Other Cheap Mattresses We Researched
My tester friends and I have checked out hundreds of high-quality mattresses, so picking just a few to recommend wasn’t easy. But here’s a quick rundown of some top choices that almost made the cut.
- Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid – Brooklyn Bedding has a wide range of solid, budget-friendly mattresses. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t do too well on motion isolation, which makes it a tough choice for couples with restless sleepers. Plus, I decided to pass on it because the Signature Hybrid costs over $1,300. While that’s still a decent price, it’s a bit on the high side for a budget-friendly mattress.
- Nectar Classic Memory Foam – The Nectar Classic is an all-foam mattress that’s a bit firmer than most but still soft enough to help with pressure relief for side and back sleepers. It goes for $1,490 for a queen at full price, but when it’s on sale, you can grab it for about $650. Still, I left it off the list because its edge support isn’t the best, and that’s key for budget mattresses to avoid sagging too soon.
- Boring Hybrid – Boring’s known for making simple but quality mattresses that are easy on the wallet. At $800 for a queen, the Boring Hybrid is pretty affordable, especially for a hybrid mattress. I really liked its excellent motion isolation and responsiveness, but it didn’t do so well in the cooling department, making it not the best choice for hot sleepers.
How We Tested the Best Budget Mattresses
The Mattress Clarity team, made up of product experts and certified sleep science coaches, has tested over 650 mattresses and sleep accessories using our in-depth testing methods. Our “full-picture” approach combines hands-on reviews with hard data so you get both subjective and objective insights into the mattresses—whether they’re great or not-so-great—that come through our sleep studio.
We also know our limits, so we reach out to a network of healthcare pros to make sure our recommendations are spot on and safe. At Mattress Clarity, we believe that sleeping on a high-quality mattress that provides both support and comfort can seriously improve your sleep and overall quality of life. That’s why we put together this detailed guide on what to look for when shopping for the best budget-friendly mattresses.
Pressure Relief
Sleeping on a mattress that helps relieve pressure is one of the best ways to ease the pain and discomfort that often comes with cheap mattresses. To test each mattress for pressure relief, we bring in a team of sleepers from three different weight groups and use a special mat that creates thermal images—called pressure maps—to show us where the pressure points are.
This mat also gives us a pressure reading in pounds per square inch (PSI), which helps us compare the pressure levels across different mattresses. These readings and images show us how much pressure people can expect to feel on each mattress.
Motion Isolation
If you, like me, share a bed with a partner who moves around like they’re practicing for a dance routine in their sleep, you know how crucial it is to find a mattress that absorbs motion well. We test this feature in two ways.
The Ripple Test
For this test, we fill a big glass with water, place it on one side of the bed, then climb in and out of the other side, moving around like a partner would. We watch how much the water splashes to get an idea of how much movement is transferring from one side of the mattress to the other.
The Partner Test
In this test, one of our product experts lies on one side of the bed while another pretends to be a partner getting in and out of bed, rolling from their back to their side, and stomach. The tester who’s staying still raises their hand if they feel any movement from their testing buddy.
Cooling
If you’re the type who kicks the covers off or cranks the A/C so high it feels like you’re sleeping in a meat locker, your mattress might not be doing a good job at regulating temperature. To check cooling, we use a thermal temperature gun to measure the surface temp of the mattress, then have a tester relax on it for 7 minutes. While they’re on the bed, we get some subjective feedback by asking if the cover feels cool to the touch and if the mattress warms up. When the timer goes off, we take another temperature reading and note the difference.
Here’s the breakdown of how the temperature increases are measured:
- 5 degrees or less: Excellent
- 5 to 10 degrees: Good
- 10 to 15 degrees: Satisfactory
- Over 15 degrees: Poor
Responsiveness
To test how responsive a mattress is, we have team members switch between different sleeping positions to see how easy it is to move around. We ask them to pay attention to whether they feel stuck in the bed or if the mattress helps them shift around.
We also place a 44-pound kettlebell on the mattress for 7 seconds and record how long it takes for the mattress to bounce back to its original shape once the weight is lifted. Hybrids and innersprings usually spring back faster than slow-moving memory foam.
What Else Is Important When Buying a Cheap Mattress?
No matter your budget, you don’t want to just grab the first cheap mattress you find. Take your time, think about the key features below, and make sure the mattress you choose is still a good investment.
Quality
The quality of your mattress really depends on the materials it’s made from and how good those materials are. Most good-quality memory foam, innerspring, and hybrid mattresses should last about 7 to 10 years, while latex mattresses can last anywhere from 12 to 15 years.
Cheaper materials may cause mattresses to sag faster and lead to discomfort while sleeping. Dr. Dasgupta says that “insufficient support, sagging, and a lack of cushioning in a mattress” can actually cause or worsen back pain symptoms.
To avoid that, aim for well-built mattresses in the $700 to $1,500 range, if you can. If you see mattresses priced under $500, it’s definitely worth checking why. Are they using cheaper, less durable materials? Are their claims hard to verify? (In 2013, three mattress companies were called out by the Federal Trade Commission for exactly this.) Has the model been reviewed by a third party? Sadly, a lot of those "too good to be true" deals really are.
Durability
Beds that are sturdy and supportive both around the edges and in the middle usually hold up better over time than those that sag or sink at the edges. But since we only spend a limited time with the mattresses we test, we also take the mattress warranty into account. The length of the warranty is often a good sign of how much the manufacturer trusts their product.
Firmness
No matter how much you spend on a mattress, you want it to be comfortable, and a big part of that comfort comes from how firm it is. How firm or soft a mattress feels is kind of subjective and depends a lot on your body type. A bed usually feels firmer to someone who weighs less than 130 pounds compared to someone heavier. To help you figure out what to look for in a mattress, check out our guide on which firmness level is best for you.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how your body type might affect the firmness you need:
