Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap: Which Should You Get?

You’ve set your budget, done some cursory research, and you’ve narrowed down your choices. The two contenders for your next office chair are the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Leap. You’re just not sure which chair is the best one for you.

In today’s extensive Herman Miller Aeron vs Steelcase Leap comparison, that’s exactly what we’ll help you decide. First, we’ll review both the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Leap separately, then compare and contrast their features. Next, we’ll put the two office chairs to the test as we look at sizing, pricing, and comfort. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll feel confident proceeding with one of these great office chairs! 

Herman Miller Aeron Overview

Let’s start, as we said we would, by reviewing these two great chairs, beginning with the Herman Miller Aeron. The Aeron has been a Herman Miller production since the 1990s. Designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick, it was first sold in 1994 and immediately made a big splash. That splash is big enough that the Aeron is a permanent part of the Museum of Modern Art.

The Aerons sold today aren’t exactly the same ones from the ‘90s. Over the decades, the Herman Miller brand has made upgrades to this superstar chair so it’s even better than it was when it was first released. Don Chadwick, the sole living designer, was involved with these design changes so as to stay true to the Aeron style.

Here are the features of the Herman Miller Aeron. 

Eco-Consciousness

The Herman Miller brand has always been advocated for our planet. They produce the Aeron and their other beloved collection of office chairs in green facilities. They’ve also introduced a DfE Protocol focused on optimizing their chairs over a product life cycle, making their chairs more recyclable, and limiting chemicals in chair production. You can read more about their efforts in sustainability here. 

Modern Colors

For the money you’re intending to spend on your office chair, you’re expecting to have it for many years to come. You don’t want a chair with a trendy video game skin or a current color of the year because very soon, these designs won’t be popular anymore. Your chair will look outdated, giving you the itch to replace it.

The Herman Miller Aeron has managed to stay timeless since 1994 in part due to the modern range of colors available. If you like rainbow hues, you might be disappointed, but the three colors are office-appropriate as well as ideal for use in the home. They are Mineral or white, Carbon or gray, and Graphite or black.

These are simple options, sure, but those colors will be in style just as much 20 years from now as they are today. 

Multiple Sizes

People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and the team at Herman Miller kept that in mind when designing and upgrading the Aeron. That’s why this chair is available in three sizes, A through C, that accommodate not only your height but your weight.

Here’s a size chart courtesy of Herman Miller. If you weigh 90 to 120 pounds and you’re 4 foot, 8 through 5 foot, 1, then you’re firmly a Size A. For those weighing up to 160 pounds who are up to 5 foot, 9, you could fit in a Size A or B.

The Size B Aeron is intended for users who are 5 foot, 10 to 6 foot, 7. You might weigh up to 290 pounds. Users who are 5 foot, 11 to 6 foot, 7 and weigh between 170 and 320 pounds might fit in a Size B but are more than likely a Size C. Size C is for Aeron users who are up to 6 foot, 7 and weigh no more than 350 pounds. 

Cross-Performance Postural Support

Your posture changes naturally throughout the day while sitting. You might lean forward when you’re trying to concentrate, recline when taking a break, or sit neutrally. Not all office chairs can accommodate your wide range of postures, but the Aeron can. 

With tilt controls, you can shift from reclining to forward seating seamlessly. Herman Miller upgraded the tilt control so it’s even skinnier than the Aerons of the past. Through the tilt function, you can find your balance point when seated.

Today’s Aeron also features a 1.8-degree adjustment to the frame angle to provide even more encompassing support through postural shifts, including when sitting upright. 

PostureFit SL Backrest and More Ergonomics

Speaking of posture, we have to talk about the ergonomic support known as PostureFit SL. This Aeron backrest is usable no matter the size of your chair from A to C. You can adjust the level of support you receive to your sacral region and the base of your spine. The support continues up to your lumbar region or midback so you can concentrate on your workload without discomfort.

Another perk of the PostureFit SL is that using the backrest will naturally push your pelvis forward just a little bit. This tilt angle will keep you from slouching, which can also help your days be more pain-free.  

8Z Pellicle Fabric

No, it’s not mesh fabric that stretches across the expanse of the Aeron, but 8Z Pellicle fabric, a Herman Miller exclusive. This fabric does more than just look nice, but it also supports the spine when seated thanks to the built-in suspension. That suspension is achieved by pulling the Pellicle fabric tauter near the edges of the Aeron and then loosening it in the middle.

