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Apr 10, 2025

Best Mattresses Under $1,000 2025 - Forbes Vetted

While the average price of a queen-size mattress hovers around the $1,500 mark, it is possible to find a high-quality mattress for less. After testing dozens of beds over a five-year period, we found

While the average price of a queen-size mattress hovers around the $1,500 mark, it is possible to find a high-quality mattress for less. After testing dozens of beds over a five-year period, we found the seven best mattresses under $1,000 that provide a similar caliber of support, comfort and durability as pricier beds. The DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress impressed us the most: its cashmere cover and premium seven-layer construction compete with some of the most luxurious mattresses we’ve tried.

The best mattresses under $1,000 are comfortable and supportive for all types of sleepers.

The DreamCloud isn’t the only mattress under $1,000 that wowed us during testing; we found six other beds worthy of praise, including an option for side sleepers and a cooling pick for those who sleep hot. The beds on our list include materials designed to provide lasting support, plus they each come with generous trial periods, so you can take the time to find the perfect fit. Read on for the best mattresses under $1,000 that meet a variety of sleep needs.

DreamCloud

Type: Hybrid | Firmness level: Medium-firm | Warranty: Lifetime | Sleep trial: 365 nights

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While the DreamCloud Hybrid is conveniently priced under $1,000 when on sale, we recommend this mattress to a variety of sleepers, regardless of your budget. It’s featured on several of our best lists, including the best hybrid mattresses and the best medium-firm mattresses, mainly for its balanced, medium-firm feel and high-quality construction. Typically, the more affordable a mattress is, the more basic of a construction it has. That’s not the case with the DreamCloud Hybrid: it contains seven dynamic layers, including four layers of memory foam and a sturdy base of individually wrapped coils. The result? A mattress that provides a lifted, hotel-style feel while also cradling your joints and contouring to your curves.

During testing, it performed especially well in key areas like spinal alignment, pressure relief and motion isolation, making it a good choice for couples, too. We also love its tufted cashmere cover—a feature typically only found in pricier beds. However, we don’t recommend this mattress to people looking for a sink-in memory foam feel; you’re better off looking for an all-foam mattress, like the Nectar Classic.

What our sleep experts say: “The DreamCloud Hybrid has a supportive feel that I associate with quality materials,” says senior mattress and sleep editor Bridget Chapman. “It also has a touch of plushness that makes it really comfortable for back and stomach sleeping in particular, and it tested well for isolating motion.”

Nectar

Type: Memory foam | Firmness level: Medium-firm | Warranty: Lifetime | Sleep trial: 365 nights

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Nectar offers some of the best mattresses you can get for an affordable price, and the Nectar Classic is our top recommendation for fans of memory foam. It contains three foam layers total: an 8-inch base layer that provides stability and support, a 3-inch middle layer that helps with responsiveness (preventing any sort of excessive body-hugging feel) and a 1-inch top layer that contours to your body. Its cover also features cooling fibers to help decrease heat retention—a common issue with older memory foam beds.

Nectar rates it a 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, which puts it at a medium-firm. This makes it a great option for side and back sleepers, plus it’s a nice middle ground for couples with different preferences. Read more in our full Nectar Mattress review.

What our sleep experts say: “Along with doing a great job isolating motion, the Nectar Classic tested surprisingly well for edge support for an all-foam bed—making it a nice pick for a lot of couples,” says Chapman. “It features a memory foam feel without too much doughy sinkage. I think it’s a great value for a lot of sleepers.”

Brooklyn Bedding

Type: Hybrid | Firmness level: Soft, medium, firm | Warranty: Lifetime | Sleep trial: 120 nights

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It can be difficult to find a queen-size hybrid for under $1,000 because the overall cost of materials is higher. The Brooklyn Bedding Signature actually retails for $1,332, but the company regularly offers sales that bring it down to under $1,000. It combines an 8-inch layer of individually wrapped coils with two foam comfort layers: a 1-inch layer of transition foam that alleviates pressure in deeper compression areas like the shoulders and hips and a 1.5-inch layer of hyper-elastic memory foam that quickly responds to movement. If you like the pressure-relieving abilities of memory foam but prefer to feel like you’re lying on top of your bed rather than sinking into it, this bed is a great choice for you. It’s more responsive than all-foam mattresses, but the coils still minimize motion transfer—so it’s not as bouncy as innerspring mattresses, making it a good fit for couples.

