Best Mattress in a Box

Updated January 27, 2023

As we move further into the digital age, it’s only natural that more and more products are available online. Mattresses are now included in the list of items conveniently bought online and delivered to your doorstep. The best part? Many mattresses purchased online are compressed and packaged in a box that is a fraction of the size of the actual mattress for added mobility and convenience.

Navigating this relatively new space of online mattress companies can prove to be challenging. We’ll help you get the lay of the land as you explore the top mattresses in a box to suit your needs.

Related: How to find the best queen mattress

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Best Mattress in a Box - Top Picks

• Nectar: Best Value
• Casper: Best Memory Foam
• Awara: Best Organic
• Brooklyn Signature: Best Hybrid
• Tuft & Needle: Best Customer Reviews
• Purple: Best for Back Pain

Nectar - Best Value

Nectar is one of the most affordable bed-in-a-box mattresses on the market. Only 3% of Nectar’s customers have decided to return their purchase. And we have a good idea why 97% of their customers are so happy. This memory foam mattress is made with four layers of foam. The two cooling gel memory foam layers add comfort and pressure relief while allowing airflow throughout the bed, keeping night sweats away. The bottom two layers are made from high-density foam, providing adequate support and making Nectar durable.

Don’t believe us? See for yourself with their risk-free trial. You get 365 nights to sleep on the Nectar mattress before you have to make a final decision. If you decide to return the Nectar, you’ll get a full refund. If you decide to keep it, you get a lifetime warranty.

Learn more about two of the best cooling mattresses in our Purple vs Nectar Mattress Review.

PROS	CONS
Good budget option Cooling mattress for hot sleepers	Not the best option for couples or plus-sized sleepers

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Casper - Best Memory Foam

The Casper mattress is a universal mattress that works for all body types and sleep positions. Though constructed with high-quality layers of foam, this mattress is surprisingly cooling. It does this by promoting airflow throughout each layer. When you lie on a Casper mattress, air rushes out of the open-cell foam, allowing your body heat to escape. The zoned support layer conforms to any sleep position, making it a great choice for combination sleepers. Plus, each foam layer is CertiPUR-US certified, ensuring your mattress is free from toxic chemicals and emits low VOC levels.

You’ll get 100 nights to try out the Casper mattress, and you can get a full refund upon return. They also offer a 10-year limited warranty.

Related: Compare Casper Mattresses

PROS	CONS
A memory foam mattress good for hot sleepers Offers great pressure relief Received a perfect score from Mattress Advisor for responsiveness	Not great for couples Not best for stomach sleepers

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Awara - Best Organic

Attention eco-conscious shoppers: The Awara mattress is an affordable organic mattress made with organic cotton, wool, and latex foam that supports all sleep positions. Back sleepers will love the comfort and support that latex provides. The Awara offers great alignment and pressure relief around the hips and shoulders that side sleepers need. This firm mattress is great for stomach sleepers who need proper spine alignment throughout the night. Finally, the Awara’s latex layer provides the responsiveness combination sleepers need as they shift around during the night.

Like Nectar, Awara is under the Resident company, so you’ll get a 365-night trial period and lifetime warranty with purchase. The mattress is both Rainforest Alliance certified and CertiPUR-US certified, reflecting a commitment to meeting environmental, ethical, and safety standards.

Learn more in our Awara mattress review.

PROS	CONS
Eco-friendly A good option for couples One of Mattress Advisor’s top-rated hybrid mattresses	Not great for plus-sized sleepers

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Brooklyn Signature - Best Hybrid

The Brooklyn Signature uses hybrid layers of foam and innersprings to target pressure and reduce pain, which is especially good for side sleepers who need relief around their hips and shoulders. But the Brooklyn Signature works just as well for many other types of sleepers. The soft option is perfect for side sleepers. The gentle soft side allows for the mattress to hug you as you sleep, which cushions the hips and shoulders. The medium option is great for combination sleepers; its true medium firmness offers a balance between contour and support, which is also a good compromise for couples. The firm option gives a firm feel that stomach and back sleepers need. The firm side provides lumbar support for those with back pain and allows you to sleep atop the mattress.

