Herman Miller is one of the biggest and most popular office furniture brands in the world with comfortable ergonomic chairs like the Aeron and Embody. After spending time in all of Herman Miller’s most popular chairs, I’m going to help you decide which of their unique chairs might be right for you.
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8 Most Popular Herman Miller Office Chairs
- Herman Miller Embody
- Herman Miller Aeron
- Herman Miller Mirra 2
- Herman Miller Cosm
- Herman Miller Sayl
- Herman Miller Lino
- Herman Miller Verus
- Herman Miller Vantum
1. Herman Miller Embody
2025 Price: $1830 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
First, the Embody was my first introduction to Herman Miller, yes, I started at the top. When we started getting all of the high-end chairs in the office, I was immediately drawn to the Embody. I liked the tall backrest, wide seat and distinctive looks.
The Embody chair features unique pixelated support technology in the seat and back, offering flexible support no matter your sitting position. With an extensive range of movement in the backrest, it provides amazing support. Despite the missing adjustable lumbar system, I never found that it lacked support.
Additionally, it incorporates an independent back angle adjustment system for personalized fine-tuning. With the pixelated system and a small layer of foam and fabric the seat is a little on the firm side. Don’t let the firmness scare you away though, it’s one of the most flexible seats made by Herman Miller.
Herman Miller only offers one arm package for the Embody and it gives you height and width adjustment. The arm caps themselves are very large which makes up for the lack of arm cap adjustability. The pads are soft, but not to the level as some of the others on this list.
2. Herman Miller Aeron
2025 Price: $1275 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
After a year in the Embody, I switched to the Herman Miller Aeron. The Embody pushed my shoulders forward. The Aeron, with its deep, smooth recline, proved more comfortable than the Embody. The recline provides full lumbar support even when fully relaxed, making it a standout feature. Additional features include multiple locking positions, tension adjustment, and an optional forward seat tilt.
A make-or-break factor for liking the Aeron comes down to the mesh seat. The chair does come in three different sizes, which helps to make sure the frame matches your body size. This is important because if you are too wide for the chair, the side bolsters will be a pain on your legs. On top of that, the back of your legs can hit the front of the frame.
Just like the Embody, the Aeron has high-end components, the highest-quality mesh that I’ve ever seen on an office chair. Finally, the Aeron also comes with an s-tier arm package, great for both comfort and adjustability. The pads are very soft and squishy, so your arms and elbows can really sink into them.
3. Herman Miller Mirra 2
2025 Price: $1270 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
The Mirra 2 serves as an excellent budget-friendly alternative to the Aeron chair, maintaining several great features. My favorite is the recline motion on the Mirra 2 which stands out with the Herman Miller Harmonic Tilt adjustment. This is similar to the Aeron, giving you one of the smoothest recline motions on the market.
Furthermore, it offers a plethora of adjustments, including a flexible front edge for seat depth, responsive tension adjustment, multiple locking positions, and forward seat tilt. It features height-adjustable lumbar support with independent lumbar depth adjustment, allowing personalized support on each side of your back.
The arms on the Mirra 2 are also quite nice. The pads are soft and have a sloping front that allow you to get the chair closer to your desk than most armrest designs. They come with four-way adjustment, which includes, height, width, depth, and pivot adjustments.
Overall, I’m a fan of the Mirra 2, but there are some things to be aware of before buying. Some people simply do not like mesh seats. And while the frame is not as pronounced as the Aeron, it still is not as forgiving as a padded seat. The polyback can also be a dealbreaker for some. It can feel a bit more rigid and cold to the touch.
4. Herman Miller Cosm
2025 Price: $1050 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
Immediately when you see the Herman Miller Cosm you get a bit of a WOW factor… or at least as much as a chair can do that for you. You can see that a lot of planning went into the design of the chair, as every aspect of the chair looks very attractive and high-end. I have only personally tested the high back design, so I will focus on this model.
The Cosm stands out with its rare continuous mesh back into the seat design, offering a cradled feeling, often referred to as the “hammock chair.” The easy transition from backrest to headrest allows for a relaxed and comfortable experience. The mesh seat is more comfortable than others, but it lacks seat depth adjustment, making it most suitable for individuals under 6′ tall.
Choose the adjustable arms instead of the leaf arms; they may not look as cool, but the leaf arms are uncomfortable and not practical in most situations. The Cosm chair stands out with Auto-Harmonic tilt, adjusting to your weight for an ergonomic position. However, its limited adjustments, particularly in recline control, make it suitable for short daily use in conference rooms or home offices.
5. Herman Miller Sayl
2025 Price: $740 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
The Sayl chair by Herman Miller features a distinctive sail-like backrest, inspired by suspension bridges. It’s priced under $1000, offering a more affordable option, but with a step down in price comes a step down in overall build quality. Although, you are still getting a high-end chair with the good policies that come from Herman Miller.