Pellicle fabric is very breathable so water vapor, body heat, and air can exit freely. You’ll stay cool all day long. 

Check out our guide on the Best Herman Miller Office Chairs

Steelcase Leap Overview

Now it’s time to shine some light on the Steelcase Leap, one of our top Herman Miller Aeron Alternatives. Admittedly, the Leap does not have the same level of acclaim as the Herman Miller Aeron, but at the end of the day, you’re not looking for a chair that’s necessarily popular, just one that’s well-made and going to get you through your days at work or at home (or both!).

The Steelcase brand was founded in 1912. Their products extend beyond office chairs to include tables, desks, sofas, dining chairs, lounge chairs, and benches. The Leap is among their highest-rated products.

Let’s take a closer look at the features of the Steelcase Leap now.

LiveBack, Contouring, and More Ergonomics

Rivaling the PostureFit SL backrest is Steelcase Leap’s LiveBack. This technology cradles your spine from the top to the bottom, taking into account that your spine is naturally shaped like an S. Whether you make small shifts in the Leap, you’re leaning way back into your chair, or you’re sitting bolt upright, the LiveBack will move as your body does so your spine is always supported.

Besides the LiveBack, the Steelcase Leap also features contouring throughout the backrest that makes sitting a more comfortable experience. Set the lumbar height of your chair a whole 5 inches so your lower back stays ache-free even if you’re working a long day. Also for your lower back is the firmness adjustment. Just turn the knob twice to increase the firmness all the way.

Steelcase didn’t forget your upper back when designing the Leap. The upper back force settings are adjustable as well. Intended for use when reclining, you can determine how much force you feel by turning a knob between one and five times. 

NaturalGlide and Adjustments Aplenty

Outside of ergonomic adjustments, you can continue to customize the fit of your Leap thanks to the included NaturalGlide system. This patented technology makes gliding forward in your chair simpler than ever. You’ll find your ideal zone where you’re close enough to your keyboard to work without having to strain.

The armrests are another area that you can tweak for your comfort. Shift the arms from one side to another or backward and forward. You can also adjust the armrests up or down and pivot them in and out. No matter the adjustments you make, the Leap’s arms will always stay in alignment with your workstation.

You can also shift the seat height up to 5 inches higher, the seat depth around 3 inches, and the passive seat edge flexion from 1 inch to 1 ½ inches. This feature alleviates your thigh pressure. 

Fabric Upholstery 

The plushness of fabric is one of its biggest benefits, not to mention it’s usually quite easy to maintain a fabric office chair. The Steelcase Leap is available in Buzz 2 fabric, which is pure polyester. Since polyester is quite breathable, your chair can go longer without smelling. 

Fun Selection of Colors

We talked before about the modernity of white and black, but sometimes you just want a fun color for your office chair. That’s especially the case if you have otherwise drab office décor. A pop of color can really liven up the space and put you in a more productive mindset.

You won’t be disappointed with the color offerings available in the Steelcase Leap. Although some of the colors cost extra, here are your options:

• Dunegrass (nude)
• Stone (dark tan)
• Sable (beige)
• Alpine (silver-gray)
• Grey
• Atlantic (gray-blue)
• Cyan (dark gray-blue)
• Sky (slate blue) 
• Blue (dark blue)
• Pumpkin (orange)
• Tomato (deep red)
• Rouge (bright red)
• Burgundy
• Crocus (dark purple)
• Navy (navy blue)
• Tornado (dark gray)
• Black

Fully Assembled 

Once you get over the hurdle that is selecting your office chair, you then have to put it together when it arrives. You usually have to dedicate at least a few hours to this task. Well, you can have those few hours back if you order a Steelcase Leap. This chair arrives fully assembled so you don’t have to do anything other than open a box.  

Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap Highlights

Next, let’s delve into some of the features that are similar in the Herman Miller Aeron and Steelcase Leap compared to what you’ll only find in one chair versus another. 

Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap Similarities

• Lumbar support: Even if you don’t deal with back pain now, prioritizing lumbar support in your office chair is still wise. The Aeron features Herman Miller’s PostureFit SL backrest, an adjustable backrest that supports you up to your midback and keeps your posture properly upright. The Steelcase Leap includes LiveBack technology via adjustable settings that move with your body. 
• Armrest adjustments: Although the Aeron doesn’t make as big of a deal out of it, this Herman Miller office chair does indeed come with fully adjustable armrests. That’s also true of the Steelcase Leap. 

Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap Differences

• Firmness: Due to the mesh design of the Herman Miller Aeron, it’s naturally going to feel a bit firmer due to the lack of padding. Mesh chairs can be hit or miss depending on who you ask. The Steelcase Leap offers a more traditional sitting experience with foam padding. 
• Fabric: Starting with the Leap, it’s covered in a layer of pure polyester fabric known as Buzz 2. Polyester has great breathability, but it might not breathe as well as the Herman Miller Aeron’s Pellicle 8Z mesh. Besides breathability, the Pellicle fabric also augments the chair’s included lumbar support.
• Sizes: The Aeron boasts up to three size options, A through C, for users weighing up to 300+ pounds. Whether you’re 4 foot, 11 or over 6 feet tall, there’s an Aeron for you. The Steelcase Leap is a one-size-fits all chair, offering more adjustment options, such as a seat depth pan, to accommodate people of different sizes.  
• Colors: For the color-loving chair shoppers among us, the Leap definitely has the better options. You can browse upholstery colors in reds, blues, browns, grays, and purple. The Aeron has three colors: black, white, or gray. 

Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap: Full Comparison

Now that we’ve discussed both the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Leap separately, it’s time to pit these two office chairs against one another by comparing features. If you’re still on the fence about which office chair you’re going to buy, this section should make things a lot clearer.  

Materials and Build Quality

Let’s start by talking about the skeleton of these two chairs. The Steelcase Leap features a plastic seat. The outer back is also plastic while the base is plastic or aluminum. As mentioned already, the Leap features comfy Buzz 2 polyester fabric throughout. 

As for the Herman Miller Aeron, it too has plastic parts such as the caster wheels, but its five-star base is durable metal. The 8Z Pellicle fabric is like mesh in that it allows air to flow through and odors to exit, but Pellicle feels soft like fabric.

The build quality and materials prize goes to the Aeron. This chair has been the office chair since 1994 for a reason, and Herman Miller has only continued to improve upon it as times change and ergonomics become a bigger concern for today’s office workers. 

Size Options

As stated, the Steelcase Leap has but one size. Its height is between 38.5 and 43.5 inches. The depth is 21.75 to 24.75 inches. From the floor, the seat height is 15.5 to 20.5 inches. The Leap is 27 inches wide and 15.75 to 18.75 inches deep. 

The width of the seat is 19.25 inches, the back width is 18 inches, and the height of the back from the seat is 25 inches. This office chair can support weights up to 400 pounds. 

The Herman Miller Aeron is available in sizes A through C. The Size A chair is for petite users, Size B can accommodate the average person, and Size C is for bigger users who may otherwise struggle to find an office chair. 

While it’s definitely great that the Leap can handle 400 pounds, it’s simply not size-inclusive enough. The Aeron is, so we give Herman Miller this category as well. 

Seat Comfort

Both the Aeron and the Leap have reclining features that promote your comfort so you can lean back and take a relaxing break from work for a couple of minutes. The Natural Glide system found in the Steelcase Leap is supposed to make for a more seamless transition from sitting up straight to reclining. 

In the Herman Miller Aeron, the Kinemat tilt mechanism does about the same. This mechanism gives you the freedom to pivot in your chair so your ankles, knees, and hips are naturally aligned.

As for how comfortable the seat is to sit in, that will come down to personal preference. However, the seat of the Aeron features 8Z Pellicle fabric that is less taut in the center to cradle your lower half. The Leap uses Buzz 2 upholstery for the seat, but that seat is also covered in plastic underneath. 

One thing to mention is that since the Herman Miller Aeron is an all-mesh office chair, it is a firmer sit, due to the lack of padding. The mesh design is meant to be highly breathable and give you almost a floating, suspended feeling. If you’re not used to sitting in mesh office chairs, then it might take some getting used to. 

The Steelcase Leap, on the other hand, offers a much more traditional seating experience with fabric upholstery and foam padding. 

Back Comfort

Back comfort is a high priority in both the Steelcase Leap and the Herman Miller Aeron. The latter has the PostureFit sacral support system that can lessen sitting fatigue and keep your body aligned whether you’re sitting up straight or leaning. Each pad in this backrest system is adjustable so you can have more lumbar support on one side of your back versus the other.

The Leap’s LiveBack also provides the support you need while you move in your chair. By adjusting your lower back firmness, your upper back force, and your lumbar height, you can also calibrate the Leap so its level of back support is perfect for you. 

