The 7 Best Cheap Mattresses (2025)

The Nectar Classic has been crowned the best cheap mattress because it has the performance scores of a gold medalist and the versatility of duct tape. Nectar’s flagship all-foam mattress has a universally appealing medium firmness, uses quality materials, and comes in a queen size that can be added to your cart for less than $700 (at the time of this writing). Its lifetime warranty showcases the manufacturer’s belief in its product, but before we can crown a mattress as our best of the best, we have to see how it performs. 

With an overall score of 4.3, buoyed by a perfect 5/5 in customer satisfaction and cooling, and a 4 or higher in responsiveness and motion isolation, it’s safe to say that this is a bed that consumers can also believe in. 

All-foam mattresses developed a reputation for being hot and difficult to move around on compared to innerspring mattresses, which made some folks turn away from them. However, with a 5/5 in cooling and a 4 in responsiveness, Nectar changed the narrative. My colleague, Livvi DiCicco, tested the responsiveness of this mattress, and she said, “Although I thought the Nectar had a doughy feel on top, it was still easier to move around on than most all-foam beds.”

She also found its cooling capabilities surprisingly good for a mattress with dense foams. After taking an initial surface temperature with a thermal temperature gun, Livvi lounged on the Nectar for seven minutes before taking another temperature reading. There was a less than 4-degree increase between the two readings, which is outstanding for any type of mattress. “Although the bed didn’t feel particularly cool to touch, I wasn’t overheated,” Livvi said.

Although we selected the Nectar as our number-one cheap mattress draft pick, even superstars have room for improvement. Our pressure relief test allows us to evaluate the amount of pressure sleepers can expect to experience based on their body weight and preferred sleep positions, and the Nectar was subpar for lightweight sleepers. Kate Gorman, mattress tester, said, “When I am on my side, I can definitely feel pressure on my hips. Also, my hips are lower than my shoulders, so my spine isn’t aligned.”  

Livvi also found that the Nectar wasn’t as sturdy around the edges as in other parts of the bed. This means that people sitting on the edge of the bed to get dressed may find themselves sinking into the foam layers, making going from standing to sitting more difficult. 

Despite these minor flaws, the Nectar is still a fantastic choice for a bed on a budget. If you’d like more information, read our full Nectar review. However, if you want a bed with better pressure relief, take a look at the Bear.  

Much like Goldilocks, back sleepers need a bed that is not too soft and not too hard. So, it is fitting that the “just right” mattress for these folks is the Bear. The affordable all-foam Bear Original strikes an outstanding balance between comfort and support, making it ideal for those who prefer to sleep on their backs. It earned a 4.1 overall by scoring a 4 or higher in customer satisfaction, cooling, edge support, motion isolation, and responsiveness. 

My colleague, Melanie Kassel, said the Bear’s firmness was a 7/10, meaning it is slightly harder than a medium-firm mattress, which we rate at 6.5. She said, “I like this bed for back sleeping. My hips and butt sank in a bit, but the foam also filled in the gap under my lower back. Unlike my midsection, my limbs felt on top of the bed. So, there is a nice mix of on-top-of-the-mattress support for lighter areas and the contouring you’d expect from foam for heavier areas.”

Melanie’s evaluations of the Bear also align with Dr. Dasgupta’s guidance about back sleepers. “If a mattress is too firm, back sleepers could experience back pain due to unnecessary tension throughout the night,” Dr. Dasgupta said. “On the other hand, one that is too soft can cause discomfort from spinal misalignment. These sleepers should choose a mattress in the 6/10 to 7/10 range on the firmness scale.”

Melanie was also bullish on the Bear’s ability to isolate motion, a top consideration for many couples and other co-sleepers. She recruited another mattress expert to help her test this feature. Mel said that although she could feel her colleague get in and out of bed and reposition, it was solely due to a faint pulling sensation on the bed’s quilted cover. “The foam did not waver at all,” she said. “I don’t think I would have woken up if I had actually been sleeping. The other tester got up from the bed multiple times, and I couldn’t tell she had gone!”

Although couples will appreciate the Bear’s excellent motion isolation, they probably won’t be as excited about its edge support, or lack thereof. Beds that are as secure along the perimeter as they are in the center allow couples to spread out without fear of rolling out of bed or into the center. Melanie said, “I didn’t feel like I was about to roll off, but I could sense the edge of the mattress gradually dipping lower and lower until it felt like the side of my body that was closer to the edge was slanting downward.” 

Also, if you want a bed that actively helps you when changing positions, this is not for you. Mel said that while the Bear didn’t actively fight her when she switched up how she was lying, it didn’t help her either.

Combination sleepers and sexually active couples should consider the Nectar Classic Hybrid. It will help them reposition easily. For more information, check out our full Bear Original review. 

