Bed in a Box mattress companies are taking the mattress world by storm. You no longer have to spend a whole afternoon visiting various bed stores, lying on different beds and dealing with smarmy sales representatives. Instead you can order a new mattress from the discomfort of your old mattress.
Within a few days it will be delivered. If the mattress is right for you, then happy days. If it’s not, then you can take full advantage of the trial period. Your mattress will then be collected and depending on who you bought it from you will either receive a full refund, or you’ll have the opportunity to swap it for an alternative product.
The fact that Bed in a Box mattresses aren’t available in the shops means that the companies that make them have far few overheads. This makes it significantly cheaper to make their mattresses, and these savings are passed on to you.
There are lots of Bed in a Box mattress companies out there, all offering a range of different mattresses to suit all kinds of people. To help you decide who to buy from, here are our top 5 Bed in a Box mattress retailers.
Nectar Sleep Memory Foam Mattress
| Mattress type | Memory foam |
| Firmness | Medium/firm |
| Depth | 250mm |
| Price | £549 |
Despite the name, Nectar sleep is in no way affiliated with Sainsbury’s or honeybees. Nectar Sleep are one of the most popular Bed in a Box mattress providers, and they offer one of the longest combined trial periods and guarantees. This means that you get complete peace of mind when you buy from them.
As well as getting a full 365 nights to try it out, you also get a lifetime warranty. If there are any issues, then Nectar Sleep will collect the mattress for free, and give you the option of a refund.
It’s one of the best-rated memory foam mattresses available to date, with an average review rating of 4.3 out of 5. It’s also won various awards from top bodies such as Ideal Home and Good Housekeeping.
As a memory foam mattress, it contains various layers of different foam as well as a generous memory foam layer. This means that it offers a much more consistent level of support compared to most pocket sprung mattresses. The main drawback of memory foam mattresses is the sinking feeling that you can get, as well as the fact that it can become quite hot. Nectar Sleep get around both of these problems with their ‘smart memory foam’, which is able to regulate your body temperature as you sleep.
A bonus of the Nectar Sleep memory foam mattress is that it’s made in the UK. Interestingly, nectar Sleep claim to be the UK’s only climate neutral Bed in a Box mattress provider.
Brook and Wilde Lux Hybrid Mattress
| Mattress type | Hybrid |
| Firmness | Soft, medium or firm |
| Depth | 280mm |
| Price | £749 |
Unlike the majority of Bed in a Box mattress providers who offer a one firmness fits all approach, Brook and Wilde give you a bit more choice. You can choose between soft, medium and firm when you buy one of their mattresses.
With an impressive average review rating of 4.8 out of 5 to date, the Brook and Wilde is probably the best-rated Bed in a Box out there. Like the Nectar Sleep memory foam mattress, this one is also an award-winner. Good Housekeeping, Grand Designs Magazine have both given the Brook and Wilde Lux mattress an award, and it’s also been voted Best Buy from a panel of expert testers.
The Brook and Wilde mattress is slightly different to the Nectar Sleep mattress in that it is not a memory foam mattress. As well as a layer of memory foam, the Lux also contains pocket springs. It is therefore known as a hybrid mattress. The advantage of hybrid mattresses is that you get all of the comfort and support of a memory foam mattress, without the drawbacks. The layer of pocket springs means that the mattress is much more breathable, so you won’t get hot when you lie on it.
The Brook and Wilde Lux mattress comes with a 100-night trial and a 10-year guarantee. Although this isn’t the longest trial or guarantee on offer, it’s still plenty of time to get to grips with the mattress and have that complete peace of mind that you are buying a quality product.
Inofia Hybrid Mattress
| Mattress type | Hybrid |
| Firmness | Medium/firm |
| Depth | 220mm |
| Price | £169 |
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Inofia are not as well-known as many other Bed in a Box mattress manufacturers. But they are well worth a mention because of the fact that they are so cheap. In a world where you typically get what you pay for, it seems that you get value for money with Inofia.
With an average review rating of 4.4 out of 5, it seems that you don’t necessarily have to spend £500+ in order to sleep on a quality mattress. And like the Brook and Wilde Lux mattress, you get a 100-night trial couple with a 10-year guarantee, so peace of mind is also included in the price.
Another similarity to the Brook and Wilde Lux mattress is the fact that the Inofia mattress is a hybrid; containing both memory foam and pocket springs. At 220mm deep, it’s not quite as thick as the Brooke and Wilde Lux. Depth is often a good way to gauge the quality of a mattress, but the Inofia hybrid mattress is a quarter of the price of the Brooke and Wilde Lux mattress, and is only 60mm thinner.
