Best Budget Mattress for 2021 – Tips & Deals

Last Updated on April 19, 2021



Our Choice




Most consumers share the misconception that a high-quality mattress can’t be affordable. There are brands and models, which can cost thousands of dollars. However, there are many available budget-friendly beds.

Despite the price-points, some products offer the same high-quality materials and excellent performance as many of their more expensive competitors. The UK market is overflown with cheap bedding products, but finding a mattress that will provide you with the appropriate comfort and support at a price value can be challenging.

There are a few things which can play a role in the price of a product, which means you’ll need to know what to look for. If you don’t know where to start, leave your worries behind and take a look at our guide.


Best Budget Mattress

How to choose the best budget mattress?

When you’re looking for a low-priced mattress, you should take many different variables into account. Brands tend to have misleading information on their website, such as ‘ultimate comfort’ or ‘impeccable durability’, but that’s not always true.

What you have to do is focus on an accurate description that looks at the following characteristics:


In today’s article, price is the most important feature. Many factors can contribute to it, such as mattress type, quality of materials, firmness, unique features, and even the brand itself. Keep in mind that a lower price range doesn’t necessarily mean an inferior item.


There are a few mattress types, and they all have their pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide what your personal preference is. For example, memory foam and latex beds contour to the sleeper’s body and support your spine, while alleviating pressure points.

Whereas innerspring and hybrids are more breathable and provide a supportive and responsive option. You can also consider airbeds since their firmness can be customised dues to their adjustable air chambers.


High-quality materials can often offer more comfort and support.

For instance, high-density memory foam mattresses provide better body-conforming and better motion isolation than lower foam densities. The same goes for natural and synthetic latex. One is breathable and durable with enhanced support for a sleeper, where the other isn’t as sufficient.


Usually, the firmness level is measured on a scale from 1 to 10, with one being the softest and ten the firmest.

Softer beds provide better pressure relief, but the often sag faster. In contrast, firmer ones offer more support and less conforming, but can sometimes be too hard for some people. When you’re deciding on the firmness, think about your body weight.

If you’re a lighter person, a softer mattress might not be a bad idea, but you are heavier than average we don’t advise you to go under medium-firm.

Sleeping Position

There are individual mattress needs associated with all sleep positions.

In general, side sleepers will prefer an option that will cushion the shoulders and hips, align the spine, and reduce pressure points. Whereas, back and front sleepers will most likely need more support for the midsection and contouring around the lower back area.

Pressure Relief

Foam, hybrid, and latex mattresses alleviate pressure by cushioning certain areas like shoulders and hips while keeping your spine correctly aligned and maintaining even support for your entire body. Typically the best pressure relief comes from thicker comfort layers.

How to choose a budget mattress?

Temperature Regulation

If you’re a hot sleeper, temperature regulation is essential. Usually, hybrids and pocket sprung mattresses will keep you the coolest due to their coils promoting internal airflow, maintaining a comfortable temperature.

In most cases, memory foam beds sleep the hottest since they absorb and trap body heat unless they have cooling gel-infused in them. So think twice before deciding on a type of mattress.


Contouring, for the most part, refers to how closely the mattress cradles your body.

If you want a bed that will alleviate pressure, your best bet will be an item that offers deep contouring while isolating just as well. Sometimes models with less conforming feel more supportive of heavier people and won’t sink as much along the edges.

But if you want a balanced and comfortable suggestion, try to stay in the mid-level contouring.

Edge Support

You don’t want a mattress which will sink when you sit along the edges, which is why you have to take into account edge support.

Getting out of bed shouldn’t be difficult, and with mattresses like hybrids and innersprings, you will receive the best edge support due to the thick coil systems reinforcing those edges. If this is a crucial feature for you, stay away from latex since it tends to ink the most.


If you’re someone that tosses and often turns throughout the night or you share the bed with a partner that does so, you’ll have to think about noise, and it’s isolation.

The best recommendation when it comes down to virtually silent choices is latex. Pretty much every other mattress type is associated with more noise due to specific components like coils or air chambers.

Trial Period & Warranty

Just because you want an affordable bed doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know your money’s worth. You won’t be able to tell if a bed is right for you, only from laying on it for a couple of minutes in a store, which is why we recommend you look for products that come with a free trial period at home. We suggest you select one with a minimum of 30 days so that your body has time to adjust.

Also, the lifespan of a mattress can hint at its quality. Most warranties vary from 1 to 10 years, but a few brands offer a lifetime guarantee. However, make sure to read the fine print to know how the return process works and if the warranty can be voided for a specific reason.

1. Emma Essential Mattress – Editor’s Pick

Emma Essential
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First, on our list, today is the Emma Essential mattress, with a 2-layered sleeping system that easily won the Editor’s pick in this category.

Emma has been a top competitor in the mattress industry for a while, and they’ve decided to create a new budget option, designed from the same minds as the UK’s most awarded mattress, the Emma Original.

