of microfiber and is soft to the touch.
What we didn’t like
The biggest problem with the Muvman is that the seat is small and the edges are hard. The convex shape is also something that makes the sitting experience different than most chairs. Overall, these factors can make the seat uncomfortable for some people.
Why trust BTOD.com?
The Breakroom Blog is different from most review sites because we order the products we review and feature on our lists. This allows us to provide a large number of detailed pictures and first-hand information on the products. Most review sites base their reviews on manufacturer specifications and user feedback made publicly available from sites like Amazon. This is not very reliable for providing the most accurate information because you don’t truly know how a product is going to perform until you use it. You need to be able to touch it, test it and experience it for extended periods before you can make a reliable review for it. There have been products that I thought would be really great based on their specs but ended up being subpar. On the flip side, I have been really surprised by the quality of products that I had low expectations for.
We’ve gone through the entire buying and testing process for you. Our goal is to provide you with honest feedback to base your buying decision on. All of the products on this list have been tested extensively in our office. We have completed any required installation and used the products in the varying positions they allow for. Some products on this list are sold by us on BTOD.com and some are not. You will find that we provide the positives and negatives on all of the products so that you know what to expect with each chair.
What is a standing chair?
I know “standing chair” sounds like an oxymoron but it is the best way to describe them. Normal desk chairs do not go high enough to use with a standing desk, drafting chairs do not allow you to have your feet on the ground and neither of them allow for movement. A different style of product needed to be developed. Standing chairs were the answer. They have a minimalistic design with no arms or backrests. They have much taller height adjustment ranges than standard office chairs, while also having the ability to tilt forward so that you can use the chair in a perched or leaning position. This allows you to be more active while working.
Most standing chairs are designed to have you sit on the front portion of the seat to allow your hips to open. Instead of sitting all the way back on the seat with your knees at 90°, you stay more upright with your legs closer to a 135° angle. There are typically two terms used to describe the posture used on a standing chair, leaning and perching. Leaning refers to an almost fully upright position. Perching refers to positions that allow for more knee bend than fully upright leaning. Both positions are meant to provide a bit of support to reduce tension on your legs, feet and back from standing.
Top 4 things to consider when shopping for a standing desk chair?
While spending so much time testing all of these products, I have learned a lot. With such a wide variety of chairs suddenly available in our office, everyone wanted to try them out. This allowed me to get a number of different opinions on a lot of the chairs. Here are my biggest takeaways from my time with standing chairs.
1. Transition period can be tough
Getting acclimated to a standing chair was something that almost everyone in the office had a tough time with. It is such a different style of sitting from what most people are used to that it can be both uncomfortable and awkward. Muscles are being used differently which can cause soreness simply because your body isn’t used to the new posture. Sitting on the front edge of the seat is also something that takes getting used to. I experienced numbness within the first 20-30 minutes when I first started using them in a perched position. I also noticed some initial soreness in my shins and the soles of my feet. After a couple weeks, the initial soreness faded away as I got more and more used to the new style of sitting.
2. Best suited as a complimentary chair
Even after getting used to a standing chair, I do not think they are a good replacement for your normal office chair. Two hours is about the maximum that I can sit in any of them at a time. My butt is usually starting to get numb and I start to miss my normal ergonomic office chair. It is hard to keep good posture for that long without any armrests or a backrest to help you out. I would find myself slouching which was a sign to switch it up. The good thing is that all of the products on this list are easy to move and can be stored away without taking up much space. This makes it easier to have a second chair to allow you to incorporate some more movement into your workday. I can also see them being a nice option for conference rooms, computer labs or collaborative spaces.
3. It feels good to be active
Mixing in the standing chairs throughout my workday has been beneficial to me. It can help to break up the day when performing monotonous tasks. The seating itself allows you to be active while working. The nature of chairs has also made me more willing to get up out of my chair and walk around to do tasks that I may otherwise have put off to a later time in my normal chair. I am not sure why that is. Maybe it is not feeling locked into my chair with a back and arms. Or, maybe it is because I am already halfway to standing anyway. I am not sure but I move around the office much more when using a standing chair. Overall, they make me feel like I have more energy and help to keep me more alert if I am starting to feel tired. I also notice how much better they make my back feel. The 135° angle helps to stretch my lower back and the movement helps to keep other areas loose as well.
