Best Reclining Office Chairs with Footrests (Updated for 2021)

Last Updated: March 9th, 2021

Ultimate comfort, quality relaxation, sprawling luxury. No chair design exudes these traits like the reclining chair, which can be found in first class cabins and higher-end movie theaters.

Reclining chairs are generously padded and have an adjustable headrest and footrest for whole-body support and angling for optimal comfort. Ergonomic and multi-functional, they also offer a a much greater range of recline, with the footrest supporting the lower limbs in a reclined position.

Here’s my list of the best reclining chairs with footrests in 2020 that offer ergonomic support while letting you choose between work and play. And for outdoor use, check out our guide on the best zero gravity reclining chairs you should check out.

See also: Best Gaming Chairs with Footrests

Best Reclining Office Chairs at a Glance

Product	Max Recline	Weight	Verdict	Details
JulyFox Executive	170 degrees	55.1 pounds	Best overall reclining office chair for most people	Check Price
Kcream Gaming	155 degrees	55 pounds	Best reclining gaming chair with footrest for the money	Check Price
Famree Mesh	180 degrees	42 pounds	Great all mesh reclining chair that is breathable.	Check Price
REFICCER Reclining Chair	175 degrees	57 pounds	Excellent executive style napping chair.	Check Price
Flash Furniture	130 degrees	56 pounds	Easy swivel recliner with ottoman	Check Price

1. JulyFox Reclining Office Chair

Bottom line: Easy-to-assemble and well-padded multipurpose reclining chair with footrest

We’re a big fan of the JulyFox brand for its high quality reclining chairs and attention to customer support. The Julyfox Reclining office chair doesn’t disappoint either, taking the top spot in our list of the best reclining office chair you can get.

Think of this chair as a luxurious executive chair with the added perks of an ultra steep recline angle of 170 degrees, plus a pull out footrest that’s very easy to operate. Combine all of these elements, and you have an office chair that not only looks and feels good while you work, but also fully supports you in kicking back and taking a nap every once in a while.

The dimensions of the Julyfox Reclining Chair is optimized for comfort, unlike many leather office chairs. This means an ultra wide seat that measures 20.5″ across, a footrest that is 4.4″ thick, and a large lumbar support pillow. Sadly the armrests are not height adjustable due to the one piece design that have them move in sync with the backrest.

The main drawback of the July fox chair is that the backrest doesn’t tilt (only recline). Other than that, you’re looking at a very affordable, well built reclining office chair with a footrest that many owners find actually useful.

2. KCream Gaming Chair with Footrest

Bottom line: Best reclining gaming chair for the money

Whether you’re in a race in Need for Speed or a race to meet a deadline, Kcream’s reclining gaming chair provides excellent ergonomic support while letting you take comfortable naps in between. This chair provides one of the very best values in a reclining office chair that just happens to suit gamers as well with its flamboyant style and colors. The chair is available in blue, black, red, or white variants.

What sets the Kcream gaming chair apart from all others in its price range is the build quality. In two words, it’s exceptional. In our detailed review, we found virtually all the parts to be extremely well made. There is zero squeaking, a problem that plagues many budget gaming chairs.

The padding on the Kcream is also a level above its peers. The seat is an incredible 5.1″ thick, and the backrest is also generously padded. We see this level of padding on gaming chairs that usually cost at least $300:

Of course, the Kcream also comes with a footrest to match its robust backrest recline mechanism. It’s functional, though like the footrest on most gaming chairs, not extremely sturdy. In other words, don’t expect to be able to rest your entire body weight on it.

Kcream has established itself a a gaming chair company that actually focuses on quality and customer support to separate itself from the dozens of no name gaming chair companies that come and go. Apart from the 30 day money back guarantee, many customers have voiced just how responsive the company was whenever they had an issue with the chair, evening sending a replacement.

3. Famree Reclining Office Chair

Bottom line: One of the best budget mesh office chairs with a footrest

If you’re looking for an ergonomic office chair with a mesh back to better cope with the hot summer days as you work, you can do a lot worse than the Famree Reclining Office chair.

In terms of both comfort and ergonomics, the Famree scores high, especially for its price range. From head to toe the chair offers decent body support. The headrest is very wide and adjustable, the backrest can recline all the way to a sleeping 180 degree angle, and the footrest while made of plastic will help support your legs at a highly reclined angle.

One owner of the Famree gave the best testimonial for the chair when he said he actually fell asleep watching Netflix in the chair with the backrest reclined close to horizontal. It’s that comfortable for relaxing.

