The Best Cheap Mattresses
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Best Overall Cooling Mattress
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Best Cooling Gel Mattress
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Best Plush Cooling Mattress
A Super-Cheap Cooling Mattress
OK, we have to preface this with a disclaimer: You’re going to spend roughly a third of your life on a mattress, so there are probably better places to save a buck. Seriously, if you can save up to buy a nicer mattress, do. But for tight budgets (or guest rooms), we’ve tested more than a dozen mattresses under $1,000 that you can buy online and have conveniently shipped to you in a box in a matter of days.
We slept on a variety of mattresses of differing firmness, materials, and filling to find what we consider to be the best mattresses at a budget-friendly price point. Some of these cheap mattresses far exceeded expectations for costing roughly what you can spend on a fancy dinner.
These under-$1,000 picks are also conveniently shipped straight to you. Buying a mattress online is easy and efficient—a box comes to you with no need for a truck or professional movers. Just lug the bed-in-a-box inside, crack the cardboard, slash open the plastic wrap, and watch the mattress spring into shape.
The drawback to online shopping is you can't test a showroom of mattresses until you find the perfect fit. Add in the fact that reviews can be gamed by bad actors, and it's hard to know what's worth your time and what's not. WIRED has done the work for you, spending at least a week, if not longer, sleeping on some of the cheapest mattresses you can buy online—we're looking for a great night's sleep at a good value. It's worth noting that we don't think online is necessarily the best place to buy a mattress—we go into our reasons below—but if your prime focus is cost and convenience, then you do have some good options with these cheap mattresses you can buy online. The prices below are based on queen size.
Be sure to check out our other sleep guides, including the Best Mattresses, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers, and Best Sleep Gadgets.
Updated February 2025: We've added the Awara Natural Luxury Hybrid and Wolf 12-Inch Memory Foam Hybrid Medium Firm Mattress, removed the Linenspa, and updated links and prices.
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Online-only retailers like Amazon are a solid place to buy almost anything, but it's less advantageous for mattress purchases than most other goods. That's because domestic manufacturers dominate the bed-in-a-box game, and you can often get a better deal by buying from the mattress maker directly. Some of these brands throw in two pillows with your purchase or have other discounts, though this is not always true—a few mattresses in this guide are actually cheaper on Amazon.
Most from-a-box mattresses sold online tend to be cheaper than those sold in stores, which is the main draw. You can easily compare various versions of the same thing (i.e., memory foam or hybrid mattresses) and get fast, dependable shipping straight to your house.
Many online retailers' terms for returning goods have an exception for mattresses. Once you open the box, you are at the mercy of the maker instead of being covered by the more generous terms these online retailers like Amazon offer for most products they sell. If you're looking at mattresses below $500, you should not expect any test period or money-back guarantee (whereas that's a reasonable thing to expect of any mattress above $1,000). Things vary widely in the middle zone.
Best Overall Cooling Mattress
Bedgear S Performance MattressThis S Performance mattress from Bedgear is literally cool to the touch—I was shocked. Most cooling mattresses only claim to be so because of the gel infusion, but somehow this mattress delivers. I tested the medium-firm mattress (Bedgear also has firm and plush options), which has a top Ver-Tex Cover layer that’s silky-smooth and specially designed to reduce overheating. The second layer is an inch and a half of ventilated foam with vertically drilled holes to increase airflow and maintain structure. This has a high-density, durable base for foundational support, and it uses Bedgear’s Air-X mesh that has an open design to promote airflow and help regulate body temperature. This 10-inch bed ships free to the lower 48, has a 10-year manufacturer's warranty, and can be returned within 30 days if opened or within 100 days of purchase if unopened.
I like a more plush bed, and I was happy with the medium mattress’ plushness—I think the actual “plush” option may have been too plush for my taste. This mattress popped up to size almost immediately, and I fell into it like a baby swaddled in a cool cloud. I love this bed so much, I replaced my original mattress with this one and am sometimes cold when I sleep on it because the cooling effect is no joke. This mattress is super comfortable and would be ideal for any hot sleeper.
Opened items can be returned within 30 days of original purchase.
The price ranges from $499 for a Twin to $1,599 for a California King, with prices further changing depending on firmness.
