1. Best overall
2. Best for side sleepers
3. Best very cheap mattress
4. Best for back sleepers
5. Best for spare rooms
With the best cheap mattress you can get a new bed without breaking the bank or sentencing yourself to sleepless nights or aches and pains. While mattresses tend to be expensive, it's nevertheless possible to find a good one that won't cost you a fortune, and we've rounded up the leading options for you.
With several of our picks included in our best mattress guide, you'll find beds that will give you a comfortable night's sleep whatever your sleeping style. You won't get the luxury materials or high-end features you'll find in high-end mattresses, but you will find plenty of comfort and support.
We've included mattresses that cost under £400 for a double, based on regular deals and sales prices. This means you'll find mattress that span both our budget (under £300) and lower mid-range (£300-£400) price bracket. Of course, although these mattresses are already cheap, you'll find even better deals at major sales events. With the Cyber Monday mattress deals going live, you can get a major saving on a budget-friendly mattress.
Remember that cheaper mattresses don't always come with mattress trial periods, so we'd recommend looking for a mattress that offers a minimum of 30 days to trial the mattress, along with the ability to return it during this period for a full refund.
Ready to get started? Let's look at the best cheap mattresses you can buy.
The best cheap mattresses in 2023
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Best cheap mattress overall
The REM-Fit Pocket 1000 Hybrid is an incredibly comfortable mattress that offers great value for money, along with a comfortable night's sleep. Its features match those of far more expensive mattresses and the brand has a great reputation for producing supportive and pressure relieving beds. Let's look under the covers.
Materials
Constructed of five layers, the REM-Fit 1000 Hybrid is a 20cm hybrid mattress combining memory foam and pocket springs. Underneath the removable and washable padded cover is a layer of memory foam, followed by another layer of foam for body contouring. Beneath the foams are the individually wrapped pocket springs, with a perimeter foam that wraps around all the above layers to help with edge support. Finally, a layer of high-density foam supports the entire mattress.
Firmness and comfort
The REM-Fit 1000 Hybrid is a good all-rounder, with our testers feeling that it scored much higher than they expected from its price point. It's particular suited to back and side sleeping, with our testers feeling supported around the spine, hips and shoulders. There's some nice contouring and pressure relief from the memory foam, although you won't get the deep support of premium mattresses. Dedicated front sleepers may find it a little soft though but for the vasty majority of sleepers, this is an extremely supportive mattress.
Performance
If you're sharing your bed with a restless sleeper, the REM-Fit is a great choice. The upper layers of foam and memory foam do a great job of isolating motion, but edge support could be better although it's perfectly acceptable for a budget mattress. Unfortunately, the REM-Fit does sleep warmer than some hybrids, so we wouldn't recommend it if you're a hot sleepers.
Value for money
The REM-Fit 1000 Hybrid is nearly always on sale, with prices for a double ranging from £299 all the way down to £227 (RRP £379). There's normally around a 30% discount on the mattress, and you'll sometimes get free pillows included. With a 100-night trial, there's plenty of time to decide on whether the mattress is right for you and there's a 15-year warranty in case of any issues.
Read more: REM-Fit Pocket 1000 Hybrid mattress review
Best cheap mattress for side sleepers
The Emma Original is not only a superb budget mattress, it's also the top pick in both our best mattress for side sleepers and best memory foam mattress picks. The only reason it's not top in this list is that it's in the lower mid-range budget but, if you can stretch to it, this is the one we'd recommend. It's a reliable all-rounder and adapts well to different sleeping styles.
Materials
This 25cm all-foam mattress comes with two different cover options - a standard soft touch, breathable cover and an upgraded 'Comfort' cover that's extra-thick and plush. Underneath there's a layer of Emma's 'Point Elastic Airgocell' foam for temperature regulation, followed by a layer of 'Halo' memory foam for contouring to a sleeper's body. The mattress is finished with a layer of 7-zoned 'HRX' base foam for support and correct spinal alignment.
Firmness and comfort
Emma's Halo memory foam gives this mattress a distinctive 'hug', with the foam adapting to a sleeper's unique body shape and sleeping position. The mattress offers superb pressure relief and, despite the sinkage, the spine is always kept aligned. The Emma is particularly suited to side sleepers, who will benefit from the cushioning around the hips and shoulders. But unless you're of a heavier weight, in which case the mattress may be too soft, this is a great all-rounder for every sleeping style.
Performance
All-foam mattresses sleep warmer than hybrids, but Emma has tried to avoid this issue with the Point Elastic Airgocell foam layer. This regulates temperature by absorbing and evaporating sweat and, combined with the temperature regulating cover, it does a good job of cooling the mattress. However, this is still an all-foam mattress and does sleep a little warm. Motion isolation is excellent, as we'd expect from a foam mattress, but edge support is weak, with some noticeable sloping towards the edges.
Value for money
The Emma mattress is regularly on sale, but the RRP fluctuates meaning you need to pay attention to the price rather than advertised discount. A double is normally on offer for between £349 and £379, with discounts changing between the original and plus versions (the plus has the upgraded cover). There's also a generous 200-night trial period and a 10-year warranty. Keep up to date with the latest discounts at our Emma mattress sales page.
Read more: Emma mattress review
Best very cheap mattress
On a really tight budget? The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress is incredibly cheap and included in our best memory foam mattress guide as the best budget option. This isn't a mattress that we'd recommend as a main bed, but for occasional guest use in a spare room it's perfectly acceptable.
Materials
The mattress is made of a simple all-foam structure, with a memory foam layer at the top for contouring. Underneath is a layer of pressure relieving foam and a base of supportive high density foam. The whole thing is wrapped up in a jacquard knitted cover and the mattress is infused with green tea extract and natural lubricating oil.
Firmness and comfort
There is a little zoned support in the Zinus and, if you buy the thicker version, you should get some contouring from the upper memory foam layer. Back and stomach sleepers will probably find this mattress more comfortable for occasional sleep, but its lack of padding will make it uncomfortable for side sleepers.
Performance
The all-foam design of the Zinus means it's very good at isolating motion and, somewhat surprisingly for such a cheap mattress, edge support is also good. This is not, however, a mattress for hot sleepers, with some customers saying that they felt too warm after only a couple of hours.
Value for money
With prices below £150, this is a mattress for those on a tight budget. As you might expect for this price there's no trial period, but you do get a 10-year guarantee and, if you order from Amazon, a 30-day return policy.
Best cheap mattress for back sleepers
Another one of our best mattress picks, the Origin Hybrid mattress also features in our best hybrid mattress guide and is particularly suited to stomach and back sleepers with its firmer feel. Heavier sleepers should also appreciate this mattress, with the firmer support stopping them from sinking onto the coils.
Materials
The Origin Hybrid is certified eco-friendly and has won a Sustainable Design award. Underneath a 100% bamboo Tencel cover there's a layer of the brand's proprietary HexaGrid offering zoned support, followed by premium Australian wool and graphite infused foam to help with cooling. Natural bamboo foam sits above the individually pocketed antigravity springs which offer support across the entire body.
Firmness and comfort
Although Origin suggest the mattress is medium firm (6.5/10), we found it much firmer, rating it at an 8/10. This firmer support makes this mattress ideal for stomach sleepers, who will find their hips are kept in alignment with their shoulders, helping to keep the spine aligned. It's also ideal for back sleepers who prefer a firmer feel, with the centre third of the HexaGrid being firmer to keep the spine aligned. Our average and heavier weight sleepers enjoyed sleeping in all positions on the Origin, but some lightweight side sleepers may find it too firm.
Performance
The combination of graphite infused foam, well-spaced coils and Tencel cover means that this mattress sleeps cool and is a good choice for hot sleepers. In fact, if you're more of the reptilian persuasion, you may actually find the Origin too cool at night. Surprisingly for such a firm mattress, motion isolation is excellent and you won't feel any movement from a partner thanks to the HexaGrid and layers of foam. Edge support is a bit mixed though, with more sinkage at the corners than the middle of the mattress. This makes it difficult to use the full width of the mattress when sleeping.
Value for money
The Origin Hybrid is an upper mid-range mattress when at full price but it's nearly always on sale, with incredibly generous discounts of around 40%. This means you'll get a double mattress for £369, plus there's a 5% discount on the matching pillow if you buy it at the same time. We've occasionally seen discounts of up to 50% as well. There's a generous 200-night trial period, the same as with the Emma Original, and a 15-year warranty.
Read more: Origin Hybrid mattress review
- Read more: Origin Hybrid Mattress review
Best cheap mattress for spare rooms
If you're looking for a cheap mattress for occasional use or a child's bedroom, the Linenspa mattress is one to consider. We tested the 20cm Memory Foam Hybrid model and found it was also a good choice for lightweight stomach sleepers.
Materials
The Linenspa is simply designed, as you'd expect for the price. The cover is made from a soft polyester blend that's been quilted with 1.2cm of memory foam for a little immediate pressure relief. Underneath is a comfort layer of poly foam to respond to pressure, followed by the final layer of steel coils. These are an open coil design that's more similar to a traditional innerspring mattress.
Firmness and comfort
With its thinner design, most adults won't get enough support from the Linenspa to make it a viable option for full time sleeping. However, children are lighter and should get a nice amount of support from the foams, along with bounce from the coils. Our lightweight tester also felt the mattress was comfortable for sleeping on their front, as the firmer surface keeps the spine aligned in this position. However, it's not suitable for any adult back and side sleepers who may find too much pressure build-up around the shoulders and hips. Average and heavier weight front sleepers will also sink too far into the mattress, and could end up sleeping on the coils.
Performance
The Linenspa isn't the hottest mattress we've tested - its thinner layers of foam and open coil design help to prevent it from building up too much heat. Motion isolation is average at best and we wouldn't recommend this mattress if you share your bed with a restless partner. Unfortunately, edge support is particularly poor on the Linenspa, with a distinct slope on the edge of the bed.
Value for money
The Linenspa is another particularly cheap mattress, with a RRP of between £189 and £206. Amazon does have discounts on the Linenspa range, so keep an eye on our mattress sales and deals page for the latest offers. You won't get a trial period but there are free returns if you're an Amazon Prime customer and there's also a 10-year warranty.
Read more: Linenspa Memory Foam Hybrid review