Best Mattress for the Money

A new mattress represents a significant investment for most households, so you should strive to find the best mattress within your budget. Thanks to the booming online mattress industry, today’s shoppers can find plenty of high-value beds at different price-points.

Ultimately, the best mattress for the money depends on how much you want to spend. For that reason, our top picks include budget-friendly beds, mattresses with mid-range sticker prices, and high-end luxury models. The common denominators are high-quality materials and strong ratings across different performance categories to ensure a great return on your investment. For each top pick below, our testing team evaluated the mattress for factors like durability and quality of materials, then weighed their findings against its sticker price.

Below, you can read more about our best mattress for the money top picks. Also be sure to check out our buyer’s guide further down, which includes an overview of mattress types, factors that affect mattress pricing, and other important considerations for shoppers.

How to Shop for a High-Value Mattress

A benefit to shopping online is that it lets you browse at your own pace, researching from the comfort of your home computer. You can learn about the benefits and downsides of different options, read independent reviews, and comparison shop to determine your best options.

Many mattresses sold online are available for the best price when purchased directly from the manufacturer; however, you can find models available from third-party sites like Amazon. Sellers range from smaller, online-only brands to mattress industry powerhouses like Sealy and Tempur-Pedic.

Mattress stores often upsell their products, playing on their customer’s ignorance by selling mattresses above list price. If you do decide to shop in store, make sure you research mattress prices online first.

While there are times of the year that almost always feature sales, including most major holidays (Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.), promotions are common year-round for mattresses sold online. Discounts are often displayed from the get-go, and if not, you can check third party sites for coupons. These offers can deliver meaningful savings, in many cases cutting the final price by 10% or more.

Standard shipping is almost always included in the price of a mattress sold online. Some sellers offer financing plans, but you’ll generally need to pay up front (with a credit card, Paypal, or other electronic payment). These mattresses normally have a sleep trial, letting you return the mattress within a set window of time to get a refund.

Important Mattress Value Considerations

Whether you’re looking in the affordable, value, or luxury category, it’s essential that you find a mattress that allows you to get consistent amounts of restorative sleep. That means choosing an option that doesn’t just have a great price but more importantly is the right fit for your needs.

The bevy of brands, products, and marketing lingo can make it tricky to know what to really look for when shopping for a new mattress. Stay on the right track by focusing on these key factors:

• Sleeping Position: Your body needs support in different areas depending on your sleeping position. For example, side sleepers need more cushioning at the shoulders and hips, and back and stomach sleepers need lumbar support. For this reason, it’s vital to consider mattresses that align with your nighttime posture.
• Mattress Type: Five mattress types are readily available: foam, latex, innerspring, hybrid, and airbeds. Each type has pros and cons, and it is helpful to think about which most appeals to you. There are values to be had in every category, but we often find the best values are foam and hybrid mattresses.
• Durability: Once it starts to wear out, a mattress won’t offer sufficient comfort or spinal support. As a result, to be a great value, a mattress has to be durable. To find a mattress that’s more likely to last, look for high-end materials, thoughtful design, and no “weak links” in the layering.
• Quality Materials: As with so many consumer products, you can tell the difference when something is made with investment in its materials. Sturdy components should be used in all levels of the mattress, and in general, customers should be wary of extremely thin or seemingly flimsy layers.
• Firmness Level: Even if the price looks like a screaming deal, a mattress isn’t a value if it’s not comfortable. The central factor that affects comfort is firmness, so look for a mattress that matches what feels right to you.
• Motion Isolation: On some mattresses, especially old-school innersprings, you notice anytime someone moves on the other side of the bed. Many newer mattresses, especially memory foam options, dramatically reduce this motion transfer, making it easier for people who share a bed to sleep through the night.
• Pressure Relief: There’s more impact at certain areas of the body, and if there’s no cushioning there, it can be painful. Insufficient pressure relief can also cause the spine’s alignment to be thrown off, leading to back aches. As a result, contouring and pressure relief are important features, especially if you have sharp impact points.
• Ease of Movement / Sex: For many sleepers, it’s important to be able to move with ease across the surface of the mattress. This could be during sex or when changing sleeping positions at night. It’s easier to move on a mattress with bounce, and some beds with deep contouring (like memory foam) can inhibit movement more than hybrid and latex options.
• Edge Support: To get the most of your mattress, you want to be able to use its entire surface, but some beds give out around the edges. Soft mattresses, as well as all-foam beds tend to have the least edge support. Latex and hybrid mattresses usually offer more integrity around the perimeter.
• Temperature Neutrality: Heat can build up around your body at night, making it hard to stay asleep. Heat problems come from a lack of airflow around the body (often associated with deep hug) and heat retention by some materials (especially memory foam).

What Can Affect the Price of a Mattress?