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Cooling Gel Mattress
Wayfair Sleep 12-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam MattressThis mattress from Wayfair feels more plush (or medium-plush) than its listed medium-firmness. It has four layers of hypoallergenic gel memory foam infused with green tea and features low motion transfer, cooling technology, and a breathable design to ensure you’re having a cool sleep. The top layers are gel-infused memory and comfort foams to help with pressure relief and cooling; then 2.5 inches of super soft Zinus comfort foam; the bottom thick layer is 5.5 inches of Zinus’ high-density base foam for more durable support—the foam is CertiPUR-US certified (meaning it meets certain standards for emissions and durability).
This mattress comes compressed inside a box, so all you need to do is unroll and it should expand to its full size within 72 hours. Mine sprung up almost immediately, and I was able to sleep on it without issue after about 12 hours. There was a very strong chemical odor for the first several hours of unboxing, but it did go away with time. This bed had the perfect balance of cooling and comfort with the memory foam—the breathable knitted cover also helped with air circulation—and I always slept coolly.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $400 for a Twin to $600 for a King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
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- Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Plush Cooling Mattress
Wayfair Sleep 14-Inch Plush Cooling Gel Hybrid MattressThis 14-inch plush cooling gel mattress from Wayfair feels expensive without the price tag to match. It has a top layer of cooling gel that conforms to your body for comfort and has classic pocket coils below for structure and support, with layers of memory foam with varying thickness surrounding the coils (the coils and memory foam mixture helps with low-motion transfer, too). The knit cover and sides help with breathability and the overall “cooling effect.” The mattress is also compatible with an adjustable bed frame, has solid edge support, is CertiPUR-US and Oeko-Tex Certified (ensuring no harmful toxins are in your mattress), and has a 10-year warranty.
This mattress is the most plush I've tested, but didn’t feel like it lacked structure because of its generous height and coils. I love a plush mattress, but I could see it maybe being a bit too plush for someone with a bigger body, since the first super-soft memory foam layer is on top of a coil system. The bed came rolled and vacuumed-sealed, and I couldn’t even get it out of the package before it literally jumped out at me and nearly broke the sealed plastic wrap. It puffed up to its impressive height within minutes. This bed is super comfy if you like a more plush mattress, but I didn’t find it as consistently cooling as our top pick.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $400 for a Twin to $700 for a California King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
A Super-Cheap Cooling Mattress
Wayfair Sleep 8-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam MattressThis medium mattress consists of 8 inches of regular memory foam with a layer of cooling gel, charcoal, and green tea-infused memory foam (to aid with freshness and odor absorption), followed by a soft comfort foam on a durable high-density foam base to help with all-around pressure relief. The top layer has a breathable, woven jacquard design that helps to keep the sleeper cool and has a tight enough foam top to help with reducing motion transfer. The mattress ships right to your door, is compatible with an adjustable base, and has a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty.
This in-a-box mattress sprang up surprisingly quickly for me and I was able to sleep on it the next night. (Some online reviewers had complaints that their mattresses were flat). I tend to go for more plush mattresses, but this medium wasn’t too firm for my taste—I thought it had a good balance of plushness and structure. I was super surprised by this mattress; it was comfortable, and at this price point, it far exceeded my expectations.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $300 for a Twin to $500 for a King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
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- Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Natural Mattress
Awara Natural Luxury HybridThe Awara Natural Luxury Hybrid mattress is a natural, sustainably made, more affordable option from luxury bed brand Awara. It’s made of super soft wool with a rayon blend, breathable, quilted cover top followed by a layer of sustainable, GOLS- and FSC-certified organic foam along with a bottom layer of coils for increased spinal support and structure. This mattress is supportive and bouncy, and I appreciated the solid motion transfer. Also, after testing 20 mattresses, I appreciated the handles on the sides for easy moving.
Awara lists it as a 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, and it was a little too firm for me. I could literally feel the metal support coils when I ran my hand along the side, and the edge support was lacking. This hybrid, organic mattress is inexpensive for being from a great luxury brand, but it was a little too firm, and those springs were a little too pronounced for my taste. But it’s still a great value for a luxury natural mattress.
365-night trial
The price ranges from $799 for a Twin to $1,998 for a Split King, although the mattresses are often discounted.
