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The Best Mattress in a Box

Candace Osmond

In general, a person buys a new mattress once every seven to 10 years. That’s a decade that you have to spend sleeping on the same bed every single night. Assuming you sleep about seven hours per night, that’s roughly 25,564 hours that you’ll be spending on a mattress. Now, do you see how important picking the right mattress actually is?

People have been facing a new concept which is called mattress or bed in a box. But does this mean, and is such a product better than a regular mattress?

1. Linenspa – Editor's Choice

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: foam & innerspring hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): 72 pounds
  • Height: 8/10 inches

2. Tuft & Needle

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: adaptive foam
  • Weight (Queen): 70 pounds
  • Height: 10 inches

3. Nectar

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 82 pounds
  • Height: 11 inches

4. Layla Sleep

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: flippable memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 70 pounds
  • Height: 10 inches

5. Casper

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 71 pounds
  • Height: 12 inches

6. Purple

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  • Available sizes: Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): 145 lbs.
  • Height: 12 inches

7. Novosbed

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 80 lbs.
  • Height: 11 inches

8. Ghostbed

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 85 lbs.
  • Height: 11 inches
A young man and woman laying on Helix' mattress

9. Helix

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): N/A
  • Height: 10 inches (standard models)

10. Leesa

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 76 lbs.
  • Height: 10 inches

11. Bear

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  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): N/A
  • Height: 14 inches

The Best Mattress in a Box

1. Linenspa – Editor's Choice

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: foam & innerspring hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): 72 pounds
  • Height: 8/10 inches

Pros

  • 8 and 10-inch height options.
  • Supportive and bouncy innersprings.
  • Comforting and contouring memory foam.
  • 10-year limited warranty.
  • Well-packed.

Cons

  • Lacks good edge support.

If you’re into finding the best-selling product for reference, here is the Linenspa mattress, available in both an eight and a ten-inch height version. This hybrid mattress offers two upper layers of memory foam, combined with the bounciness and support of a base innerspring layer. The two of them create a supportive and comfy mattress, with a medium feel that’s meant to provide support for the major sleeping positions. Much like every other decent mattress, Linenspa is backed up by a 10 year limited warranty period.

Who Should Buy This?

Considering that the Linenspa is a best-selling bed in a box model and has received a lot of customer praise, it’s a wonderful choice for people who often rely on other testimonials to purchase a good product.

2. Runner Up: Tuft & Needle

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: adaptive foam
  • Weight (Queen): 70 pounds
  • Height: 10 inches

Pros

  • 100 nights free trial.
  • Comfortable foam construction.
  • Pressure relieving properties.
  • Good for hot sleepers.
  • 10 year limited warranty

Cons

  • Could use a transition layer.

Tuft & Needle has always been a signature brand for memory foam lovers. Made with adaptive foam, the mattresses   to bring out the best features of foam and latex, combined in a product with superior body contouring and the comfort of every sleeper.

The graphite and gel infusions are here to make sure they eliminate the major disadvantage of foam, which is heat retention that causes thermal discomfort. Tuft & Needle provides a free trial run of 100 nights, after which you can return the mattress for a full refund if you are not happy with what it offers.

Since this is a bed in a box, you will have to allow the mattress to decompress about 72 hours after unboxing, so that the bed can regain its original shape.

Who Should Buy This?

Tuft & Needle delivers a high-quality mattress for people who love the feel of memory foam, but want to avoid beds that run too hot because they retain heat.

Read Our Full Tuft & Needle Review

3. Customer Choice: Nectar

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 82 pounds
  • Height: 11 inches

Pros

  • Good brand reputation.
  • Tencel cooling cover.
  • Gel infusion.
  • Highly breathable.
  • Compatible with all bed bases.

Cons

  • Runs a bit firm.

If this isn’t your first mattress run in the past decade, then you might have come across this brand called Nectar. They make one of the best memory foam mattresses, but did you know that their bed is packaged and shipped in a box, as well?

Nectar is a fast-growing US brand, and their signature mattress is a wise combination of supportive layers. The cover of the mattress is made from cooling Tencel, to help draw heat away from your body. Then it features quilted gel memory foam, for superior breathability.

The following memory foam layers are highly adaptive and supportive, leading to an overall combination that’s meant to contour the body and provide pressure relief for most sleeping positions. The mattress is compatible with all bed types, from box spring, to adjustable bases.

