While Herman Miller remains the industry gold standard for office chairs, the market for professional-grade ergonomics has evolved, offering clever designs that don’t require a four-figure investment.
As Creative Bloq's chief chair reviewer, I've personally tested the majority of the chairs on this list. Every entry here delivers a Herman Miller-like experience at a fraction of the cost, from the refined aesthetics of my top pick, Branch's Verve office chair, to the unparalleled adjustability of the Steelcase Leap V2. I’ve also included the Haworth Fern, which was recently heralded as the most comfortable chair in its class.
As well as helping creatives get the best deals on kit, I'm also CB's chief tester of office chairs, and have reviewed a lot of different chairs at a range of prices. It takes a lot for an office chair to really impress me – the chairs on this list are the ones that have managed it.
The best Herman Miller alternatives
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Best overall
30-second review: Looking for a chair that looks as stylish, refined and premium as a Herman Miller, but that's waaaaay more affordable? I think this chair ticks all those boxes, with stunning aesthetics based around a seamless, sweeping colourful design. It's also easy to assemble and delivers exceptional comfort and ergonomic support.
Pricing: Branch's Verve office chair retails around $600 / £900, which is about half the price of most Herman Miller chairs. Overall, this chair delivers excellent comfort and style aimed at creatives looking for a premium, personality-filled office chair: a great value alternative to a Herman Miller.
Design and performance: When I reviewed this chair, I found it super comfortable to sit in for long periods, with easy to adjust lumbar support helping me to find the ideal position. There's a nice recline tension that allows subtle movement, too. But on the downside, armrests have a frustrating height adjustment mechanism that I found inconsistent in use. That's pretty much my only gripe with the Verve – that and the fact that the adjustable height range probably wouldn't suit anyone who's a lot taller than me (I'm 5'10).
"The Verve is a seriously cool chair with bags of style and personality – and considerably cheaper than Herman Miller."
Best budget alternative
30-second review: When I review office chairs, I try not to give out stars like candy. For a long time, among the many chairs I had reviewed, the only one that had received a five-star rating was the $1,999 Herman Miller Embody. However, the Sihoo M18 left me with no choice but to award my second top score (there have since been one or two more, as we'll see). It's an absolutely sublime budget office chair, one that delivers supreme comfort and ergonomics at a price that has you wondering how on earth they're making a profit on these things.
Pricing: While its RRP is around $299 / £260, the Sihoo M18 is currently not difficult to find for as little $129 / £130 – you could get 15 of them for the same price as the Embody, or three for the same price as the Branch Verve. For this price, it's very difficult to fault the Sihoo M18. Is it just as sleek, cool and smoothly designed as a Herman Miller chair? No. But for the price, it's outrageously close.
Design and performance: Its design is straightforward and effective, opting for elegant simplicity rather than being overstuffed with superfluous features like plenty of mid-tier office chairs, and it's all the better for it. The foam seat is wide and comfortable, while still being firm enough that it doesn't lose its shape, and the lumbar support is effective and adjustable. It does require self-assembly, but the process is very easy and took me about 25 minutes.
"Unless modern aesthetics are most important to you, I just don't see the M18 disappointing. It's a new classic budget chair, and I love it."
Best mid-price alternative
30-second review: If you're willing to spend a little more than our budget option, I can happily recommend the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro. Another chair to earn a 5-star rating from me, this ergonomic wonder hits all the right notes you want from a supportive office chair, and it looks great into the bargain.
Pricing: At an asking price of $499 / £450, this is more expensive than the Sihoo M18, but it's certainly much more affordable than a Herman Miller, while also offering a comparable degree of comfort and style.
Design and performance: Offering a level of comfort and support that feels effortless, the Ergonomic Chair Pro reveals itself to be a highly adjustable chair. If you're the sort of person who likes to get your seating just right, you'll be in heaven here. There are 14 ergonomic adjustments, 5-way adjustable armrests, and a padded, two-way adjustable lumbar support, but it never feels overwhelming or over-engineered. It's ideal for sitters who are 5-foot something, which is most people, but fret not if you're a little taller, as you can pick up a taller cylinder for $30 to increase the elevation. Assembly is easy enough, though will go quicker with an extra pair of hands.
