Backapp

Backapp is a maker of active sitting furniture designed and developed in Norway and produced in Sweden. The footer names Backapp Europe AB, Box 68, SE-334 21 Anderstorp, Sweden, with a Norwegian phone number, +47 97 75 65 05. The site runs European versions in English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, French and Italian, plus an English North America version, and a visitor from the USA is asked whether to switch to "the local website instead." Prices are shown in euros excluding VAT on the European English site; the site does not publish North American prices or shipping costs. The home page repeats the offer "Try Backapp for free for 14 days!"

The chairs and the board

Backapp's product line is built around what it calls the Magic Ball, an adjustable ball under the seat that the user balances on. The Backapp Smart is "the original Backapp", described as a way to "keep moving throughout the day by balancing on the adjustable Magic Ball." The Backapp Hipp, labeled new for 2020, uses the same technology with what the site calls a soft and flexible ergonomic seat, and the user sits with the feet on a footrest padded with a soft damping material. The site says the Hipp is made of recyclable materials that can easily be dismantled for recycling, and the home page says Backapp materials are selected for ease of recycling. The site pitches the Hipp for offices, home offices and meeting rooms, and the home page has a whole banner for meeting rooms under the line "Meetings with movement are more creative!"

The Backapp Hipp is listed at "Price from: € 384 Excl. VAT". The Smart page does not show a price. The site does not say which configuration the Hipp starting price buys. Each product page has its own call to action, "TRY BACKAPP FREE!" on the Hipp and "TRY BACKAPP 360 FOR FREE!" on the board, and the menu gives each product separate Guarantee, Environment and Technical specifications entries.

The Backapp 360 is a balance board for standing, marked "New design 2020" and listed from € 162 Excl. VAT. The site says it uses the same technology as the Backapp Smart, that the user turns the magic ball to increase the balance training, and that the movement is cushioned and adjustable, "which makes the 360 both safe and comfortable." Backapp Wheels is the fourth product, described only as a way to "bring even more mobility" to the range. The site says its technology is defended by patents, and that the core of the patent is the damping device that lets a user sit or stand on the adjustable ball.

What Backapp claims for it

Backapp's marketing is openly health-led, and every claim here is the company's. The home page lists "Ensures exercise while sitting", "Improves your posture", "Ensures less back pain for sufferers" and "Burns at least 19% more energy." Other banners say users "activate your back and neck muscles" when sitting on the chair. For the 360, the site says balancing "exercises your leg muscles, hips, ankles and spine" and increases blood circulation in the legs. The home page also quotes a Dr. Freddy Johnsen saying that "sitting on the Backapp gets rid of back pains." The site offers what it calls a "Stronger back guarantee": if the buyer does not agree after using the chair for 14 days, the chair can be returned for a refund.

The site groups its studies under "Health effects". It describes a trial of 354 employees in 8 companies, listing Siemens, Ving, Tretton37, Kamstrup, Toyota Danmark, Lähi Tapiola, OK, Kongsberg Maritime and KGH Customs Services, plus surveys of 278 users and 364 physiotherapists, and a trial with 70 employees at a research company in Finland. The news feed on the home page includes posts such as "Visit Backapp at Orgatec" (2024-10-14) and "Backapp, FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY" (2024-10-02), alongside a 2024-04-03 buying guide titled "Which ergonomic office chair should I choose?"

The KGH Customs Services page is the most detailed. Per Backapp, 39 employees used the Backapp Smart and the 360 board and answered a questionnaire at the start, after 6 weeks and after 6 months. The company reports that lower back pain or stiffness was named by 22 participants before the trial, 22 after 6 weeks and 16 after 6 months, and that headaches during or after work went from 13 to 5. Its table shows 2 participants with a pain score of 0 before the trial and 11 after 6 months, and an average pain score falling from 2,1 to 1,1. According to the same page, 25 participants, or 64,1%, wanted to replace their normal chair with Backapp Smart and Backapp 360 after 6 months. The site says the questionnaire was developed by an independent third party that received the completed forms and tabulated the results, and credits the report to Force Technology. These are the company's own published figures from one workplace, self-reported by the users, without a comparison group.

The site also carries customer testimonials. One says, "No more back pain, stiff neck or shoulders!" and another that "my back ache is now gone." They are the site's published marketing quotes, and we do not repeat them as findings.

Buying one

The product pages say "Backapp is available from several retailers" and link to a retailer finder, and the footer offers "Find retailers" and "Try a Backapp". The product pages do not name specific dealers, and whether a North American buyer can order directly online is not stated. The site does not name a furniture certification such as BIFMA or GREENGUARD and does not state a warranty length beyond the 14-day guarantee.

Who it suits

Backapp suits a buyer in Europe who wants a stool built entirely around balancing rather than a conventional task chair with adjustments, and who likes the idea of a matching standing board. The 14-day return offer gives a buyer a window to decide whether perching on a ball suits them. Buyers outside Europe will need to go through the retailer finder or contact the company, since the site gives no local prices or shipping terms. The health figures on the site are the company's marketing and one self-reported workplace trial; a buyer should read them as such.