Who Should Buy This?

If you want a mattress made by a respectable manufacturer, one with experience and highly praised by the customers, then you can rely on the Nectar bed to deliver a great bed in the box experience.

Read Our Full NECTAR Sleep Mattresses Review

4. Best flippable option: Layla Sleep

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: flippable memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 70 pounds
  • Height: 10 inches

Pros

  • Copper infusion.
  • Flippable mattress.
  • Comfortable and contouring memory foam.
  • Thermogel infused cover.
  • 120 nights free trial.
  • Great for side and back sleepers.

Cons

  • Hard to flip over.

You might think that the Layla is just another mattress in a box, but it has two main aces up its sleeve that we feel compelled to talk about. First, there’s the copper infusion. For a very long time, copper has been considered the underdog of the mattress world, but it does provide a ton of benefits: it is antimicrobial, and it can conduct heat away from the body.

Secondly, there’s the mirrored construction. Think of the Layla as a sandwich made with different foam layers, with flippable firmness. The mattress is designed in such a way as to be a  2-in-1 bed, with the gray side up being firmer, and softer while the white side is facing upwards.

Who Should Buy This?

The Layla mattress is perfect for everyone who isn’t sure if they prefer a softer or a firmer mattress, as it doesn’t force you to choose. I believed it’s called “having your cake and eating it too”, isn’t it?

Read Our Full Layla Sleep Review

5. Best with zoned support: Casper

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 71 pounds
  • Height: 12 inches

Pros

  • 12 inches in height.
  • Premium support construction.
  • Four different layers.
  • Zone support.
  • Open cell structure.

Cons

  • Some buyers reported lower back pain.

The Casper is all about support. It is designed to be more contouring in your shoulder region, while pushing your hips upwards due to its zoned firmness. The open cell construction on the top allows for better breathability, a feature which is very important to have in an all-memory foam mattress.

The cover of the mattress is closed with a zipper, making it removable and easy to clean in the washing machine. It comes with a 10 year limited warranty, as most of the best mattresses in a box do, but also offer 100 nights of free sleep trial, just to make sure that you and Casper are a match.

Who Should Buy This?

If you’re looking for a mattress with zoned support, this is the best best in a box choice. It’s softer in the shoulders region, and firmer in the hips region.

Read Our Full Casper Review

6. Best breathable option: Purple

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): 145 lbs.
  • Height: 12 inches

Pros

  • Three firmness options.
  • High level of breathability.
  • Sturdy innerspring layer.
  • 10 year warranty.
  • Great motion isolation.
  • Pressure-detecting support.

Cons

  • Questionable edge support.
  • Expensive compared to others.

Purple is a master at designing mattresses with integrated cooling options. It’s all because of their smart comfort grid, an intelligent layer that flexes under pressure points, giving the sleeper support wherever needed. But the layer does much more than that. The grid-like design creates channels that make it easy for air to flow inside the mattress, dissipating that annoying nocturnal heat.

The Purple mattress was designed to be a hassle-free bed that can detect your sleeping position, and activate extra support in areas where the body sinks in deep. By pressure point adaptation makes it a mattress suitable for those who like to switch positions a lot during the night.

The New Purple mattress is available in three firmness options, with a thinner grid layer for those who want it firm, and a thicker one for sleepers who prefer a softer bed.

Who Should Buy This?

The Purple mattress isn’t just a product that ensures breathability: it’s a sturdy hybrid that best suits people who like to mix up their sleeping position, and need a product that can support their body no matter how they sleep.

Read Our Full Purple Review

7. Accessory-convenient option: Novosbed

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 80 lbs.
  • Height: 11 inches

Pros

  • Washable top cover.
  • Open cell cooling technology.
  • Sturdy memory foam construction.
  • Free mattress topper available upon request.

Cons

  • Runs a bit hot.

Let’s justify the label we’ve given the Novosbed. You see, most mattresses come in different firmness options. If you choose a firmness that doesn’t suit you, you have one of the following two options: either exchange the mattress for a new one or purchase a topper to make it softer. The first solution takes time and money. The second, well, time and money also.

But Novosbed came up with this brilliant marketing move: if your Novosbed is too firm for you, you can order a free foam mattress topper (emphasis on the word “free”).