"This a fantastic chair that has 'bestseller' written all over it. It's chic while offering loads of ergonomic adjustments."
Best for gamers
30-second review: This is the only gaming chair I've ever encountered that I would seriously class as a Herman Miller alternative, and it's one of the few I've given five stars to. The Secretlab Titan Evo provides all the functionality, comfort and adjustability you'd want from a gaming chair, without the tacky aesthetics.
Pricing: Secretlab does most of its business direct-to-consumer (DTC), meaning you're best off buying directly from their site to get the full range of colorways and material options, not to mention the best prices. Currently you can buy the Titan Evo directly for the standard price of $579 – though offers and discounts are not infrequent, so it's worth keeping an eye on the site.
Design and performance: First off, I have to give props to the assembly process of the Titan Evo, which is one of the most painless and dare I say enjoyable that I have experienced in my half decade of reviewing office chairs. The instructions are clear and well-illustrated, with accompanying photos, and the process itself is nice and simple. Top marks.
The Titan Evo is available in Small, Regular, and XL sizes to accommodate a wide range of body types. Its stylish design does employ that racing-car aesthetic that gamer chairs are known for, but does it so much more elegantly and tastefully than anything else on the market. The softweave fabric is, for my money, superior to the faux leather, and while the foam feels a little firm at first, it's easy to sink into, and gives a real sense of longevity. This isn't a chair that's going to lose all its comfort and cushion-shape within a year.
Honestly, I was blown away by this chair. The arm rests are hugely adjustable and supremely comfortable. The lumbar support, with its two separate control dials, can be configured precisely the way you want it, and the best compliment I can pay it is that I set it up when I first got the chair, and then it was so comfortable that I basically forgot about it for the next few months.
Gaming chair aesthetics are never quite going to have that Herman Miller chic – but this one gets damn close. If you've been hunting for a gaming chair that isn't going to be an ugly blight on your living space, you can stop searching. You've found it.
"If you want a great quality chair that is supremely comfortable, that's a joy to have from the moment you start assembling it, I can't recommend Titan Evo enough."
Best saddle
30-second review: The HAG Capisco is something of a different proposition to your standard or traditional office chair. This ergonomic saddle-style seat is designed to be approached a number of different ways; you can play around with a number of different positions to find the one that works for you, even straddling it backwards if so desired (our reviewer found this surprisingly comfortable).
Pricing: It's a pricier option than many on this list, though with an asking price ranging from $860/£660 to $1,200/£1,000, it's still more affordable than most Herman Miller chairs. But the HAG Capisco is an immediately stylish and appealing object, and I think for many users it could be just the thing.
Design and performance: It's designed to encourage you to change up position and keep moving throughout the day. Avoiding the eight-hour stagnant slump of the office worker is one of the best ways to stave off back problems, and so while the HAG Capisco may not be as conventionally comfortable as many other chairs on this list – it's not the kind of thing you'd sink into – it may end up being much better for you in the long run.
"This ergonomic stool is neither cheap nor conventional, but it would suit anyone willing to experiment with sitting and standing."
Most comfortable
30-second review: The Haworth Fern was chosen as the most comfortable chair in its class in a recent independent study — even when compared to high-end Herman Miller models. It offers a unique, organic design that supports movement without the rigid frame felt in many ergonomic task chairs.
Pricing: The Fern sits at the premium end of the alternative market. While you can find basic configurations for around £800, a fully-specced version with a digital knit back and 4D arms will push closer to the £1,000 mark. It is a significant investment — but it’s still a darn sight cheaper than the Herman Miller equivalents.
Design and performance: The standout feature of the Fern is its total lack of a hard outer frame. As the name suggests, Haworth designed the chair to mimic the structure of a fern leaf — the central stem supports a series of (delightful!) fronds that move with your spine. This results in a level of comfort that’s more natural and less corrective than the Herman Miller Aeron.
The design also allows you to lean, twist, and change posture without hitting a hard plastic edge; perfect for digital artists who tend to shift positions to get new angles on their work. The build quality is exceptional, and the aesthetics fit into both high-end studios and calm home environments.
"Haworth's chair boasts genuine innovation, and the fern-based design actually works, gently cradling without ever feeling too prescriptive. I love how customisable it is, too."
Most adjustable
30-second review: Steelcase is perhaps the most popular commercial office chair maker in the US, and the Leap V2 is the company’s masterwork. It is the most adjustable chair we have tested; while most offer automatic tension, Steelcase allows you to dial in your position to an infinitesimal degree.
Pricing: Buying new, the Leap V2 typically retails between £850 and £1,100 depending on the upholstery and armrest options. However, because of Steelcase's build quality, this is one of the best chairs to buy refurbished, where you can often pick up a grade-A model for under £500.
Design and performance: While Herman Miller often designs chairs that choose how you sit, Steelcase believes you should have total control. The Leap V2 features LiveBack technology, which allows you to adjust the tension and the specific curvature of the lower back support.
The 4D armrests are widely considered the best in the business — they telescope, slide, and pivot with a tactile click that ensures your elbows are supported whether you are typing, drawing on a tablet, or leaning back for a meeting. The Natural Glide system is also super impressive; when you recline, the seat glides forward so you stay oriented to your desk and monitors.
"You can absolutely see why Steelcase has earned its place on the throne of US chair makers. If you're the kind of person who loves to fiddle with things until they're just right, this is the chair for you."
FAQs
How to choose the best Herman Miller alternative
To find the right Herman Miller alternative, look for an office chair with good ergonomic design and broad adjustability. Other things to check for include lumbar support and a breathable mesh backrest. Consider chairs from reputable brands like Steelcase, Humanscale and Ergohuman that offer similar quality to Herman Miller at a lower price point. Just because they're more affordable doesn't necessarily mean they'll be lower quality.
What does Herman Miller offer that alternatives don't?
Herman Miller used to be the one and only high-end chair manufacturer, but its position has shifted recently.
Part of the company's appeal is its 12-year warranty, which goes some way in justifying the higher prices it charges: if a chair is guaranteed to last more than a decade, you might end up spending less in the long run.
With the chairs we've featured here, the warranty length scales alongside the price: the low-cost Sihoo packs a three-year parts-only warranty, mid-price Secretlab and Verve options include five to seven years, while the higher-priced options are guaranteed for 10 to 12 years.
The other thing you're getting with a Herman Miller is the name of the man himself. However, as we found with the weirdly plasticky Sayl, even this can be a hit-and-miss affair.
Who is Herman Miller's main competitor?
While many brands aim for the crown, Steelcase is Herman Miller’s primary rival. As the most popular commercial manufacturer in the US, Steelcase dominates the high-end market with a design philosophy that contrasts sharply with Herman Miller’s.
Herman Miller prioritises corrective ergonomics. Models like the Aeron use high-tension mesh and rigid frames to guide users into an ideal sitting posture, essentially training your body to stay aligned.
In contrast, Steelcase emphasises adaptive movement, operating on the principle that the "best posture is the next posture." The company's flagship chairs shift as you lean or twist, providing continuous support.
How we test office chairs
Our team at CreativeBloq takes a hands-on approach to reviewing office chairs from Herman Miller and other brands. We don't merely consider the price tag; our testing process involves assembling each chair from its disassembled state, a common scenario for office chairs. This allows us to assess the ease of assembly, an often overlooked factor.
Beyond the initial setup, we integrate these chairs into our daily work routine, closely monitoring their comfort levels over extended periods. Equally crucial is the adjustability of various chair components, as this plays a pivotal role in ensuring optimal ergonomics, comfort, and safety. Our comprehensive testing methodology ensures that our recommendations are backed by firsthand experience, providing you with informed insights to make the best choice for your needs and budget.