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Hybrid Mattress
Wolf 12-Inch Memory Foam Hybrid Medium Firm MattressThis medium-firm hybrid mattress is 12 inches tall and has seven layers in total, combining coils and memory foams. The top comprises a breathable knit cover that helps with airflow, a textured cooling gel foam, and gel memory foam beneath. The top is all about cooling comfort before getting to the bottom half, which provides structure and support. The bottom has a small layer of a high-density plush support foam, then 8 inches of individually wrapped coils to aid with low-motion transfer and structure.
This US-made mattress has a 101-night trial and a lifetime warranty. It feels much more expensive than its low price tag—individually wrapped coils give great support, while the top cooling foams help with pressure relief and keeping temperature regulated. This bed is listed as medium-firm but feels more like a true medium (maybe closer to medium-plush in my opinion) and was comfortable for a side sleeper like me. This cheap mattress far exceeded my expectations and has become one of my favorite mattresses I’ve tested.
101-night trial.
The price ranges from $749 for a Twin to $1,099 for a King, with prices further changing depending on firmness and height.
Runner-Up Hybrid Mattress
DreamCloud Hybrid MattressThis 12-inch DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress is composed of eight layers and uses gel memory foam and innerspring coils for a truly hybrid sleeping experience. The top is a breathable cashmere blend to help with cooling, followed by several layers of quilted and gel memory foams; the bottom half starts with a “transition layer” to provide support for the individually wrapped coils and a bottom base layer to help with stability. Unlike nearly every cheap mattress model we tested, it also has handles for easier carrying—a huge help after testing (and hauling) over a dozen mattresses.
The bed has a 365-night home trial, a lifetime warranty, and free shipping. This in-a-bed-box sprang up literally immediately, and the coils helped in making this one of the bounciest I’ve tested. The bed's advertising promised edge support, which was lacking, but I’ve noticed this as an issue in other beds using coils. I liked the dynamic layering and the bed was comfortable, but I tend to like true memory foam mattresses more. I also didn’t really notice the cooling effect and slept hot a few nights.
365-night trial.
The price ranges from $419 for a Twin to $1,198 for a Split King, with prices further changing depending on mattress material.
Best Super-Plush Mattress
Wayfair Sleep 13.5-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam MattressThis 13.5-inch cooling gel memory foam mattress is listed as medium-firm, but is by far the most plush mattress I’ve ever slept on. The top layer is 2 inches of gel-infused memory foam, followed by 4.5 inches of comfort foam, and the bottom is 7 inches of high-density base support foam. The top has a breathable jacquard pattern and is green tea-infused to help with freshness and cooling. Because of this mattress's plushness and density, I didn’t feel the cooling effect as strongly in this mattress as I did with many of the others.
The mattress is so soft it literally envelops your body. I generally tend to prefer more plush mattresses, but this one was a bit too much of a good thing—in the last few days of testing my back was aching because of the lack of support and structure in this incredibly soft mattress, plus there was little edge support. This in-a-box bed sprang up to size almost immediately, and has low motion transfer and a limited 10-year warranty. This behemoth of a bed was super comfy, but I don’t think I’d want a bed with so little structure for the long term. If you are someone who loves a super-plush bed, then this is the mattress for you.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $500 for a Full to $650 for a King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
Best Cheap Plush Mattress
Wayfair Sleep 10.5-Inch Plush Cooling Gel Hybrid MattressThis 10.5-inch plush cooling gel hybrid mattress from Wayfair is composed of five layers: the top is memory foam, then a plush poly foam, wrapped innersprings, and a bottom high-density base foam. The memory foam pillow top aims to relieve pressure points and help reduce motion transfer; it’s made out of hypogenic materials and has a breathable knit cover to aid in the cooling effect. The bed is compatible with an adjustable base and has a 10-year warranty.
