13 Best Mattress in a Box for 2024

The innovative mattress-in-a-box concept has become so popular—between a generous at-home trial period, speedy delivery to your front door, and cheaper prices due to the lack of a brick-and-mortar storefront, it’s a shining example of modern-day shopping convenience. No matter how easy they are to order and set up in your bedroom, it can be difficult for buyers to find the best mattresses in a sea of deluxe memory-foam models, ergonomic back pain-relieving hybrids, and options at seemingly every price point. We spent countless nights researching, assembling, and testing an array of mattress in a box offerings to hand-pick the top 12 mattresses of 2024 for side sleepers, environmentally-friendly snoozers, dreamers on a budget, and everyone in between.

Our top picks for the best mattresses in a box

How to choose the best mattress in a box for you

Materials

Most mattress-in-a-box options are either purely made of memory foam or a hybrid of memory foam and an innerspring base. Memory-foam mattresses are best suited for warm sleepers who need that breezy cooling effect to fall asleep more quickly and those who are looking for a softer mattress. Generally speaking, hybrid mattresses are optimized for those looking for additional body support, relief from back and joint pain, and heavier sleepers.

Price

Whether you’re on a tight budget or money is no object, there are quality mattresses for all price points. Don’t be discouraged by mattresses that are on the pricey side, as mattresses are regularly sold at a significant discount throughout the year. For example, buyers who are able to wait until days like Black Friday, Memorial Day, and late winter through early spring will have access to impressive mattress sales.

Trial period and warranty

No matter how much you research online, sometimes the mattress in a box you buy just isn’t right for you, and that’s ok—practically every mattress brand provides a lengthy trial period to let buyers sleep through multiple seasons, allowing you to be certain this is the best mattress for you. Mattress trial periods may last anywhere from a few months to an entire year, but many insist on a 30-day minimum trial period before returns are even allowed. This is because your body may take up to a month to adjust to the feel of a new mattress. So don’t worry if the luxury model you just purchased doesn’t feel quite right after the first few nights.

If you thought that the trial period was generous, you may be surprised to learn that mattress brands provide lengthy warranties that last from anywhere between 10 to 15 years, or for the lifetime of the mattress. Anyone considering splurging on a high-end mattress should consider a long warranty to ensure their investment lasts for years to come.

Sleep style

Some sleep like a rock, while others toss and turn all night long, but many of us have a natural sleep style that makes it much easier to fall asleep—and being aware of this is one of the most important factors when you’re wondering how to choose a mattress. Although a mattress with a medium level of firmness is suitable for all sleeping positions, side sleepers will get the most out of a softer mattress that will cradle their body while relieving pressure points, and both back and stomach sleepers will feel coziest on a firm mattress that will keep their spine aligned overnight. Note: Medium-firmness levels are also recommended for the best mattresses for back pain.

How we selected the best mattresses in a box

We reflected upon a number of factors as we thoroughly researched, compared, and tested a massive selection of box mattresses both in-store and at home to find the 12 best models available today. Taking into account our personal preferences, awards received for product excellence, reviews left by customers, some of the most important considerations we looked for included:

• Trial period and warranty
• Number of variants offered (hybrid, memory foam, etc.)
• Firmness levels
• Range of sizes available
• Features, such as motion isolation, cooling properties, etc.
• Price

What is a mattress in a box and how does it work?

A mattress in a box is literally that, but there is a bit more to the concept; the mattress within has been tightly rolled, compressed within an air-tight plastic bag, and placed in a box that is much smaller and easy to carry than a normal full-size mattress.

This makes it much easier for businesses to ship and deliver a mattress directly to your home, and a breeze for you to move the slim, relatively lightweight and manageable box to your bedroom.

You may be surprised at how simple and convenient it is to set up a box mattress, as it’s rarely more complicated than removing the coiled mattress from the box, laying it on your bed’s box spring or on a clean, flat surface, and carefully removing the plastic. Once the mattress has fully unrolled, expanded, and decompressed, it’s ready for you to sleep on.

Some bedding brands may suggest you let the box mattress air out and completely settle before you use it to remove unappealing chemical odors and to ensure the bed is totally decompressed prior to bedtime.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do you return a mattress in a box?

Although it varies among brands, if you initiate a return during the trial period, the manufacturer or retailer will schedule for a representative to take back the mattress while walking you through the process of refunding or exchanging your mattress for another model better suited for your sleeping needs.

Note that it may take up to 30 days for your body to adjust to a new mattress, and some brands will not allow you to return a mattress until that 30-day period has passed. Don’t worry if you’ve already thrown out the packaging; you will not be able to put the mattress back into its original box, and the mattress you are returning will probably be recycled or donated to a charity.

How long can a mattress stay in the box?

While the exact time period varies between manufacturers, usually between one week and two months, it’s a good rule of thumb to remove your new mattress from its box as soon as you can because a mattress may develop irreversible damage if it’s been compressed for too long.

How do you open a mattress in a box?

Keep in mind you probably won’t be sleeping on the mattress on the first night, so be prepared to unbox it in another area until it is ready for your bed. Since larger boxed mattresses can be heavy and unwieldy to move through your home, consider asking someone to help you unbox and set up your mattress.

Carefully unseal the box and remove the vacuum sealed mattress. Check inside the box for unboxing instructions and follow those to the letter to ensure that your mattress is set up properly.

If you can, place the wrapped mattress directly on the bare bed frame or box spring with the right side up before you carefully rip the plastic apart with your hands or cut it with scissors. It’sessential to be cautious when cutting the shrink-wrapped plastic to ensure you don’t damage the mattress or worse, accidentally cut yourself.

Recycle the plastic wrap and cardboard box if possible, because even if you need to return the mattress, the manufacturer won’t need the original packaging anyway.

How long does a mattress in a box take to expand?

Each boxed mattress is different, but on average it may take between 24 and 72 hours for a new mattress to completely decompress and air out. We recommend waiting at least a full day before sleeping on a new mattress, however if your mattress hasn’t fully expanded after three days, contact the manufacturer for troubleshooting help or to order a replacement for the defective mattress.

When is the best time to buy a mattress in a box?

If your current mattress is in poor shape, it may be tempting to buy a replacement right away, but patient buyers will save a lot if they can wait for major shopping holidays. These are the best times to buy a mattress during the year due to the deep discounts from mattress manufacturers and retailers:

• Black Friday—the day after Thanksgiving
• Cyber Monday—the Monday after Thanksgiving
• Memorial Day—the last Monday of May
• Independence Day—July 4th
• Labor Day—the first Monday of September
• Amazon Prime Day—Its date jumps around at random, from July 11th in 2023, to October 13th in 2020, so while Prime Day is usually in July, check Amazon for the latest details.
• Late winter through early spring—New mattresses hit the market in this timeframe each year, and retailers are happy to unload last year’s models at a significant discount to make room for the latest mattresses.
• At random—This may sound counterintuitive, but a mattress in a box you’re considering may be on sale right now! Some online stores may offer an overstock sale, others may slash prices on discontinued models they need to offload, and retailers going out of business will offer serious discounts on their mattresses, so do yourself a favor by shopping around. You never know what deals you may find!