We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›
After a new round of testing, we’ve added the Member’s Mark Hotel Premier Collection and the Novilla Bliss Memory Foam mattresses as picks. Bullet Train
[Sign up for Wirecutter’s daily newsletter to get independent reviews, expert advice, and the very best deals sent straight to your inbox.]
Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to splurge on a mattress. Most foam, innerspring, and hybrid (part coil and part foam) mattresses cost more than $1,000, which can be too much for many people. But a lot of the cheap mattresses online are uncomfortable and saggy, and ultimately they could wind up being a waste of money and effort.
After considering dozens of budget-priced foam, innerspring, and hybrid mattresses, we have five to recommend.
We looked at dozens of sub-$500 mattresses and eliminated models with overwhelmingly terrible reviews, no trial periods, or subpar warranties.
We looked for mattresses with weights, foam densities, and coil counts that suggested adequate durability and quality for the price.
We group-tested the finalists with side-, back-, stomach-, and combo-sleepers of different heights, weights, and preferences.
We spent a week sleeping on each of our picks to assess their comfort, edge support, and motion isolation.
This medium-firm foam-and-coil mattress has a supportive and springy feel, good motion isolation, and decent edge support.
The Zinus Green Tea Cooling Swirl Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress has consistently won over testers with its supportive and springy feel, decent construction, and nicer-than-average details. If you prefer something with a little bounce, this mattress is an excellent choice.
It has a cloud-like pillow top that feels supportive and offers some pressure relief (though maybe not enough for side-sleepers). This mattress also offers a solid underlying firmness, so it’s easy to shift positions. The springs make this mattress noticeably bouncy, though not so much that it feels unstable or wiggly.
However, this mattress’s fire barrier may contain fiberglass.
The Zinus Green Tea mattress comes in 10-, 12-, and 14-inch versions. Zinus offers a 100-night free trial and a 10-year limited warranty.
This medium-firm memory-foam mattress has a distinct body-conforming hug, along with excellent edge support and motion isolation.
The all-foam Novilla Bliss Memory Foam Mattress has a body-conforming, memory-foam feel. With a quicksand-like hug that cradles your pressure points, this mattress is a good option if you want a Tempur-Pedic–esque mattress without the Tempur-Pedic price tag.
This mattress has excellent edge support, and because it’s neither bouncy nor cushy, it offers great motion isolation.
The Novilla Bliss mattress comes in 8-, 10-, and 12-inch versions. Novilla offers a 100-night free trial, and this mattress comes with a 10-year warranty (PDF).
This medium-soft memory-foam mattress offers an ideal balance of support and cushiness at a nice price. But you need a Sam’s Club membership to return it.
The all-foam Member’s Mark Hotel Premier Collection 12″ Mattress, sold by Sam’s Club, earned high marks in our most recent round of testing. It offers a great balance of softness and underlying support, as well as decent motion isolation.
This 12-inch mattress feels more substantial than most cheap all-foam mattresses. Its foam lets you sink in without feeling enveloped. Our testers liked that the mattress felt welcoming without being hot or suffocating, and they found it to be soft yet supportive enough to maintain alignment.
The caveat: To return the mattress, you need a Sam’s Club membership (returns have to be within 10 years if the mattress is purchased online or within one year if it’s bought in-store). It comes with a 10-year warranty.
For a (relatively) small increase in price, this medium-firm memory-foam mattress offers a big upgrade in both quality and feel.
A longtime Wirecutter favorite, the Costco-exclusive all-foam Novaform ComfortGrande 14″ Plus Gel Memory Foam Mattress costs more than our picks, but we think it’s well worth the price.
This lofty, 14-inch mattress is made from layers of foam that are as dense (and probably as durable) as those found in much pricier mattresses, so it’s a great value. It offers solid edge support and motion isolation, resulting in a flexible yet firm supportiveness that lets you nestle in.
According to Costco’s policy, you can return the mattress for a full refund at any time, and the Novaform ComfortGrande comes with a 20-year warranty (PDF).
This medium-firm innerspring mattress has features normally found only in pricier models, including curve-confirming micro-coils and a plush Euro top.
When we tested the IKEA Hesstun mattress against pricier innerspring mattresses, this one surprised us with its combination of comfort and affordability.
The nearly 13-inch Hesstun feels more elegant and well constructed than most budget mattresses. It has features that most innersprings in its price range lack, such as a plush Euro top, body-conforming microcoils near the surface, and a supportive layer of springs near the bottom.
IKEA gives you 90 days to exchange the mattress, but you’ll forfeit a percentage of the price, and you may have to haul it back to the store yourself. The mattress comes with a 10-year warranty (PDF).
