Best Cheap Mattresses: The Most Comfortable Options for Any Budget

The Bear Original is a consistently well-reviewed mattress, from professional reviewers and customers alike. Featuring three layers of foam (a cooling gel memory foam layer, a dynamic foam layer for greater pressure relief, and a thick layer of high-density support foam) under a breathable Tencel cover, it hugs your body while still providing proper spinal alignment. The mattress also comes with a free sleep accessory set, including two pillows, a sheet set, and a mattress protector.

If you’re looking for the best mattress for back pain, research is key. Brooklyn Bedding offers an essential hybrid mattress with four layers designed for comfort. The pocketed coils are supported by a flex base and topped with two layers of dense foam that promote cooling and pressure relief, which is good for back sleepers. Customers praise the hybrid support, which seems to be true to what Brooklyn Bedding claims.

Financing is available through Affirm.

For eco-conscious side sleepers, Leesa’s Studio Mattress is three layers of memory foam encased in a cooling knit cover. The base layer provides support, while the top two work to contour to your body, making it a good option for sleeping on your side. The mattress is designed to give where you need it and support everywhere else.

Leesa’s mattress is CertiPUR-US Certified and GREENGUARD Gold Certified (top in the industry for low-chemical emissions). The company also touts that it donates one new mattress for every 10 sold—another reason to feel good about your purchase.

Brooklyn Bedding makes a highly customized memory-foam mattress promoted as an especially great option for kids or RVs. In addition to the 22 different sizes, there are five heights to choose from that range between 6 and 14 inches. The height of the mattress also affects its firmness—shorter beds are more firm and taller ones are soft to medium. The top layer is a cooling-gel foam, while the bottom is an open-cell foam to promote maximum cooling throughout the night, making it a good choice for a cooling mattress, too.

Generally fewer layers make a less sophisticated mattress, but it seems many users indeed purchase this mattress for an RV or guest room and end up buying another for their main bed. The height options are great to customize with different types of bed frames, especially for bunks or other children’s beds.

Shelling out hundreds of dollars for a kids’ mattress can sometimes feel absurd, considering how fast they grow (and, in some cases, how fast they wreck stuff). To spend less without sacrificing quality (all parents want their kids to sleep through the night!) consider Helix’s Kids mattress. Essentially two mattresses for the price of one, it’s flippable, with a softer side (ideal for slightly older kids, around 8-12) and a firmer side (suitable for younger ones, around 3-7). It’s also CertiPUR-US and Greenguard Gold certified, and completely fiberglass free, so you can feel good about your little ones sleeping on it.

Shopping for mattresses at 4 a.m. because you can’t sleep on yours anymore? Nectar has sleep specialists available to chat online 24/7. And you’ll find a couple of the brand’s mattresses on this list, as they’re some of the most comfortable options out there. (Nectar also made our lists for the best memory foam mattresses and best mattresses for side sleepers). They boast three layers of CertiPUR-US Certified memory foam (foam void of ozone depleters, lead, mercury and other potentially harmful materials). On top of the base, one layer minimizes motion transfer and another contours to your body and sleeping position. These options are versatile, whether you prefer sleeping on your back, stomach or side, and fit with multiple different bed or box-spring setups, which you can also customize and order from Nectar.

Financing is available through Affirm and Splitit.

Linenspa’s hybrid mattress is a top-rated and -reviewed option on Amazon, and it’s under $300 for a California king! The brand’s mattress offers medium-firm support from continuous coil springs and layers of memory foam on top–supportive but not too firm. In addition to the traditional sizes, there are various heights to choose, ranging from 5 to 12 inches.

The durability and comfort of this mattress are both questionable, according to reviews. The springs don’t hold up for long, and the mattress top doesn’t handle motion and weight transfer as well as some pure memory-foam options, which is something to keep in mind if you sleep with a partner.

Silk and Snow makes four-layer hybrid mattresses that maximize support and cooling, among other features. Two layers of foam, including cooling foam, top a layer of pocketed steel coils, which are cylindrical and individually wrapped to mitigate motion transfer and noise. Plus the bed sports an antimicrobial cover to prevent bacteria growth. The Silk and Snow hybrid also provides varying levels of support under your shoulders and hip zones for maximum comfort. When you purchase a mattress, Silk and Snow will also give you 10% off furniture, sheets and bath essentials, in addition to a free comforter.

All of Silk and Snow’s products are produced in Canada. They use eco-friendly foam and are made without ozone depleters, lead, mercury and other harmful materials.

Though it is listed as a medium-firm mattress, reviews suggest it may fall on the firm end of that spectrum. Overall, users who like the mattress itself are also satisfied with the delivery process and customer service. According to reviews, complaints center around the unexpected firmness, which Silk and Snow is prompt to remedy through their customer-service responses.

You can finance your Silk and Snow Hybrid Mattress with PayPal.

For added support, hybrids are usually best for heavier folks, and Nectar’s option is hard to beat. Like all of the company’s mattresses, this bed tops our list with the longest trial period and warranty (lifetime). The mattress boasts five layers (with CertiPUR-US Certified foams) including a base, innerspring coils (traditional mattress coils), a transition layer designed to minimize motion transfer and one made of therapeutic gel memory foam to relieve pressure. The fifth layer is an antimicrobial cover.

Financing is available through Affirm and Splitit.

If you’re looking for something to make your current mattress feel new, you could opt for a mattress topper instead—though they can also get pretty fancy and expensive. But the SOPAT memory-foam topper is affordable (under $110 for a king), offers 90-day returns and a 10-year warranty. It’s made from a combination of high-density gel foam and bamboo-charcoal memory foam, which promote cooling and prevent odors. They also use an egg-crate design (picture an actual egg crate), with peaks and valleys that provide even more of a cooling effect and dissipate pressure for comfortable support.

Users express delight at the comfort value for the price, though complaints noted that it can be tricky to keep the topper in place on your bed. They also like the odor-prevention and washable cover.