The Emma Essential is unlike your traditional foam mattress. It comes in a temperature-regulating cover, made from breathable fibres that help prevent overheating, where the bottom part has a non-slip base to stop it from slipping off the bed frame.

Next is the open-pored foam layer that wicks away moisture and allows air to circulate freely. Right underneath it, you’ll find the supportive HRX foam with innovative zoning, which offers advanced support where you need it the most while keeping your spine aligned and relieving pressure.

Overall, the Emma Essential will provide you with happier sleep, available in five sizes with a depth of 18cm. The manufacturer offers free delivery to your door and a 5-year warranty.

Key Features:

  • Highly breathable foams
  • Innovative Zoning
  • Temperature-regulating cover
  • Unique cut-outs
  • Warranty: 5 years

2. Vesgantti Bamboo Charcoal Mattress

Vesgantti Bamboo Charcoal
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The Vesgantti Bamboo Charcoal is the cheapest mattress on our list that brings you all the benefits from memory foam relief combined with the odour and moisture control of bamboo charcoal.

This fantastic Vesgantti product has a four-layered construction, where on top is a naturally breathable and soft bamboo cover, providing a cooling barrier between you and the bed. Next is the 2.5cm Egg Crate memory foam layer, offering increased air circulation, bounce and improved pressure relief.

After that is the 3.5cm Cooling Foam infused with Bamboo Charcoal, which adapts to your body to reduce all pressure points, lastly, we have the 10cm Vesgantti®Dense Core Foam, supporting all body types and sleep positions.

In general, Vesgantti designed to flex under pressure to keep you supported and comfortable. You get to pick from ten different sizes with a 17cm depth. The Vesgantti Bamboo Charcoal is CertiPUR-US® certified, with a 100-night trial period and a ten-year warranty that comes with free delivery in a box.

Key Features:

  • Vesgantti®dense core foam
  • Soft Bamboo fibre cover
  • Infused with bamboo charcoal
  • Trial Period for Returns: 100 days
  • Warranty: 10 years

3. Simba Comfort Foam

Simba Comfort Foam
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Simba is a well-known bedding company that has created a cheaper mattress, sold only through third-party platforms such as Amazon and E-bay.

This item has a two-layer foam design wrapped in a stylish cover. First is the hypo-allergenic knitted cover, suitable for every season, that has temperature regulation properties. It has also been Oeko-Tex 100 certified, ensuring it has been tested for harmful components.

Right after, we have the Simbatex foam layer, the brand’s very own foam, designed with open-pores to contour to your body during sleep. The open-cell structure allows constant airflow every night. Finally, we have the base made out of high-definition foam featuring castellated zones that align your spine and relieve pressure points.

The Simba Comfort prevents motion transfer while providing a perfectly balanced medium-firm feel in four different sizes with a depth of 19cm. Simba gives you a 100-day trial period to fall in love with their product, a three-year guarantee and free delivery to UK mainland addresses.

Key Features:

  • 2 layers of construction
  • Hypo-allergenic sleep surface
  • OEKO-TEX® 100 certified
  • Trial Period for Returns: 100 days
  • Warranty: 3 years

4. Silentnight 3 Zone Memory Foam Mattress

Silentnight 3 Zone
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Silentnight is one of the UK’s top leading bedding brands, that have created an affordable and supportive choice called the 3-Zone Mattress.

The Silentnight is designed with a three zoned system that promotes maximum support and comfort. Memory foam moulds to your whole body to provide pressure-relieving support to three areas of your body that are lower back, shoulders and hips.

Silentnight’s product is Purotex treated to reduce moisture and dust-mite allergens in order to create a budget-friendly hypo-allergenic mattress. With Silentnight’s 3-Zone, you get to choose from seven different sizes, all with a depth of 18 cm, providing a healthier sleeping environment.

This Silentnight’s item comes vacuum-packed and rolled with the brand’s delivery team, which will take it to your room of choice, unpack, and unroll it for you, all for free. Silentnight is an innovative choice with an excellent value, which comes with a five-year warranty.

Key Features:

  • Miratex 3 zoned support system
  • Memory foam
  • Purotex treated
  • Depth: 18cm
  • Warranty: 5 years

5. Happy Beds Majestic 1000

Happy Beds Majestic
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If you’re having back and joint problems, but don’t have too much money to spend, then this orthopaedic Happy Beds mattress might be the solution to your issues.

The Happy Beds Majestic 1000 measures 25cm, making it a thicker choice for an array of bed frames and bases. It’s crafted with a wealth of 1000 individually nested pocket springs, which bring exceptional comfort and support.

To make it even better, we have air vents placed on the sides to keep the mattress cool and dry each night. You can see the exemplary hand-crafted quality with this choice, available in six sizes.

You’ll get to enjoy both sides, and if you flip and rotate it regularly, you will prolong its lifespan. Happy Beds have conveniently located handles on both sides of the mattress for easy turning and handling.

Overall, the Happy Beds Majestic has a medium firmness level, making it both supportive and comfortable with a year warranty and free delivery to UK mainland.