This medium-firm foam-and-coil mattress has a supportive and springy feel, good motion isolation, and decent edge support.
This medium-firm memory-foam mattress has a distinct body-conforming hug, along with excellent edge support and motion isolation.
This medium-soft memory-foam mattress offers an ideal balance of support and cushiness at a nice price. But you need a Sam’s Club membership to return it.
For a (relatively) small increase in price, this medium-firm memory-foam mattress offers a big upgrade in both quality and feel.
This medium-firm innerspring mattress has features normally found only in pricier models, including curve-confirming micro-coils and a plush Euro top.
As a staff writer on Wirecutter’s sleep team, I’ve covered various health and self-care topics. And I’ve written a range of reviews, including guides to meditation apps, face sunscreens, and silk pillowcases.
For this guide we did the following:
After years of testing mattresses, we’ve found that you typically get what you pay for. Most mattresses in the under-$500 price range are all-foam or foam-forward hybrids, rather than innerspring models. (As we explain in our guide to the best innerspring mattresses, a decent-quality coil mattress typically costs at least $500 for a queen.) Cheaper mattresses are likely to be made from lower-quality polyfoam and memory foam (memory foam is a type of polyfoam that’s denser and less springy). They tend to have fewer layers and offer few to no bells and whistles, such as contoured or zoned foams or cooling cover materials. (We’ve argued that many “special features” probably aren’t worth paying extra for anyway.)
Concerns over the durability of cheaper foams used in budget mattresses are valid.
Cheaper mattresses likely won’t last as long as those made from higher-quality materials, noted Stephen Carr, a professor of materials science and engineering and an expert on the polyurethane foams commonly used in inexpensive mattresses. Carr described all foam as a “suspension of bubbles”; memory foam specifically is a closed-cell foam, which means thin membranes separate the bubbles from one another. If a closed-cell foam is of lower quality, those membranes will break more easily, affecting the integrity of the foam and causing the mattress to sag over time. This may be an issue for people who weigh over 200 pounds or those who sleep on the same part of the bed every night (which can lead to body impressions).
In comparing companies that sell pricier mattresses with those selling cheap mattresses, we found that cheap-mattress companies are harder to get in touch with, have worse customer service, and are less forthcoming about how they manufacture their beds.
We’ve collected all our big-picture mattress-buying advice to help you find a bed you’ll happily sleep on for years.
There’s also something very unpleasant that can happen to a cheap foam mattress. Carr told us that the polyurethane foam in mattresses reacts with moisture (whether from the air or from sweat), causing hydrolysis. That chemical reaction produces urea, one of the main components of urine. There are additives that stabilize the foam to prevent hydrolysis, but they’re expensive, and cheap-mattress manufacturers might cut corners to keep their costs lower, Carr said. So over time, your bed could start to smell … like pee. We haven’t experienced this with the mattresses we’ve chosen for this guide. But using a waterproof mattress cover or encasement (which we recommend for all mattresses anyway) might help prevent hydrolysis.
This medium-firm foam-and-coil mattress has a supportive and springy feel, good motion isolation, and decent edge support.
Who it’s for: The Zinus Green Tea Cooling Swirl Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress offers sturdy support that will appeal primarily to back- and stomach-sleepers.
How it feels: This mattress is medium-firm.
This medium-firm memory-foam mattress has a distinct body-conforming hug, along with excellent edge support and motion isolation.
Who it’s for: With its body-conforming top yet overall supportive feel, the Novilla Bliss Memory Foam Mattress should appeal to those who prefer a classic memory-foam sink. Because it isn’t particularly plush, back- and stomach-sleepers are more likely to appreciate the feel of this mattress. But the conforming, memory-foam top offers some pressure relief for side-sleepers.
How it feels: This mattress is medium-firm.
This medium-soft memory-foam mattress offers an ideal balance of support and cushiness at a nice price. But you need a Sam’s Club membership to return it.
Who it’s for: The Member’s Mark Hotel Premier Collection 12″ Mattress has a soft yet supportive feel that will primarily appeal to side- and back-sleepers.
How it feels: This mattress is medium-soft.
For a (relatively) small increase in price, this medium-firm memory-foam mattress offers a big upgrade in both quality and feel.
Who it’s for: The Novaform ComfortGrande 14″ Plus Gel Memory Foam Mattress is suitable for back- and stomach-sleepers, as well as for side-sleepers who prefer firmer mattresses.
How it feels: This mattress is medium-firm.
This medium-firm innerspring mattress has features normally found only in pricier models, including curve-confirming micro-coils and a plush Euro top.
Who it’s for: The IKEA Hesstun in medium firm should appeal to stomach- and back-sleepers, as well as to side-sleepers who prefer firmer mattresses.
How it feels: This mattress is on the firmer side of medium-firm.
Mattresses can collect a lot of unwanted nastiness—including dust mites, dead skin, and liquids (everything from water droplets to sweat to pee). So your mattress is susceptible to stains and odors that could drive you to trash it before its expected shelf life is up. For step-by-step cleaning instructions, read our dedicated guide on how to clean your mattress.
Many all-foam and hybrid mattresses—especially cheaper ones—contain fiberglass (a component that serves as a fire barrier) to comply with flammability standards. In a 2022 study, researchers sampled four mattresses, including one from Zinus, the maker of our top pick. The study found that up to 1% of the fiberglass from the inner layers had migrated to outer layers, “representing a potential risk of consumer exposure if the zipper on the outer cover is opened.” A 2022 article in the Los Angeles Times (subscription required) reported on a class-action lawsuit against Zinus, from customers alleging that fiberglass fibers contained in the company’s mattresses could escape and cause health issues.
Zinus told us that as of mid-2023, the company had started phasing out the use of fiberglass in its mattresses, replacing it with a rayon-based fire barrier.
We are continuing to monitor concerns related to fiberglass in foam mattresses. But in general it shouldn’t be an issue, unless the cover wears out or you remove it, which you aren’t supposed to do.
In our most recent round of testing, we tried eight cheap mattresses. Here’s what we looked for:
We then conducted brand-concealed testing in our Long Island City, New York, office to evaluate the most promising options. We encased each mattress in a plain white bed bug cover and set it up on a bed frame. In our most recent round of testing, we had over 50 volunteer testers try eight cheap mattresses, tossing and turning on each bed and filling out a detailed survey along the way. We told testers to consider things like motion control and edge support, and we asked them to provide their overall impressions. We also asked them to rank their favorite and second-favorite mattresses, as well as to note which mattress they liked the least.
Then, at home, we slept on the top-ranked mattresses for at least a week, to assess how supportive and comfortable they felt throughout the night.
Of course, the feel of a mattress can be highly subjective, depending on the individual. A mattress that our testers think is too firm, too sinky, or too springy may fit your needs just right. So, as always, it’s best to consider our observations and then make up your own mind.
The Best Price Mattress Memory Foam Mattress was previously a pick in this guide. It stood out for its solid construction and the spinal support it offered. Unlike many memory-foam mattresses, this mattress didn’t produce a deep sinking sensation. Instead, the mattress sank only a little—with just enough nestling to provide some pressure—while remaining very supportive. This one is worth considering if you know you like a memory-foam feel with a little more give, or if it’s on sale.
When we first tested the popular Linenspa Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress, in 2020, it was an immediate bust: The mattress edge completely bottomed out and hammocked when we sat on it. And when we reclined, the mattress felt too firm and unsupportive, with flimsy springs and a too-firm foam top. In 2021, we gave this model another try at home, but we initially received a faulty mattress that inflated improperly. Although we had to go through an arduous return process to replace it, the new mattress was cradling yet supportive, bouncy but not too squishy, with solid motion isolation and edge support. This is a great cheap mattress, if you get a good one. If you get a defective one, however, be prepared to go through a return process.
The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam, also a former pick, is a nicer-feeling memory-foam mattress with a classic sink that still lets you nestle into the top layer. In our most recent round of testing, our current foam picks garnered more positive feedback.
The 10-inch Avenco Hybrid all-foam mattress received the most votes for being the least-favorite mattress in our 2023 testing. It felt too flimsy, too soft, and too poorly constructed to compete with our picks. When testers flopped down on it, it visibly caved under their weight. One tester said this mattress felt like a “cheap, bouncy spring bed found in a dorm room.”
The Sealy Posturepedic Spring Bloom mattress didn’t earn many compliments in our 2023 group testing. Most testers found it lumpy, too bouncy, and too soft. One said it felt “like a waterbed.”
A medium-firm memory-foam model, the Classic Brands Cool Gel Memory Foam Mattress felt sinky without being squishy or supportive, and it had poor edge support. The memory foam had a quicksand-like effect, providing good motion isolation.
The Tulo Memory Foam Lavender mattress looked flat next to the others we had lined up in the office. It also felt unyieldingly firm and then sinky. When we sat down on this mattress, it produced the same sensation as hitting water: a sudden slap and then a deep sinking (which left a sizable body impression long after we got up). So shifting from one side to another was difficult. And though the edge support was decent when we were lying down, when we sat on the edge, it flattened significantly. We found that the Tulo Bamboo Green Tea Memory Foam mattress had the same issues.
The Zinus Blackstone Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress is the firmest memory-foam mattress we’ve tried. Since it’s made from memory foam, it has no bounce—which is to be expected—but it also has very little sink. None of our testers rated this mattress highly.
