The Autonomous office chair is a neat little addition to the over-crowded world of ergonomic thrones, with a Herman Miller Aeron-like skeletal back structure, at a fraction of the price of the original. But that's not all it offers – it's light, bright, and sits well on the firmness/comfort spectrum. If you're looking for a premium option, look elsewhere, but for a decent quality chair that does the basics and a little more, this is worth a purchase.
For
Looks great
Firm yet comfortable
Against
Back support is lacking
Slightly rickety arms
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There are many ergonomic chairs out there that excel at support, or go all in on style, but few hit both nails on the head like ErgoChair Plus. It's a fairly priced office chair with decent support and a nice selection of colours on what is a pretty unique-looking design. What's not to like?!
Well, I guess that depends if you require top-end ergonomic lumbar support, because if you do, this is not the chair for you. There are also a couple of niggles that I have, after sitting on the chair for some weeks, but the ErgoChair Plus office chair just has a nice character to it. And it's a touch of genius by Autonomous's marketing team to proudly advertise that it is 'Bought by 300+ Apple employees'.
Looking for more ergonomic office chair options? We've got an ever-expanding list of the best on the market. You can also check out our list of the best standing desks on sale too.
Comfort and build
(Image credit: Future)
The ErgoChair Plus office chair is very comfortable to sit in, and smooth to move around on. It's a fairly light chair, too, so it's ideal for sitters that like to move around a bit – rolling out from the desk, sliding over to another colleague, etc. Of course, that also means that the ErgoChair Plus office chair doesn't have that monumental comfort that comes with the really heavy chairs out there. But that's fine – this is not a luxury office chair, rather it's an all-rounder that does lots of things well.
Part of the comfort is due to the plastic skeletal back and seat of the ErgoChair Plus office chair. This resists to whatever part of your back and bum is pressing against the seat, absorbing backwards and downwards movement. It reminds me of the far more expensive and prestige Herman Miller Aeron, but the comparisons should probably stop there, as the Aeron is the last word on quality. This rubbery plastic does look a little cheap on close inspection, but does the job great.
This chair does hit a sweet spot with its comfortable-yet-firm feel. You can't sink into the chair like the best ergonomic chairs, but you feel cradled, held, without it being unyielding and hard.
I did find the arms were a little rattly – you can visibly move them slightly when shaking them, which isn't the best. But they don't move when you're just resting your arms on them, so this shouldn't be a deal breaker.
Design
(Image credit: Future)
I really like the look of the ErgoChair Plus, especially in the blue and white that I selected. There are some nice design notes, such as the curve of the top of the chair, the skeletal backing, the blocky, chunky yet light base.
I chose to review the chair that comes with a fabric mesh over the skeletal material, but looking at the chair photos without the mesh, I quite like the look – it's nothing like anything else I've seen. And, if you go for that combination, you'll save a bit of money (see more below).
I think there's something of the lightness of the chair that also bleeds over into how I think the chair looks. If it were heavy, I think the wide back, blocky legs and big base might seem unwieldy and cumbersome. Because it's light, the chunkier elements of the design seem fun, playful almost.
(Image credit: Autonomous)
Assembly
(Image credit: Future)
Not much to report on this side of things – the ErgoChair Plus office chair comes in only a few parts, and it's super easy to put together. Often office chairs will give you the base of the chair separately to the seat, but the ErgoChair Plus office chair combines them, so really all you have to do is combine the back to the seat/base, and then sit that on the hydraulic that you've sat on the five legs. Easy! I was using the chair within 15 minutes of getting it all out of the boxes.
Price and verdict
(Image credit: Future)
If you like the look of the reviewed blue and white, rubber and fabric ErgoChair Plus office chair, you'll be paying around $449. If you like it without the fabric, you can get it for $399. That's pretty standard for a quality office chair, and the fact that it you get this directly from Autonomous, you get a five-year guarantee, I think this is a good price for what you get.
There are cheaper chairs, but then there are also chairs that aren't as agile, comfortable or easy to put together. It has all the movement that you'd expect from an office chair, it looks cooler than the majority of the competition, and it won't break the bank. In my eyes, it's a winner that I will definitely be holding on to.
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The Autonomous office chair is a neat little addition to the over-crowded world of ergonomic thrones, with a Herman Miller Aeron-like skeletal back structure, at a fraction of the price of the original. But that's not all it offers – it's light, bright, and sits well on the firmness/comfort spectrum. If you're looking for a premium option, look elsewhere, but for a decent quality chair that does the basics and a little more, this is worth a purchase.
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.
