The 10 Best Mattresses for the Money—Including a $999 Queen Bed
Saatva
Best Overall:
shp - 1695 Available at Saatva
Best for Back Pain:
shp - 1799 Available at WinkBeds
Best Cooling:
shp - 1099 Available at Helix
Best for Sex:
shp - 1350 Available at GhostBed
Best Memory Foam:
shp - 1095 Available at Casper
Best for Side Sleepers:
shp - 1199 Available at Leesa
Best Value:
shp - 1298 Available at Nectar
Best Hybrid:
shp - 1732 Available at Bear
Best Affordable Luxury:
shp - 1598 Available at DreamCloud
Best Pillow Top:
shp - 1124 Available at Brooklyn Bedding
A new mattress is an investment in your health, but you don't need to break the bank to get quality sleep. When it comes to spending your own hard-earned cash, you want to make sure you're getting the best mattress for the money. Online you'll find dozens of affordable beds that provide the support and comfort you need to rest easy night after night.
In search of high-quality and budget-friendly options, the experts at Mattress Advisor tested and reviewed hundreds of beds under $1,700 to determine which ones are actually worth buying. They assigned a score to each mattress using a 14-point methodology that includes categories such as durability, spine alignment, and cooling. Here are their top 10 picks.
Best Overall: Saatva Classic
Best for Back Pain: The WinkBed
Best Cooling: Helix Midnight
Best for Sex: GhostBed
Best Memory Foam: Casper Original
Best for Side Sleepers: Leesa
Best Value: Nectar
Best Hybrid: Bear Hybrid
Best Affordable Luxury: DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid
Best Pillow Top: Brooklyn Bedding Signature
Tips for Finding the Best Mattress for Your Money
Buy Online
When you purchase a mattress in-store, you tend to pay for more than just the bed itself. A portion of the price often goes towards extraneous things like marketing and overhead. On the flip side, bed-in-a-box companies sell directly to customers, cutting out the middleman to keep more money in your pocket.
Shop Seasonal Sales
Mattress companies are known to offer serious discounts and product freebies during holidays like President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. The best part is that most of these sales last for a full week or weekend rather than just 24 hours.
Check Trial Periods and Warranties
Both in-store and bed-in-a-box mattresses come with generous warranties, which can save you money if you run into issues with your bed. Mattress companies also offer free sleep trials, allowing you to try out the mattress for a number of nights (typically 100 or more) before committing. If you decide it's not the right fit, you can return it for a full refund.
How Long Does a Mattress Last?
A good mattress can last seven to 10 years if you take care of it. You can extend a bed's lifespan by using a mattress protector, which guards against stains. Durable materials like steel coils and high-density memory foam resist sagging and degradation, helping your mattress keep its shape and withstand the wear and tear of nightly use.
Best Mattress Type for the Money
Innerspring
If your budget is tight, consider an innerspring mattress. It's typically the most inexpensive type of bed, containing coils topped with a thin layer of foam to provide lasting support.
Memory Foam
Memory foam is known for its body-hugging comfort, and while some models cost a pretty penny, you can find others priced at under $1,000. Memory foam mattresses are great at isolating motion, which allows couples or pet owners to remain undisturbed if their companion (human or animal) frequently tosses and turns during the night.
Hybrid
Hybrid beds combine two or more mattress materials (usually foam and coils) for a wider range of sleep benefits, such as balancing the comfort of foam with the spinal support of innerspring coils. This mix often makes hybrids more durable than other types of bed, but it also drives up the price.
Latex
Latex mattresses are more buoyant than memory foam beds, but provide the same level of contouring and pressure relief. They also tend to be the most expensive kind of mattress because they're extremely durable and can last a long time.
The 10 Best Mattresses for the Money
Best Overall: Saatva Classic
Saatva's signature mattress combines the durability of a steel coil foundation with the pressure-relieving qualities of memory foam. This mix of materials creates a luxe hotel-style feel, but for half the price of comparable beds. The mattress's dual-coil system provides excellent lumbar support, making it a great choice for sleepers who struggle with back pain—it earned a perfect 10 out of 10 in Mattress Advisor's spine alignment test.