When it comes to value, Brooklyn Bedding is always a good place to start because the company owns its factory. They sell mattresses directly to consumers and can price them particularly low. Out of Brooklyn’s ever-growing line of products, the CopperFlex is one of the most affordable—and firmest. The bed’s firmness comes from the layers of substantial, durable foam. This construction also helped it earn a 5/5 in responsiveness and a 4/5 in motion isolation for an overall score of 3.9.

If you’re sexually active or a combination sleeper, you will appreciate how easy the CopperFlex makes it to reposition. My colleague, Kayla Godfrey, tested its responsiveness and said, “It’s super easy to move around. The bed doesn’t cave in at all. I didn’t feel stuck, and it didn’t require any extra effort to switch positions.”

Another boon for this bed is its supportive edges. This benefits those with mobility issues who may struggle with going from seated to standing (or vice versa). Since the CopperFlex doesn’t sink much when weight is applied around the edges, it makes it easier for people to get up and sit down on it. It also allows couples to use the entire surface without fear of rolling off.

However, we don’t recommend this bed to side sleepers, as we saw significant pressure buildup around the shoulders and hips of our lightweight, average-weight, and heavyweight testers. To test pressure relief, we use a specialized mat rolled atop a mattress. This mat captures thermal images known as pressure maps to indicate the areas where pressure is prevalent. 

It also provides an overall pressure reading in pounds per square inch (PSI). The average PSI for side sleeping is 14.94, and our average-weight and heavyweight testers had PSIs of 15.45 and 16.3, respectively. Although our lightweight tester Riley Otis’s PSI was below the average, she said, “This probably isn’t the best for side sleeping if you are lightweight because this mattress feels very firm. I feel like I am pretty aligned, but the cushioning is where I am struggling with the pressure relief. It’s not hugging my body like I want.”

The CopperFlex also didn’t wow us with its cooling performance during testing. Despite the fact that the mattress uses gel memory foam and copper infusions to help with heat retention, we saw its temperature increase more than 10 degrees after Kayla lay on it for seven minutes, which is well above the average rise of 6.5 degrees.

Try the Emma Hybrid Cooling comfort for a more chilled-out sleeping experience. You can get more information on this mattress by reading our full Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex review.

Is there anything worse than having sex on a bed that makes you feel like you’re repositioning on quicksand? No shame if that’s what you like, but most sexually active people want a bed that allows them to switch it up without a lot of thought or effort. This mattress got a 4.5/5 for responsiveness and a 4/5 in edge support and cooling, which can also be important features during intimacy. With an overall score of 4/5 and a price under $700 (for a queen), the DreamCloud won its case for the best affordable mattress for sex.

If you’ve ever had the awkward experience of feeling stuck down in your mattress when you are trying to launch into a new sex position, you were likely on a bed that took its sweet time to spring back to its original form after you applied weight. However, the springy coils in the DreamCloud’s hybrid construction allow you to change it up without missing a beat. 

Marten Carlson, one of our expert testers, said, “Couples looking for a good mattress for sex usually want to pick something bouncy and responsive; this will make it easier for them to move around and reposition on the mattress. The DreamCloud mattress fits the bill for sure, and sexual partners should find it to be a great match.”

Although it is exciting when the action heats up, you may find your sexual encounters more enjoyable when your body temperature can stay regulated. Marten conducted the cooling test by taking an initial temperature of the DreamCloud and then another after he was on it for seven minutes. 

He saw an 8.5-degree increase, which is higher than the average rise of 6.5 degrees, but Marten didn’t notice it heating up when he was on it. “The cashmere-blend cover is breathable and allows air to pass through the top of the mattress, and the gel-infused memory foam helps dissipate body heat,” he said. “The individually wrapped coils in the support layer also allow for air to pass through the mattress so that it isn’t one big block of heat.”

Although the DreamCloud is an awesome choice for sex, it falls a little short for couples who want to sleep in the same bed afterward—especially if one partner is restless. The DreamCloud doesn’t isolate motion particularly well. So, if you are a light sleeper or your partner does a lot of flipping and flopping, you’ll likely feel it on this bed. Also worth noting: Marten, who is 6’7” and 270 pounds, said that as a heavier sleeper, he only felt secure when he was on his back on the DreamCloud and feels that sleepers who weigh 300 pounds or more won’t be comfortable on it at all. 

If you’re a heavyweight sleeper, check out the Plank for a firmer, more supportive bed, or you may want to consider a sturdy bed frame for added security. Check out our comprehensive DreamCloud mattress review for more information.

Side sleepers put a lot of weight and pressure on smaller areas of the body—the shoulders and hips. This means they need a mattress that contours around their silhouette while providing supportive spinal alignment. The Silk & Snow Hybrid not only accomplishes this, it does it at a fraction of the cost of other mattresses. With an overall score of 4.1, thanks in part to earning a 4 or higher in customer satisfaction, pressure relief, cooling, motion isolation, and responsiveness, the Silk & Snow earned my pick for the best affordable mattress for side sleepers.

