The Best Mattresses in a Box


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Woman sitting up in bed

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Quick glance at the best mattresses in a box

  • Best custom mattress in a box: Helix Mattress
  • Best all-foam mattress in a box: Casper Original Mattress
  • Best mattress in a box for all sleep types: Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
  • Most supportive mattress in a box: The Purple Mattress
  • Best mattress in a box for stellar customer service: Tuft & Needle Original Mattress
  • Most eco-friendly mattress in a box: Avocado Green Mattress
  • Softest mattress in a box: Leesa Original Mattress
  • Best rated mattress in a box: Puffy LUX Mattress
  • Best Amazon mattress in a box: Linenspa Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid
  • Best hybrid mattress in a box: Sealy Mattress-in-a-Box

Some of the best things in life come in a box: chocolates, jewelry, wine… OK, maybe not all of the best things.

One thing’s for sure, though: Bed-in-a-box mattress popularity is on the rise.

It may seem a little strange — how do they squish an entire mattress in a reasonably sized box? — but bed-in-a-box mattresses can actually be pretty high-quality and super comfy.

Sold on the idea? We’ve rounded up some of the best options. Plus, we chatted with Sarah Moe — founder and CEO of Sleep Health Specialists — to learn more about them.

How we chose the best mattresses in a box

Along with meeting tight standards set by our medical team (like that companies meet federal flammability requirements and don’t make phony health claims), here are some other things we took into consideration when rounding up our winners:

  • Ratings. We only included boxed mattresses that scored high with online reviewers.
  • Comfort. Our picks are comfortable and cozy, according to reviewers.
  • Ease of setup. We combed carefully through reviews to find choices reviewers say are quick and easy.
  • Intended use. We included picks for a few different scenarios, preferences, and lifestyle choices like firmness, sleep style, and price point.
  • Warranty. Most of these mattresses come with at least a 10-year limited warranty.
  • In-home trials. Most of our picks all include free trial periods so you can test out the mattress before you give two thumbs up.

Pricing guide

Prices will differ depending on the size of your mattress. We based our pricing guide on a standard queen-size mattress.

  • $ = under $800
  • $$ = $800–$1,150
  • $$$ = over $1,150

Healthline’s picks for the best mattresses in a box

Best custom boxed mattress

Helix Mattress

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Hybrid
  • Height: 12 inches

It can be tough to pick a mattress that keeps you and your sleep partner happy. Helix offers a match for your specific sleep needs like firmness options and size through their sleep quiz.

This mattress seems to work well for couples with varying preferences, like side or back sleep preferences and size needs (tall, short, etc.). You can also choose from features like soft, medium, or firm feel (medium is the most popular pick), body contouring, pressure relief, and more.

Reviewers say it’s comfortable and easy to set up, while some have noticed a chemical odor that they’re less than pleased with.

Helix mattresses come with a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty.

Buy Helix Mattresses online.

Best all-foam mattress in a box

Casper Original Mattress

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 11 inches

This bed-in-a-box mattress is both supportive and cooling, thanks to its perforated breathable foam. This foam is developed to conform to your body, relieving pressure points. In fact, this mattress has different “zones” of support to promote proper alignment of your spine.

For example, the foam around the shoulders is softer, providing more support to the upper body while the foam under the waist, hips, and lower back is firmer, helping your spine into better alignment.

This mattress has a slew of positive reviews, from everything like “easy to purchase” and comfortable, while a sliver of the unsatisfied reviewers say they need something firmer.

Casper offers a 100-night trial and a 10-year limited warranty.

Buy the Casper Original Mattress online.

Best mattress in a box for all sleep types

Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 11 inches

Whether you prefer to sleep on your side or back, the Nectar Mattress is said to satisfy all sleep types. It’s especially great for those who prefer the soft comfort of a foam mattress without the “sinkage” they tend to come with.

Nectar goes the extra mile with other benefits too. It offers one of the longest mattress trials at 365 nights and a “forever” warranty.

Although boxed mattresses are known for how easy they are to set up, Nectar also offers a white glove service if you prefer that it’s set up for you. They can even drag away your old mattress if you’d like. Although this pick is a more budget-friendly choice than others, finance options are available as well.

It was tough to dig up a less than a satisfactory review on this mattress, but one reviewer mentioned wishing it kept them a bit cooler throughout the night.

Buy the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress online.

Most supportive mattress in a box

The Purple Mattress

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 9.25 inches

Reviewers with back pain swear by this durable mattress. Its grid design is developed to flex under pressure, so hips and shoulders are embraced as your back is totally supported. The Purple Mattress is made in the United States and ranked first place in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power in 2019.

This mattress lands at the top of our price guide, but the company does offer financing options as well as a 100-night trial and 10-year limited warranty.

Buy the Purple Mattress online.

Best mattress in a box for stellar customer service

Tuft & Needle Original Mattress

  • Price: $
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 10 inches

This humble mattress boasts just two layers of foam, but they’re open-cell foam that’s been infused with graphite and cooling gel to allow for even temps throughout the night.

This mattress is an affordable pick that comes with a 10-year limited warranty and a 100-night trial. However, there doesn’t seem to be free shipping available, which many of the picks on our list seem to offer regularly.

The mattress is made for durability and all sleep types, although some complaints about the mattress’ edges have surfaced, with some noticing that they could offer a bit more support.

Customer service is where this pick truly shines, with very little issues reported and honorable mentions given to the friendly representatives.

Bonus: This mattress is free of harmful chemicals and is Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified, meaning the mattresses are third-party tested and certified to be free of dangerous chemicals, materials, or substances.

Buy the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress online.