The Saatva Classic earns the "best overall" mattress title for its three firmness options — reviewers found that every type of sleeper will find a feel they're comfortable with (side sleepers should opt for the "plush soft" firmness level). Unlike other online mattress brands, Saatva offers free white glove delivery and set up, meaning you won't have to lift a finger when your new mattress arrives.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.3/10
Customer Rating: 4.9/5
Firmness: Plush-soft (3/10), luxury-firm (6.5/10), or firm (8/10)
Trial Period: 180 nights
Best for Back Pain: The WinkBed
When a mattress works to maintain the natural "S" curve of your spine, you'll feel less back pain in the morning. The WinkBed features a special zoned design in its pocketed coil system to create additional lumbar support. Plus, its Euro pillow top with gel-infused foam provides just the right amount of cushion to ease pressure points and muscle tension. For this, the WinkBed earned a 8/10 in pressure relief and a 8.75/10 in spine alignment from the testers at Mattress Advisor. While the bed comes in four firmness settings, those suffering from an achy back will benefit most from the "luxury-firm" or "firm" options. (Related: The Best Mattresses for Back Pain, According to Chiropractors)
The WinkBed is the brand's flagship model and one of its most popular. Comparable beds typically cost in the $2,000-$2,500 range, so it's not surprising that shoppers gravitate towards this hybrid mattress. However, it doesn't have great motion isolation, so couples concerned with waking each other up during the night may want to look at the all-foam GravityLux instead.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10
Customer Rating: 4.8/5
Firmness: Medium-soft (4.5/10), luxury-firm (6.5/10), firm (7.5/10), or plus (8/10)
Trial Period: 120 nights
Best Cooling: Helix Midnight
For hot sleepers who need an affordable cooling mattress, the Helix Midnight is a solid pick. Topped with a breathable ultra-soft cover, it contains individually wrapped coils that allow air to flow through the mattress. Typically on sale for less than $1,100 for a queen, the bed is one of the most economically priced hybrids on the market. Its high score in durability (8.5/10) from Mattress Advisor ensures that it will last you a long time. (Related: The Best Products for Night Sweats, According to Experts)
After the 100-night sleep trial, if you feel the firmness level isn't right for you, Helix has five other standard models to choose from that range from very soft (2.5/10) to ultra-firm (8.5/10).
Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.9/10
Customer Rating: 4.5/5
Firmness: Medium (5.5/10)
Trial Period: 100 nights
Best for Sex: GhostBed Classic
Constructed with a top layer of perforated latex foam and a high-density foam core, the GhostBed Classic excels at temperature regulation and absorbing movement — all of which is ideal for a variety of bedroom activities. Though this mattress falls in the medium firmness range, it provides ample support both while you're getting busy and sleeping. Latex is a naturally springy material and bounces back against your movements much like coils do, making it a good fit for sex. The bouncier your mattress is, the easier it is to maintain your rhythm. The GhostBed Classic earned a 8.5/10 for responsiveness in the Mattress Advisor lab.
Plus, latex is considered to be one of the most durable mattress materials, so you won't have to worry about this bed wearing down anytime soon. The one area this bed lacks in? Motion transfer. If your partner is one to get up in the middle of the night, their movements may disturb your rest.
Mattress Type: Latex with gel memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10
Customer Rating: 4.7/5
Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10)
Trial Period: 101 nights
Best Memory Foam: Casper Original
Want the comfort of an all-foam bed without an exorbitant price tag attached? The Casper Original has three thick layers of cushioning, and a queen size costs a little over $1,000. The breathable top layer contours along your sides, and a high-density middle layer evenly distributes your weight to provide excellent spine alignment and pressure relief. (Related: The 8 Best Memory Foam Mattresses for All Types of Sleepers)
While some foam mattresses can make it difficult to change positions, the Casper earned a perfect 10 out of 10 in the responsiveness category, which is nearly unheard of for a memory foam bed. Even though the surface contains perforated foam for extra airflow, the original Casper doesn't sleep as cool as the newer Casper Wave Hybrid, which incorporates coils for added breathability.