Aside from that, Novosbed is just good old-fashioned memory foam. It has a washable cover made with Tencel, open cell technology to ensure that the foam doesn’t retain heat, but also three different memory foam layers for comfort, pressure point relief, and durability.

Who Should Buy This?

If you’ve ever purchased a mattress that was too firm for you, Novosbed is a brand that solves that problem. It’s an ideal purchase for sleepers who aren’t sure what firmness level is most comfortable for them.

Read Our Full GoodMorning.com Review

8. Ghostbed

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 85 lbs.
  • Height: 11 inches

Pros

  • Good with adjustable bases.
  • CertiPUR-US certified.
  • Features aerated latex foam.
  • Good for lower back pain.

Cons

  • Warranty information is misleading.

Label: best for adjustable bed base

The Ghostbed is a mattress with an intelligent design. It integrated different layers of foam, each with a very specific role. Underneath the plush cover, there is a layer of aerated latex foam, meant to draw heat away from the body and dissipate it, for a much cooler sleep.

Then, there is a thicker inch of memory foam, for added comfort and pressure relief. The high density base is made from a very solid block of memory foam, keeping the mattress together, but also offering durability on the long run.

The Ghostbed is a medium-firm mattress, suitable for back sleepers who often end up having lower back pain because their beds aren’t doing a very good job at providing the support needed.

Who Should Buy This?

The Ghostbed is a mattress that’s highly flexible, being a perfect match with an adjustable bed base. It’s designed in such a way as to be resistant, even when faced with the pressure of flexing under the requirements of such a bed frame.

9. Most personalized option: Helix

A young man and woman laying on Helix' mattress

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): N/A
  • Height: 10 inches (standard models)

Pros

  • Ultra-knit cover.
  • Sleep quiz.
  • Wide range of mattresses.
  • Models for sleeping partners.
  • Good edge support.
  • Each mattress is available in a premium (Luxe) version.

Cons

  • Luxe models are quite expensive.

The Helix brand of mattress will always receive praise on our behalf, because they have changes online mattress shopping for the good. Helix has created a sleep quiz that’s meant to gather some information about your body, sleeping habits, and preferences, and will then recommend one of their models, whichever is best for your needs. And there are A LOT of options, so the chances of them having a mattress for you are pretty high.

Their standard series alone includes six different mattresses, with firmness levels and support for different sleeping positions. They also have a few models which have different firmness levels on each of the two sides of the bed, meaning that you and your partner can comfortably sleep together even though your bodies would require a different mattress.

Who Should Buy This?

The Helix brand of mattresses in a box is the perfect choice if you need help in buying a good mattress. The help quiz will make sure that you find a model that matches your size, height, weight, sleeping position, while also taking into consideration the data of your sleeping partner.

Read Our Full Helix Sleep Review

10. Best for side sleepers: Leesa

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: memory foam
  • Weight (Queen): 76 lbs.
  • Height: 10 inches

Pros

  • Sustainable brand.
  • Comfortable memory foam layers.
  • Supportive for side sleepers.
  • Universal adaptive feel.

Cons

  • Runs a bit hot.

Leesa is a mattress brand that encompasses two things we really like to see in a bedding company: a quality product, and a name who’s looking to positively impact the community. The mattress is made with three different memory foam layer.

The comfort layer is all about cradling the body and molding to its shapes. The second layer is all about pressure relief, and allowing the body to sink in just the right amount for you to sleep comfortably. The third layer is all about durability and shape, making sure the mattress has structure that lasts over time.

But what we absolutely have to underline about Leesa is their mission and brand promises. The company has vouched to donate one mattress for every ten mattresses sold, but also to plant a tree for every mattress sold. I mean, how awesome is that?!

Who Should Buy This?

The Leesa is a mattress good for side sleepers, as it hugs the body to a point where you will no longer feel pressure in the shoulders and hips.

Read Our Full Leesa Review

11. Best for injury recovery: Bear

Highlights

  • Available sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King
  • Type: hybrid
  • Weight (Queen): N/A
  • Height: 14 inches

Pros

  • Hand-quilted Celliant fiber top.
  • Cooling gel foam.
  • Eco-friendly materials.
  • Offers financing.
  • Excellent pressure point relief.
  • Available in an all-memory foam version.

Cons

  • Mattress runs a bit firm,

Would you believe there is such a thing as a mattress which can help you recover faster from an injury? Sure, mattresses should all be that good, as a major part of recovery is waiting patiently in the comfort of your own bed, but the Bear mattresses seems to do a lot more than that.