The Brooklyn Signature comes with a 120-night trial and a 10-year warranty.

Read more in our Brooklyn Bedding Signature Mattress Review.

PROS	CONS
Provides superior pressure relief Offers great edge support Good for stomach sleepers	Pricier option on our list

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Tuft & Needle - Best Customer Reviews

Tuft & Needle was one of the first mattress companies to deliver their mattress in a box. The Tuft & Needle Original mattress is an affordable foam bed that boasts over 100,000 5-star reviews across the Internet.

If you are a middle-of-the-road sleeper who needs a good mattress for a good price, this could be the best mattress for you. It offers medium firmness and has a simple construction. The top half is the uniquely designed Adaptive^® foam. It is made to be pressure-relieving and supportive like memory foam yet cooling and buoyant like latex.

The bottom layer is a thick, high-density foam added for extra support. The entire Tuft and Needle mattress is wrapped in an airy cover that promotes airflow. You’ll get a 100-night trial with purchase, plus the standard 10-year mattress warranty.

PROS	CONS
Budget-friendly 95% customer satisfaction Simple layering	Not for hot sleepers Not great for couples

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Purple - Best for Back Pain

The Purple mattress was the brainchild of two engineer brothers who wanted to create a mattress that relieved pressure and gave their consumers proper spine alignment each night. So, they developed a unique layer designed to do just that called the hyper-elastic polymer smart comfort grid. The comfort grid expertly provides airflow, lower back pain relief, and pressure relief from the hips and shoulders.

Combined with memory foam layers, the Purple mattress offers nearly perfect spinal alignment, making it a great option for side sleepers and people who suffer from back pain. It also promotes the natural curve of your spine, which is great for back sleepers. Purple offers a 100-night trial and a mattress warranty that lasts 10 years.

PROS	CONS
Supports proper spinal alignment Good for back pain Good for couples	Not for stomach sleepers Not for combination sleepers

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Comparing the Best Bed-in-a-Box Mattresses

Mattress Name	Quick Overview	Special Offer
Nectar	Material: Gel memory foam Firmness: Medium-firm; 6/10 Customer Rating: 4.8/5 MA Score: 8.7/10 Delivery: Free shipping Trial Period: 365 nights Warranty: Lifetime warranty Price: $	Check Price
Casper	Material: Memory foam Firmness: Medium-firm; 6/10 Customer Rating: 4.5/5 MA Score: 9.1/10 Delivery: Free shipping Trial Period: 100 days Warranty: 10-year warranty Price: $$	Check Price
Awara	Material: Hybrid Firmness: Firm; 7/10 Customer Rating: 4.8/5 MA Score: 8.8/10 Delivery: Free shipping Trial Period: 365 nights Warranty: Lifetime warranty Price: $$	Check Price
Brooklyn Signature	Material: Hybrid Firmness: Customizable Customer Rating: 4.7/5 MA Score: 9.1/10 Delivery: Free shipping Trial Period: 120 nights Warranty: 10-year warranty Price: $$	Check Price
Tuft & Needle	Material: Foam combo Firmness: Medium-firm; 6/10 Customer Rating: 4.9/5 MA Score: 8.7/10 Delivery: Free shipping Trial Period: 100 days Warranty: 10-year warranty Price: $	Check Price
Purple	Material: Hybrid Firmness: Medium-firm; 6.5/10 Customer Rating: 4.6/5 MA Score: 8.4/10 Delivery: Free shipping Trial Period: 100 nights Warranty: 10-year warranty Price: $$	Check Price

MA Score: The Mattress Advisor Score is a weighted score that takes into account 14 different factors related to the mattress’ performance, function, convenience and the brand’s social responsibility.

