6 Best Mattresses in a Box: Expert Tested and Reviewed

Middling cooling and adjustable base compatibility. Unfortunately, our cooling gun test showed that this bed retained a higher-than-average amount of heat: 17.3 degrees. So it’s not the best pick on this list if you prioritize heat regulation. To this point, when Jennifer, a 45-year-old tester, lay on this bed, she said, "I feel like it's soaking up my heat and retaining it.” In testing, Allison also found that this mattress earned a below-average score for adjustable base compatibility, noting a large gap between the mattress and the base in multiple positions.

Best Cooling: Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid

Score: 9.6 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Perfect cooling
• Excellent spinal alignment and pressure relief
• Available in three firmness levels

Cons

• Average adjustable base compatibility
• So-so edge support

Features

• Materials: Hybrid
• Firmness options: Plush, medium firm or firm
• Pressure relief: 5 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 5 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Stellar cooling. Hot sleepers looking for a boxed mattress may especially appreciate the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid. In our cooling gun test, the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid retained 7.9 degrees of heat, earning a perfect score. The mattress features a cool-to-the-touch and quilted top cover with cooling, phase-change fibers designed to draw heat away from the surface. The cover is made from 73 percent polyester, 25 percent polyethylene (PE), a thermoplastic polymer, and 2 percent spandex.

Relieves pressure and supports spinal alignment. We tested the medium firm model of this bed. During our assessments, Donna, a 60-year-old tester, gave it perfect ratings for pressure relief and spinal alignment in all tested sleeping positions. “I feel really comfortable no matter how I’m lying down,” she said. “I feel well aligned, and my body’s sinking in just enough.” Another feature we like: This bed also is available in plush or firm options. Only about half of the beds on this list offer three or more firmness options.

Midrange performance on an adjustable base and passable edge support. Donna gave the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid average scores for adjustable base compatibility. We test this compatibility by placing a bed on three different adjustable bases and assessing how well the mattress conforms to the base in different positions, such as TV mode, where the head is inclined so you can sit up in bed. "When I got off the mattress, it did not conform to the base on its own and left a gap between the base and bed,” she said. Gaps between the base and the mattress could make it easier to fall out of bed. 

Donna also wasn’t pleased with this bed’s edges. “Sitting on the edge, I can definitely feel [it] sink a little,” she said. “The edge doesn’t feel firm.” Weak edges also can increase the risk of falling, both for older adults who have mobility limitations and those who work to steady themselves before getting out of bed.

Best for Back Pain: Nectar Premier Memory Foam

Score: 9.8 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Impressive spinal alignment and pressure relief
• Stellar motion isolation
• 365-night trial period

Cons

• Average edge support
• Fair bounce

Features

• Materials: Memory foam
• Firmness: Medium firm
• Pressure relief: 4.5 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 4.7 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

High-scoring pressure relief and top-level motion isolation. The Nectar Premier Memory Foam is made with dense, contouring memory foam, which likely contributed to its high scores for pressure relief and spinal alignment in all tested sleeping positions. That’s because memory foam has a reputation for cradling pressure points since you usually sink deeper into the surface than a hybrid bed with springs. “I feel firmly supported on this mattress,” Donna said during testing. “I don’t feel any pressure building up, and my spine feels really aligned.” In general, memory foam beds also tend to absorb motion, unlike hybrids, which tend to redirect it. Fittingly, this bed also nabbed a perfect score in our couples’ motion isolation assessment. “I barely felt any movement,” Donna said during testing.

Generous trial period. This bed has a 365-night free trial, so you can test it in your home during this window of time with no penalty. That’s a big plus — and this period is more than triple the 120-night window offered by most companies on this list. Another plus: Nectar does not charge return fees if you buy this bed and decide it doesn’t work for you. 

So-so edge support and bounce. Testers said this bed fell short on edge support. "I think the edge support is really lacking in this mattress in the seated position," Donna said. "I don't feel like it's awful, but it's definitely not adequately supporting me." The bed’s bounce was also just midrange in our testing since the 15-pound ball rebounded 15.5 inches on this mattress. Because of its all-foam construction, you can expect the Nectar Premier Memory Foam to provide sinking pressure relief rather than movement-assisting bounce. If you’d prefer a bed with better bounce and edge support, we recommend the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid.