Created by using Celliant’s Infrared Yarn Technology, the Bear mattress has a cover that absorbs energy from your body, and then sends it back to your, for rapid healing (we’re not going to get into all the technicalities and properties of Celliant, but you get the idea).

The Bear is a hybrid mattress that combines cooling memory foam, comfort foam, transition foam, a sturdy coil system, and a high-density support base. Basically, it’s a hybrid mattress that provides comfort, pressure point relief, bounce, edge support, cooling technologies, and a miracle cure for faster recovery. How can you say no to that?

Who Should Buy This?

The Bear mattress is a great product, particularly for sleepers who are fans of hybrid bed, won’t easily be scared off by the price, and for the ones who have heard about this Celliant hype and want to test it out for themselves.

Read Our Full Bear Mattress Review

What’s This “Mattress in a Box” Thing?

The name is pretty self-explanatory.  The concept of “bed in a box” delivers a mattress that’s compactly packed and shipped to your doorstep.

Why should you buy it? Well, back in the day, mattress shopping used to happen exclusively in a brick and mortar store. However, this method was highly inefficient, because you can’t really tell if a mattress is good for you just by lying five minutes on it.

There are so many factors that come into play and which can roughly determine what type of mattress you need, that the need to actually go to a store to buy a mattress is almost completely eliminated. The people who still do that are mostly skeptics who are afraid of making online purchases, people who find a really good deal in a brick and mortar store and just don’t want to miss it, or those who find the online ordering process confusing.

Mattress in a Box Benefits

The benefits of making such a purchase are really similar to those that you get when ordering just about any mattress online:

  • They are available at really good prices because when a manufacturer sells a product online, they don’t have as many factory-to-consumer costs as those who have brick and mortar stores do. This allows brands to offer much more competitive prices since they don’t have that many expenses that a physical shop implies.
  • They are also easy to return. When you return a product for a refund or because of a manufacturing defect, most companies will charge you with return shipping fees (this information should be specified in the “Returns” section of the website). When you pack a mattress in a box for its return trip, you will pay less (provided that the shipping company charges you per package size).
  • Even if it’s a mattress in a box, you get a lot of benefits that come with ordering other mattresses: free shipping depending on the seller, X number of nights of a free trial, generous warranty periods, and high-quality materials, depending on the construction of your choice.

What Makes a Good Boxed Mattress?

Boxes mattresses should meet the same standards as a mattress which isn’t compressed. For purchasing high-quality products, you should pay attention to:

  • The construction of the mattress. Memory foam, latex, innerspring: they are all good materials if they are combined correctly. Your weight and favorite sleeping position will also determine if the construction of a mattress is good for you. For example, you may come across a best-selling mattress, with a firmness rating of 7, on a scale from 1 to 10. However, if you are a side sleeper, such a mattress will be too firm for you, and therefore uncomfortable to sleep on. You want a mattress that can contour your shoulders and hips, so a softer model is always best.
  • Every good mattress is very transparent when it comes to its return policy. Before making an online purchase, you have to inquire about the return process, so you will have peace of mind knowing that if you are not compatible with the mattress, you can always send it back and get a refund.
  • Choosing a mattress with at least 100 nights of free sleep trial is also in your best interest. It usually takes a few nights to get acquainted with a new mattress, especially if your old want was made with a different construction (for instance, if you transition for a coil mattress to a memory foam one). Allow the mattress time to adjust to your body, and then decide if it’s a keeper.
  • Always look out for information about decompression time. Every decent mattress manufacturer will clearly state how long it takes for the mattress to regain its original shape after unboxing. Some models will take up to 72 hours to decompress, while others will literally do so in a matter of minutes. That doesn’t make the former category any less qualitative: it’s just a matter of construction difference.
  • If you are looking for a mattress that’s compatible with an adjustable bed base, mattresses in a box are a really good option. Considering the fact that a mattress can be rolled/boxed/shipped in such a compact package, it means that the mattress is flexible enough to adjust to such a bed base.

Conclusion

Mattresses shipped in a box are definitely the new trend in online bed shopping. If you are the least bit skeptical about the mattress being delivered compress, we can assure you that a high-quality purchase will always gain its original shape in 72 hours or less. The rest is just plain mattress buying knowledge.