Compare Features and Materials

Nectar	Casper
What’s inside: Cooling cover: A bug-resistant cover that allows for proper airflow Quilted gel foam: Contours to your body as it hugs you Gel memory foam: Relieves pressure and provides even weight distribution Adaptive hi-core memory foam: Adds an extra layer of support Breathing base layer: Provides a durable foundation Scored best in: Edge support Motion transfer Responsiveness Cooling	What’s inside: Open-cell foam: Breathable foam for a cool sleep Responsive memory foam: Pressure-relieving foam that absorbs body weight Zoned support foam layer: Foam system contouring to your hips and shoulders for additional support Durable support foam: Bottom support layer that extends the life of your mattress Scored best in: Responsiveness Edge support Spine alignment Pressure relief

Awara	Brooklyn Signature
What’s inside: Organic quilted cotton cover: A blend of organic cotton and wool, this cover is both breathable and moisture-wicking 100% organic dunlop latex: Buoyant latex foam; provides relief for pressure points 5- zone support pocket coils: Provides both head-to-toe support and motion isolation Scored best in: Motion transfer Edge support Durability Spine alignment	What’s inside: Gel memory foam topper: A cooling top layer that resists body impressions TitanFlex™ comfort layer: Technology that moves with your body as it moves and regulates body temperature TitanFlex™ support layer: This layer acts as a transition between the comfort and supportive layers Acension™ encased coils: Over 1,000 pocket coils that provide durability Base support foam: More mattress support and structure Scored best in: Pressure relief Edge support Cooling Spine alignment

Tuft & Needle	Purple
What’s inside: Top layer: Absorbs your body heat and adapts to your movements throughout the night Bottom layer: Base layer that provides structure Cover: Keeps you cool via airflow Scored best in: Edge support Pressure relief Spine alignment Responsiveness	What’s inside: Responsive knit cover: A stretchy cover that provides airflow to keep you cool Smart comfort grid: Eases pressure points in your hips and shoulders Plush comfort foam: High-density polyfoam that enhances responsiveness Support foam: A medium-firm foam base layer providing structural support Scored best in: Spine alignment Edge support Pressure relief Durability

What is a Bed-in-a-Box Mattress?

Simply put, a bed-in-a-box mattress is a mattress that has been compressed and rolled into a box for customer convenience. Bed-in-a-box mattresses come in all sizes, from twin to queen size to California king.

We know one of the hardest things about buying a mattress the traditional way is figuring out how to get it home and maneuvering your new purchase through the door and up the stairs. With a bed in a box, you simply carry your package to your bedroom, unbox it, and let the mattress open to its normal size, which should only take a few minutes.

Boxed mattresses aim to make buying a mattress an easier process on all fronts. First off, boxed mattresses are typically produced by direct to consumer (DTC) brands. DTC mattress brands cut out the middleman (your traditional mattress store), which makes the bed cheaper for the consumer. On top of that, when you buy a mattress online, you don’t have to navigate a large warehouse with salespeople hunting for a commission—you get to make a decision on your own time with no pressure.

Related: Compare two of the top bed-in-a-box brands in our Casper vs. Purple Mattress Review.

The biggest edge traditional mattress shopping has on DTC beds is that you get to see the mattress in person before you whip out your credit card. To combat this anxiety, online mattress brands often offer a trial period with the purchase of a new mattress. This means you get to unbox your mattress and sleep on it for at least 100 nights before making a final decision. Don’t want to keep it? Make a risk-free return for a full refund; it’s just that easy.

Shopping Considerations for Bed-in-a-Box Mattresses

Now that you know a little bit more about bed-in-a-box mattresses, let’s talk about what you should consider while shopping for one.

Type of Mattress

Memory foam mattress

Memory foam mattresses, such as the Puffy and Puffy Lux mattresses, are completely constructed from foam.