Best Hybrid: WinkBed

Score: 9 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Very good pressure relief scores for back sleepers
• Solid edge support
• Strong motion isolation

Cons

• Subpar cooling
• Weak bounce

Features

• Materials: Hybrid
• Firmness options: Softer, luxury firm, firmer or plus
• Pressure relief: 3.3 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 3 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Balances support with pressure relief. We tested the luxury-firm model of the WinkBed. As a hybrid, it strikes a good balance between spinal support from coils and pressure relief from contouring foam. In our assessments, it earned decent scores on average across all tested sleeping positions. “I feel really good in the back sleeping position,” said Dana, a 67-year-old tester who has neck and back pain. She gave above-average scores in back sleeping pressure relief and spinal alignment. “I feel well supported with this mattress. I usually like a softer feel, but this bed has the right mix of firm support and plushness.” She also gave this bed impressive ratings for edge support. “Overall I feel pretty stable on the edge,” she said.

High-performing motion isolation. This bed combines gel foam and individually wrapped coils that are designed to reduce motion transfer. In our testing, Dana awarded it a superb motion isolation score. “I couldn’t feel any movement at all,” she said. “The cover remained very still and there was no bouncing or disturbance on my side at all.” 

Unimpressive cooling performance and low bounce. Hybrids tend to receive higher cooling scores due to being more breathable than all-foam beds. But this hybrid mattress earned a subpar cooling rating. In our cooling gun test, it retained 19.6 degrees of heat, earning below-average marks. This bed also flunked our bounce test, with a 15-pound ball rebounding only 14 inches off its surface. So if cooling or high bounce are key features for you, you may want to consider the Leesa Sapira Chill.

Best for People With Excess Weight: Nolah Evolution Comfort Plus

Score: 9.8 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Supports up to 1,000 pounds
• Eases pressure for back, side and stomach sleepers
• Solid cooling 

Cons

• Average bounce
• Midrange edge support

Features

• Materials: Hybrid
• Firmness: Medium
• Pressure relief: 5 out of 5
• Spinal alignment: 5 out of 5

Key takeaways from our testing

Built to support higher-weight sleepers. The Nolah Evolution Comfort Plus has the highest total weight limit of beds on this list at 1,000 pounds. Jerry, a 72-year-old tester who has a higher weight, gave this bed perfect pressure relief and spinal alignment scores. “This mattress supports me well in all three positions. I loved it all around,” he said. “It feels great on my side, it hugs my back and feels really good on my stomach, even though I never sleep in that position.” 

May help sleepers stay cool. This bed netted admirable marks in our cooling gun test, retaining 16 degrees of heat. For higher-weight sleepers who experience hot flashes, this bed — which features breathable foam layers, including one actively cooling gel foam layer with heat-dissipating copper — could be a good option to help regulate body temperature. 

Decent edge support and bounce. The Nolah Evolution Comfort Plus earned an average rating in our bounce test. It also earned an average rating during our lab testing for edge support, which involves placing a 150-pound sandbag on the edge of the bed and measuring how much the edge sinks. This bed’s edges sank 5.25 inches, while the average sinkage of all beds we’ve tested is about 3.5 inches. This 1.75-inch difference from the average sinkage rate is part of what earned this bed its decent rating. What’s the significance of these two results when viewed together? Well, the combination of slightly weaker edges and less bounce may make it more difficult for older adults with mobility issues to get in and out of this bed or change positions. The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid could be an alternative option if you need better bounce and edge support.

How we tested the best mattresses in a box

We started our process of finding the best mattresses in a box for adults ages 50-plus by researching the market. Which beds are compressed in a box and provide good pressure relief and spinal alignment after unboxing and delivery? Which companies have the best customer reviews — and are the reviews legitimate? After talking with medical experts, we narrowed our list to the options featured on this page.

To identify each bed’s strengths and weaknesses, we used controlled lab tests that measured performance metrics such as pressure relief, spinal support, temperature regulation, motion isolation and edge support. Then we recruited more than 15 testers, ages 45 and older, to give us their unbiased feedback.

Testers answered questions like: Did the mattresses ease pressure in all tested sleeping positions? Are the edges strong and stable? Do the beds feel like they retain heat? 

Beds that did well in our tests made our list of the best mattresses in a box. For more details on our testing process, see our mattress testing methodology.

How to choose the best mattress in a box

If you buy a bed in a box, you can shop online and potentially save money over a model from a store or showroom. But convenience and price aren’t the only important factors to think about. You also may want to consider the following features when shopping for one of these beds.