The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid comes in three firmness levels: soft, medium and firm. We recommend the soft model for side sleepers who prefer a plusher feel. The medium works well for back, side and combo sleepers, while the firm is best suited for stomach sleepers, some back sleepers and people with back pain. If you’re looking for extra plushness and cooling, you can also add a cooling pillow top for about $300. You can learn more in our in-depth Brooklyn Bedding Signature Mattress review.

What our sleep experts say: “This is a really high-quality option compared to other budget buys online,” says Chapman. “I found it to be responsive and to have solid edge support. The medium model felt medium-firm to me and was especially comfortable for back and stomach sleeping.”

Nolah Mattress

Type: AirFoam | Firmness level: Medium-firm | Warranty: Lifetime | Trial: 120 nights

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Side sleepers have a specific set of criteria when it comes to a mattress, namely ample pressure relief for the shoulder and hip and overall spinal alignment. The Nolah Original is a 10-inch foam mattress that fulfills this criteria, plus you can frequently find it on sale for less than $1,000. It’s made with the brand’s proprietary AirFoam, a memory foam alternative. According to Nolah, the material dissipates heat 20% faster, is up to 300 times more durable and has four times the pressure relief of traditional memory foam. Although we can’t prove those claims, our tester found it to sleep cool and offer stellar pressure relief, as detailed in our full Nolah Mattress review. In the Nolah Original, the AirFoam is zoned for more flexibility around the shoulders and greater support in the lumbar and hips, making the mattress particularly well-suited to side sleepers.

The four-layer mattress has a middle-of-the-road firmness that balances cushioning comfort with proper support. It also has Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certifications, indicating a high level of safety—plus it’s fiberglass-free.

What our sleep experts say: “I found the Nolah Original to have a dense memory foam feel that slowly contours to your body to relieve pressure points,” says Chapman. “Keep in mind it may feel firmer at first, and it doesn’t have the best edge support compared to hybrid mattresses."

Brooklyn Bedding

Type: Hybrid | Firmness level: Medium-firm | Warranty: Lifetime | Trial: 120 nights

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Brooklyn Bedding is one of our favorite mattress brands for a variety of reasons, mainly because of its commitment to designing high-quality, durable mattresses. For hot sleepers in need of an affordable cooling option, it doesn’t get much better than the CopperFlex Pro Hybrid. Outfitted with a cool-to-the-touch cover, the CopperFlex Pro contains three dense layers of foam followed by an individually wrapped coil base. One of the foam layers is also infused with copper, which can help break up heat retention. All of these elements work together to promote maximum airflow, resulting in cooler, more comfortable rest.

Beyond its cooling abilities, the CopperFlex Pro is also very supportive. Our testers found it falls in the medium to medium-firm ballpark, making it a great choice for back, side and lightweight stomach sleepers. However, we did find its edge support to be lacking. If that’s important to you, the DreamCloud Hybrid or Brooklyn Bedding Signature would be a better choice, both of which also sleep fairly cool.

What our sleep experts say: "Out of the CopperFlex line of mattresses, we found the CopperFlex Pro Hybrid to have an airier and more responsive feel than the all-foam models," says Chapman. “This makes it a good pick for combination sleepers and anyone who doesn’t want to sink too deeply into their mattress.”

Plank Mattress

Type: Flippable foam | Firmness level: Firm and extra-firm | Warranty: Lifetime | Sleep trial: 120 nights

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For those who prefer a truly firm mattress, finding one that consistently delivers on support without feeling overly rigid can be a challenge. Many mattresses marketed as firm end up being closer to medium-firm, but this flippable option offers two firmness levels: firm and extra-firm. Both sides are designed to provide the type of support necessary for maintaining a neutral spine position.

During our testing, we found this mattress keeps you well-supported with a lifted feel, avoiding the sinking sensation that some foam beds tend to have. The firm side offers solid support, while the extra-firm side is one of the firmest we’ve come across, making it ideal for sleepers who need even more durability. The Plank also tested well for motion isolation, ease of movement and edge support—impressive for an all-foam mattress. While it’s not the coolest mattress on its own, you can upgrade to a cooling cover—a feature that’s worth it in our experience if you sleep hot.

What our sleep experts say: Chapman says, “This is one of the firmest mattresses I’ve ever tested. I didn’t feel any sinkage while lying on the extra-firm side, and it was very minimal on the less-firm side. The thick cover does provide a little cushion so you don’t feel like you’re sleeping on a rock, though. It tested really well for edge support, which is great for those who like to sit or snooze near the edge of the bed.”