As you start shopping for a new mattress, you’ll find that prices can be all over the map. Understanding what affects the price of a mattress can help you detect a good value. Some of the most important factors to know include:

• Type of mattress: On a broad level, certain types of mattresses, like airbeds, tend to be more expensive, and others, like innersprings, are usually more economical.
• Thickness of layers: Some materials have a higher cost, and when they are included in thick layers, it can push up the price of a mattress. For example, a mattress with 1 inch of memory foam in its comfort system will usually cost less than a mattress that is otherwise comparable but has a 3-inch memory foam layer.
• Quality of materials: This is one of the key determining factors because higher-end materials cost more to produce and make a mattress more expensive. Elements of materials quality that can affect the price include its sourcing, its density (in the case of foam and latex), whether or not it’s made by hand, and the complexity of its construction (as with innerspring coils).
• Eco-friendly production: It typically costs more to make organic or environmentally friendly materials, and getting a product certified can bring on additional costs.
• Cooling features: Many mattresses have extra features to try to maintain a stable temperature. These can include foams infused with gel or copper, open-cell or aerated foams, phase change material (PCM), and infrared-producing textiles, all of which contribute to a higher price tag.
• Design elements: Adding extra design features, such as zoned coils and foams, reinforced edges, sewn-on handles, or pillow tops may affect the total price.
• Where it’s manufactured: If a mattress is made in the U.S., it will likely cost more, especially if most or all of the component parts are made in the U.S. as well.

Shipping, Returns, and Warranties

If you’re in the market for a new mattress and shopping online, you might be wondering about how shipping, returns, and warranties are handled and if they end up affecting the cost of your new bed.

Shipping

Basic ground shipping to your home is almost always free for a mattress bought online. With standard shipping, the mattress is compressed to fit into a large box that is delivered to your door. When it arrives, you take the box to your bedroom, and when you remove the packaging, the mattress will retake its complete size.

Standard shipping normally takes a few business days depending on where you are located and where the mattress ships from, which is usually a production facility or warehouse. Before shipping, some companies require a few extra days to process your order and/or build the mattress.

This delivery method is usually free for customers who live in the contiguous United States. Standard shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or international locations is offered by some companies but generally with an extra cost.

White Glove Delivery

Another option for delivery includes actually setting up the mattress in your bedroom. This service often includes removal of an old mattress at the same time.

A few companies provide White Glove delivery for free with the purchase of a mattress. Others offer it for an extra charge, and in some cases, there may be different prices for installation alone as opposed to installation and removal of an existing mattress.

White Glove delivery may not be available in all areas, including in places outside the contiguous 48 U.S. states. In those places, customers in need of these services can look for third-party companies that help with these types of projects.

Returns

Generous return policies are commonplace in the online mattress industry. With most brands, you can expect to have a sleep trial that lets you try out the bed at home with the option to return it if it doesn’t work for you.

Most sleep trials are around 100 nights, but some last for even a full year. In many cases, you’ll be required to keep the mattress for a period of time — usually up to a month — before starting a return so that your body can adjust to a new sleeping surface.

If you want to return the mattress, you won’t need to try to get it back in the box. Many companies will send someone to pick it up from your home, and then the company will donate the bed. This is a simpler method, although you may need to move the mattress to your front door or curb.

Other companies don’t pick the mattress up but instead require that you donate the mattress and provide a copy of the donation receipt. If you are unable to personally coordinate donation, you can speak directly with the manufacturer for assistance.

The majority of companies offer a sleep trial that has no restocking or return shipping fees; however, you should always check because in some cases there are costs deducted from your refund. Costs above-and-beyond the mattress itself, such as for expedited shipping or White Glove delivery, are almost never refunded if you opt for a return.

These typical return policies apply to mattresses purchased directly from the manufacturer. If you purchase from a third-party retailer (like Amazon), the length and terms of the return policy may be different.

Warranties

A warranty is a guarantee against defects in a mattress. These warranties cover abnormal or premature deterioration but not typical wear-and-tear. A minor amount of sagging that occurs gradually over time is expected from most mattresses and won’t usually be covered by a warranty.

Mattress warranties can have complicated terms. One component is the length, which often runs from 10 to 25 years. Another component is the remedy, which is what the company will do if a defect arises. Most often, the company will have the choice of either repairing or replacing a defective bed.

Whether you have to pay anything, including shipping costs, as part of this remedy also depends on the terms. A prorated warranty provides less coverage over time, requiring you to pay an increasing portion of the repair or replacement costs based on how long you’ve had the mattress. A non-prorated warranty offers the same coverage no matter how long you’ve had it.

The most valuable warranties are long, cover a broad range of defects, are non-prorated, and do not require the customer to pay any shipping costs.

Additional Mattress Costs

The cost of the mattress itself is not the only item to account for as outfit your bedroom. While these won’t apply for every shopper, they are important to think through as you plan to make your mattress purchase.

