11 best affordable mattresses with a five-star feel
The term ‘cheap mattresses’ springs to mind low-quality and not long-lasting but, in reality, some of the best cheap mattresses are actually just as high performing as their luxe competitors. Yep, some of the best memory foam mattresses, hybrid or spring-based mattresses, even from the well-known sleep tech brands like Emma and Eve Sleep, actually come in at under £500.
Buying an affordable mattress could be the answer to your woes, since it has the power to relieve your joints of pressure, ensure you wake up less, move about less and feel less disturbed by your partner. But where to start when it comes to finding the best cheap mattress for you, and do you want a memory foam one or perhaps a pocket-sprung mattress? Settle onto your comfy bed frame, get under your duvet, perch your head on that fluffy pillow and allow us to reveal all.
What is the best basic mattress support type? | What is the difference between memory foam, spring and hybrid mattresses? | How to we test and review the best budget mattresses? | How does the GLAMOUR star rating system work? | Browse our full round up
The best cheap mattresses at a glance:
- Best overall: THE Simbatex® Essential Foam Mattress, £329.40, Simba
- Best hybrid: Cool Gel Foam 2,000 Pocket Sprung Hybrid Mattress - Medium/Firm, £249, Dusk
- Best memory foam: Emma Original Mattress, £249.50, Emma
- Best sprung: Sleepeezee Classic Ortho 800 Pocket Mattress, £219.95, Mattress Online
Consider support
Whether it’s memory foam or 1,000 springs helping you get your beauty sleep, Silentnight's sleep expert, Hannah Shore says the first thing to look at is the type of support you need in your budget mattress.
“The support will usually come from the spring unit (or high-density foam) that is in the mattress," Hannah said. "Look for how the springs are made up: a pocket spring will give you a more tailored support layer, however a continuous coil may offer you the right level of support for your body type and are often cheaper. The bigger your frame, the firmer your supportive layer needs to be.”
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Memory foam, spring or hybrid?
It can get confusing when shopping for cheap mattresses. How does memory foam support you? What even is a hybrid?
Memory foam is a layer of foam that moulds with your body shape, helping to distribute your body weight, while responding to your body temperature. “The benefits of memory foam are that it is very durable so easy to care for as it won’t need turning as often, and it also offers great pressure relief,” says Hannah.
Most spring-based beds today are supported by pocket springs - small wire springs, surrounded by fabric, which help to support and create the bounce in a mattress. And you’ve guessed it - a Hybrid mattress is when these two forms of support are mashed together to allow for the benefits of both.
How to we test and review the best budget mattresses?
By using buyer feedback from customers who've tried and tested the products, data on what you've been searching for via. Google, as well as checking thoroughly to see which products feature durable/less durable materials. From this, we then pulled together what we feel is a round up of the very best inexpensive mattresses for nightly use. We've rifled through the good and bad comments (and there were some awful ones), so you don't have to, not to mention we - as a team of fashion, interiors and beauty experts - happen to know a thing or two about which brands in the sleep industry have earned their respective places as the ‘best’. Plus, with a team of 30+ here at team GLAMOUR, of course some of us have trialled a cheaper mattress in our time, be it as a student or first-time home owner. Naturally, we have some of our own dos and don't knowhow. Our aim is to find you mattresses which will last and, should anything about one of them signal that that's not the case, you'll be the first to know - happy sleeping!
How does the GLAMOUR star rating system work?
1/5 - Not one you're likely to see here, as we aim to provide you with products that you want to buy, not 1/5s. That said, a 1/5 star rating would mean the mattress fails on all fronts.
2/5 - Again, not likely to be included in our round ups, a 2/5 would mean the product is disappointing in most areas, perhaps excelling in one field e.g. an especially affordable price point, like IKEA.
3/5 - A 3/5 would mean the product is passable, better if you're on a more modest budget, but leaves room for improvement. For instance, this could be a mattress that is might be acceptable for occasional guests, but doesn't offer any finer features such as innerspring coils or reflex foam.
4/5 - A 4/5 would mean the mattress is near perfect, with faults only small and easy to overlook. For instance, it that ticks all the boxes, but isn't available in a small double or small single.
5/5 - A 5/5 rating means the product, website and mattress company are all perfect. We will never give a product a five-star rating if it has a single fault that we know of, so look out for these, they're rare!
After more sleep content? Head this way for weighted blankets and mattress toppers, over here for the best duvets, in this direction for the best pillows, here for anti-allergy pillows and this way for cooling pillows. We've also got silk bedding, mattress protectors, silk pillowcases and linen bedding to keep you cool all winter, plus body pillows, and pregnancy pillows to invest in if you're expecting, sleep masks to keep the morning light at bay and pillow spray to help you nod off. For more from GLAMOUR UK Commerce Writer Lucy Smith, follow her on Instagram @luceeeeesmith.