All in all if you’re looking for a highly breathable and ergonomic office chair with a functional footrest, the Famree office chair is your best option.

4. Reficcer Big and Tall Executive Chair

Bottom line: Best Executive reclining office chair for larger users, with 400 lbs capacity.

If you’re a big or tall user, finding a reclining chair that’s sturdy enough to support your body size safely can be a challenge. The Reficcer rises to that challenge with its executive chair that can handle up to 400 lbs of weight.

I like the smooth doubly-stitched bonded leather that covers the entire chair, including the armrests. It’s not as breathable as mesh, but damn does it feel good, especially given how thick the padding is all around.

The Reficcer isn’t called a napping chair for no reason- it can recline all the way back to 175 degrees flat. Yes, it lets you lay completely flat in your chair to literally take a nap. Too bad the footrest on the Reficcer Reclining is on the small size. For larger users, you may have to cross your legs for both feet to stay on the footrest.

The chair has a seat height of 197–22.8 inches, a seat depth of 21.3 inches, and an overall height of 47.3–49.6 inches. These larger than life numbers has one happy owner calling the Reficcer more like a “personal sofa” than office chair.

5. Flash Furniture Recliner and Ottoman

Bottom line: Padded recliner with a separate ottoman that combines vintage style with ergonomics

Imagine reading a book by a fireplace in an oak cabin on a winter night — this is the chair to have. In contrast to the four reclining chairs listed above, this chair from Flash Furniture consists of two pieces. The chair itself (resembling a high-end salon chair or a chair Captain Kirk would buy for the U.S.S. Enterprise) does not have an extendable footrest, instead coming with a separate ottoman (which has the same height as the seat). Though this is a perfect addition to the living room, it is also a great fit for the study.

The whole set is aesthetically pleasing, with a full black polyurethane leather padding set in a swivelling mahogany frame. Do note that the leather is synthetic and may be prone to flaking over time; some users have also mentioned that there is an initial chemical smell that should recede over time. It is generally easier to swivel with the more stable circular base compared to the five-pointed base. The reclining angle can be manually adjusted by a lever for that old-school feel.

The chair’s seat depth is 21 inches. Its height is lower than the chairs listed above, measuring only 14 inches from the floor (which may be too low for some). The weight capacity is 250 pounds. In general, the chair is easy to assemble, although some users have reported quality control issues where the screw holes for the chair parts didn’t line up.

Benefits of Choosing a Reclining Office Chair

Getting an office chair that reclines is beneficial to your posture and ultimately your health because it can support your body in its natural curvature. A reclining chair alleviates some of the weight from gravity on the spine and joints and instead distributes it to the chair – it’s why so many elderly people have recliner chairs. Moreover, sitting at an angle improves circulation because by propping your feet up you may slow the rate of blood pooling in your legs than if you were to put your feet on the floor.

Reclining can open up the airways and prevent you from slouching (which is a common postural error when sitting upright). Plus it helps you relax, and who doesn’t want less stress? In keeping with ergonomics, many reclining chairs are departing from only having an adjustable reclining feature to more functions like seat height and lumbar seat angle (as seen in many of the above chairs). These multi-functional reclining chairs embody the best of both worlds for exceptional comfort and body support.

Reclining chairs  also set themselves apart from other chairs with the pull out footrest. The footrest provides comfortable ergonomic support of the lower limbs because it is usually well-padded. Users can rest their feet on the footrest, which has a gentler tilt angle compared to waterfall seats. Providing a point of contact at the feet reduces weight on the back thigh and therefore the pressure on the blood vessels in that area, even if your chair has a waterfall seat. The footrest complements the reclining aspect of reclining chairs to provide that tilted angle, which confers the health benefits mentioned above.

With a footrest, it also opens up the possibly of laying almost completely horizontal for comfortable naps. Some of the reclining office chairs reviewed above come with removable pillows that definitely come in handy for activities such as napping or watching a movie on the computer.

In contrast to rocking chairs, reclining chairs are optimal for extended sitting periods because they can be adjusted to a certain angle (though I recommend taking standing breaks often to help your circulation and muscle tone).

In summary, the benefits of reclining chairs with footrests are as follows:

• Reduces compressive stress on the spine and joints
• Enables better blood circulation
• Improves sitting posture
• Helps you relax!
• Lets you take quick power naps comfortably

The 5 reclining office chairs reviewed here all combine comfort, ergonomics, and a high level of recline to create the very best reclining chair you can get at those price points.