Siena

Type: Memory foam | Firmness level: Medium-firm | Warranty: 10 years | Sleep trial: 180 nights

Pros:

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Priced under $500 for a queen-size, the Siena Memory Foam is the most affordable bed on our list. Made of three layers of CertiPur-US-certified foam, the base is dense and firm, while the upper gel memory foam layer relives pressure along sensitive joints. Due to the combination of support and comfort layers, we found it works well for most back, stomach and combination sleepers, as well as couples with different sleep styles. During testing, we also noticed that it has less sinkage than other memory foam mattresses, such as the Nectar Premier—a softer, doughier version of the Nectar Classic.

Another pro couples, the Siena Memory Foam Mattress tested well for motion isolation, meaning you can move around on one side of the bed without disturbing your partner on the other side. However, we don’t recommend this mattress to hot sleepers; due to its dense foam construction, it isn’t as cooling as hybrid mattresses. Instead, we recommend hot sleepers consider two hybrids on this list, the Brooklyn Bedding Signature or CopperFlex Pro.

What our sleep experts say: “For a medium-firm mattress I’m surprised at how well it conformed under my hips and shoulders. There is a good amount of give where it contours around my curves and doesn’t push back against my joints,” says sleep and mattress editor McKenzie Dillon.

Our team’s deep expertise and extensive mattress testing background is documented in our robust library of mattress and sleep guides. We are always looking for the overall best value, whether it’s the best mattresses under $2,000 or the best mattresses on Amazon.

When selecting the best mattresses under $1,000, we relied on our testing background and thorough research.

Regardless of the price range, the best mattress is one that accommodates your personal sleep style and preferences. Beyond budget, here’s what to keep in mind as you shop.

Mattresses come in various constructions, all with their own pros and cons. Dr. Eva Lassey, P.T. says, “A steel coil and foam construction can offer a good balance of support and pressure relief. Memory foam and latex are popular choices as they form to the body’s shape and help maintain spinal alignment.” Here is a breakdown of the best and most common mattress types, including materials recommended by Lassey.

Your dominant sleep position is a key consideration when looking for a new mattress. “A good sleeping position maintains your spine's natural curvature, which helps protect your spinal cord and distribute weight across your body,” says Dr. Samantha Parker Lane, M.D. at Memorial Hermann Health System. Back, side and stomach sleepers all benefit from specific feels and firmnesses to ensure proper support and comfort. Back sleepers typically do best with a medium-firm mattress and gentle contouring that keeps the spine supported. Side sleepers should consider a softer mattress that doesn’t create pressure buildup in the hips and shoulders while still maintaining a neutral spine. Stomach sleepers need firmer support to keep their hips elevated. Otherwise, they run the risk of lower back pain in the morning.

Delivering support is the primary purpose of your mattress, not just in the first few weeks, but ideally for the next seven to ten years. Material choice and mattress construction can give you a good idea of how much support you can expect—and for how long.

The best test of a new mattress is sleeping on it for about a month, which gives your body sufficient time to adjust. Most mattress companies offer reasonable sleep trials precisely for this purpose, but it’s a good idea to scan the fine print in the event a mattress doesn’t work out and you need to return it. Take a look at the warranty, too. Lifetime warranties may sound ironclad, but most of them have qualifiers that limit coverage.

The lifespan of a mattress, whether it’s priced under $1,000 or not, is primarily determined by the quality of the materials used. Most mattresses that cost $1,000 or less are either made entirely from foam or a combination of foam and coils. A hybrid mattress that costs $1,000 should last you at least seven to 10 years, while an all-foam mattress at the same price point may only last five to seven years. This is because memory foam tends to deteriorate quicker over time, unless it’s made with high-density foam which tends to be higher quality and longer lasting.

Most quality mattresses start at $1,000 for a queen size. While you can certainly spend more if you’re looking for a bed with higher-end features, most mattresses in the $1,000 price range are made of quality materials. Anything significantly under $1,000—think $500 or less—is likely lower quality and therefore not expected to last you as long or able to provide adequate support.

We recommend spending at least $600 to $1,000 on a queen-size bed if you want a quality mattress; any bed above this price point typically only gets better in terms of overall quality and features.

We added the Siena Memory Foam Mattress to our list of winners. We also expanded our buyer’s guide to include information on how to discern quality materials in mattresses under $1,000.