The softest mattress in a box

Leesa Original Mattress

  • Price: $$
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 10 inches

This handcrafted,all-foam mattress has a soft twill cover for a cozy night’s sleep. The mattress also offers body contouring and pressure-relieving support.

Leesa says that it also provides a base layer that gives both support and durability for all sleep positions and body types. Its mattresses are made-to-order in the United States and come with a 10–year warranty, 100-night trial, as well as financing options.

While reviewers seem to be satisfied overall, chemical smell is a criticism that several box mattresses have a hard time dodging. This mattress is no exception, with a few complaints from reviewers.

Buy Leesa Original Mattress online.

Best rated mattress in a box

Puffy Lux Mattress

  • Price: $$$
  • Type: Foam
  • Height: 12 inches

This mattress is made in the United States and it’s best described by reviewers as “like sleeping on a cloud.” Its supportive foam layers — all CertiPUR-US certified — are said to adjust to your pressure points.

The mattress is also designed for all types of sleepers and is cooling thanks to its gel foam layer.

It comes with a stain-resistant OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified cover, which you can zip off and throw in the washing machine. Plus, you’ll get a 101-night trial and a lifetime warranty.

Buy the Puffy Lux Mattress online.

Best Amazon mattress in a box

Linenspa Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid

  • Price: $
  • Type: Hybrid
  • Height: 8 inches

With over 50,000 reviews and a 4.5 out of 5-star rating, this bed-in-a-box mattress is an Amazon best-seller and the most affordable mattress on our list, coming in at just under $200.

It features memory foam as well as the more conventional comfort and support of an innerspring mattress. This pick is considered a medium-firm feel and is topped with a knit cover for a cozy finish.

Linenspa does give a fair warning on one common issue seen in the reviews. Due to their packaging process, you may notice small “brown flecks” — which the company calls carbons — in the mattress packaging. They explain that these are “harmless pieces of plastic” and will not stick to the mattress.

This mattress comes with a 10-year limited warranty, but no in-home trial period.

Buy the Linenspa Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid online.

Best hybrid mattress in a box

Sealy Mattress-in-a-Box

  • Price: $
  • Type: Hybrid
  • Height: 8, 10, or 12 inches

This Sealy mattress offers a combo of responsive coil support and body contouring memory foam comfort. This affordable pick features a top layer foam made that adapts and responds to your shape, while still offering the traditional support from coils.

Reviewers do mention a chemical smell and also point out that because of the coil layer, it can’t be flipped (although it can be rotated). This mattress comes with a 100-night trial and a 10-year limited warranty.

Buy the Sealy Mattress-in-a-Box online.

Most eco-friendly mattress in a box

Avocado Green Mattress

  • Price: $$$
  • Type: Hybrid
  • Height:

This comfy, pillow top hybrid mattress has 1,414 pocketed support coils between two layers of organic certified latex rubber foam.

It’s made using organic wool and cotton and topped with a plush, bouncy surface layer. This mattress is covered with organic fabric as well and is made without polyester, polyurethane foams, or toxic fire retardants.

Avocado offers a 1-year trial, a 25-year warranty, and financing is available. Each mattress is handmade in the United States.

One thing to make note of, these mattresses fall on the firmer side, which disappointed a small number of reviewers.

Buy the Avocado Green Mattress online.

Why buy a mattress in a box?

Sarah Moe — founder and CEO of Sleep Health Specialists — tells us the quality of most bed-in-a-box mattresses are quite impressive.

“The technological advances in the last decade have led to these being a truly comfortable game changer when it comes to a good night’s sleep,” Moe says.

Moe tells us the stigma around boxed mattresses is misleading.

“Don’t assume that they are of lesser quality just because it came from a box,” she says.

What to look for when buying a mattress in a box

Moe tells us that all mattresses that come in the “online-from-a-box” format are going to have their pros and cons.

“It’s important to understand what matters most to your body and comfort when shopping,” she says.

For example, consider your favorite sleeping positions.

Are you a side sleeper, a back sleeper, or a toss-and-turner?

For side sleepers, Moe says to look for a mattress that will adjust to support your hips. The same goes for back sleepers and their neck area.

“If you flop around all night,” Moe says, “consider a memory foam to help cradle and comfort your body.”

One way to pinpoint your preferences if you’re not sure is to grab your mask and do your research.

“There are plenty of showrooms in malls and such that will allow you to try out different types of beds before committing,” Moe says.

Be sure to try them all and keep an open mind. “Just because you’ve been a ‘firm mattress’ sleeper your entire life doesn’t mean your body still agrees with you!” Moe says.

“As we age, other factors such as sleep apnea and acid reflux can be damaging our sleep. Consider a mattress that is adjustable to elevate the head of your bed as this may alleviate some of these issues,” she says.

Finally, Moe explains that if you’ve tried countless mattresses and are still having nonrestorative sleep, consider getting a sleep study. “Your mattress may not be the problem!”

How to unbox

Generally, these are the steps you should take as you unbox your new mattress:

  1. First, open the box.
  2. Slide the package out of the box, letting the mattress stay inside of its plastic wrap.
  3. Set the whole mattress on your bed frame or wherever you’d like the mattress to be.
  4. Carefully open the plastic cover, preferably without using scissors or any other sharp item to avoid damaging the mattress.
  5. Allow 1 to 2 days for the mattress to take full shape.

Keep in mind that it may take time for your new mattress to fully take shape.

“Remember this when you set up your delivery date, so you don’t get rid of your current mattress too soon and end up sleeping on the couch,” Moe says.

Takeaway

Bed-in-a-box mattress popularity is on the rise for good reason — many are comfortable, customizable, and affordable.

Consider your needs, do your research and test some out safely if you can.


Breanna Mona is a writer based in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a master’s degree in media and journalism and writes about health, lifestyle, and entertainment.


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