The Wayfair Sleep Medium Hybrid Mattress’s thin foam layer, coupled with its very obvious springs, made it “taco up” when we sat on it. Because of this model’s spring-forward construction, its motion isolation was poor, as was its edge support. The result was a bouncy, squishy rectangle that made it feel more “cheap soft” than like a real, plush mattress.
The Wayfair Sleep Medium Memory Foam Mattress hugged comfortably while still being supportive, and testers who preferred to sleep on their sides liked the way their hips and shoulders sank in without feeling engulfed. However, many others thought this model’s lack of bounce made it too hard to shift positions, and the edge support was noticeably bad.
The Vibe Gel Memory Foam Mattress simply wasn’t especially comfortable in our testing. Though it weighed about 82 pounds, suggesting durability, none of its other specifications were particularly notable.
Amazon Basics was one of the few cheap-mattress companies that revealed the foam densities of its mattresses (2.5 pounds per cubic foot in the memory-foam layer, and 1.8 pounds per cubic foot in the polyfoam layers). Though the Amazon Basics 3-Layer Cooling Memory Foam Mattress wasn’t uncomfortable, it did feel like a slab of foam.
The IKEA Haugesund was really bouncy, and its edge support was decent. And the motion isolation was better than expected for a very basic innerspring mattress. The Haugesund wasn’t uncomfortable. But at just under 10 inches thick and with minimal foam, this mattress felt much less substantial than the all-foam and hybrid mattresses we tested.
The firm, lofty 12-inch Zinus Cloud Memory Foam Mattress felt pretty substantial, with good motion isolation and edge support. But it had almost no give, and sleeping on it felt akin to snoozing on a carpet. It simply wasn’t enjoyable to lie on.
This article was edited by Christina Colizza and Courtney Schley.
Comfort can be very subjective. But in general, a mattress that’s considered comfortable for most people should provide adequate pressure-point relief and good back support (the aaah feeling is a bonus). There are certainly cheap mattresses that meet those criteria. Anything beyond that—say, how fluffy the surface is or how nice the memory-foam sink feels—is completely dependent on a person’s build and preferences. In truth, their durability and how long their initial comfort will last are perhaps the bigger concerns with cheap mattresses.
It all depends on your personal needs. As we note above, if you don’t have specific sleep concerns (such as back problems), if you move frequently, or if you otherwise don’t need a mattress to last for more than a few years, you can get a decently comfortable queen-size mattress for less than $400. A cheap mattress can also be a good choice for an infrequently used guest room.
However, if you do have more-specialized needs, or you want to make a long-term purchase (you want a mattress to last five years or longer), a cheap mattress might not be the greatest option. If you buy a pricier mattress, you’ll likely be happier with your purchase over the long term. This is especially true if you’re shopping for an innerspring mattress. After testing several cheap innerspring mattresses, we found that most priced under $500 (for a queen) were almost unbearably uncomfortable. Though some cheap foam and hybrid mattresses still feel reasonably comfortable, pricier ones—like those we recommend in our guides to the best foam mattresses and the best hybrid mattresses—tend to be made from denser foams and are usually more durable. Companies that sell pricier mattresses also tend to be more transparent about how their mattresses are made. They also tend to offer longer trial periods and have more-flexible return policies (though not in all cases).
The best mattress sales are routinely seen on Presidents’ Day. But that isn’t the only time of year to buy a mattress. Mattresses also go on sale on Memorial Day and Labor Day. And since many people purchase cheap mattresses at Amazon or other online retailers, Amazon Prime Day and Cyber Monday deals can provide good bang for your buck, too.
Stephen H. Carr, PhD, professor of materials science and engineering, Northwestern University, phone interview, October 8, 2020
Christine Hibbard, vice president of consumer insights, FXI, email interview, September 10, 2020
Jamie Diamonstein, chief product officer, Leesa, phone interview, May 8, 2020
Hilary Murphy, vice president of merchandising, Mattress Firm, phone interview, May 8, 2020
Caira Blackwell is a staff writer at Wirecutter covering sleep and mattresses. Her work has previously been published in Okayplayer, The Knockturnal, and Nylon magazine, and her book A Lullaby for the End of the World is available on Amazon.
We’ve collected all our big-picture mattress-buying advice to help you find a bed you’ll happily sleep on for years.
We tested 14 protectors and found that the SafeRest Premium Mattress Protector is the best at keeping mattresses dry while still being comfortable to sleep on.
The right frame, mattress, and bedding can promote better rest and pull together your entire room with a lot less effort and money than you might think.
We tested 12 crib mattresses and found that the Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer is the best for most families.
316L Manometer Gauge Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).