4. Footrest helps a lot
I found my footrest to be a fantastic compliment to almost every product on this list. The leg angle that many standing chairs produce puts a lot more weight on your feet than a normal sitting position. When my feet were flat on the ground, I could feel the weight pushing the soles of my feet forward and it felt like I was keeping myself from sliding off the chair. I was using the front of my feet to support the majority of the weight in this position. Adding a footrest allowed me to put my feet more in line with my legs so that the weight was distributed in a straight line down to my heels. This was a much more comfortable position and allowed me to use the standing chairs for longer periods of time.
How did we pick the best standing desk chair for 2025?
After using all of the products over an extended period of time, we decided that there were six categories that would best represent the characteristics that are most important on a standing chair. While there are certainly a number of other things to consider when buying a standing chair, we felt that this was a well-rounded set of factors to provide a good ranking system. Each category is weighted the same in the calculation of the overall score. Below is a brief description of each category used to rank these sit stand chairs.
1. Build Quality
The build quality of the item will be a reflection of the components used and the aesthetics of the product. Products with higher quality components like cylinders and fabrics will score higher than products with lesser quality parts. It is also important to a lot of buyers to have a standing chair that looks good. Products that have focused on making an attractive design will score higher than products that don’t.
2. Warranty
The warranty is important because it gives you a guaranteed amount of time that you will have a working standing chair. This helps to give you peace of mind knowing you will have a chair for a set period of time. It also helps you to budget for future purchases based on the amount of warranty time you have. Another thing to think about with a warranty is that it is a direct reflection of the manufacturer’s confidence in their product. Longer warranties are typically provided on higher quality products while lower end products will have short warranties or no warranties at all.
3. Portability
This category is used to show how easy it is to move a chair to a new location or place it into storage. Lightweight products with built-in handles that allow you to move them with one hand will have the highest scores. Heavy products that take up more space and require two hands to move will have the lowest scores.
4. Seat Comfort
The seats on standing chairs are much different than the seats you will find on normal office chairs. They are smaller, have little to no padding and usually have some type of pronounced shape. The most typical shapes are: convex with a rounded seat, concave to form to your bottom or saddle seat. The most important takeaway is that they will not be the same experience that you are used to with a normal chair. The seat comfort category is a score based on the level of support the seat provides and the amount of time the seat will allow you to sit before feeling numbness or discomfort.
5. Range of Motion
The category we use to measure how active you can be while sitting is range of motion. There are many different types of motion that active chairs can produce. Some chairs wobble, others tilt and some bounce. The more motion that a chair is capable of means the more active you can be while working. The chairs with the highest scores will be the models that promote the most activity.
6. Adjustability
Standing chairs have a very limited number of adjustments but there can still be a noticeable difference in the adjustability between them. A chair’s adjustability score will be determined by the number of adjustments a chair has and the range that those adjustments provide. A wider adjustment range means that a chair will fit more people so it deserves a higher score. Chairs that allow people to use them in numerous positions will have the highest score. For instance, the Muvman has a high adjustability score even though it has a single adjustment because it can be used sitting, perched or leaning.
Bottom Line
Standing chairs are a cool new emerging product category. I really like the idea behind incorporating different seating and standing postures throughout the day. These chairs are a great addition to a standing desk to help alleviate stress and soreness caused by standing for prolonged hours. I do think it is important to limit expectations with standing chairs though. They are not going to be a good replacement for a chair that is used for 8-12 hours a day. The firm seats, lack of armrests and lack of backrests make it very difficult to use standing chairs for more than a couple hours at a time.
I think that these chairs are best suited as a secondary option for people that are sitting or standing for a prolonged period of time. I also think they are great for people that are up and out of their desks a lot. The market is growing rapidly and there are quite a few options to choose from now. Sometimes it can get confusing to sort through all of the options. This list should be a good starting point in your hunt for a new standing chair.
Additional Standing Chair Resources
Mary
Having chairs tested by small women would have been helpful to me, say 5’4″, 120-lbs range and under.