The 5 Best Affordable Mattresses of 2026  

The best affordable mattress we've tested is the Silk & Snow Mattress, and it claims the top spot thanks to its impressive overall performance for most sleepers. While many inexpensive mattresses offer enough support to keep your spine in a straight line, it's less common to find one that provides enough pressure relief for side sleeping. Considering most people sleep on their sides for at least part of the night, this is an important consideration. The trade-off is that this Medium-Plush all-foam mattress isn't quite as supportive as other options, so heavier back and stomach sleepers might want to skip it. With this caveat in mind, it is also a superb choice for couples thanks to its fantastic motion isolation; there's a good chance both sleepers will find it comfortable, and motion from one partner tossing and turning won't be noticeable to the other.

While this mattress isn't bouncy, it's very responsive. Its surface responds very quickly, supporting every movement you make, so you don't feel stuck or constrained, despite the fact that you sink quite deeply into it. It doesn't offer much contouring, and while that may be a downside for some, it also helps avoid that 'moving through quicksand' feeling some mattresses have. It provides great cooling, helping you get a good night's sleep, even if you don't usually wake up overheated. This budget-friendly mattress is reasonably durable, too, which is surprisingly rare even in much pricier models, so it'll resist sagging and maintain its performance for longer.

The Allswell Hybrid is a Medium-Firm hybrid mattress that delivers overall strong performance for around $300 USD, making it the best cheap mattress we've tested. It's supportive enough for back and stomach sleepers, and offers good pressure relief for average-weight and heavier side sleepers, making this mattress a solid option for anyone (except lighter side sleepers) who wants a mattress at one of the lowest prices on the market. While its motion isolation isn't as impressive as the Silk & Snow Mattress's, this mattress is also a great choice for partnered sleepers, since movement doesn't travel through the mattress, waking you up every time your partner rolls over. It's very cooling, too, though it's best suited to people who tend to wake up overheated later in the night, rather than those who have trouble falling asleep because of the heat.

In contrast to our top pick, this mattress's surface contours to you quite closely, but you don't sink very deeply into it. Since it's also bouncy and responsive, it's easy to move around, despite the cozy hugging feeling the contouring provides. The biggest downside of this model is its durability; it has a couple of layers of good-quality foam and a couple of layers of low-quality foam, so you can expect to notice some sagging as the low-quality layers begin to break down, but, considering the price, this will probably be an acceptable trade-off for most.

The Casper Cooling Select may not be right for everyone, but if you suffer from back pain, it's a good option at an affordable price. It offers good support with a zoned transitional layer that creates a firmer feel in the lumbar area. This helps prevent your hips from sinking in too far, so your spine stays aligned. At the same time, the mattress provides enough pressure relief to cushion your joints. This combination of support and pressure relief is crucial for avoiding back pain. The exceptions here are lighter side sleepers, who won't compress the mattress enough for comfort. Like the previous picks, including the Allswell Hybrid, this mattress is also an excellent choice for partnered sleepers. Movement doesn't travel throughout the mattress and dissipates quickly, leaving you to sleep soundly even when your partner gets in or out of bed late at night.

This Medium all-foam mattress has a somewhat neutral feel, thanks to its moderate levels of sinking, contouring, and bounciness. It's very responsive, so it feels easy to move around or change sleeping positions, but beyond that, it doesn't feel too sluggish or too bouncy, instead providing a balanced middle ground. This model isn't quite cooling enough for people who consistently sleep hot, but it's close, and as long as you don't mind feeling a bit toasty as you fall asleep, it'll keep you comfortably cool for the rest of the night. It uses a combination of low-, good-, and high-quality foam, giving it alright durability. While it'll last longer than mattresses made from entirely low-quality foam, you'll want to replace this mattress pretty quickly once you notice indents or body impressions, since sleeping on a sagging mattress can make back pain worse. If you're wondering which other mattresses we recommend in this category, see all our picks for the best mattresses for back pain.

For sleepers who like the cozy, hugging feel of memory foam, the Nectar Classic Hybrid is an excellent choice. Its comfort layer is made of memory foam, which contours your body closely to help cushion your joints and let you sleep comfortably. This contouring is especially welcome in this option since it only provides alright pressure relief. That said, it's decently supportive, and the combination makes it a strong choice for heavier side sleepers and lighter back and stomach sleepers, though lighter side sleepers should steer clear. So long as you and your partner fit into one of those categories, it's a good choice for couples. The excellent motion isolation keeps you from feeling every movement from the other side of the mattress. Unfortunately, the biggest downside of this mattress is its durability; it contains one layer of low-quality foam and another that just meets the threshold for good-quality foam, so you can expect to notice sagging fairly quickly compared to other models.

While this mattress isn't quite cooling enough for hot sleepers, it transfers heat efficiently enough to keep most people comfortable. It provides a similar cooling performance to the Casper Cooling Select, so you may feel a bit warm as you fall asleep, but you're unlikely to wake up overheated in the middle of the night. It's decently responsive, but the slow-moving memory foam layer makes this mattress feel harder to move on than the other options listed here. Of course, if you already know you like the feeling of memory foam, you may not mind. For more options with a similar feel, see our picks for the best memory foam mattresses.

Cooling is where the Boring Hybrid has a clear advantage. If you're looking for an affordable model that can keep you cool as you fall asleep and throughout the rest of the night, it's an impressive choice that's cooling enough for hot sleepers and hot climates. It's a Medium-Plush hybrid that offers better pressure relief, but worse support than the Nectar Classic Hybrid, making it ideal for average and heavier side sleepers and lighter back and stomach sleepers, while lighter side sleepers should avoid it.

This is a bouncy, responsive mattress, but it doesn't contour your body very closely. As a result, it feels very easy to move around on, even though you sink pretty far into it. And if it works for your sleeping position and body type, this mattress could serve you well for years to come, thanks to its impressive durability. Unlike most mattresses, it contains only dense, high-quality foam, meaning it'll resist indentations, sagging, and general wear and tear. That said, if you need something firmer, you can also see our list of the best cooling mattresses to find the right fit.