They are known to be pressure relieving by contouring to your body and hugging your pressure points. They also have a reputation for being comfy, plush, and motion isolating, making them great for all sleeping positions, couples, and those who like for their mattress to hug them. However, memory foam mattresses can also sleep hot because of the tendency for body heat to get trapped in the foam. Some beds combat this by having breathable foam and gel layers to promote airflow and keep you cool.

Innerspring mattress

Innerspring mattresses are the type that most of us are used to sleeping on and are thus dubbed “traditional mattresses.” They are made with a coil on coil construction and padded with a foam layer or two. The coils allow for the bed to bounce and be responsive to your movements, which is great for combination sleepers.

Spring mattresses aren’t great for couples, however, due to the abundance of motion transfer the springs cause. They are also known to break down more quickly over time than memory foam or latex mattresses.

Latex mattress

Latex mattresses are primarily made of latex foam or include it as the prime mattress feature. Latex beds are the only type of mattress that have the option to be 100% organic, if made from organic latex and other organic materials (like cotton or wool). Latex is naturally cooling and has similar pressure relieving properties to memory foam but is more buoyant.

This makes latex mattresses a great option for eco-conscious sleepers; people with hip, shoulder, or back pain; and side sleepers. The main downside to latex beds is that they tend to be more expensive than other kinds of mattresses.

Hybrid mattress

A hybrid mattress combines different aspects of memory foam, innerspring, and latex mattresses to, ideally, produce a mattress that plays to the strengths of each material. Traditionally, hybrid beds are a mix of memory foam and spring layers, but many mattresses now include latex foam for its pain-relieving properties and responsiveness.

Because there are so many possible combinations, there is a hybrid mattress ideally suited for all types of people to get a good night’s sleep, regardless of sleep position, body type, or lifestyle.

Performance Factors

At Mattress Advisor, we have tested over 150 mattresses in our lab. We give each mattress a score out of 10 based on 14 different factors. Six of these factors are based on ease of purchase, customer service, and the brand’s social responsibility. The other eight are related to mattress performance, which we test in our lab. These also happen to be the main mattress performance factors you should consider while shopping.

1. Setup: This is how easy it is to get your mattress from your front porch to your room and unbox it. You don’t want a mattress that is going to give you lots of trouble to set up—that defeats the point of beds-in-a-box being easier to get into your room.

2. Pressure relief: While you sleep, certain parts of your body take the brunt of the pressure as you press into the mattress: your hips, shoulders, and lower back. You want your mattress to evenly distribute your weight to ease the pressure and pain from these points.

3. Spine alignment: Your sleeping posture is just as important as your waking posture. You want your mattress to keep your spine aligned to avoid waking up with neck and back pain. Side sleepers should have a straight spine while back and stomach sleepers should have the natural curve of their spine maintained.

4. Durability: Durability is essentially the lifespan of your mattress. A bed made with better, more durable materials is going to last longer than a cheaply made mattress.

5. Motion transfer: Couples and co-sleepers should pay special attention to their mattress’s motion transfer. The last thing you want is your shifting or nightly bathroom breaks to wake up your sleep partner or vice versa. A bed with little motion transfer or good motion isolation absorbs movement and doesn’t transfer it to the other side of the bed.

6. Temperature regulation: Waking up covered in sweat or shivering with a freezing nose and toes is not fun. If you continue to awaken throughout the night because you're too hot or cold, your mattress isn’t great at temperature regulation. If you’re a hot sleeper, a mattress should provide airflow or cool-to-the-touch layers. If you tend to be cold, memory foam is probably your best bet.

7. Responsiveness: This factor has to do with your bed moving as you move. If you change positions frequently or are a combination sleeper, you need a bed that is comfortable for all positions and adjusts with each position change.

8. Edge support: Many people use the edge of the bed for support more than they realize. If you sit on the edge of the bed to tie your shoes, find yourself waking up on the edge, or sit there talking with family members or bed partners, you need a mattress with good edge support.

