The 10 Best Mattress in A Box Buys in 2021 [Good Night’s Sleep Made Easy]

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You want a good night’s sleep — everyone does. But getting that good night’s sleep is easier said than done.

Who wants to go mattress shopping at a furniture or mattress store? That’s probably also something that everyone can agree on — it sucks. How can you really test out a mattress as you lie on a store model, in your coat and shoes, as a salesman watches from the corner? It’s just awkward.

So, mattresses in a box became a thing. A mattress arrives literally in a box at your home, and you typically get to test it out for a set amount of time before keeping it or sending it back. Sound too good to be true? Maybe. Sound like you could be testing out tons of mattresses before finding the right one for you? Not necessarily.

To help you find the best mattress in a box for your bed, we’re breaking down the 10 top mattresses in a box, along with everything you need to know before you start shopping.

The Original Mattress by Casper

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You probably know Casper. It’s kind of the OG mattress-in-a-box brand. They’ve been around for what seems like forever, and their advertisements are just about everywhere.

So what makes Casper so special?

The “Original” Casper mattress is made from foam, including memory foam, open-cell foam and support foam, along with some springs and a foundation. It’s firm and sturdy, as well as comfortable. Reviewers report that it fits a nice range of sleep preferences.

Set up is easy, too. Open the box, slide the mattress onto your bed frame (you may need some help for this), unwrap it, and you’re ready to go.

After your free delivery, you can try the mattress out for 100 nights before deciding whether or not you want to keep it. After that, you get a 10-year warranty.

The cost? Just over $1,000.

WinkBed

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Don’t think that 100 nights will truly allow you to test out a mattress? If just over three months isn’t enough to let you know a mattress is right for you, what about four months? That’s what WinkBed gives you, with 120 days to try out your new mattress before confirming whether or not you’ll keep it.

Rather than offering an original or standard mattress like Casper, WinkBed offers a range of innerspring mattresses in different firmness levels, from a medium soft to a medium firm. You get a lifetime warranty, which easily beats Casper’s measly 10 years.

However, you’ll pay a bit more for WinkBed’s products, depending on the mattress you choose. Prices can be as high as $1,850 for the right mattress in a box.

Tuft & Needle

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If that high price point is putting you off the mattress-in-a-box shopping experience, consider Tuft & Needle. With mattresses under $1,000 (the queen-size is only $700), it’s a nice pick for budget shoppers who still want a high level of quality (and who doesn’t?).

Reviewers report that Tuft & Needle mattresses are ideal for stomach sleepers and back sleepers, with the foam mattress contouring to your body shape but still providing all the back support and pressure relief you might need for these sleeping positions.

You get 100 nights to try out the mattress, but when it’s delivered, try to have someone there to help you move the box. At over 70 pounds, it might be too much for some buyers to move on their own.

One cool brand choice? If you decide you don’t like the mattress, rather than take it back, Tuft & Needle donates it and organizes a local charity in your neighborhood to pick it up.

Linenspa

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Need an even more affordable mattress? You can always buy one of Amazon’s best-selling mattresses in a box. This option from Linenspa is less than $300.

The unfortunate part about buying a mattress in a box from Amazon is you don’t get that trial period that you’ll get with the other brands, meaning, unless you take advantage of Amazon’s return policy and your return falls within its parameters, you won’t be able to return the mattress if you don’t like it.

But still, if you need an affordable, well-reviewed mattress for, say, a guest room or a dorm, Linenspa has you covered.

Nectar

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Nectar stands out in the mattress-in-a-box space for a few reasons. Nectar mattresses are on the softer side and from memory foam. You also get to try out the mattress for a whopping 365 days before you decide to return it if you so choose. That kind of mattress trial period is completely unheard of — a whole year to sleep on a mattress? With a full refund if you return it? Crazy!

The pricing is pretty sweet, too, starting at $800 for twin/ twin XL mattresses and going up to around $1,600 for the largest California king mattress.

BedInABox

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While some shoppers refer to mattresses in a box as a “bed in a box” and use the terms interchangeably, there’s actually a brand called BedInABox, and they’ve been turning out high-quality, affordably-priced mattresses in a box since 2004.

A few cool things that make BedInABox stand out from the pack are (a) they’ve been in the business longer than any other mattress-in-a-box company (yes, even longer than Casper) and (b) they’re the only brand that actually makes their own foam. The Certipur-US certified mattresses are American-made, and the entire mattress-making process takes place in a North Carolina facility.

The high attention to detail and quality has resulted in a 96% customer satisfaction rate.

The Original BedInABox is 11 inches of all-foam with a breathable top layer that suits all sleeping positions and allows for plenty of airflow. It starts at just $700.

Helix Midnight Luxe

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If you’ve never shopped for a mattress before, you may find the entire process confusing and more trouble than it’s worth. Why spend valuable time trying to decide if you like a soft or firm mattress, a memory foam mattress or hybrid mattress, box springs or gel memory foam when you can just continue sleeping on the same mattress you’ve used since college?

Helix makes the process a bit easier by matching you with the right mattress for your needs via a handy online quiz. From there, you can make your purchase and then test out your new mattress for 100 nights. You also get two pillows, free shipping and a 10-year warranty thrown in.