Key Features:

  • 1000 individual pocket springs
  • Hypo-allergenic damask fabric
  • Fire-retardant
  • Hand-tufted
  • Warranty: 1 year
Mattress deals

What can affect a mattress’ price?

Like with anything else, certain features and characteristics can considerably drive up the price-point of a mattress. They can include the following:

High-Density Memory Foam

Let’s start by explaining what density implies. Generally, density refers to how much foams weigh, and they are usually measured in kilograms per cubic meter. The majority of high-density foams is between 23kg/m3 to 28kg/m3 depending on whether it is a turn foam mattress or not.

High-density foams are exceptionally durable and will keep their shape for a while. They provide even body contouring and motion isolation. Thus, they are more expensive, and budget mattresses aren’t often constructed from them.

Organic & Natural Latex

Latex can be natural and synthetic. The natural option is derived from rubber tree sap, where artificial items are chemically constructed.

Organic and natural latex are customarily processed with very few chemical agents, making them incredibly breathable and exceptionally durable. However, most organic or natural latex mattresses come with prices higher than £1000.

In contrast, models designed with blended or synthetic latex are way cheaper and a great option for people on a budget.

Zoned Coils

Most low-cost mattresses feature coil systems with a uniform gauge. Nevertheless zoned coil systems are divided into thickness zones, where you have thicker coils reinforcing the edges and thinner coils supporting the body.

Zoned coils models provide the best combination of edge support and sleeper comfort, making them expensive, but you can find a deal with affordable price-points in some situations.

Cooling Features

There are some materials that can be infused into the cover or comfort layer of a mattress to promote a cooler sleeping surface. One of the most used options is Copper, which due to its natural conductivity dissipates heat reasonably well.

Memory foam mattresses can be infused with phase-change materials or some cooling gel, designed to maintain a constant and cool surface through the night.

When you’re looking at prices, be sure to read the specs and see why. The cost may often reflect some of the features we listed above, but it can be overpriced in other situations.

How can I get the best deal on a mattress?

How can I get the best deal on a mattress?

In many situations, a mattress’s cost depends on where and when customers look for a new one. For the most part, online brands are cheaper than brick-and-mortar retailers, which means surfing the internet might be a great way to find a deal.

Additionally, you can save money with holiday sales, bundling and even comparison shopping. Most mattress brands offer sales and promotions that align with big holidays. They can be a percentage of the purchase or a discount code you can type it in to get the promotion.

In some cases, a company might even offer free bedding products with a bed purchase, which can save you money in the long run.

How can I save money on bedding products?

Sometimes finding cheap beds online requires extensive research into different companies and the models they offer. However, there are few tricks you can be on the lookout for, and they include the following:

Coupons & Discounts

Most manufacturers have discount codes which customers can apply to their final purchase, and they can knock a substantial amount off the original price.

Nowadays, apps work entirely to search for coupons you can use to lower the price of the item you want. One of the most popular options is ‘Honey’. No matter what you chose, both coupons and checkout codes can save you a few hundred dollars.


There are mattress brands that will occasionally offer sheet sets, pillows, mattress toppers, and other bedding accessories for free with a bed’s purchase.

Others will give you the opportunity to buy to or more products in a bundle deal instead of buying the items individually, which can save you a lot of money. Some brands are known for their bundle specials, which is why you have to know where and what to look for.

Price Matching

Lastly, there is the possibility of price matching where a competitor will match a particular bed price. However, these scenarios don’t typically occur for online brands.

Sometimes buying a mattress in person can have its perks as well, such as price negotiation, but most times, purchasing a bed online will be cheaper.

How much should I pay for a mattress?

How long is a low-cost mattress going to last?

There are many value mattresses, which were built to last as long as their expensive competition. If you’re not sure about the product’s lifespan, you can either contact a company representative or check the warranty.

In most cases, the length and conditions of a warranty are enough to give you a good idea of an item’s life expectancy. Make sure you read the fine print and see if there aren’t any situations in which the mattress warranty can be voided.

Normally a mattress should last between 7 and 10 years, but many variables can influence its lifespan.

How much should I pay for a mattress?

This is the million-dollar question, and sadly there isn’t a ‘one cost fits all’ answer. The reason behind it is that a mattress’s cost depends on many factors, including size, materials, type, etc.

In the UK the average price for a king-size mattress can vary between £500 and £1500. However, it’s possible to find good options at lower price points, just like you can find pricier mattresses that can cost upwards of £5000.

The choice is yours, and only yours! The advise we can give you is look around before deciding on how much you’re willing to spend, so you have a realistic range of budget.

Bottom line

Price and quality don’t have to be negatively related, which is why we’ve created a list of the top five cheapest quality mattresses we can find on the market today.

Finding an affordable bed that will suit your unique needs is something you deserve. With so many mattress companies that frequently change, the good news is that it will bring an even more significant drop in prices, while quality will improve.


If there are any questions, regarding the subject that were left unanswered, we would gladly answer them in the comments below.

Isabelle Harris
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