Best Affordable Mattress (2023): Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

If you’re looking for a high-quality mattress, you want something that fits your sleep style. You probably have an idea of whether you like the sinking feeling of memory foam, or the more firm, bouncy feel of a latex mattress. Your most significant concern might be finding something for a low price. If you’re looking for a bed that won’t break the bank, the options below could help your body and your budget.

Best Affordable Mattresses

Watching the dollar sign doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the idea of a high-quality mattress. We found several queen-size options that are budget-friendly and offer something for every type of sleeper.

Brand	Model	Highlights	Price (Queen)
	Amerisleep AS3	Contains sleep-promoting HIVE® technology to deliver better sleep.	$1399
	Zoma Mattress	Features Triangulex™ technology and cooling gels to keep you comfortable all night	$799
	Vaya Mattress	Features CertiPUR-US® foams and is fit for all sleepers	$599
	Vaya Hybrid	Mix of cushion and responsive coils suitable for all sleeping styles	$699
	Tuft & Needle	Four inches of pressure-relieving hyper-elastic polymer	$595
	Original Purple®	Offers "No-Pressure" support through the Purple Grid™	$1099
	tulo Mattress	Available in varying firmness options to suit different sleep styles	$499
	Avocado	Eco-friendly latex mattress with notable bounce and firm support.	$1349

The top cover contains soft, breathable fabric. That’s followed by a cooling layer to combat complaints that memory foam traps heat. Thanks to an open-cell structure, the Bio-Pur® foam is more breathable than traditional memory foam. That keeps you cool and comfortable all night long.

The next layer helps you “feel like you’re floating” by helping relieve pressure points. The Affinity transition layer is responsive to your movements, so your weight and motion are evenly transferred.

The final layer is made of the company’s Bio-Core® foam support to keep the bed from sagging after years of use. The company also offers a 20-year warranty to keep your investment going decades after your purchase.

Amerisleep has five different models of mattresses, so if you’re looking for something with a medium-firm feel or a softer firmness level, there are options available for you too.

The top comfort is 2 inches of gel memory foam, with Triangulex™ technology for added comfort and breathability. The triangle-shaped cutouts increase contouring under your shoulders and legs while letting airflow through the mattress.

The second layer is Reactiv™ foam, a bouncy material that makes the bed more supportive and responsive.

Third and last is 7 inches of Support+ foam, to deter sagging and maintain durability.

A breathable cover of spandex and polyester encases the mattress.

A Zoma Mattress comes with a 100-night sleep trial, to give you time to adjust to the mattress and see how your sleep improves. You also have a 10-year warranty to protect against defects such as sagging greater than 0.75 of an inch.

The 12-inch mattress has an uncomplicated design with two polyurethane foam layers, certified safe by CertiPUR-US®.

The comfort layer is 3 inches of Vaya Foam, which is less dense than regular memory foam. Vaya Foam molds to you to relieve pressure and wick away heat, with a latex-like bounce to keep you from sinking too deeply into the bed.

Below is 9 inches of high-density support foam to maintain the bed’s structure and keep your spine in neutral alignment.

The Vaya’s plush cover is a breathable weave of polyester, rayon, and spandex.

The Vaya Mattress includes a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year warranty that covers sagging greater than an inch.

This 12-inch bouncy mattress has three layers, keeping things simple yet comfortable.

The first layer is 2 inches of Vaya Foam, a lightweight material that contours to your body for responsive pressure relief. Its airy design also ensures it stays cool throughout the night.

Next is 8 inches of pocketed coils, which are wrapped so that every coil can react independently instead of carrying movement across the surface. This is a helpful feature if you plan on sharing the bed with a partner.

Last is 2 inches of supportive base foam, which keeps the coils structured to promote the mattress’s longevity.

The Vaya Hybrid includes the same breathable mesh cover as the Vaya Mattress.

