2 weeks Ago By Caroline Igo
Your mattress can seriously affect your sleep quality. However, many people assume that only expensive options deliver comfort, while budget-friendly beds fall short. This is not entirely true and if you'd like to improve your sleep this year, you're not alone.
According to a CNET survey , 46% of US adults plan to invest in a better mattress or bedding. Thankfully, improving your sleep doesn't have to be expensive. There are plenty of affordable options on the market, making it easier to experience or gift top comfort and support.
The prices in this guide are based on queen-size mattresses -- the most popular size choice. But that doesn't mean choosing a different size won't still save you money. Check out our best mattress deals page for all the up-to-date mattress discounts.
What's the best cheap mattress overall? Allswell is well-known for making comfortable, affordable mattresses. Its flagship model, the Allswell , not only is our pick for the best cheap mattress overall, but it also made our Best Mattress list. The bed is a great value -- its hybrid model of pocketed coils and poly foam is similar to a lot of others on the market, yet it’s very affordable.
It offers a medium to medium-firm profile and a bouncy, neutral foam feel that should please most sleepers. If you don't want to sacrifice quality when buying a cheap mattress, the Allswell is your best bet. Video: Best cheap mattresses for 2025 Watch CNET mattress expert Owen Poole review the best cheap mattresses for 2025.
The best cheap mattresses of 2025 Whether you prefer sleeping on your back, side or stomach, or you switch off, there’s a quality mattress to suit your needs. From softer mattresses to memory foam mattresses with supportive layers to budget-friendly hybrids, we’ve found something for everyone looking to save. Much goes on behind the scenes to curate our best lists, including countless hours of mattress testing to find out which beds are truly worth your money.
Our CNET Sleep editors, including myself, curated this best affordable mattress list by choosing our top favorite cheap beds from the 300+ we’ve tested. With that being said, here are a few honorable mentions below that could also be up for your consideration. Bear Original mattress: The Bear Original mattress isn't the cheapest bed we've encountered, but it offers excellent value.
When it’s on sale, which it normally is, you can snag a queen size for under $700. The Bear Original is made with graphite-gel memory foam, so it doesn't retain heat like older types of memory foam mattresses used to, and it provides that signature hugging feel memory foam has become known for. One of the best parts — besides the budget mattress price — is the optional Celliant-infused cover, however, this is an added charge.
Dreamfoam Essential mattress: Dreamfoam offers affordable mattresses that we love — as you can see, two of its beds already made this list. The Dreamfoam Essential is also cheap, you can get a queen mattress around $525 and discounts usually knock off another $100. It’s available in multiple thicknesses that will affect the firmness level.
However, it didn’t make this list because it doesn’t feel like the Dreamfoam Hybrid or Doze. The mattress is firmer and denser than those two models, so it might not appeal to a wide range of sleepers. My fellow CNET sleep editors and I chose mattresses based on firmness, feel, performance, durability, features and the brand’s policies.
We test beds by lying on them, testing edge support and motion isolation and switching between sleeping position, for example. We also test a mattress’ firmness with our proprietary machine, appropriately named the Mattress Smasher 9000. This heavy duty tool presses into the middle of a bed and our corresponding software measures firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest.
While we also test each bed personally for perceived firmness and feel, we have data from the MS9000 to backup our conclusions. Here's the data we learned testing the best cheap beds with our Mattress Smasher 9000. Sorted from the softest beds to the firmest, here's how the mattresses scored on our firmness scale.
However, with this list specifically, price and value were two of the main metrics we examined. The mattresses we considered "cheap" are anywhere from $300 to $800 (after discounts are applied) and are very basic, often flagship models. They don’t have to have any fancy bells and whistles, yet the chosen mattresses are still comfortable, quality beds at affordable prices.
Read more about our sleep team, our mattress warehouse, the Mattress Smasher 9000 and how we test mattresses . With any cheap mattress, you get what you pay for. That said, there are cheap mattresses out there that are both worth the money and comfortable to sleep on each night.
You can't expect any crazy bells and whistles, but that's not typically what you look for in a cheap mattress, after all. Construction: The type of mattress you need is determined by your body type. People over 230 pounds should opt for a hybrid mattress because the construction includes steel coils that help to provide more support and durability.
People under that weight can opt for an all-foam mattress. Those who are petite or average should also consider thickness; the thicker the mattress, the more supportive and firm it is. Brand reputation: It’s important to do your own research when looking for the best cheap mattress, especially on Amazon.
Some companies try to sell knock-offs of popular cheap beds like the Tuft & Needle Nod, so be vigilant. Firmness: The best firmness level for you depends on your sleeping position. Side sleepers should consider a soft mattress, whereas back and stomach sleepers may want something on the firmer end for ample back support.
Price: Remember, you get what you pay for. You likely won't find a bed under $100 or even $200 unless it's designed to fall apart in a year or is already used. It's important to also state possible downsides of buying a cheaper mattress: They typically aren't as thick or durable as an average foam or hybrid bed.
Unless they have specific cooling technology, cheaper beds can sleep hotter than a regular mattress. Unless it's a hybrid, a cheap mattress likely isn't supportive enough for someone over 230 pounds. Cheap mattresses are made with cheaper or fewer materials to achieve a lower price.
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