This bed-in-a-box mattress practically burst out of the plastic wrapping and sprung up faster than I could remove the plastic cover, and I was able to sleep on it that same night. Although it’s marketed as a cooling mattress, I didn’t feel it had as noticeable of a cooling effect as some others I tested. This was a super comfortable, true plush mattress; but it wasn’t as breathable as promised, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you sleep hot.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $297 for a Twin to $380 for a California King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
Best Medium-Soft Mattress
Allswell Supreme 14-Inch Bed in a Box Hybrid MattressThe Allswell Supreme 14-inch Bed in a Box Hybrid Mattress is listed as having medium firmness, but it was more on the plush side. The top layer is 1.5 inches of Allswell’s signature quilted Euro top, which gives it the plush feel; 1 inch of copper-infused memory foam—which helps with moisture absorption to keep it cool; 2 inches of “fast response” memory foam, which absorbs motion and bounces back into shape quickly; 0.75 inch of high-density medium support foam to further absorb motion; and the bulk of the bottom is 8 inches of encased coils—which means each coil is encased individually, so each moves independently to easier contour to the shape of your body; the bottom layer is a quarter-inch shock-absorbing high-density foam.
One of my biggest complaints was the lack of edge support. When sitting on the edge of the bed, the top layer completely buckled and met the top of the box spring support, and I could literally slide off the mattress. I like a softer mattress, so this was comfortable for me, but I think if I wanted something truly medium-firm I would be disappointed.
Offers no trial period.
The price ranges from $337 for a Twin to $577 for a California King, with prices changing depending on material.
Best Medium-Firm Mattress
Wayfair Sleep 14-Inch Medium Memory Foam MattressThis 14-inch medium-firm memory foam mattress strikes a great balance with structured firmness and a memory foam top that contorts to your shape. The top layer is 2 inches of green tea-infused memory foam to help with odor control and freshness; followed by 4.5 inches of high-density foam (to ensure the more medium-firm structure); and the rest is 7.5 inches of more high-density foam. It’s constructed from CertiPUR-US-certified foams and a cotton-based fire retardant for added safety. The adjustable base-compatible mattress has a 10-year manufacturer's warranty and features a stain-resistant, polyester open jacquard fabric cover design to help with freshness and cooling, with a tight top and low motion transfer.
Although I tend to go for more plush mattresses, this mattress really does give the best of both worlds—it has a great balance between that medium-firm structure and the soft, contorting open-cell memory foam. This bed pleasantly surprised me and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who likes a bit more of a medium-firm feel.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $270 for a Twin to $570 for a California King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
Best Firm
Wayfair Sleep 12-Inch Medium Memory Foam MattressThis 12-inch medium-firm memory foam mattress is similar to our above pick, using memory foam as a top layer to conform to your body’s shape while the bottom foam layers are more structured to give that firm feel. The mattress has a breathable jacquard pattern covering to help with airflow and a top 2-inch layer of green tea-infused memory foam to help with freshness and odor control, followed by 3.5 inches of high-density foam. The rest is 6.5 inches of more high-density foam. The top layer has a bit more give, and the memory foam contorts to the body’s pressure points while the bottom layers are dense (helping with the firmness).
The mattress had good edge support and surprisingly low motion transfer—that thing stayed put when moving or jumping. It's constructed from CertiPUR-US certified foams, is adjustable base-compatible, and has a 10-year manufacturer's warranty. Like all others on this list, the bed comes in a box. However, it didn’t fully expand until 12-plus hours after unwrapping. I don’t have many complaints about this mattress—it’s a great firm option for cheap, but I couldn’t help comparing it to the similar 14-inch, which was a bit more comfortable.
100-night trial.
The price ranges from $230 for a Twin to $480 for a California King, although prices change often (and dramatically).
One to Avoid
Wayfair Sleep 6-Inch Medium Memory Foam MattressThis 6-inch memory foam mattress from Wayfair Sleep is labeled as medium on the firmness scale and is composed of a top layer of 1 inch of green-tea infused memory foam (to aid in absorbing odors and keeping the mattress fresh), followed by high-density foam. I will admit, I was very worried when I took this from-a-box mattress out. It was vacuum sealed and didn’t spring up for nearly a day. Once it did, it was still very thin. I measured it and the pad is a little over 5 1/2 inches, which isn’t too far off the mark, but every inch counts. If I put too much pressure on one area, I could feel my hard box spring underneath—I don’t think this would work on a frame without some type of structure below.
I struggled with sleeping hot throughout a few of the nights, as the cover is made of polyester and the majority of the mattress is made of high-density foam without the aid of cooling gel or super breathable top fabric. It was comfortable enough, but for something that looks and feels like a plush camping pad, I’d spring the extra bucks for one of our other cheap mattress picks.
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