Like the Vaya Mattress, the Vaya Hybrid comes with free shipping, a 100-night trial, and a 10-year warranty.

5. Tuft & Needle Original Mattress

The Tuft & Needle Original Mattress has more than 150,000 reviews on its website. For the price tag, it’s easy to see why so many people are giving this mattress a try. The mattress features T&N Adaptive® foam to keep your spine aligned in your sleep, and is recommended for any sleeping position.

Inside, it has two layers of high quality, open-cell foam. That foam is infused with graphite and ceramic gel. The graphite absorbs heat and moves it away from your body while you sleep. The cooling gel beads work in tandem with the graphite to wick away heat and moisture all night long.

Tuft & Needle also carries a more expensive Mint Mattress model at $995. It uses two layers of the T&N Adaptive® foam and adds four inches of extra-firm foam around the bottom layer for additional edge support.

Tuft & Needle offers a 100-night sleep trial, but you can only use this in your household on one product per year. They will help arrange a pick-up, and the returned product will most likely be donated to charity.

SEE ALSO: Most Comfortable Mattress

6. Original Purple®

Purple’s® Original Mattress features its distinct purple foam interior in three layers, plus a knit cover. Purple® called it, “The bed that broke the internet.”

The bottom supportive structure layer of the mattress is medium-firm, high-density poly-foam. The next layer is more poly-foam, but this time it is soft, high-density foam to support the responsiveness of the layer above it. The Purple Grid™ is specially engineered to soften and provide cushion to the pressure points on your shoulders and hips. At the same time, it supports your body’s curves at night.

The knit cover has a breathable design and promotes airflow despite the reputation of memory foam trapping heat. Purple® has a 100-night, risk-free trial with free shipping and returns.

7. tulo Mattress

The tulo mattress is good for sleepers who need a little more time to decide. It has an extra-long trial period of 120 nights, giving you 20 extra nights to decide whether the foam construction is right for you. Tulo mattresses come in soft, medium, and firm to appeal to side sleepers, back sleepers, and those who can’t pick their favorite sleeping position at night. The mattresses have four foam layers, a cooling layer, and layers of breathable, responsive, and foundational foam.

The company says you need to wait 30 days before returning a mattress, and you only get one return or exchange. It has a 10-year warranty for products showing early signs of wear or manufacturer defects.

8. Avocado Green Mattress

Latex mattresses tend to have a higher price tag. Avocado Green brings you organic and sustainable mattress options for a reasonable price.

The Avocado Green Mattress is made up of GOLS organic certified latex, and GOTS certified wool and organic cotton. Its products are GREENGUARD Gold certified and made in the United States.

It uses Dunlop latex and wool to create durable bedding layers. The natural wool fibers allow for airflow to keep the bed from getting too warm. The wool batting is also dust mite resistant, and a natural fire retardant. It pairs with the organic latex layers. The company also makes a vegan option of the latex mattress without the wool.

The mattress is rated a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale and is ideal for back and stomach sleepers. It’s 11 inches thick, but you can buy an optional European pillow-top for an extra 2 inches of GOLS organic certified latex rubber foam.

Avocado Green has a 1-year sleep trial. If you decide to return the mattress, the company will donate it for you and give you a full refund. They want you to try the mattress out for at least 30-60 days before returning it. The company’s 25-year limited warranty covers defects and major changes, like a 1-inch or more indentation in the mattress.

Types of Mattresses

Before you can decide on the best affordable mattress for you, it’s important to understand the different types of mattresses. Each mattress company says their mattress is the best for high-quality sleep and provides a long list of reasons why.

With more knowledge on the different types of mattresses, you can skip through the spin and make an educated decision for your favorite sleep positions and body type.

Innerspring

An innerspring mattress relies on an inner support system of steel coils. These are some of the most common mattresses we see on the market. There are several different types of coil mattresses, but you will most commonly find ones using the Marshall coil. It is a coil individually wrapped in titanium or steel to help contour to the body and provide pressure relief. The Marshall coil limits motion transfer better than other coil systems.