The Helix Midnight Luxe mattress is particularly ideal for side sleepers and starts at just over $1,000.

Purple Hybrid Premier

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Like Casper, Purple is one of those mattress in a box brands that truly puts itself front and center. Inventive ads are scattered everywhere, from YouTube to your favorite podcasts. But while Purple’s whimsical commercials may seem like all fun and games, a Purple mattress is no laughing matter. The Purple Hybrid Premier is serious stuff, with multiple layers made of hyper-elastic polymers, polyurethane foam and pocketed springs.

The mattress is about a foot tall with all those spring and foam layers and pockets, and it comes with a 100-night trial period. It’s super-soft while also being supportive. For being so soft, it doesn’t compress down under your body weight or pressure points (which can leave you with dents and burrows in your mattress that wear it down over time).

This mattress also comes with a serious price tag: over $2,000.

Nolah Evolution Mattress

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Launched in 2016, Nolah has made a quick impact on the mattress in a box market. They sell everything you need for a great night of sleep—the mattress, frame, bedding and pillows.
In a pretty standard practice, Nolah offerse a 120-night trial period for you to decide if you like the way it feels. But unlike some of the other options, Nolah offerse a lifetime warrranty.

Some other things that make this brand unique is the fact that all pieces are made entirrely in the US and customers enjooy free shipping and returns.

Nolah offers three different mattresses: the Original, Signature and the most popular Evolution mattress. Each one is made with 100% temperature neutral foam that’s guaranteed to sleep cooler than memory foam. Their patented foam also provides 400% less pressure oon the sleeper’s hips and shoulders, making it great for back and side sleepers.

Zoma Mattress

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The Zoma Mattress is made with the acknowledgment that most of us carry a little bit of extra padding around our midsections.

Whether your favorite sugary treat goes to your hips, thighs or tummy, it’s likely that somewhere in that general area, you may have a bit of additional stuffing. While that could be absolutely no worry to you, it could mean trouble for certain mattresses if they don’t have enough support in those areas. That’s not the case with Zoma, though.

Zoma Mattresses are split into multiple firmnesses and support areas, with dedicated support for your hips, stomach and chest. This ensures that there’s enough support for all of us (probably most of us) who aren’t proportionate from head to toe.

Made from all memory foam and coming with a 100-night trial, Zoma mattresses start at $550.

Why Buy a Mattress in a Box?

There are many reasons why you might decide to purchase a mattress in a box. In addition to the easier online mattress shopping process, you also enjoy a quick shipping process, sometimes even quicker than it might take for a local furniture store to deliver a mattress to your home.

Purchasing a mattress in a box also allows you to browse quite a few more mattresses than what you might find in a local store. All of the mattress in a box options in the world are open to you (and there are quite a few). So, whatever your preferred mattress type, you should be able to find an option that suits you, whether you’re looking for an ultra-luxury mattress or an ultra-budget-friendly mattress.

What to Look for When Buying a Mattress in a Box

Whether you go with one of our mattress options listed above or you find the perfect mattress for you elsewhere, you’ll want to look into a few things before hitting that “purchase” button.

First, look at the different delivery options. Some mattresses will be simply dropped at your door, leaving you to lug a near-100-pound box into your foyer and up the stairs to your bedroom. On the other hand, some brands offer a higher level of service and will carry your mattress box wherever you need it to go in your home. Some will even unbox the mattress for you.

Additionally, look at those trial periods that are so popular. While most brands offer trial periods that hover around 100 days, does a certain brand also require you to keep the mattress for a minimum number of days? What is the process if you do decide to return the mattress? Do you have to box it up and ship it yourself, or is it picked up? Are there any limitations to returning the mattress? After returning it, do you get a full or partial refund, or do you get another mattress?

What does the warranty for your new mattress include? Pay special attention to the things that aren’t covered in the warranty, and decide if any of those things are of any particular worry.

You Ordered a Mattress in a Box — Now What?

Unless you paid for extra help unboxing your mattress, you’re going to need a plan for your mattress’s arrival date.

Plan to be at home when your mattress arrives — you definitely don’t want your mattress waiting outside your apartment door or on your stoop. Enlist a friend or family member to help you move the mattress to the bedroom. Don’t think that you can lift it on your own. With most queen and king-sized mattresses weighing near 100 pounds, you don’t want to be shoving the mattress through your home on your own. That’s a recipe for injuring yourself (remember, the new mattress is meant to help your back pain, not cause it) and possibly damaging the mattress and/or your home.

Mattresses arrive rolled in their boxes, so have your helper also assist you in pulling the mattress free from its box and then unrolling it.

Don’t put the mattress on the bed just yet, though. Because the mattress has been compressed during the shipping process, it’s not fully expanded right out of the box. Leave it on the floor and sleep on your current mattress for a day or two until the new mattress fully expands. Then, slide the old mattress off and the new mattress on.

Is Buying a Mattress in a Box Right for You?

If you don’t care for the traditional mattress-buying process and you’re not entirely sure what brand or even type of mattress you like most, a mattress in a box can be the perfect option for you. The trial period and easy online shopping experience can make getting a better night’s sleep simple and even enjoyable.

You might also be interested in: The 11 Best Full-Size Loft Beds For Adults [Complete Guide]

Best Mattresses In A Box: