Before we dive into our picks for the best bed in a box, a quick history lesson is in order. In the aughts, a red-caped magician called Bill Bradley forwent the usual on-stage, pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat trick and instead opted to stuff a king-sized mattress into a box. The crowd? Stunned. The mattress industry? Never the same. Since 2004, when Bradley, indeed, invented this technology (albeit likely in an engineering facility and not on stage), the way we buy mattresses was revolutionized from an onerous trip to the local furniture store to the click of a button. Though the reviews—millions of them online—prove that this shopping method will get you a quality bed, GQ editors have put the top-rated mattresses to the test to ensure that you’re getting the right one for your needs. Ready? Here we go.
The Best Bed-In-a-Box Mattresses, At a Glance
- The Best Mattress In a Box Overall: Helix Midnight Elite
- The Best Hybrid Mattress In a Box: Winkbeds Original Hybrid
- The Best Organic Mattress In a Box: Birch Luxe
- The Best Pressure-Relieving Mattress In a Box: Nectar Premium Hybrid
- The Best Not-in-a-Box Mattress: Saatva Classic
- The Best Luxury Mattress In a Box: Purple RestorePremier Hybrid Mattress
- The Best Memory Foam Mattress In a Box: Casper Snow Max
- The Best Cooling Mattress In a Box: Leesa Sapira
- The Best Latex Mattress In a Box: Earthfoam
- The Best Affordable Mattress In a Box: The S&S Organic Mattress
Best Mattress In a Box Overall: Helix Midnight Elite
Our Take: A “medium” firmness bed is often code for “compromise” between a dueling couple with different needs, but the Helix Midnight family of mattresses—comprised of the Helix Midnight, the Helix Midnight Luxe, and the Helix Midnight Elite—continually wins GQ Sleep Awards because it’s, well, great. The Elite mattress has a sturdy coil base with zoned support so that it’s less firm in places where your hips might fall and sturdier around the edge, so the mattress doesn’t completely sink when you try to get out of it. Atop those coils are five foam layers and a two-inch pillowtop, so you get that marshmallow-y effect when you hop into bed. Global Design Director Keir Novesky tested the bed for us, and said that it’s “firm to the initial touch, but nice and receptive once I lay down.” As a combination sleeper, the hybrid construction helps to prevent motion control, and though he sleeps hot, the mattress stays nice and cool thanks to a heat-dissipating “GlacioTex Elite Technology.” At 16 inches thick, Novesky’s only word of warning is to make sure that your frame and space can handle a deep mattress. “Its depth is considerable,” he says. “Take this into account when purchasing your fitted sheets for it.”
The Delivery: Novesky says that the set-up and delivery were a breeze. You can choose to have setup and removal arranged when you check out, but Novesky opted to DIY. “The setup and unboxing was quick and easy,” he says. “The hardest part was breaking down and throwing out the box.” Spoken like a true New Yorker.
Best Hybrid Mattress In a Box: Winkbeds Original Hybrid
Our Take: People on every corner of the internet—even Reddit—love the Winkbeds Original Hybrid, and our tester did too. “I bought a popular mattress almost twice as expensive and found the quality and comfort of the Winkbed to be a lot better,” says Stephanie Tran, GQ Visuals Director, noting that it was firm and supportive, yet still comfy. That’s due in part to the hybrid construction of innerspring coils, which give the mattress a little bounce, paired with gel foams for motion-absorbing support and a pillowtop cover for pressure relief. As a hot sleeper, Tran loved the eucalyptus Tencel cover, which wicks away moisture to keep you cool at night.
The Delivery: Tran says that the box was “pretty heavy,” but the packaging was “easy to navigate on her own.” Once in her room, the mattress inflated very quickly, and while there was a little bit of off-gassing (meaning the mattress had a chemical smell), it wasn’t offensive, and it went away quickly.
Best Organic Mattress In a Box: Birch Luxe
Our Take: If you’ve ever gone into a doctors office and seen the mounds of credentials stacked on the walls as proof that they’re really that good, then you’ll be happy to hear about the Birch Luxe mattress. It is GOLS and GREENGUARD Gold Certified, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for an organic mattress, and it’s won tons of sleep awards, if you’re someone who’s looking for a mattress that will hold up. “As someone who has slept on some really cheap mattresses, the Birch mattress quality is amazing,” says Heven Haile, editorial operations assistant. “Every element of its design seems like it was thought out and intentional.” That design includes a base of coils that add some spring for combination sleepers, topped with natural latex foams and a plush pillowtop, which Haile credits with helping her backaches feel better.
For those sleepers who have partners or animals in bed, Haile says that you’ll make a great investment. “My partner and my cat move around a lot in their sleep but it's nearly unnoticeable with this mattress,” she says, adding that the edge support is also primo if movement in bed forces you to the side—a potentially life-saving feature. “My cat often rolls off the bed while she's cleaning herself but the edge support has preserved one of her nine lives.”
The Delivery: The box will arrive at your door as any package, but if you want someone else to handle the set-up (and old mattress removal) you can opt in to that service at checkout. According to Haile, “set up and unboxing was very easy.” She says that the mattress was quite heavy when it was rolled up in plastic but easier to move around when it had inflated—“which took maybe 10 seconds or so.” Best yet? Thanks to the latex materials that were used, there wasn’t any offgassing like with foam mattresses.
Best Pressure-Relieving Mattress In a Box: Nectar Premier Hybrid
Our Take: For those folks who are looking for pressure relief, the Nectar Premier Hybrid could be just the ticket. Like many of the other hybrid mattresses on this list, the construction of coils and foam lend to a supportive, yet cushy feel, but the foam in this mattress in particular slaps. It has three layers of foam—a responsive support layer that encourages proper spinal alignment; a pressure-relief layer that is meant to be friendly to your back and hips, and a layer of foundation foam at the very bottom of the mattress to ensure that it holds up over time. It’s covered with a cooling topper that is constructed of antimicrobial fabric, so if you forget to wash your sheets for a month (Pro Tip: Don't), it won’t hurt the mattress.
The Delivery: The mattress arrives in a box on your doorstep and inflates quickly once you have it in the right place. A queen is close to 100 pounds, so make sure that you’ve got more than one person to move this puppy (or any bed in a box, for that matter).
Best Not-in-a-Box Mattress: Saatva Classic
Our Take: If you’re down with the whole “bring me a bed and don’t make me talk to a salesperson” thing but are less sold on your mattress coming to you in a box, this one’s for you. The Saatva Classic Mattress is like all the DTC brands, save that it is never compressed. Most of the beds that get delivered in a box are hybrid construction (meaning that they pair innerspring with foam) or all latex or foam, but the Saatva is a classic innerspring mattress with a three-inch pillowtop. It’s springier than other bed-in-a-boxes that I’ve tried, which is nice because I’m a side-sleeper who rolls from left to right each night. It also feels more premium to me, thanks to little touches like a hypoallergenic cotton cover, zoned lumbar support to give you pressure relief where you need it and a coil base that ensures that the mattress holds up for the long haul. It comes in three firmnesses: plush soft, luxury firm, and firm. I tried the softest one because I’m a side sleeper, and found that it still gave me the support that I need. The bottom line—I’ve covered sleep for years, and I have to say that this mattress is an incredibly close second to one that I slept on with a $75K price tag.
The Delivery: Without the luxury of just dropping it at your door by the FedEx guy, this mattress is delivered to you by very nice people who put it into your space and take away your old mattress, should you so choose. This is great if you’re someone with mobility issues or if you just don’t want to have to fuss with lugging a boxed mattress into your space.
Best Luxury Mattress In a Box: Purple RejuvenatePlus Mattress
Our Take: If you’re ready to invest in your sleep (but not ready to throw down $75K for that other mattress I mentioned), the Purple RestorePremier Hybrid Mattress is the option for you. Senior Commerce Editor Ian Burke, who tested it, says that its hybrid construction hits the sweet spot for couples who may have dueling preferences: “I hate memory foam and my girlfriend hates innerspring; I love super firm mattresses and she loves super soft mattresses—somehow, we both love this mattress,” he says. “It's a miracle.” Part of that is due to the construction of the bed. The Purple brand uses a proprietary GelFlex grid technology that lends itself to optimal support without feeling like you’re sleeping on a slab of foam. Atop that is a responsive layer of foam to encourage motion isolation and a plush pillowtop that Burke says “feels like a built-in mattress topper.” For those concerned about getting hot in this bed, Burke suggests you shouldn’t worry, saying that it sleeps surprisingly cool.
The Delivery: Burke is a self-proclaimed meathead and told me that this mattress is super heavy to get into place, so you may want to consider taking advantage of the brand’s in-home setup (it’s free; so you don’t even have to factor it into the budget). Once in place, this mattress took about eight hours to inflate, so don’t think you’ll come home at the end of a long day, unbox it, and be ready to fall into bed.
Best Memory Foam Mattress In a Box: Casper Snow Max
Our Take: If you’re not used to seeing “hot sleeper” and “memory foam” in the same sentence, we wouldn’t be surprised, yet somehow Casper, one of the original bed in a box brands, scratches that itch. The feel of this bed is very much an upgraded take on the traditional Casper bed (memory foam) but thanks to a hybrid construction and some premium materials, it stays cool. The bed has a coil base; atop that is zoned foaming to help relieve pressure on your hips and back; and atop that is a heat-dissipating foam that’s meant to keep you cool throughout the night while still giving you the support that only a memory foam bed can.
The Delivery: A queen mattress weighs 111 pounds, so you should definitely make sure to have a couple of people transporting it. Once it’s in your space, it should inflate quite quickly, and because of the memory foam, don’t be shocked if there’s a slight off-gassing. It’ll go away quickly and then a cool, supported night sleep is ahead.
Best Latex Mattress In a Box: Earthfoam
Our Take: For those who don’t want to roll the dice with foams, and are looking for an eco alternative, the Earthfoam mattress is a solid place to start. Its fully latex design means that it’s sturdy and supportive night after night. Camille Ramos, Coordinating Producer, tested the mattress and said she’s been sleeping great on it. “It’s a perfect medium firm mattress, where I felt supported but not like I am sleeping on the floor,” she says.