Generally, more coils mean more support points. Padding or other upholstery materials and foams cover the innerspring to make the bed more comfortable. Pillow-top padding is the most common top layer for innersprings.

Memory Foam

Memory foam is a synthetic material, an artificially made compound called polyurethane. It acts like a sponge with pockets that trap air. When pressure is applied, it compresses and molds to the object. When the pressure disappears, the memory foam returns to its original shape. This makes it good for adjustable bed frames. Many companies will use a memory foam layer to provide contouring for sleepers with back pain.

Memory foam mattresses are a popular option for the mattress-in-a-box industry. Memory foam is easier to roll and pack, making it easier to deliver to your door in a small space.

Memory foam is advertised for comfort-lovers, but at times, is questioned for its breathability. The material is known to trap heat. Companies are developing memory foam with different designs to increase breathability and make for a good night’s sleep.

Gel Foam

Gel foam mattresses were introduced as a solution to the overheating caused by memory foam mattresses. Now, many companies use a combination of the two. The gel in gel foam mattresses fixes the problem of trapped body heat by enhancing air circulation. This can make gel foam mattresses pricier than the typical memory foam mattress, and the gel beads could eventually cause the mattress to break down faster than it should.

Latex

Latex mattresses come from rubber trees. Unlike memory foam mattresses, they offer some bounce. There are three types of latex mattresses: natural latex foam, synthetic latex foam, and blended variations. Natural latex uses processed rubber tree sap to produce foam layers.

This type of mattress will appeal to people looking for an organic option. Those shoppers will want to focus on natural latex foam. Synthetic latex is often constructed from styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). It will have less bounce than natural foams.

Hybrid

Hybrid mattresses combine foam layers and a coil system to offer the combined benefits of all-foam and innerspring beds. These mattresses have more structure than an all-foam mattress and are easier to move. They also have more contouring than traditional innerspring. They can have a high price point but may have the right mix of foam layers and structure for certain sleeping positions.

Factors to Consider Before Buying

Before finding the best affordable mattress for you, you’ll need to figure out what kind of sleeper you are. Every budget mattress is built for certain sleeping positions and body types. A quality mattress only goes so far if it is not the right type of mattress for you.

Sleep Position

One of the biggest determinants of whether you’ll feel comfortable in your mattress is your sleeping position. Here’s how each position will affect your experience of your mattress.

Side

Side sleepers need more pressure relief since most of their weight falls on the hips and shoulders. The best mattresses for side sleepers are soft to medium in firmness.

Back

Back sleepers need both support and pressure relief. The support keeps the spine in its natural alignment to prevent back pain. For back sleepers who already have back pain, the pressure relief is critical to keep a sore back calm.

Stomach

While there are some concerns about sleeping on your stomach, many sleepers gravitate to this position during the night. Stomach sleepers need a moderate amount of support to keep their neck in line and hips in their natural position. However, if you can avoid sleeping on your stomach, it’s worth trying. One peer-reviewed article by John Schubbe, DC, says sleeping on the stomach is the “most stressful position for the back and neck.”

Combination

It’s common for sleepers not to have a favored sleeping position. If this is you, there are new mattresses with layers of foam and structure to conform to a changing sleep pattern throughout the night.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation means a mattress absorbs movement and keeps it from transferring throughout the mattress. This is good if you share a mattress or move around a lot during the night.

High-density memory foam mattresses are known for having good motion isolation. The foam has a sinking feeling for sleepers, which means it keeps a sleeper secure by contouring to the body.

Innerspring mattresses, by contrast, have less motion isolation. Because these mattresses use springs to give the mattress a bouncy feeling, movement is more likely to transfer from one end of the mattress to another.

Mattress Size

A way to save money on your new mattress is to get a smaller mattress size. In all the mattresses we reviewed above, we considered the cost of a queen-sized mattress. But a full mattress is not much smaller and can save you money.

Looking at the mattresses above, downsizing to a full size mattress can save you anywhere from $50-$200. That could allow you to consider a more expensive mattress at a smaller size.

Mattress Toppers

Mattress toppers can be a way to increase the comfort of your current mattress rather than buying a new one altogether. They’re made out of different materials, and each material has different benefits.

Cotton mattress toppers are among the less expensive options. However, they can lose shape and structure. Wool mattress toppers are more durable but also more expensive. They are naturally flame retardant and resistant to dust mites and other allergens.

Memory foam mattress toppers are great for people who want to add body-contouring comfort to their mattress. These mattress toppers can add the feel of a memory foam mattress to an innerspring or latex mattress base. But memory foam toppers can cause problems for people who sleep hot.

Latex mattress toppers can last up to 20 years, so if you’re looking for a durable option, this is a good bet. Like wool, they are also dust mite resistant.

Online vs. In-Store Purchases

It may seem like a better deal to get your mattress in-store. That way, you can test it out in person and decide which type of mattress you prefer. However, buying a mattress in-store can add some costly expenses.

Mattress stores will offer you the option of taking the mattress with you. But if you have a small car, it can be impossible to fit the mattress. Instead, you will have to pay an additional fee for mattress delivery. You could also rent a truck to transport the mattress, but that is going to cost you as well.

Many online mattress companies, especially mattress in a box brands, offer free shipping options. They also offer ways to return the mattress for free. Be sure to check out what shipping options a mattress company offers before considering how much you are willing to spend on a mattress. The added shipping could break your budget if you’re not careful.

Sleep Trials and Warranties

Companies are relying on trial periods to give customers time to make sure their mattress is right for them. You should check to see how long these trial periods last before making a purchase.

Most companies will say it can take up to 30 nights to adjust to a new bed. You can develop “sleep postures” based on your old mattress, meaning your body gets used to a certain style of sleeping even if it doesn’t provide proper support. Most sleep trials last 100 days.

If you aren’t enjoying the mattress by the end of the 100-night trial period, companies have return policies posted for exchanging or returning the product all-together.

Another thing to consider when it comes to affordability is the warranty offered with the mattress. Many companies provide a 10-year warranty to make sure your product lasts the average lifespan of a mattress. But some mattress companies are even more generous, offering 12-, 15-, and even 20-year warranties. Warranties can help you replace an old mattress for free or at a fraction of the price.

How to Make the Best Affordable Mattresses Last

The average lifespan of a mattress is about 10 years. However, proper care is essential to make your mattress lasts as long as possible. This means giving your mattress the right support and protecting it from stains, tears, and pests.

Support Your Mattress

The right support will keep your mattress from sagging or wearing. For an innerspring, this means putting a good box spring beneath the mattress. For a memory foam mattress, the support is different.

Memory foam mattresses work best with a slatted bed frame or an adjustable bed frame. If you’re using a box spring with a memory foam mattress, you need to add a thin piece of plywood between the bed layers.

Use Mattress Protectors

Mattress protectors keep your bed protected from spills and other accidents. They also shield your mattress from body oils and sweat, along with dust. Dust and humidity can lead to dust mites, which will degrade your mattress and make allergies worse.

Rotate the Mattress

It’s important to rotate a mattress at least every six months. This encourages even wear on the mattress, especially when you’re first getting used to your new, affordable bed.

Protect the Mattress in a Move

A mattress can get damaged as you navigate down a staircase or in the moving truck as you drive from one place to the next. Cover your mattress well during a move to ensure it stays in good shape.

Keep Out Bedbugs

Bedbugs are a sure way to shorten the lifespan of a mattress. If you’re concerned about how long a mattress lasts in a place where bedbugs are common, such as a crowded apartment building, you can buy a special mattress protector to seal the entire mattress and make it infestation-proof. It will add to the cost of your mattress but will save you money in the long run.

Buyer Beware

It may seem alluring to buy the mattress with the cheapest price tag. An online search for the “best affordable mattress” will give you thousands of options, some with extremely low prices. But a low price doesn’t always mean the best value.

Some mattress companies will cut corners to produce a lot of mattresses quickly and at a low cost. However, this means the manufacturers do not build their mattresses to last. They can use low-quality cotton and foam, which will degrade quickly.

The chemicals used to create the foam or synthetic latex layers of these cheaply made mattresses are not environmentally friendly and can even be toxic. You can find chemicals like mercury, lead, and chlorofluorocarbons in poorly made memory foam mattresses.

These chemicals can cause headaches, dizziness, and skin irritation if serious enough. The off-gassing from newly unpackaged memory foam can also give off a bad odor. It’s important to research how a mattress is made before making any purchases. That’s why we vetted the above mattresses to make sure the companies were using quality products that will not only last but will keep you healthy.

SEE ALSO: The Best Place to Buy a Mattress & In-Store Myths

Saving Big with Mattress Sales

Major mattress sales happen throughout the year, and many mattress brands do more than just discount their popular models. They may also offer significant savings through exclusive bundles, so a mattress sale is a great way to upgrade your bed all at once.

Some of the best time to buy a mattress include:

• Presidents Day Mattress Sales
• Memorial Day Mattress Sales
• 4th of July Mattress Sales
• Labor Day Mattress Sales
• Columbus Day Mattress Sales
• Black Friday Mattress Sales
• Cyber Monday Mattress Sales

Commonly Asked Questions

How thick should a mattress be?

If you can afford it, you should always try to buy a mattress that’s at least 10 inches thick. Beds this thick should feature sufficient support and cushion for a good night’s sleep. A thinner bed may also wear out quicker than a thicker mattress.

Is it better to sleep on a hard or soft mattress?

Some people will sleep better on a soft mattress, others need a firmer bed. To determine what’s best for you, try considering your preferred sleep position and body weight. Back and stomach sleepers need a firmer mattress than a side sleeper does. A heavier person should have a mattress with a firmer feel to withstand their weight, while a mattress for a petite sleeper should be soft enough to offer full-body pressure relief.

Do you need a box spring with a memory foam mattress?

No, and you can even damage your new memory foam mattress by keeping it on a box spring. Box springs have their interior coils spaced too far apart to offer consistent support, which leaves areas where your mattress can dip down and damage its materials. Instead, you should keep your memory foam mattress on a slatted or solid surface.

What is the best time to buy a mattress?

We’re not joking when we say the best time to buy a new mattress is when you realize you need one. Sleeping on a mattress that’s grown unsupportive and uncomfortable can affect your nightly recovery, leaving you suffering the effects of sleep deprivation the next day.

That said, there are a few big mattress sales days spread throughout the year. Look for good deals around Presidents Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Black Friday.

What should I look for when buying a memory foam mattress?

The two biggest considerations when you’re buying a memory foam mattress are its firmness and its cooling features. Sleeping on the wrong firmness will almost guarantee that you’ll wake up with a bad back, so you want to choose a firmness that matches your sleeping style. A mattress with a sleep trial can offer you the security of a full refund if you pick the wrong firmness.

Traditional memory foam had a tendency to overheat, so you’ll want to see what a manufacturer does to counteract that. Do they use plant-based foams or infuse cooling gels? Plenty of modern memory foam beds qualify as cooling mattresses, you just have to look for them.

High-Quality at a Low Price

The best mattress is one that helps you sleep well, not one that keeps you up at night worrying over its price tag. At the same time, a low-quality cheap mattress can hurt you in the long run, causing back pain and degrading long before it should. It takes time to find the right mattress at the right type, so we did the research for you. We hope the information and suggestions above help you make the right choice from among the best affordable mattresses on the market.