Best cheap mattresses – data-backed performance tests

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A lot of us fall prey to the preconceived notion that expensive always equals premium. While it does apply to some things, when it comes to mattresses – especially bed in a box brands that can only be found online – shelling out the big bucks doesn’t always equate to quality. You may have heard the old adage ‘to never scrimp when it comes to where you lay your head’ but there ARE some premium quality mattresses out there to be had without breaking the bank. Our Editor’s Choice is the Sweet Night Prime mattress.

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Top 6 Best Cheap Mattresses for Shoppers on a budget

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#1. Sweet Night Prime

Why it’s the overall best

What we liked best about the Sweet Night Prime mattress is that it comes in 4 firmness levels all within one mattress – it’s like getting 4 different mattresses in one.

There’s no fancy equipment or knobs and controls involved either; all you need to do is to flip the mattress.

Made from true, high density memory foam, the Sweet Night Prime mattress offers deep compression and pressure relief for all sleeper types including those who sleep predominantly on their backs.

There’s one tiny caveat to the Sweet Night Prime mattress though – because it is an all-foam mattress, it may not be suitable for heavier-set individuals.

Specs at a glance

Sweet Night Prime performance

The Sweet Night Prime mattress comes in 4 different firmness levels: soft, medium-soft, firm and extra-firm. This means that it is suitable for all sleeper types from strict side sleepers and combination sleepers to back and stomach sleepers.

With that said though, because the Sweet Night Prime mattress features an all-foam construction, it would not be able to provide enough support for sleepers weighing 250 lbs and up.

We rate the Sweet Night Prime a 9.5 when it comes to pressure relief.

The proprietary memory foam used in the Sweet Night mattress acts and feels just like traditional memory foam in that it provides deep compression and helps keep pressure off all the main pressure points.

We rate the Sweet Night Prime a 9 when it comes to cooling.

Although the Sweet Night Prime mattress is made up of memory foam – which is notorious for heat retention – we did not feel overly heated when we tried the mattress out. Don’t get me wrong, the Sweet Night Prime is not actively cooling but it allowed us to sleep more temperature neutral.

We rate the Sweet Night Prime a 9.5 when it comes to motion isolation.

All-foam mattresses, in general, are very good at deadening any cross mattress movement and the Sweet Night Prime is no different. We barely felt any movement when we tried the mattress out with a partner.

We rate the Sweet Night Prime an 8.7 when it comes to edge support.

If you’re the type of sleeper who likes to sleep on or close to the edge of the bed, the Sweet Night Prime mattress would not be the right pick for you. Because of its varying firmnesses on either side of the mattress, edge support on the Sweet Night Prime mattress is quite poor.

Overall, we rate the Sweet Night Prime mattress a 9.2 when it comes to performance.

Factor	Performance
Firmness	Soft to Firm
Cooling	8.7
Pressure relief	9.4
Motion isolation	9.4
Edge support	8.7
Mattress thickness (inches)	10/12
Sinkage	Minimal
Trial (days)	100
Warranty (years)	10

Alternative pick: Sweet Night Dreamy

If you’re not really sold on the idea of 4 different mattress firmnesses within one mattress and want something cheaper, you might want to check out the Sweet Night Dreamy mattress.

Similar to the Sweet Night Prime, it also comes in multiple firmness levels within one mattress but there’s only 3 instead of the Prime mattress’ 4 – still enough to accommodate most sleeper types.

It also features an all-foam construction that provides both compression and good pressure relief.

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#2. Bear Original

Why it’s one of the best

The Bear Original mattress is Bear’s only all-foam mattress offering and its memory foam construction is the only one out of Bear’s extensive mattress lineup that offers a contouring hug.

Made up of a blend of proprietary gel memory foam and high density foam, and dynamic foam, the Bear Original mattress does not retain heat like regular memory foam does, making it a good choice for hot sleepers.

You might think memory foam may cause you to sink into the mattress – and it usually does – but the memory foam used in the Bear Original mattress does not give you that stuck in the mud feel.