The Delivery: Start your training now. Ramos says that the mattress is heavy. “It took three of my dear friends help to carry up my stairs, but once we got it up it was pretty easy to setup,” she says. “It popped open right away—as they say on the box, like a crescent roll—and inflated very quickly. The instructions said it was ok to sleep on it right away, so I did. I noticed a slight rubbery kind of smell, as forewarned on the box, but it lessened within a day or two.”
Best Affordable Mattress In a Box: S&S Organic Mattress
Our Take: If you’re looking for a quality mattress that won’t cost roughly the same as your mortgage, then the S&S Organic Mattress is a great place to start. It has a pocketed coil base, latex layers, and choose-your-own-firmness topper so that it works well no matter what you’re looking for. Jeremy Clowney, Associate Director of Video Programming sleeper, says that the soft, yet supportive construction makes this bed feel like the quality is “top tier." He notes that the added plush top (something you will have to pay extra for) is his favorite part of the design.
The Delivery: Like all bed-in-a-boxes, Clowney notes that this bed was quite heavy to get into place, but not overly so. He says that once it was on his bed, it took about a day for it to fully inflate, so make sure to figure that into your delivery when you order. Bonus points for not having noticeable off-gassing.
How We Tested
GQ editors put the mattresses that you see above to the test, and our criteria for testing were fairly straightforward.
- The mattress delivery needed to be seamless. We didn’t want to recommend a mattress to you if it was delivered damaged or was incredibly difficult to set up.
- We wanted to make sure that the mattress was actually good. A lot of mattress companies make big promises that seem too good to be true (and many of them are). So, we tested if there was off-gassing (a super-chemically smell out of the box), how the mattress felt when lying on it, if it had good edge support and motion control, if it stayed cool or got hot, and on and on and on.
- We wanted to make sure that the mattresses would actually last. A lot of times, mattress companies are able to sink the price by using subpar materials, but that also means that your mattress might, uh, sink. You’ll find no sinking mattresses on our list.
- We wanted to make sure these mattresses worked for all body types. There is no one best mattress out there. The perfect one for you depends on your height, frame, build, weight, and sleeping preferences. So, we made sure that our testers were across all of these to give their insights into how a mattress might best work for you.
FAQ
What is a bed-in-a-box and how does this work?
A bed-in-a-box is a mattress that is often of memory foam, latex, or hybrid construction that manufacturers compress into a box to be delivered to your door. Usually, you order these online directly from the retailer, and they’re shipped directly to you. Depending on the delivery service that you select, you’ll either have the mattress waiting in a box at your front door, or a delivery squad will bring your mattress inside and help you set it up (some will even haul your old mattress away).
Is a bed-in-a-box as good as a traditional mattress?
In terms of quality, yes. Bed-in-a-box mattresses have warranties that are in line with many other brands that are sold at traditional retailers. Most bed-in-a-box mattresses utilize a hybrid construction of coils and foam, so they often have more of a sunk-in feel than a traditional innerspring mattress or pillowtop that you might get at a mattress store. Deciding if that’s right for you is truly a matter of preference. That said, DTC brands like Saatva still sell mattresses online that are delivered to your door in similar timeframes as bed-in-a-box mattresses.
Can I use my existing bed frame with a bed-in-a-box?
Usually, yes. Though, to get the best sleep and make sure your mattress lasts for as long as possible, you’ll want to check the specifics of the mattress and the bed frame that you have. Some memory foam and hybrid mattresses are better supported with certain bedframes using a bunkie board that you can buy off Amazon or from a retailer.
How long do bed-in-a-box mattresses last?
Unless you’re shelling out $25K for a Hastens (which is my literal dream) that lasts forever, you’re going to need to get rid of your mattress after 8-10 years, according to most experts. In that timeframe, your mattress usually stops giving you optimal support.
Are bed-in-a-box mattresses good for all sleep positions?
In general, unless you have a hip or back condition where you’re in pain and need a specific mattress with specific criteria, you can find a bed-in-a-box that works for you. Stomach and back sleepers will benefit from a firmer mattress that gives them more support, while side sleepers will often benefit from something slightly softer to help give pressure relief to their joints. Combination sleepers, who cycle through many of these different positions, should likely go for something in the middle like the Helix Midnight.
What is the return policy if I don’t like my mattress?
It really runs the gamut these days, but in general, you’ll have about 100 nights to see if the mattress works for you and your sleep style.
Do I need a box spring for a bed-in-a-box?
The box spring is the girdle of bedding. It’s old-fashioned. It’s out. You definitely don’t need one. That said, varying mattresses will sell platforms and frames that are good for their specific beds, so if you’d like to invest in something that helps your mattress stay good for the long haul, by all means, do so.
About the Author
Ali Finney lives for an A+ sleep score and spends many of her waking hours on the quest for better Zs. She has overseen sleep content for GQ, testing mattresses and bedding to help you clock better rest, and for over a decade, she’s reported on wellness trends that matter and will meaningfully impact your life.