Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattresses in 2022

If you’re looking for the best mattress online, you may be overwhelmed by the many bed-in-a-box mattresses available. The number of brands, models, and types of beds to choose from can truly be staggering. Luckily, I’ve personally reviewed almost all of the best bed-in-a-box mattresses and have narrowed them down to the top 10 that impressed me. These beds really differ in terms of price, design, and feel, so there should be something here for most bed-in-a-box shoppers!

The Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattresses

• Best Overall – Nectar
• Best Firm Bed-In-a-Box Mattress – DreamCloud
• Best Cooling Bed-In-a-Box Mattress – WinkBed
• Best Customizable Bed-In-a-Box Mattress – Helix Midnight
• Best Value Bed-in-a-Box – Brooklyn Signature Hybrid
• Best Soft Bed-In-a-Box Mattress – Layla
• Best Luxury Mattress in a Box – Nolah Evolution
• Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattress For Side Sleepers – Bear Original
• Best Bed-in-a-Box Mattress for Back Sleepers – Leesa
• Best Foam Bed-In-a-Box Mattress – Puffy

 

How We Chose Our Products

Our team of sleep specialists have reviewed more than 150 mattresses, using proprietary analysis and hands-on testing to establish easy-to-understand scores. In addition to an overall score, we measure subscores for support, edge support, cooling, motion transfer, durability, trial period, and warranty.

Seeing as bed-in-a-box is such a broad category that covers a lot of mattresses, we took a closer look at the overall score, only choosing products that scored a 3.8 out of 5 or above. Of those 10 beds, seven of them scored a 4 or higher.

Out of the many bed-in-a-box mattresses we’ve reviewed, the all-foam Nectar is one of our favorites. Side sleepers should especially enjoy the thick layer of gel-infused memory foam on top that melts away pressure at the shoulders and hips. After that, a layer of soft conventional foam is a bit denser to help ease you into a layer of firm support foam at the bottom of the bed.

What Makes The Nectar Stand Out?

• After discounts, a Queen-size mattress is currently priced at under $1,000.
• Back sleepers should also find the Nectar’s mixture of comfort and support very comfortable.
• For an all-foam bed, the Nectar has a good amount of edge support.

Read our full Nectar mattress review. Or for other recommendations, take a look at our best mattresses of 2022.

The DreamCloud is a hybrid bed-in-a-box mattress that would work great for fans of something firmer. Lying down on the DreamCloud, you shouldn’t feel yourself sinking in too far. This makes it very easy to move around.

RELATED: Best Firm Mattress

What Makes The DreamCloud Stand Out?

• The DreamCloud is going to work well for stomach sleepers, who should feel the the proper amount of support under their hips.
• The mattress offers a good balance of comfort and support for back-sleeping.
• This bed has some nice cooling features, including gel infusions, a breathable cover, and airflow-promoting coils.

Read our full DreamCloud mattress review. Or for other options, take a look at our best firm mattresses. 

If you sleep hot, you’ll want a bed that’s designed with cooling in mind. In comes the WinkBed. With this mattress’s cooling Tencel cover, gel-infused foam, and airflow promoting coils, even the hottest of sleepers shouldn’t overheat. This bed comes in four firmness options, with the fourth option, Plus, being designed specifically for heavier sleepers. This means sleepers of all sizes and preferences should find a WinkBed model that suits their needs.

What Makes The WinkBed Stand Out?

• You can choose from four different firmness levels: Softer, Luxury Firm, Firmer, and the Plus.
• The WinkBed features the look and feel of a nice hotel mattress.
• It’s a mattress that should also work for hot sleepers.

Read our full WinkBed mattress review. Or for other options, check out the best cooling mattresses. 

With Helix, customers can select from one of the company’s numerous bed-in a-box mattresses. These range in terms of firmness, feel, and sleep temperature. The brand even goes one step further in helping people find the ideal mattress: a sleep quiz. Shoppers will answer questions regarding their weight, sleeping position, and firmness preferences, and then Helix will use that data to select the correct mattress for that customer. Personally, I’m a big fan of the hybrid Helix Midnight, which uses Memory Plus foam and a layer of individually wrapped coils to create a mixture of comfort and support.

What Makes The Helix Midnight Stand Out?

• It’s an excellent match for back sleepers and side sleepers.
• Helix mattresses are a fantastic choice for couples because each side can be customized. They also have soft mattresses, firmer mattresses for stomach sleepers, and even a mattress made just for larger people, the Helix Plus.
• The brand offers Luxe upgrades that allow customers to add some real luxury components to their mattress, such as additional cooling features.

Read our full Helix mattress review of several of the brand’s beds. Or for other options, check out the best customizable mattresses. 

A quality bed-in-a-box is convenient, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Brooklyn Bedding uses their own factory to construct their mattresses, lowering the overall cost. The Signature Hybrid comes in three different firmness options (Soft, Medium, and Firm), so you can choose the option that best suits your needs. Its sturdy hybrid makeup of foam and coils is great for those who like to sleep “on top of” their mattress.

What Makes The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid Stand Out?

• Its responsiveness is great for combination sleepers who change sleeping positions at night.
• It has gel-infused foam for cooling, as well as coils for airflow.
• This bed is durable and should last between 7-10 years.

Read our full Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress review. Or for other options, check out our best mattresses for the money.

The Layla is one of the most popular bed-in-a-box mattresses and for good reason – it features an innovative flippable design. While most old-school innerspring mattresses are flippable, the Layla is different in that it’s memory foam, with a different firmness on each side. The soft side is softer-than-average and features a thick layer of copper-infused memory foam,  a material that relieves pressure extremely well and is a great mattress for side sleepers.

What Makes The Layla Stand Out?

• The soft side is extremely comfortable and a particularly good match for side sleepers and some back sleepers.
• The firm side of the Layla should be a good fit for both back-sleeping and stomach-sleeping.
• The Layla’s copper-infused memory foam is anti-microbial and cooling, making this a clean option for hot sleepers. An infusion of Thermogel in the cover should also help dissipate body heat.

Read our full Layla mattress review. Or for other options, check out our best soft mattresses.

If you’re looking for more than a simple construction, try a luxury bed-in-box: the Nolah Evolution. This model excels in durability and cooling. With 8” coils and an Edge Support System, this high-quality bed could last you over 10 years. To prevent folks from overheating, the Nolah Evolution has a cover that dissipates heat, graphite-infused memory foam, and a heat escape gusset.

What Makes The Nolah Evolution Stand Out?

• With a zoned construction and a balanced feel, the Nolah Evolution is great for back pain.
• Lightweight sleepers should be comfortable in all positions. Average-weight and heavyweight back and side sleepers should like this bed as well.
• It absorbs movement well, so it’s great for couples.

Read our full Nolah Evolution mattress review. Or for other options, check out our recommendations for the best luxury mattresses.

At a 6.5/10 on the firmness scale, the all-foam Bear should be an excellent fit for side sleepers. While they’ll get the pressure relief they need around the shoulders and hips from a top layer of memory foam, a firmer transition layer and support layer will keep them from sinking too far into the bed. That means the spine has a good chance of staying properly aligned.

What Makes The Bear Original Stand Out?

• There’s a cover made of Celliant — a breathable material that some believe assists with blood flow and recovery. This makes the Bear popular amongst athletes.
• Back sleepers should also be comfortable on the Bear.
• The company has several other models, including a hybrid bed with supportive coils.

Read our full Bear Original mattress review. Or for other options, check out our best mattresses for side sleepers.

The ideal mattress for back sleepers balances comfort and support. The Leesa is a bed-in-a-box that does this extremely well. It has a medium-firm construction (6.5/10 on the firmness scale) and should support back sleepers of most body types. The memory foam comfort layer should cradle pressure points. A sturdy polyfoam base provides support and prevents the hips from sinking out of alignment.

What Makes The Leesa Stand Out?

• It has a breathable cover and foam comfort layer.
• This bed has nice motion isolation, which should appeal to couples.
• The responsive proprietary LSA200 foam gives a responsive feel that helps with mobility.

Read our full Leesa mattress review. Or for other options, check out our best mattresses for back sleepers.

What makes the Puffy such a great all-foam mattress? Well, that would be the proprietary foam layers you find on top. This foam is designed to let you sink in while still allowing you to move around. It’s also infused with cooling gel to help you keep a low temperature during the night.

What Makes The Puffy Stand Out?

• The Puffy is a very supportive mattress. This makes it a great match for back sleepers. But there’s also enough pressure relief for side sleepers.
• With discounts, the Puffy costs less than $1,000 for a Queen size. That’s a great deal for such a nice mattress!
• The Puffy is responsive, so sleepers shouldn’t be getting stuck when they change positions on the mattress at night.

Read our full Puffy mattress review. Or for other options, check out our best memory foam mattresses. 

What Is a Bed-In-a-Box Mattress? 

A bed-in-a-box is exactly what it sounds like: a mattress that comes delivered in a box.

In recent years, bed-in-a-box mattresses have become more popular in the mattress industry. Instead of going into a retail storefront and sampling a limited selection of beds, you can now shop for your mattress completely online and have it delivered to your front door. The Internet truly is one of the best places to buy a mattress. And if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by all of the options, you can always take our mattress quiz to see which bed might be the best for you.

Bed-in-a-box mattresses are compressed and rolled up into a smaller and more convenient box. Once you receive your bed-in-a-box mattress, you simply cut the plastic, unroll the mattress, and watch it fully expand.

Roll-packing the mattress doesn’t cause any damage to the bed. These bed-in-a-box mattresses are highly resilient! Within 48–72 hours, your mattress should be fully expanded.

Who It’s Good For

• Budget shoppers: Shopping online and purchasing a direct to consumer (DTC) mattress cuts the cost of the middleman. Plus, you can find coupons and promo codes.
• Comparison shoppers: Online, you can compare an unlimited number of options from various brands and retailers.
• Convenience shoppers: College students, people who are moving, seniors, and others looking for a convenient shopping experience can benefit from buying a mattress online and having it delivered to their door.
• People with specific preferences: Shopping online makes it easy to narrow your options and find something that fits your particular set of needs. Whether you’re looking for pain relief, cooling, a certain firmness level, or advanced technology, you can find what you need in a bed-in-a-box mattress.

Some people may be hesitant to purchase a mattress online without sampling it in a store. In fact, online mattress companies are aware of this and have policies in place to work around it. That’s why many of them offer generous sleep trial periods around 100 days.

In this time, if you find the mattress isn’t for you, you can typically return it for a full refund (most companies even send representatives to come remove the mattress for you). With a trial period, you get a much better sense of if a mattress is right for you than you do by testing a mattress for a few minutes in a store.

Additionally, many online mattresses come with at least 10-year warranties to cover any potential manufacturing defects so you can feel protected with your purchase. But even if the warranty sounds excellent, there could be some restrictions, so we recommend thoroughly reading their policies before clicking ‘add to cart.’

Who It Might Not Be Good For

• Those who want to sleep on their mattress right away: Because they’re compressed and rolled into a box, many online mattresses have an off-gassing and expansion period. In the mattress biz, “off-gassing” refers to the chemical smell emitted by a new bed-in-a-box. Rest assured, this odor is completely normal and goes away after two days. But if you need a new mattress ASAP, you may want to visit a traditional big box store.
• People who want to try before they buy: Even though most online retailers have impressive sleep trial periods, some people may not want to purchase a bed sight unseen. If you end up returning the mattress after a few weeks, you’ll still need to wait a few days to get your money back. Thankfully, most bed-in-a-box companies also have financing options, so you don’t have to spend the money all at once.
• People who don’t want to unbox the mattress: Unless you opt for white glove delivery, you’ll have to move the heavy box into your bedroom yourself. We always recommend that people enlist the help of a friend. Cutting through the plastic layers and unrolling the mattress onto the bed frame can grow tiring, especially if you’re doing it alone.

Types Of Bed-In-a-Box Mattresses

Many people think bed-in-a-box mattresses are all the same, but that’s definitely not the case. To help you navigate the world of online mattresses, we’ve broken down the most common types.

• Foam: If you love to sink into your mattress and feel some body-contouring, you may want to consider getting a foam mattress. They come in a variety of different firmness levels, so they’re well-suited for different sleeping positions. Generally, these beds create excellent pressure relief for joints. It’s important to note, however, that memory foam can trap heat. If you already overheat at night, make sure you find a foam mattress with built-in cooling features. Take a look at our list of the best cooling mattresses to learn more.
• Latex: Latex foam also creates wonderful body-contouring and pressure relief, but it’s not exactly the same as memory foam. First of all, it’s much more responsive. When you press into it, the material immediately springs back. Latex foam is also extremely breathable. Because of these features, this material is especially great for hot sleepers. Latex mattresses can cost a bit more than traditional foam beds, but they have a long lifespan and many cooling benefits. Plus, many latex beds are eco-friendly and organic!
• Hybrid: Hybrid mattresses contain two or more different materials. Most of the time, hybrids have an innerspring base layer for support and a foam layer for comfort. The springs help sleepers stay on top of their mattress, rather than sink into it. This means they’re also quite easy to move around on. And because the springs create airflow, hybrid mattresses are particularly great options for hot sleepers. They also typically last longer than all-foam models.
• Innerspring: Innerspring mattresses often fall into the hybrid category, with strong coils at the bottom and foam layers on top. However, some innerspring beds feature two sets of coils for added support. Typically, these beds have thick, individually-wrapped springs at the bottom and a layer of smaller springs on top. This gives the bed an especially bouncy and responsive feel. And because they have so much room for airflow, these beds tend to sleep cool.
• Airbed: Unlike traditional mattresses, airbeds don’t have support and comfort layers. Instead, they’re designed to be portable and easy to put away. They’re typically made out of plastic, vinyl or rubber, and they can be inflated by mouth or by machine. These beds are great in a pinch, but they aren’t well-suited for long term use. Over time, they can leak air and deflate. And because they don’t create significant support, they can cause lower back pain with use.

Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattresses For Heavy People

When shopping for a bed-in-a-box mattress, you should take your size and weight into account. Because I’m 5’9” and 160 lbs, I wanted to get the perspective of a heavier sleeper. So, I asked Marten, who weighs 250 lbs, to try out these mattresses and talk about his experience with them.

Out of these ten bed-in-a-box mattresses, five are an excellent match for larger sleepers like myself. First off, the Casper is a great match for both back- and side-sleeping. The Zoned Support supports my lumbar area when I’m back-sleeping and relieves the majority of pressure on my shoulders when I’m side-sleeping.

The Layla is awesome because of its flippable design. The soft side is soft and pressure-relieving for side-sleeping, and the firm side is supportive enough for me while I’m back-sleeping.

The Birch is great because of its supportive coils, and support is something larger people should be focusing on. The mattress also has a nice balance of comfort and support because of that premium latex foam layer on top, so I feel great when I’m back-sleeping. I’m also getting just enough pressure relief when I’m side-sleeping.

Finally, Helix is great because they offer a mattress made just for larger people. The Helix Plus is very supportive and features premium foam on top for comfort. See our list of best mattresses for heavy people for more like the Helix Plus. 

What To Consider When Buying A Mattress-In-A-Box

When looking for a bed-in-a-box mattress on Amazon or elsewhere, there are some things to think about before hitting the “Place Order” button:

• Firmness: On our firmness scale, 6.5/10 is considered medium firm. This is the industry standard because it suits a wide variety of different people. However, if you’re a heavier person, you may want to find a firmer mattress that offers a bit more support. Lightweight people can opt for a softer mattress.
• Feel: If you like something soft and slow-moving, consider getting a mattress with a memory foam comfort layer. If you want a mattress with more bounce, you may prefer a latex mattress and/or something with coils.
• Sleeping position: Some people might just like a firmer or softer mattress, but most of the time, it depends on their sleeping position. Side sleepers are usually going to want to find a soft mattress, back sleepers should be looking for a medium-firm mattress, and those who need the best mattress for stomach sleepers should get something on the firmer end of the spectrum to properly support their hips.

• Cooling: In general, innerspring and hybrid mattresses are better for hot sleepers because the coils allow for air to flow through the mattress, and latex is also a naturally breathable material. While memory foam can trap heat, there are many ways companies combat this issue. For the best results, look for a memory foam mattress that’s infused with gel, graphite, or copper. If the mattress has phase change material or a Celliant cover, you should have no trouble sleeping cool at night.
• Budget: Mattress prices range from affordable to high-end. While it may be tempting to purchase a cheap mattress, these beds may not last a long time. Sometimes, it’s better to invest in a pricier mattress because it will last longer. And remember, you can find excellent deals with mattress coupons.
• Motion transfer: If someone sleeps with a partner, motion transfer can be a big issue. This happens when one partner repositions and that movement travels across the mattress and disturbs the other partner. Memory foam is usually the best at cutting down on motion transfer, but keep in mind that it isn’t always the best with cooling. Take a look at our list of the best mattresses for couples to find one that checks all of the right boxes.

How to Set Up a Mattress In a Box

 

Setting up a mattress in a box is easy, though you may want to ask a partner, friend, or family member to help out.

First, lay your box on the floor and get out the mattress. Grab a pair of scissors to cut the outer bag and unroll your mattress.

Then, flatten it on your bed frame or foundation. Gently cut the inner bag on the seal and the mattress will instantly start expanding. Be careful! You don’t want to cut through the mattress and damage your brand new bed. Wait for it to off-gas and expand, and then you’ll be ready to enjoy your new mattress.

A Warning About Off-Gassing

When unboxing an online mattress, it’s common to notice a slight chemical smell. We call this process “off-gassing,” and it’s nothing to worry about. After 48 hours, the smell should completely fade. To speed up the process, we recommend placing the mattress in a well-ventilated room with open windows. Don’t place sheets on the bed until the mattress has finished off-gassing.

Why Should You Trust Our Reviews?

To put together this roundup of the best bed-in-a-box mattresses, we considered each of our traditional mattress review factors, including support, firmness, motion isolation, company reputation, quality of materials, edge support, and, cooling. Our mattress experts hands-on tested each mattress listed above to give an informed review to guide you in your mattress journey.

Final Thoughts

Here’s a recap of the best bed-in-a-box mattresses we recommend:

Mattress	Best For
Nectar	Best Overall
DreamCloud	Best Firm Bed-In-a-Box Mattress
WinkBed	Best Cooling Bed-In-a-Box Mattress
Helix Midnight	Best Customizable Bed-In-a-Box Mattress
Brooklyn Signature Hybrid	Best Value Bed-In-a-Box Mattress
Layla	Best Soft Bed-In-a-Box Mattress
Nolah Evolution	Best Luxury Mattress in a Box
Bear Original	Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattress for Side Sleepers
Leesa	Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattress for Back Sleepers
Puffy	Best Foam Bed-In-a-Box Mattress

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