One thing we didn’t like about the Bear Original mattress though is that you would need to pay a separate fee if you want your mattress to have a Celliant cover which of course adds to the cost.

Specs at a glance

Bear Original performance

The Bear Original mattress sits on a 7-7.5 on the mattress firmness scale making it a medium-firm mattress. Although most sleepers would find the Bear Original to be pretty comfortable, lightweight side sleepers might find it to be a little too firm.

Because it’s also an all-foam mattress, the Bear Original mattress isn’t able to provide enough support for those that weigh well over 250 lbs.

We rate the Bear Original mattress a 9.8 when it comes to pressure relief.

Bear uses their very own cooling gel memory foam blend in the Bear Original mattress. We found that it gives exactly the same contouring and pressure relieving properties as traditional memory foam but without any of that stuck in the mud feel.

We rate the Bear Original mattress a 9.3 when it comes to cooling.

It might not be as cooling as most hybrid mattresses out there but the Bear Original mattress does hold its own when it comes to helping you sleep cooler thanks to its cooling gel-infused memory foam.

We rate the Bear Original mattress a 9.7 when it comes to motion isolation.

We’ve never yet come across an all-foam mattress that does not do well in isolating any cross mattress movement and the Bear Original mattress is one of the best we’ve ever tried.

If you share a bed with a partner and you’re the type of sleeper that wakes up with just the slightest of movement, it might be worth checking out the Bear Original.

We rate the Bear Original mattress a 9.4 when it comes to edge support.

Even without any reinforced coils that usually comes with hybrid or innerspring mattresses, the Bear Original mattress offers good edge support that won’t have you rolling off the edge of the bed.

Overall, we rate the Bear Original mattress a 9.5 when it comes to performance.

Factor	Performance
Firmness	Medium Firm
Cooling	9.3
Pressure relief	9.8
Motion isolation	9.7
Edge support	9.4
Sinkage	Minimal to none
Trial (days)	120
Warranty (years)	Lifetime

Alternative pick: Bear Trundle

If you want something a little bit cheaper or want something for the kids’ rooms, check out the Bear Trundle mattress.

Meant to be used with trundle and bunk beds, the Bear Trundle bed has a lower height profile yet still provides enough pressure relief and comfort where you need it the most.

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#3. Emma Hybrid Comfort

Why it’s one of the best

If you think hybrid mattresses all cost an arm and a leg, think again.

The Emma Hybrid Comfort is a premium yet affordable hybrid mattress made with proprietary foam and a unique coil unit that’s suitable for all sleeper types including heavier-set individuals.

Another nice thing about the Emma Hybrid Comfort is that its coil unit allows air to flow freely throughout the mattress, which in turn keeps heat retention at bay. This makes the Emma Hybrid Comfort mattress a good choice for those who sleep hot.

What we didn’t like about the Emma Hybrid Comfort is that it could do way better in the edge support department (are you listening, Emma?).

Specs at a glance

Emma Hybrid Comfort performance

The Emma Hybrid Comfort mattress sits on a 6.5 on the mattress firmness scale, giving it a medium-firm feel. This makes the Emma Hybrid Comfort a suitable mattress for all sleeper types including back and stomach sleepers.

Being a hybrid mattress, the Emma Hybrid Comfort is also able to provide enough support for those that weigh above average.

We rate the Emma Hybrid Comfort a 9.6 when it comes to pressure relief.

Even though the Emma Hybrid Comfort does not contain any memory foam (or even a memory foam alternative), it still provided us with enough pressure relief that we never felt that the mattress was eating into our main pressure points.

We rate the Emma Hybrid Comfort a 9 when it comes to cooling.

The Emma Hybrid Comfort does not contain any active cooling materials such as copper or even cooling gel but we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we slept pretty much temperature neutral on the mattress thanks to the Emma Hybrid Comfort’s coil unit and open-celled comfort foam.

We rate the Emma Hybrid Comfort a 9.7 when it comes to motion isolation.

For a hybrid mattress that’s pretty responsive, the Emma Hybrid Comfort did a great job at deadening any movement.

If you share a bed with a partner (or a pet!) and you’re looking for a good, inexpensive hybrid mattress that won’t have you waking up in ungodly hours, this could be your best bet.

We rate the Emma Hybrid Comfort an 8.8 when it comes to edge support.

This is where the Emma Hybrid Comfort falls short unfortunately. For a hybrid mattress, the Emma Hybrid Comfort has pretty poor edge support so if you like sleeping close or even on the edge of the bed, this is not the right mattress for you.

Overall, we rate the Emma Hybrid Comfort a 9.2 when it comes to performance.

Factor	Performance
Firmness	Medium Firm
Cooling	9
Pressure relief	9.6
Motion transfer	9.1
Edge support	8.8
Mattress thickness (inches)	13
Sinkage	Minimal
Trial (days)	365
Warranty (years)	10

Alternate pick: Emma Original

If you prefer something more contouring or just want an inexpensive mattress without any springs, check out the Emma Original mattress.

Containing the same proprietary foam components with the addition of a memory foam alternative, the Emma Original offers more compression and a cradled-in feel for those who like the feel of traditional memory foam.

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#4. Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential

Why it’s one of the best

Here’s one for all you van lifers out there – the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential comes in a wide (and by wide, we mean EVERYTHING) variety of mattress sizes, firmnesses and even thicknesses. 

What’s even more cool is that they’re all pretty much affordable and you’re bound to find something that suits your budget and preferences.

Made from a blend of gel swirl memory foam and high density comfort and base foams, the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential is contouring and pressure relieving – just how you would like your memory foam mattress to be.

Slight caveat though – it only comes in an all-foam construction which means those who are heavier-set may not get the extra support that they would need.

Specs at a glance

Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential performance

Here’s something a little different about the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress: the thicker the mattress, the softer it gets. The 6-inch model is the firmest and the 14-inch model is the softest which means the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential is suitable for all sleeper types, from strict side sleepers to back and stomach sleepers.

If you weigh a little bit more than average though, you may find that you won’t get enough support from the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress due to its all-foam construction.

We rate the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential a 9.6 when it comes to pressure relief.

When did memory foam ever disappoint when it comes to pressure relief?

The memory foam in the Dreamfoam Essential mattress is infused with cooling gel that not only helps do away with heat retention that’s the most common problem with classic memory foam but it also gives the mattress an added contouring effect.

We rate the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential a 9.3 when it comes to cooling.

True, memory foam does have a tendency to retain quite a good amount of heat but the cooling gel-infused memory foam in the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress does a very good job at helping the mattress stay cool.

We rate the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential a 9.5 when it comes to motion isolation.

Most, if not all, all-foam mattresses do a pretty job at isolating motion and the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress is no different. We found that it did very well in helping isolate motion transfer when we tried the mattress out with a partner. 

We rate the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential a 9.2 when it comes to edge support.

Although not the best, we found that the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress still did a stand-up job when it comes to edge support.

Overall, we rate the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress a 9.4 for performance.

Factor	Performance
Firmness	Medium
Cooling	9.3
Pressure relief	9.8
Motion isolation	9.5
Edge support	8.7
Sinkage	Minimal
Trial (days)	100
Warranty (years)	10

Alternate pick: Novilla Serenity

If you prefer a mattress with a blend of coils and foam, you should look into the Novilla Serenity mattress.

Combining memory foam layers and individually wrapped spring oils, the Novilla Serenity provides both pressure relief and support that heavier individuals would need.

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#6. Layla Essential

Why it’s one of the best

A surprising number of people find it difficult to get in and out of bed, especially the elderly or those who are suffering from chronic body pain like fibromyalgia.

Not to worry – the Layla Essential mattress just might be the answer to your prayers.

Simply constructed, the Layla Essential mattress just has two layers: a cooling gel-infused memory foam layer and high density base foam.

Simple and straight to the point but also contouring and pressure relieving without any of that stuck in the mud feel.

But because it’s a pretty low profile mattress, some people might find it a bit too thin for their liking.

Specs at a glance

Layla Essential performance

The Layla Essential mattress sits on a 5 on the mattress firmness scale making it a good mattress for all sleeper types, including those who sleep mostly on their sides.

Those who weigh over 250 lbs though will not get enough support from an all-foam mattress like the Layla Essential.

And one more thing, it will definitely cause them to sink in more than usual because of its low profile construction.

We rate the Layla Essential a 9.7 when it comes to pressure relief.

We have not yet come across a Layla mattress that we didn’t like and Layla’s newest mattress offering, the Layla Essential just reinforces that statement.

The comfort layer of gel-infused memory foam offered tons of contouring without any of the sinkage.

We rate the Layla Essential a 9.5 when it comes to cooling.

True, memory foam has a tendency to retain heat but the cooling gel infusion in the Layla Essential mattress worked double time in keeping heat at bay.

We rate the Layla Essential a 9.6 when it comes to motion isolation.

We did not experience any motion transfer when we tried the Layla Essential mattress out with a partner which makes it a great option for couples or those who share a bed with a pet.

We rate the Layla Essential a 9.3 when it comes to edge support.

The Layla Essential mattress offered us enough edge support that we did feel like we were going to roll off the edge of the bed even if we slept directly on top of it.

Overall, we rate the Layla Essential mattress a 9.5 when it comes to performance.

Factor	Performance
Firmness	Medium
Cooling	9.5
Pressure relief	9.7
Motion isolation	9.6
Edge support	9.3
Sinkage	Minimal to none
Trial (nights)	120
Warranty (years)	10

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How we picked these mattressses

Just because a mattress is cheap does not mean we pick them just because of their price tag alone.

We picked these mattresses the same as we do with all of our mattress recommendations.

• Materials – Inexpensive does not automatically mean poor quality. We chose mattresses and mattress brands that use good quality materials that offer a lot of benefits as well as durability.
• Durability – A good mattress usually lasts between 7 to 10 years. We tested the materials used in each mattress to see if they can continuously withstand heavy weight without compromising their structural integrity.
• Firmness – Every sleeper has their preferred level of firmness, whether it’s soft, medium, or firm. We prioritized mattresses that can suit a wide variety of body types, weights, and sleeping positions. All mattresses on the list are either the standard medium-firm or have multiple firmness options.
• Temperature regulation – We specifically looked for mattresses that offer good temperature regulation. We don’t want your sleep to be affected by overheating or heat retention at night. That’s why we selected mattresses that promote sufficient airflow and can at least maintain a temperature-neutral surface all night.
• Comfort – We selected beds that provide just the right mix of cushioning and comfort. We examined the materials and construction of each mattress, and we chose the beds that excelled in pressure relief and body contouring.
• Price – We prioritized mattresses that offer great value and benefits for the price. We also considered the lifespan of each mattress to find out if it’s going to be a worthwhile investment for you.

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Additional resources: learn more about choosing a budget mattress

1. Sleepline: Why are mattresses so expensive?

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Conclusion

If you think a higher price tag makes for a better mattress, think again.

There are a lot of mattress brands out there that offer good quality mattresses made with premium materials that won’t leave you bankrupt.

We have done our best to round up the best affordable mattresses available on the market today so all you need to do is pick and choose the best one that suits your needs and preferences.

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How we rate mattresses

We personally test and rate mattresses using the following strict quantitative criteria:

1. Comfort
2. Structural integrity and durability
3. Firmness and support
4. Cooling capabilities
5. Pressure relief
6. Edge support
7. Motion isolation

Learn more about our mattress rating process and methodology here. 

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Psst… the sleep review industry is full of liars, sharks, and thieves. It’s a modern-day version of getting ripped off at your local mattress store. So, why should you trust us?