Price

Because bed-in-a-box mattresses fall under the DTC category, most companies that sell mattresses also make them. This means they don’t have to split the commission with the middleman, significantly cutting costs to the consumer. Basically, boxed mattresses are the more affordable option than traditional ones

When we get into type, the cost of memory foam and innerspring mattresses are going to be lower than the cost of latex and hybrid mattresses.

Shipping and Delivery

The shipping process is what gives bed-in-a-box mattresses their name. DTC brands have found a way to compress down their beds and fit them into a box that can easily fit through your door. With most brands, this shipping and handling process is completely free (another perk of being DTC).

You can have your new mattress dropped at your doorstep, or you can opt for white glove delivery service. White glove delivery is when the boxed mattress representatives go above and beyond, delivering the bed to your door by bringing it to your room, setting up your new mattress and any other mattress accessories you ordered, discarding any trash/debris created in the process, and in some cases, removing your old mattress.

Depending on the brand, white glove delivery comes with your mattress purchase for free or you can opt in for a small $100-150 fee.

Trial Period and Warranty

One of the biggest advantages of ordering a bed-in-a-box is the trial period that comes with it. Online mattress companies give you 100 nights or more to sleep on your new mattress and try it out before making a full commitment. While lying on a mattress for a few minutes in a store makes you feel better about your purchase before you buy, resting on it for about 3 months should give you a more accurate idea about its performance.

Bed-in-a-box warranties go from anywhere between 10 years to the lifetime of the mattress. This is another great way to establish trust between the online mattress company and the consumer.

FAQs about Bed-in-a-Box Mattresses

1. Can you return a bed-in-a-box mattress? Yes! Just because you can't shove your new mattress back in the box, doesn’t mean you can’t return it. You don’t even need to keep the box. With most online mattress companies, making a return means a representative coming to your home to collect your mattress for donation or recycling. Very little effort is needed on your part. The return policy is often intertwined with the trial period.

2. How does the trial period and return process work for online mattresses? From the minute your bed arrives at your home, you have an entire trial period to sleep on your new mattress and decide if you are going to keep it afterward. Most trial periods are at least 100 nights, if not longer. You have at least three months to make a risk-free return for a full refund.

   Want to make that return? It’s easy. Contact that mattress company's customer support team, and they will help you through the return process. It usually takes about 30 nights to break in a new mattress, so we recommend you wait at least that long before returning. You still have 2 more months to enjoy your purchase.

3. Where can you buy a bed-in-a-box mattress? There are countless places on the internet to get yourself a boxed mattress. Start with the online mattress company website. Aside from the beds listed in this guide, there are other popular DTC brands such as Helix, Layla, Allswell, Leesa mattresses, and more.

   Another great place to find beds in a box is online-shopping hub Amazon. Many of the online mattress companies seek to find a wider customer base by offering their mattresses and sleep products on Amazon, so keep your eyes peeled. Just be aware that a mattress purchased from Amazon is subject to Amazon’s return policy and does not always come with the 100+ night trial period.

4. Do you need a box spring for a bed-in-a-box mattress? It depends on the bed. Each mattress company will let you know which type of bed frame or mattress foundation is compatible with their mattress model. You can even put some mattresses directly on the floor. Check with both the website and the warranty to see what works best for your bed.

5. Do bed-in-a-box mattresses last long? Just as long as any other mattress! The only difference between bed-in-a-box mattresses and traditional mattresses is the manner in which they arrive at your home. If you choose a company with quality materials and layers made with durability in mind, it should be 7-10 years before your mattress shows signs of wear such as sagging and becoming lumpy.

Summary of Our Top Bed-in-a-Box Picks

• Nectar: Best Value
• Casper: Best Memory Foam
• Awara: Best Organic
• Brooklyn Signature: Best Hybrid
• Tuft & Needle: Best Customer Reviews
• Purple: Best for Back Pain

About the Author Loren Bullock

Loren is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and Associate Editor at Mattress Advisor. She spends her days helping others get their best sleep ever through in-depth product reviews and sleep education.