In terms of spring count, this isn’t something that Inofia have included in the information about their hybrid mattress. However with so many positive reviews it must be comfortable. It just might be worth doing a bit more research if you are a heavier person, as a low spring count may not offer you sufficient support while you sleep.
Simba Hybrid Mattress
| Mattress type | Hybrid |
| Firmness | Medium |
| Depth | 250mm |
| Price | £749 |
The Simba Hybrid mattress is another very highly rated Bed in a Box mattress. However, it is slightly different in terms of design compared to the others. Rather than having a layer of memory foam as the uppermost layer on the mattress, Simba have decided to sandwich the memory foam between a different type of foam.
The result is that you still get the support from the memory foam layer, but you don’t get the problems of excess heat often associated with memory foam because it isn’t very breathable. The fact that the memory foam layer is not at the top also means that you don’t sink into the mattress as much as you would a conventional memory foam one.
With he Simba Hybrid mattress you also get a 10-year guarantee, as well as 200-night home trial. Like the other Bed in a Box mattresses in this list, it also comes highly rated. The Simba Hybrid mattress has won several awards and comes with an impressive average review rating of 4.6 out of 5.
OTTY Hybrid Mattress
| Mattress type | Hybrid |
| Firmness | Medium/firm |
| Depth | 250mm |
| Price | £599 |
Another hybrid Bed in a Box mattress, the OTTY Hybrid mattress is another mattress that offers the advantages of featuring both memory foam and pocket springs. In terms of price, it sits towards the middle of the scale, but still offers similar features to the more expensive Brooke and Wilde, and Simba Hybrid mattresses.
When it comes to Bed in a Box mattresses, peace of mind is vital so it’s no surprise that the OTTY Hybrid mattress comes with a 100-night home trial and a 10-year guarantee. Another mattress that has won awards from experts including Good Hosuekeeping, the OTTY Hybrid mattress also scores highly on the review ratings with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.
So if you’re in the marker for a new mattress, a Bed in a Box might be the perfect solution for you. The main disadvantage with this type of mattress is the fact that you cannot try it before you buy. However with generous home trial periods and lengthy guarantees you don’t have to worry too much, as you can always get a refund or swap it for something more suitable if you don’t get on with it. When you consider the amount of money that you can save by purchasing a Bed in a Box, it’s definitely worth a try. Many of them come highly rated by thousands of other happy customers, who – when it comes down to it – can make or break a mattress company.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Hybrid Mattress?
A hybrid mattress is a mattress that contains both memory foam as well as pocket springs. The advantage of this is that you get all of the support of a memory foam mattress, but without the drawbacks. Drawbacks include a sinking feeling when you lie on the mattress, as well as a build up of heat due to the fact that memory foam is not breathable.
What is the best Bed in a Box Mattress?
There are many different Bed in a Box mattresses to choose from out there. Our top picks are the mattresses from Nectar Sleep, Brook and Wilde, Inofia, Simba and OTTY. This is because they all come highly recommended and have won countless industry awards.
Are Memory Foam Mattresses better than Pocket Sprung?
The comfort of a mattress is subjective. Memory foam tends to offer better all-round support, but there are disadvantages, Pocket sprung mattresses are supportive if they have a high spring-count, but they don’t have the drawbacks that memory foam mattresses do.
What is a Hybrid Mattress?
A hybrid mattress is a mattress that contains both memory foam as well as pocket springs. The advantage of this is that you get all of the support of a memory foam mattress, but without the drawbacks. Drawbacks include a sinking feeling when you lie on the mattress, as well as a build up of heat due to the fact that memory foam is not breathable.
What is the best Bed in a Box Mattress?
There are many different Bed in a Box mattresses to choose from out there. Our top picks are the mattresses from Nectar Sleep, Brook and Wilde, Inofia, Simba and OTTY. This is because they all come highly recommended and have won countless industry awards.
Are Memory Foam Mattresses better than Pocket Sprung?
The comfort of a mattress is subjective. Memory foam tends to offer better all-round support, but there are disadvantages, Pocket sprung mattresses are supportive if they have a high spring-count, but they don't have the drawbacks that memory foam mattresses do.
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Edit History:
Our experts continually monitor the mattress & sleep tech space, and we update our reviews & articles when new information becomes available.
- 28th February 2023
Current Article - By Carrie Taylor - 9th November 2023
Checked & Reviewed - By Morag Park, Ph.D. - 22nd September 2020
Copy Edited - By Anthony Maxwell - 17th February 2024
Reviewed - By Anthony Maxwell
+1 for the Simba mattress I wouldn’t buy anything else now.
…does it smell though?