Dr. Shelby Harris, one of Mattress Clarity’s medical advisors, said, “Side sleepers need pressure relief at the shoulders and hips, which means that they’ll typically want to stick with a softer mattress that will contour to their body and help prevent too much pressure on their joints throughout the night.” 

Although finding a mattress that provides the right balance of cushioning and support can be tricky, we use a specialized mat that measures pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI) to help us out. The average PSI for side sleepers is 14.94, and we saw scores below this for our lightweight, average-weight, and heavyweight testers. 

“My hips and spine feel aligned, and I feel totally supported,” said Matt Schickling, our tester representing folks over 230 pounds. “This would be a great mattress for heavy side sleepers or those looking for pressure relief.” 

Cooling doesn’t directly impact side sleepers, but it helps with overall comfort, and the Silk & Snow does an excellent job of keeping your body temperature regulated. Considering it uses “snow” in its name, perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised that it heated up by fewer than 5 degrees after product tester Kate Meier was on it for seven minutes. 

She said, “The top of the mattress felt cool when I reached out my hand and felt around. I even searched for warmth under my hips and shoulders, where I thought it might feel warmer, but couldn’t detect anything.”

However, even well-balanced, budget-friendly mattresses have flaws, and edge support is one of those for this mattress. Kate found that she sank a lot when she was seated on the edge, which translated into having to assist herself a lot to get up in a controlled way. This could be especially problematic for those with issues such as arthritis. 

We are working on an updated full review of the Silk & Snow Hybrid, and it will be available soon. If you want a bed with more edge support, I recommend the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid.

There are affordable mattresses, and then there are “recent college graduate living in Manhattan” affordable mattresses, and the Siena Original is the latter. You can get your hands on a queen-sized mattress for under $500. This bed had scores between 2.5 to 3.5 in support, edge support, cooling, motion isolation, and durability, and an overall score of 3.4, which is lower than the other mattresses on this list. However, when calculating your return on investment, I think the Siena is well worth the gamble if you’re in the market for an extremely affordable new mattress. 

One big benefit to this mattress is that you get a 180-night trial to decide if it’s right for you, and if it isn’t, you can return it for a full refund, minimizing your risk even further. The Siena is on the soft side of medium-firm, and many sleepers should experience lots of pressure relief around their shoulders and hips. If you like a mattress that slowly wraps you in a deep embrace, you’re going to be a fan of this bed’s slow-moving memory foam layers.

“While I don’t think this bed is a perfect choice for some heavyweight and stomach sleepers who will likely need a firmer, more supportive mattress, most average-to-lightweight sleepers should find some good pressure relief on the Siena mattress,” said tester Elisa Regulski. “If you’re on a budget and want memory foam that cradles you, or just don’t want to drop a lot for a guest room, the Siena is a good choice.”

To reinforce Elisa’s statement, I don’t recommend this for heavyweight sleepers because they will likely “bottom out” by pushing through the layers too quickly. I also don’t think hot sleepers will be satisfied with this, as the dense foam doesn’t allow for much airflow, and your temperature may be increased by sinking down into the foam. 

Read our full Siena mattress review for more information. If you want a bed with more support, check out the Bear Elite Hybrid. 

The Cocoon Chill is a memory foam mattress that performs well in many categories while having impressive temperature-regulating features, such as a cooling cover made with phase change material that absorbs your body heat and gives the top layer a cool-to-the-touch feel.  Despite being made entirely of foam, this bed-in-a-box doesn’t trap heat, which led us to give it a stellar 4.5/5 in cooling. The Cocoon Chill also earned a 4 or higher in support, edge support, cooling, motion transfer, durability, trial period, and warranty, propelling it to an overall rating of 4.1. Considering this bed is manufactured by trusted mattress stalwart Sealy and can be brought home for under $700 when on sale, we had no chill at all when it came to electing it as the best affordable cooling mattress. 

After testing the Chill, product expert Elisa Regulski, said, “Like its name suggests, the Cocoon Chill is great at dissipating heat. However, it’s not a one trick pony. I also appreciated the sturdy support I felt when sitting on the perimeter of this bed, and think that it will be great for those who sleep with a restless partner.” 

In addition to its cooling capabilities, I think the foam is the star of the show for this mattress. The comfort layers are made with breathable foam that conforms to your shape, making it an excellent pressure-relieving option for side sleepers and those with joint pain. It should also make light sleepers happy because the layers of foam prevent motion transfer, meaning that a flipping and flopping partner shouldn’t disturb you.  

The Chill is made with high-density foam, so if you like memory foam that allows you to sink into it, this mattress is probably not for you. Also, the overall firm support level will likely make this unsuitable for most side sleepers. 

For a more traditional memory foam mattress, try the DreamCloud. For more information, read our full Cocoon Chill review.