This is another category where it’s hard to pick a winner. PostureFit and LiveBack are very comparable features, after all. 

Armrests

Despite doing a lot of digging around on the Herman Miller website for more information, the most we were able to find out about the Aeron’s armrests is that they’re fully adjustable. Steelcase elaborates on the armrest adjustments in the Leap and how you can pivot them and move them up and down as well as set their height, width, and depth.

Although the Aeron’s armrests are leather-padded, without further information on how they’re adjustable, we’ll say the Leap is the winner in this category. 

Adjustability

Being able to adjust your office chair is key in feeling comfortable all day long. The Herman Miller Aeron has a seat angle adjustment, a tilt limiter, and the above-mentioned Kinemat tilt mechanism. You can also set the armrests as well as the PostureFit pads.

The Steelcase Leap features adjustments such as seat height, seat depth, passive edge seat angle, and the armrests. Don’t forget all the upper and lower lumbar adjustment features available in this chair as well.

The range of adjustments in both chairs is great, so you can’t go wrong either way. 

Price

Here’s an area where it’s a lot easier to have an opinion. The Steelcase Leap costs $880. Is that expensive? Yes, but wait until you see the price of the Herman Miller Aeron. That chair retails for $1,445. 

With both chairs, adding extra features will drive up the price. The Leap doesn’t come with a headrest by default, but you can add one for about $160 extra. You can also upgrade from carpet casters to hard-floor casters or increase the height adjustment up to 7 feet if you don’t mind paying extra. 

While you won’t spend more to change the size of the Aeron, that’s not true of adding adjustable armrests and leather arm pads. 

Whether you think $1,500 is too much to spend on an office chair is a personal preference, but many people tend to balk at the price of the Aeron. 

Warranty

We also have to compare the warranties available between these two chairs. Herman Miller protects the Aeron through its 12-year warranty on parts and labor. Steelcase’s warranty for the Leap is just as long. 

Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap: Pros and Cons

A pros and cons list can help some people make a decision, so without further ado, here are the advantages and disadvantages of both the Steelcase Leap and the Herman Miller Aeron. 

Herman Miller Aeron Pros

• The Aeron is one of the best-known office chairs in history and has had a lot of time, dedication, and love poured into it.
• The combination of 8Z Pellicle fabric and the PostureFit SL backrest make this chair comfortable for work, play, and everything in between.
• The Aeron moves with your body as you shift in your chair throughout the day. You can also keep your posture in good shape by using this chair.

Herman Miller Aeron Cons

• The high price of the Aeron is enough to turn a lot of people away.
• Some of the adjustments cost extra, and this is already a very pricey chair. 

Steelcase Leap Pros

• The Leap is a higher-cost chair, but it’s quite affordable compared to the Aeron. 
• The BackFit technology is one of the best features of this chair. Also great are the upper and lower-back adjustments that you can fine-tune.
• The range of colors the Leap comes in can put a smile on anyone’s face.

Steelcase Leap Cons

• Polyester is an okay fabric choice, but it could be better.
• The Leap has a lot of plastic parts that can look a little cheap and not feel so great when seated. 

Herman Miller Aeron vs. Steelcase Leap: Which Should You Get?

It’s now the moment of truth. Between the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Leap, which is the better office chair? We have to give it to Aeron.

Yes, we know, it’s expensive, but in office chairs as in everything, a higher price is often representative of quality. In the case of the Aeron, that’s definitely true.

The Herman Miller Aeron is not one of those outdated relics from the ‘90s. It’s been continually worked on to retain not only its great looks but its fantastic features as well. Herman Miller’s chairs have some of the best ergonomics that you can find in an office chair. The PostureFit SL sacral backrest continues that legacy. 

The 8Z Pellicle fabric is also superior. It provides more lumbar support while keeping your chair breathable so if you have a tight work deadline, you can finish it with no sweat. Steelcase Leap’s Buzz 2 polyester fabric just doesn’t compare. 

The Aeron is also very inclusive with its three size options, something that the Leap doesn’t offer either. These features, when put together, do make the Aeron very much worth its cost. If you want an Aeron but you’d prefer not to part with $1,500, you can always look for a refurb version.

Conclusion 

The Herman Miller Aeron and Steelcase Leap have some great features in common, including adjustments and ergonomics. Yet between the two, the lasting legacy of the Aeron outshines the Leap in key areas like seating size and fabric. 

If you decide the Aeron is the right chair for you, you won’t be disappointed!