Office Chairs with a Footrest: Who Actually Benefits
An office chair with a footrest is worth buying if — and largely only if — you actually recline during the day. The footrest deploys when the backrest goes past upright: it gives your legs somewhere to rest, so a reading block, a long call or a break between sessions can happen in the chair without leaving the desk. People who work upright from nine to five and never touch the recline lever will fold the footrest away in week one and never see it again. Desk One's footrest chair collection currently centres on four ergonomic models — two with the footrest built in, two where it is an optional configuration — and this guide sets out who genuinely benefits, who can skip it, and how the four compare.
What a chair footrest actually is
On all four Desk One models the footrest is a retractable leg rest stored under the seat. Upright, it is invisible — the chair looks and behaves like any other ergonomic chair. Recline, pull it out, and it supports your lower legs so the reclined position holds itself without effort. On the Apex Ergo+ the padded leg rest extends up to 17cm and slides neatly back when finished. This is a different thing from a freestanding under-desk footrest: the chair-mounted version travels with the recline, which is exactly why it only pays off for people who recline in the first place.
Who actually benefits
Three groups get real value. First, recliners: if your workday alternates focused upright blocks with reclined reading, calls or rest breaks, a footrest turns the recline from a lean into a genuinely usable second position — the Ergo Plus, with its 95°–152° range, gets close to flat. Second, long-session workers who stay at the desk through the day and want to change position without leaving the chair; a supported recline is a different sitting position, and variety through the day is what most people are really after. Third, shorter users, for whom a deployed footrest gives the legs somewhere comfortable to rest in recline; paired with seat-height and seat-depth adjustment (the Apex Ergo adjusts seat depth across 42–44.5cm), the chair can be tuned to smaller frames rather than the other way round.
Who can skip it
If your chair time is mostly meetings, if you perch upright and leave, or if your desk setup already includes somewhere else to take breaks, the footrest is money spent on a feature you will not deploy. The honest alternative is to put that budget into adjustability — armrests, lumbar height, seat depth — which pays off every minute you sit, not just when reclined. Our ergonomic chair features guide breaks down which adjustments matter most, and the high-back vs mid-back comparison covers the backrest question separately.
The four Desk One footrest chairs compared
| Model | Footrest | Recline | Armrests | Stand-out details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ergo Plus | Built-in pull-out | 95°–152° | Linked — angle follows the backrest | Dual lumbar pads that stay in contact through the recline; BIFMA certified |
| Ergo Pro | Optional retractable add-on | 103°–130° | 3D adjustable | Spine-following arc backrest, U-shaped headrest; BIFMA certified |
| Apex Ergo+ | Optional; extends up to 17cm | 103°–130° | 3D adjustable | Seat depth 42–44.5cm, backrest height 61–68cm, aluminium base |
| Ergo Supreme | Built-in extendable | 112°–133°, 4-position lock | 3D aluminium, synchronised with recline | Headrest rotates up to 60°; four-level lumbar with up to 20cm height adjustment |
One honest note: the collection page also lists the Desk One Prime, a fully featured ergonomic chair with 4D armrests and seat depth adjustment — but its listing does not describe a footrest, so it is best treated as a strong footrest-free alternative rather than part of this comparison.
Built-in or optional: which way to go
The Ergo Plus and Ergo Supreme integrate the footrest as standard, and both pair it with recline hardware designed around resting: the Plus with its near-flat 152° maximum and armrests that move with the backrest, the Supreme with four lockable positions and synchronised aluminium armrests. The Ergo Pro and Apex Ergo let you decide at purchase — the same chair is sold with or without the retractable footrest, so you are not paying for the feature unless you want it. In qualitative terms, the Ergo Plus is the most affordable route to a built-in footrest, the Ergo Pro sits in the mid-range, and the Apex Ergo and Ergo Supreme occupy the premium end of the series.
The bottom line
Buy a footrest chair for the recline, not the footrest. The footrest is the supporting act; the real question is whether a reclined second position is part of how you work. If it is, choose by recline range and adjustability — Ergo Plus for the widest range at the most accessible price, Ergo Supreme or Apex Ergo+ for maximum fine-tuning. All four ship from Desk One's Willawong (Brisbane) warehouse with a 1-year warranty and a 7-day return for faulty items including return freight, and the store holds a 4.8-star average across 90+ verified Judge.me reviews if you want to check what other buyers made of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I actually need a footrest on an office chair?
Only if you recline. A footrest earns its place when you regularly lean the backrest past upright to read, take calls or rest between sessions - it supports your legs so the reclined position feels stable and comfortable. If you sit upright all day and never use the recline, the footrest will stay folded away, and your budget is better spent on adjustability.
Which Desk One chairs have a built-in footrest?
The Ergo Plus and Ergo Supreme have integrated pull-out footrests as standard. The Ergo Pro and Apex Ergo are sold with or without a retractable footrest - the footrest versions are optional configurations chosen at purchase, and on the Apex Ergo+ the leg rest extends up to 17cm from under the seat.
How far do the Desk One footrest chairs recline?
The Ergo Plus has the widest range at 95 to 152 degrees, going from near-upright to a near-flat rest position. The Ergo Supreme reclines from 112 to 133 degrees with a four-position lock, and the Ergo Pro and Apex Ergo both lock anywhere between 103 and 130 degrees.
Are footrest chairs a good fit for shorter users?
They can be a comfortable option, because the footrest gives the legs somewhere to rest when the chair is reclined. Check the seat height range against your desk: the Ergo Supreme adjusts from 43.5 to 59cm and the Apex Ergo from 48 to 56cm, and the Apex Ergo also adds 42 to 44.5cm of seat depth adjustment to fine-tune thigh support.
Does the footrest get in the way when I sit upright?
No. On all four models the footrest is a retractable design that slides back under the seat when not deployed, so the chair looks and works like a standard ergonomic chair in the upright position.
Are these chairs certified, and what warranty applies?
The Ergo Pro and Ergo Plus carry BIFMA certification, the independent safety and durability standard for office seating. All models come with a 1-year warranty and a 7-day return for faulty items including return freight, shipping from Desk One's Willawong (Brisbane) warehouse.