Mattress Type: Memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.1/10
Customer Rating: 4.5/5
Firmness: Medium (6/10)
Trial Period: 100 nights
Best for Side Sleepers: Leesa Original
With a Mattress Advisor score of 9.3 out of 10, Leesa Original foam bed is one of the highest performing mattresses to ever be tested in the lab. Its medium-firm feel and superior lumbar support benefit all sleep positions, particularly side sleepers. (Related: The Best Mattress In a Box for Every Type of Sleeper)
Side sleepers need a mattress that contours to their curves, delivering pressure relief and helping to maintain proper spine alignment. The Leesa Original's three memory foam layers, which include one tier of cooling foam, promote a healthy posture while still cushioning the hips and shoulders. The extra-dense polyfoam base is durable and designed to withstand years of wear and tear. Plus, the price point makes it an exceptional value for budget shoppers.
Mattress Type: Foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.3/10
Customer Rating: 4.5/5
Firmness: Medium (6/10)
Trial Period: 100 nights
Best Value: Nectar
Made with three thick layers of foam, the Nectar works well for side, back, and stomach sleepers. The bed excels at pressure relief by cushioning your hips and shoulders, and it isolates motion to create a less disruptive night's sleep for couples. Even though it's a memory foam mattress, which can sometimes make you feel stuck, the Nectar ranks high in responsiveness (8.5/10), meaning it's easy to move around on the surface of the bed.
One drawback is that memory foam mattresses sleep hotter than hybrid or innerspring beds, but what the Nectar lacks in cooling, it makes up for in benefits: a lifetime warranty and a one-year sleep trial.
Mattress Type: Gel memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.7/10
Customer Rating: 4.8/5
Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10)
Trial Period: 365 nights
Best Hybrid: Bear Hybrid
The Bear Hybrid is not your average hybrid mattress. Bear goes beyond the typical innersprings and foam structure by adding materials that are supposed to enhance muscle recovery and improve overall sleep quality.
Mattress Advisor testers gave the Bear Hybrid a near-perfect 9.5 out of 10 for spine alignment, which is great news for back sleepers. And it earned an 8.75 out of 10 for responsiveness, so combination sleepers (who change positions throughout the night) can transition comfortably. Compared to the original Bear mattress, the newer hybrid feels more like an innerspring bed, but it's also infused with cooling memory foam to promote a sweat-free slumber.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 9/10
Customer Rating: 4.5/5
Firmness: Medium-firm (6.1/10)
Trial Period: 100 nights
Best Affordable Luxury: DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid
The words "affordable" and "luxury" don't often appear together, but they perfectly describe the five-layer DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid mattress. Its quilted foam and cashmere cover soften around sensitive pressure points, cushioned by two layers of memory foam. Meanwhile, its pocketed coils support a healthy posture. This winning combination supports all sleep positions and ranks the DreamCloud as one of the highest rated hybrids Mattress Advisor has ever tested.
In the sleep lab, the DreamCloud earned a 9 or higher in the following categories: edge support, spine alignment, responsiveness, and durability. Thanks to a special discount for Shape readers, you can get a queen-size for less than $1,000 — comparable hybrid mattresses typically cost $2,500 or higher. Other perks include a year-long sleep trial and a lifetime warranty.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.1/10
Customer Rating: 4.7/5
Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10)
Trial Period: 365 nights
Best Pillow Top: Brooklyn Bedding Signature
A Mattress Advisor tester tells Shape that Brooklyn Bedding's Signature is one of the highest ranking mattresses for pressure relief (it scored a 9.5 out of 10 in the category) thanks to its premium quilted topper that cushions the hips and shoulders. The bed's 5 inches of foam and 4 inches of coils provide support and comfort for every sleep position. Plus, the 120-night trial period gives you ample time to test out the mattress.
If you're planning on sharing this mattress with a partner or pet, it didn't score as high in motion transfer, meaning you may be disturbed by your co-sleeper's tossing and turning. If this is a concern, check out the Brooklyn Aurora, which uses thick layers of memory foam to absorb movement.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.1/10
Customer Rating: 4.7/5
Firmness: Soft (4/10), medium (6/10), or firm (8/10)
Trial Period: 120 nights
Mattress Advisor's Review Process
Each mattress on this list was put to the test (literally) in Mattress Advisor's lab, which is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bedding experts spent over 1,200 hours evaluating and comparing mattresses using a 14-point testing methodology to find the best beds for your money.
While some of the factors tested are tied directly to performance, like responsiveness, edge support, and pressure relief, others are based around brand operations, such as customer service, shipping policies, and trial period. The Mattress Advisor team combines this proprietary methodology with in-depth interviews and customer experience to arrive at a weighted score out of 10.