Sleeping position and mattress firmness

Companies typically rank mattress firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest. In general, most mattress models our lab team has tested fall in the medium to medium-firm range, or between 5 and 6.5 out of 10. 

But the best firmness level for you often depends on your sleeping position. Sleep experts generally recommend the guidelines below, regardless of the mattress’s material.

• Side sleepers: Soft to medium-firm (4 to 6.5 out of 10)
• Back sleepers: Medium to medium-firm (5 to 6.5 out of 10)
• Stomach sleepers: Medium-firm to firm mattresses (6.5 to 9 out of 10)
• Combination sleepers: Whichever firmness level matches your preferred sleeping position

Older adults may want to prioritize mattresses that match their sleeping position and firmness needs to help ease pressure, says Shelby Harris, clinical associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in White Plains, New York. 

Dr. Casey Slattery, orthopedic spine surgeon at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California, also recommends focusing on spinal alignment. So if you buy a bed in a box online, try to choose one that has a free trial period, like those on this list. Then, after your bed is delivered — and after you set it up at home — pay close attention to whether your hips and shoulders are aligned when you lie on the mattress. If so, that can be a sign your spine is curving naturally, he says, which means the mattress could perform well for you and lend to good support and spinal alignment.

Mattress type

When it comes to boxed mattresses, you can find memory foam or hybrid options along with innerspring options that have a coil-only construction. Memory foam mattresses tend to offer strong motion isolation, contouring support and pressure relief. Hybrid mattresses tend to offer solid edge support, breathability and firmer support. Innerspring mattresses tend to offer high bounce, stable edges and good support.

Even though these beds are rolled up and compressed for delivery, experts we spoke with said mattresses in a box can still offer good support. "Mattresses from a box can work well for many people because they tend to balance support and pressure relief, especially memory foam or hybrid styles," Slattery says.

If you’re not sure which type of bed is best for you, consider that, as we age, we have “less padding over bony areas like hips, shoulders or knees,” says Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, a spinal and orthopedic surgeon based in New York City. He recommends looking for “materials that cushion pressure points rather than pushing back against them,” such as contouring memory foam beds or hybrids with cushioning pillow tops.

Trial period

If you’re shopping online, look for mattresses with generous in-home trial periods that give you time to assess whether the bed works for you. All beds on this list have at least a 120-night free trial period. 

But be aware that if you return a bed during the free trial period, you may be responsible for paying a return or restocking fee. If a company charges a return or restocking fee, these costs generally range from $75 and up for return fees and a percentage of the purchase price for restocking fees, often around 10 to 20 percent. 

How much do mattresses in a box cost?

The best mattresses in a box on this list retail for between $1,465 and $2,570 for a queen size. Our best overall pick, the Helix Dusk Luxe, retails for $2,399. Our best value pick, the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid, retails for $1,465. You can see the table below for a breakdown. 

Note: If you’re shopping online, you may find that first-time customer discounts and seasonal sales — such as those for holidays — can reduce these costs. So you may want to look out for promotions throughout the year. 

FAQs

Are mattresses in a box as good as regular mattresses?

Yes, we’d say a mattress in a box is as good as a regular mattress. Experts we spoke with said compressing and rolling up a mattress doesn’t change its firmness or support capability once it’s properly unpackaged. In general, the main difference between a boxed and regular mattress is that the “regular” mattresses are usually purchased from a showroom and delivered as-is, while beds in a box are rolled up and compressed for shipping and delivery. 

How do you return a bed in a box? 

To return a bed in a box, you’ll likely need to coordinate with a third party or the mattress company itself to schedule a pickup time. Notably, you won’t be asked to repack and compress the mattress into its original box. The returned bed may be recycled or donated. 

What is the lifespan of a mattress in a box?

Like traditional mattresses, mattresses in a box can last between seven and 10 years, depending on factors such as their materials, how you care for them and how often they’re used. 

How long should you wait before sleeping on a boxed mattress?

In general, mattress companies recommend waiting up to 72 hours before sleeping on a boxed mattress after you decompress it. But some companies note that certain beds, such as those that are memory foam, may require more than 72 hours to reach their maximum dimensions. So when it comes to sleeping on your mattress for the first time, be sure to follow the specific manufacturer's instructions for your mattress.