If you’re looking for an ergonomic office chair you probably have come across Herman Miller chairs at some point and you’ve noticed how expensive they are.
And if you’re reading this you probably decided not to spend a fortune on one of them and you want to find the best Herman Miller alternative.
Herman Miller – Symbol of Luxury & Highest Quality
Chairs by Herman Miller have not only high price, but they are also a symbol of luxury.
Lots of people dreams about having Aeron, Embody or Sayl chair in their office. These models have such a modern, sophisticated and chic look that probably everyone would envy you if you had one of them in your office. Of course the design and appearance isn’t the most important thing.
Herman Miller brand is a guarantee of highest quality, the best materials and fabrics and durability. And the best thing about these high-end chairs is their ergonomic shape and awesome features that help to decrease or avoid back pain.
I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that Herman Miller chairs dictates trends and sets standards for other ergonomic office chair brands. However these top-notch chairs have such an ingenious design, innovative materials and clever functions, that it’s really hard to compete with them, not to mention beating them!
Are There Chairs That Can Compete With Herman Miller?
There aren’t many brands that can complete with Herman Miller quality. However, chairs like Steelcase Leap or Eurotech Ergohuman do offer similar high-quality of materials, ergonomic features and adjustments that also provide excellent comfort and support.
These two chairs are actually Herman Miller competitors. If you would like to find out in which aspects Leap and Ergohuman are better than for example Aeron, read my article about Herman Miller chairs competitors.
Cheap Herman Miller Knock-offs – Not Many But There Are!
Herman Miller chairs and its rivals have one thing in common for sure: they are very pricey. Let’s be honest, not every person can afford a chair that costs $700 or even $1200!
That’s why people often search for best Herman Miller Chairs alternatives or knock-offs – cheaper models that looks similar and have the same features (or at least few of them), but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Fortunately you can find on the market at least few chairs that cost 3 or even 5 times less than Aeron and Embody and still have a great ergonomic design and a lot of adjustments that help user to find his comfort zone and proper support for his body.
Of course these Herman Miller knock-offs and alternatives usually have less innovative design and few less features. The overall quality is also a bit worse, but still good enough to serve you for years and provide comfort during long hours of sitting.
I picked few inexpensive office chairs that can be fantastic alternatives for Herman Miller Chairs. If you’re on a small budget, these model are definitely worth considering.
Below you will find main reasons why you should buy one of them.
2 Great Herman Miller Aeron Alternatives & Knock-offs
There are two cheap ergonomic office chairs that are particularly noteworthy, when we’re looking for the best alternative for Herman Miller Aeron: WorkPro 1000 Series Mid-Back Chair and WorkPro Quantum 9000 Series Mid-Back Chair.
#1 WorkPro1000 Series
As Herman Miller Aeron knock-off, WorkPro 1000 Series has very similar appearance to it. Of course the design is a bit different, the materials and fabrics that were used to make this chair differ from Aeron’s, but the overall quality is still very good and you can expect this cheap chair to last at least few years.
Like every other ergonomic office chair, WorkPro 1000 Series has S-shaped backrest which gives nice support for lumbar region. However, the lumbar support is non-adjustable which means you cannot move it higher or lower.
The armrests are height- and angle-adjustable so user can find good position for his elbows and avoid wrist fatigue. What is great about this Herman Miller knock-off is that the seat is depth-adjustable. Thanks to it, people with shorter and longer legs can find proper support for their thighs and prevent leg numbness and problems with blood circulation. Herman Miller Aeron seat depth is non-adjustable.
The best thing about WorkPro 1000 Series is that it costs less than $200! Can you believe that you can have such a well-equipped and quality chair few times cheaper than Aeron?!
#2 WorkPro Quantum 9000 Series
Another cheap ergonomic chair that can be a great Herman Miller Aeron alternative is WorkPro Quantum 9000 Series which costs a bit more than the previous model, but it’s still less than $400 (some versions cost under $300)!
This Herman Miller alternative looks almost like Aeron chair, especially the versions with mesh backrest and mesh seat.
In contrast to WorkPro 1000 Series, this model is just better equipped. It has S-shaped backrest, adjustable seat depth and armrest that move up& down and pivot as well, but additionally it has height-adjustable backrest. Although the lumbar support itself is not adjustable (like on Aeron), you can slide the backrest up and down to give your spine proper support – right where it’s needed.
The biggest difference between Aeron and this cheap alternatives is that Aeron comes in three sizes (A for small people, B for average in height people and C for tall and heavy people).
On the other hand, WorkPro 1000 Series and WorkPro Quantum 9000 Series are available in only one size. The former one is most comfy for users from 5’4’’ up to 6’3’’, while the latter one is suitable for people up to 6ft tall.
To find more about WorkPro 1000 Series read my article Herman Miller Aeron Knock-off. You may also want to read my full comparison of WorkPro Quantum 9000 Series vs Aeron.
Awesome Herman Miller Embody Alternative – CMO Ergonomic Mesh High-Back Ultra
Embody is probably the second most popular chair by Herman Miller. Some version of this chair are even more expensive than Aeron! No wonder people are looking for more affordable Embody alternatives.
If you can’t afford Herman Miller Embody, there is one chair that you should consider as cheap alternative: is CMO Ergonomic Mesh High-Back Ultra Computer Office Chair.
This ergonomic office chair has fantastic backrest. Okay, maybe it’s not made of suspension fabric and doesn’t follow user’s moves like Aeron’s backrest, but it does have S shape and height-adjustable lumbar support which is a big plus. Just like Aeron it has adjustable seat depth – another advantage.
Moreover this inexpensive Herman Miller Embody alternative offers a headrest which is also adjustable. Thanks to the pressure on user’s shoulders and neck is decreased and his whole spine is well supported. Some customers that own Embody complain about the lack of headrest, so it’s really great that this cheap alternative has it.
There is one more feature that differentiates CMO chair from Herman Miller Embody – it has a hanger on the back of the seat. It’s actually very useful accessory.
If you’re thinking about buying this Herman Miller Embody alternative, you may want to read my detailed review and comparison of both model here.
Herman Miller Sayl Alternative – Vertagear S-Line SL4000
According to many people who have been using Herman Miller Sayl, it is suitable rather for short and average in height users (up to 5’8’’). That’s why I looked for a cheaper chair that is also most comfortable for smaller users and could be a great alternative for Herman Miller Sayl.
And I found Vertagear S-Line SL4000 Racing Series Gaming Chair (Rev. 2).
Although this is a gaming chair it can be used as an office chair as well as it provides great comfort and support for those who spend several hours a day at the desk.
Of course this two chairs have completely different design (to be honest, you won’t find a chair that looks similar to Sayl – you can’t beat that look), however both are made of high-quality materials and fabrics.
Vertagear S-Line SL4000 Racing Series Gaming Chair (Rev. 2) comes with 2 pillows for neck and lumbar support, which you can set higher or lower. Another great thing about this chair is that it has 4D adjustable armrests – just like Sayl. Thanks to this feature you will forget about wrist fatigue and shoulders pain.
This cheap chair from Vertagear offer a deep recline (up to 140 degrees) so you can tilt back and relax after long hours of working at the desk.
More information about Vertagear S-Line SL4000 Racing Series Gaming Chair (Rev. 2) you can read in Scott’s article about Herman Miller Alternatives on Officemator. You will find there a comparison of these two chairs.
Herman Miller designs probably the best ergonomic office chairs and of course cheaper alternatives cannot compare with their quality.
However, as I tried to show you, there are few models that are good-quality and have many adjustments – and if you’re on a tight budget you should definitely consider them as inexpensive Herman Miller alternatives.
Best Herman Miller Alternatives 