Going back to the backrest, as I stated earlier with the Mirra 2, I appreciate the poly-back chairs, and the Sayl is no exception. It offers comfort and support as the flexible materials adapt to your movements. However, with a backrest height suitable for users 5’10 and under, it may not be the best fit for taller individuals like myself at 6’2″.
The seat on the Sayl is on the firmer side, but still supportive. With the Sayl you’re purchasing it more for the backrest. You do have the option to add a seat slider, giving you seat depth adjustment if you need it. The seat is also on the small side, but I didn’t find it to be as much of an issue as the short backrest.
The Sayl’s arms disappoint compared to others on this list. The arm pads don’t stay in place, and the arm height buttons feel mushy. The recline function, while featuring a smooth synchro tilt mechanism, doesn’t match the deep recline of the Aeron.
6. Herman Miller Lino
2025 Price: $615 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
Similar to the Sayl in terms of price and quality is the Herman Miller Lino. But it is a drastically different chair. The Lino is more likely to appeal to a larger range of people with a more standard backrest. The mesh back design is somewhat flexible and conforms to your body nicely.
It’s not as soft and premium as the mesh of the Aeron but feels like good quality for the price. There is an optional height adjustable lumbar system. It’s smaller and narrower than most systems, but I do feel it’s worth adding if you need the extra support.
The seat is surprisingly firm considering how thick and plush it looks. While the seat is firm, it’s supportive and won’t bottom out. But if you’re looking for a nice, soft, plush seat, this may not be the chair for you. I’d consider the arms on the Lino a slight upgrade from the Sayl. They feature larger arm pads with rounded edges.
Most of the value that can be found in the Lino is the fact that it’s backed by Herman Miller’s policies. Greg, Ryan and I at BTOD all ranked the seat and backrest comfort as straight C-tier. Not exactly a strong endorsement.
7. Herman Miller Verus
2024 Price: $770 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
We can’t forget about the Verus. It is also a chair in the Herman Miller lineup. It is around the same price point as both the Sayl and the Lino, but in my opinion provides better value than either of them. Where it may lack in some style, it makes up for it in comfort.
Having a thinner seat pad, I found it to be even more comfortable. It has a more square and flatter design that you see on the Lino, which makes it feel larger. The Verus does not have adjustable seat depth but with the larger seat I found it usable at my height of 6’2”.
Looking at the backrest, the frame has enough flexibility that you won’t feel locked into the chair. The height adjustable lumbar system comes standard with the chair. At its lowest setting I found it was below the curve of my back, and at the highest setting I could barely feel it. If you’re specifically looking for a chair with strong lumbar support, I would look elsewhere.
The arms have 3-way adjustment, height, width and depth. The ranges are generous and the arm pads have some give. If you’re set on buying a Herman Miller chair and your budget is in the $800 range, then the Verus is a good option.
8. Herman Miller Vantum
2025 Price: $795 + Free Shipping Where to buy: Herman Miller
Coming in last is the Herman Miller Vantum. It generated excitement upon its release a year ago for being designed specifically for gaming rather than a re-skinned version of their ergonomic chairs. While it offers more adjustability than typical gaming chairs, it falls short in comfort compared to even their lower-priced office chairs.
The mesh backrest includes lower lumbar and upper back support, but neither has a significant impact on the chair. The width is good, except when I’m not centered, and the backrest is too short, so my back hits the hard upper frame. This chair is better for smaller users than someone of my size.
The seat is very short. Even with adjustable seat depth, I’m still nowhere close to fitting in it. Anyone over about 5 ‘8” should be concerned about this. I do appreciate that they went with a more open seat than the traditional bucket seat design, so it still beats that class of chairs.
The headrest is relatively comfortable, but if you don’t want to use the headrest, you can’t move it out of the way. The armrests are comfortable with 3-way adjustment, but the ranges are not large. Lastly, the Vantum doesn’t feel as solid or as high of build quality as other chairs from Herman Miller.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, Herman Miller offers a diverse range of office chairs, each catering to unique preferences and needs. These popular chairs offer the perfect balance of comfort, design, and functionality for your workspace. Explore this assortment, and you might discover an excellent chair.
Additional Herman Miller Resources
christen f.
Help! My son is in high school, does online school for hours every day, and plays golf a lot. His back has been killing him and he needs awesome lumbar support. I am looking at these. I want it to just support and help his back to prevent issues!
Out of these what’s best? (He’s currently 5’9 but is only a freshman so will be growing)
I’m looking at the Herman Miller Sayl, Herman Miller Lino, Mavix x5 & the Secret Lab Titan Evo.
Which will give him the best lumbar support?
BTOD.com
I would probably consider Steelcase chairs like the Amia, or the Haworth Soji/Zody. These will provide a wider range for him to grow into over the next few years.