• Foundations and Bed Frames: If you either need or want a new base for your bed, you’ll need to factor that into your budget. Make sure that any bed base properly supports the mattress so that you don’t inadvertently void the warranty. If you want to use an adjustable frame, confirm that the mattress you want is compatible.
• Bedding: Most mattresses are clothed with a sheet set, pillows, and a comforter or duvet. If you get a new mattress that’s a different size than your old one, you may have to replace your some of these to accommodate the new size. We also recommend purchasing a mattress protector to protect you bed from things like spills and skin cell buildup.
• Old Mattress Removal: To make room for a new mattress, you’ll need to clear out the old one. Haul-away may be included with White Glove delivery or may be provided by local organizations. Charges for haul-away vary by location.
• In-Home Assembly: White Glove delivery from the mattress maker can come at a cost, but if it’s not offered, you can likely find a local service provider to get your bed set up. This can be especially useful if you are also purchasing a new bed base. Prices will vary based on location and how many pieces you need assembled.

Types of Mattresses

The following sections give an introduction to the five key types of mattresses. Within each mattress type, you can expect commonalities, but it’s important not to assume that all mattresses within a category will have the same performance. There can be variation depending on the specifics of how the mattress is built, the quality of its materials, and other factors.

Hybrid

Definition: As the name indicates, a hybrid makes use of multiple different materials. A hybrid always has a support core made with innerspring coils. The comfort system, though, can utilize memory foam, polyfoam, latex, micro-coils, and other textiles. The comfort system is thick and noticeably affects the overall feel of the bed.

Balanced Performance: The goal of a hybrid is to provide the benefits of various materials without triggering their drawbacks. A hybrid can provide the responsiveness and edge support of an innerspring but with the pressure relief and comfort of a foam mattress.

Innerspring

Definition: Innersprings have one central component, which is a coil system. The coils, or springs, compress and bounce back as you move on top of the mattress. The comfort system is sparse or inexistent, featuring at most thin layers that are usually made with cotton or polyester.

A Low-Cost Building Block: Some customers choose to “DIY” their own hybrid by first purchasing an innerspring mattress and then placing their preferred mattress topper above it to serve as a comfort system. This requires separate purchases but offers flexibility and can bring cost savings.

Latex

Definition: The performance of a latex mattress is driven by latex rubber. The latex used in mattresses is usually natural, meaning that it is derived from trees; however, latex can also be produced synthetically. Natural latex can be made using the Dunlop or Talalay process, which will affect its overall feel.

Responsive With Contouring: Latex has an appealing mixture of cushioning and bounce. It can lightly cradle the body, but it’s also easy to move on top of, which keeps you from feeling stuck in the bed.

Airbed

Definition: The defining feature of an airbed is its support core that is made with an air chamber. That chamber can inflate or deflate, changing the firmness with the touch of a button on a remote or smartphone. Comfort systems above the air chambers vary widely and can include foam, latex, wool, cotton, and/or fiber fill.

Choose Your Own Firmness: Customers who want the ability to adjust their mattress firmness are big fans of airbeds. In addition, each side has a separate chamber, which works great for people who share a bed but have diverging firmness needs.

Foam

Definition: Foam mattresses are built with an array of layers that can include polyfoam, memory foam, and latex. No coils or spring are used in foam beds. The feel of a foam mattress depends in large part on the type of foams used and the thickness of the layers.

Standout Contouring: Foam mattresses, especially memory foam options, lead the pack when it comes to contouring and pressure relief. This can promote healthy spinal alignment and make the bed more comfortable for people with pronounced pressure points.

How to Get The Best Deal on a Mattress

One of the best ways to get the best mattress for your money is to score the best deal possible. The next sections explain some helpful steps to be a savvy mattress shopper.

Do Your Homework

A little bit of research can go a long way in helping you save money on a mattress. Understanding the normal price ranges and what influences price can fine-tune your ability to spot a good deal.

Comparison shopping is another useful money-saving strategy. Without the pressure of a salesperson, you can collect information at your own pace and see how similar models are priced. Knowing about competitors’ pricing enables you to more effectively negotiate and ask for price matching or other deals.

When doing your research, make sure to be on the lookout for bundles, especially if you also need a new bed frame, pillows, or bedding. Many companies offer free extras, or you can negotiate for them to be included with your purchase.

Holiday Deals and Sales

Holiday sales are a big deal in the mattress industry. Historically, brick-and-mortar stores offered the best values on a handful of holidays because of the nature of the mattress sales cycle. New models were regularly launched in the early summer, creating a motivation to clear out inventory with big sales around Memorial Day. The Fourth of July and Labor Day anchored sale events to promote the new mattress lines. In addition, other major shopping days, like Black Friday, have been a staple for retail mattress stores.

Fortunately for shoppers, the online mattress industry has followed suit, offering great values on holidays to compete with brick-and-mortar stores. They’ve even added new holidays – Prime Day and Cyber Monday – to the list.

If you can shop on these holidays, you likely won’t have to look hard to find promotions. Retail stores publish ads and flyers, and online companies have banners and pop-up ads that show major savings. You can usually find reduced prices, free accessories, or both.

If you aren’t able to make a purchase around these dates, it can still be useful to make note of holiday deals. Keep a record of the details, and then later, you can ask for the same pricing. While this negotiating tactic won’t always work, some sellers will end up giving you the price offered during a prior sale.