Mattress prices are notoriously expensive! Up until about 10 years ago, most people bought mattresses in stores where questionable sales tactics included a very high “retail price” offered with a big discount—that still had at least a 50% profit margin built in. This practice normalized everyone into paying $1000 for a mattress when the costs were often ⅕ of that. The "mattress in a box" concept and buying direct online have brought prices down significantly, but many companies are simply still finding new ways to justify high prices with new technology, materials, and designs. The budget mattress space ignores all the marketing fluff and focuses on delivering maximum value for money—and nothing else.

There are many variations in mattress design and materials used these days but most mattresses still fall into these three product categories:

• Foam: Foam mattresses are becoming more and more popular for their comfort, support, and price. Typically foam mattresses are made of at least two layers. The outer layer and the side you sleep on usually consists of 2” to 3” of high-density foam designed to adapt to the shape of your body. Imagine the classic memory foam effect of pressing your hand into the foam and waiting a few seconds for the shape to return to normal. The nature of this foam is great as an outer layer, but not supportive enough to provide resistance and level your body when you lie down. This is why most memory foam mattresses also use a thicker more rigid foam core to the mattress to provide resistance to your body weight. The two layers work well together in supporting and leveling your body but also contouring to the shape of your body and relieving the typical pressure points. Foam mattresses are a great budget pick and there are many options below the $300 price point set in this guide.
• Traditional innerspring: Traditional innerspring mattresses are a century-old technology that uses a connected network of springs to support your body. Typically, these will be on the firmer side depending on the layer of padding used above the spring core. Traditional innerspring mattresses are great at keeping you cool due to the majority of the mattress being mainly air and containing materials that don't trap heat. The main drawbacks of innerspring mattresses, and why they are becoming less and less popular, include the lack of pressure point relief, the transfer of motion, and the noise from the springs, which is known to worsen over time.
• Hybrid: Hybrids, as the name suggests, combine the best features of both foam and innerspring mattress designs, taking the pros of each kind and combining them into one. While hybrid mattresses do contain a coil spring core like a traditional innerspring mattress they are often individually pocketed and sewn in place instead of being connected with a steel grid. This allows each spring to operate more independently and helps with motion transfer and pressure point relief. On top of the coil-spring core usually sits a 2” or 3” comfort memory foam layer (sometimes multiple layers) commonly found in all-foam mattresses. This provides the contouring that all-foam mattresses are so great at providing. Hybrids, unfortunately, are not usually a budget mattress. They are usually more complicated and expensive to make and are not typically found under the $500 price point (for a Queen mattress), although there are some exceptions!

Most budget-oriented mattresses are not typically sold by big brands. Brand name mattress companies spend a great deal on marketing, customer service, and product development. Here are some differences you may experience buying a mattress from a lesser-known brand:

• Warranties: You may notice that warranties are not quite as long for budget brands. Most still offer 5 to 10 years but don’t expect to see the 15 years to lifetime warranties offered by bigger brands like Nectar, Tuft and Needle, or Purple. Often the warranties are also more limited for when they will actually honor warranty claims. We’ve seen some budget brands specifically have a somewhat unrealistic set of requirements for them to actually honor the warranty. All budget brands compete on price and making sure they see fewer warranty claims is one way they can offer a lower price.
• Trial periods: Many budget brands sell through Amazon and it’s often unclear whether they offer a trial period beyond the standard Amazon return policy. Some may offer extended trial periods but we’re not exactly sure how that would work for mattress orders fulfilled by Amazon. We’ve noticed there are a lot of useful questions asked on the top mattress sellers on Amazon on the topics of shipping, warranties, and personal experiences working with budget mattress companies—definitely worth reading.
• Sleep innovations: Most budget mattresses are not using the latest and greatest innovations in sleep and are rather focusing on what is the cheapest to manufacture—which is honestly okay! Many new materials and material infusions do not make a significant difference over traditional materials, rarely justifying the sometimes double price.
• Eco-friendly materials: Making mattresses has never been a very eco-friendly process, and while more and more companies are using more environmentally-friendly materials such as latex and bamboo, these materials are not as cheap as existing materials and therefore not typically found in budget mattresses.

Overall, your goal is to find a mattress that will give you neutral spinal alignment when you sleep. Neutral spinal alignment is when your spine is in its resting position with minimal strain, flexing, or twisting. This gives you the best chance of quality sleep and waking up free of aches and pains. Achieving this is a delicate balance that many mattress companies oversimplify when selling mattresses to you. The reality is that different people need different mattresses. Your weight and your sleeping positions are critical considerations in finding the right mattress for you. Here are some general guidelines:

• Your Weight: Since mattresses support your weight it’s only common sense that a light person would need a slightly different mattress than a heavy person. Typically, the lighter you are the softer you can go, and the heavier you are the more firm you should go. Heavy sleepers, 250 lbs+ should look for a hybrid mattress, while anyone less than 250 lbs should be able to find a soft or medium firmness foam mattress that meets their needs. If you’re a heavy sleeper, read our guide dedicated to you.
• Your sleeping position: When you think of the shape of your body, especially the side profile compared to your back or front, you will notice a difference. Sleeping on your side, for example, requires much more contouring and pressure point relief from your mattress. Sleeping on your back or stomach, on the other hand, requires less contouring but more support/firmness. Generally, average weight side sleepers do well with memory foam mattresses.
  
• Your sleep temperature: Your sleep temperature can also play a part in your mattress decision. Those of us who sleep hot can benefit from a hybrid mattress or a memory foam mattress that has a cooling design. If you're struggling to stay warm at night and find yourself piling on the layers, a traditional memory foam mattress, often offered by budget mattress companies, is a great choice for you.
• Mattress thickness: One of the best ways to reduce the price of your mattress, is to go with a thinner version. Many budget-focused mattress models are available in a variety of thicknesses ranging from 6” to 14” and sometimes even thicker. A thinner mattress is lighter, cheaper to ship, cheaper to make, and requires fewer materials. The feel of the mattress, even within the same model, will vary based on thickness and therefore you should choose carefully. Generally, we recommend the heavier you are, the thicker the mattress you should get. A thicker mattress will be better for heavy people at leveling their weight while providing good support. A light sleeper can get away with a much thinner mattress. Again sleep temperature is a consideration. A thinner 6” mattress will trap much less heat than a 14” memory foam mattress for example. To learn more about mattress dimensions read our guide.