Nectar Mattress Review:
An In-Depth Look at An Online All-Star

Table of Contents

Mattress Review

Nectar Mattress

Details

• Type: Foam

• Firmness: Medium Firm (6)

• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, California King, Split King

• Price Range: $359 – $1,098

• Warranty: Lifetime, Limited

Highlights

• Gel-infused memory foam meets a 3 inch transition layer and a durable 7 inch polyfoam support core
• Mid-range affordability without sacrificing quality
• Generous 365-night sleep trial and limited lifetime warranty

Ideal For

• Side sleepers across all weight ranges
• Back sleepers under 230 pounds
• Budget-conscious shoppers
• People who don’t want to feel movement from the other side of the bed

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I’m a professional sleep product tester, but I’m also a mom of two school-aged girls. And I know there is no single more important thing I can do for my stamina and sanity than ensure I get a good night’s sleep every night so I can show up for my job, my kids, and myself in the way I want to. So I was especially curious to test out the best-selling all-foam Nectar mattress — with its value price point and impressive 365-day home trial — to see if it truly lives up to the hype. 

I tested this popular bed alongside our dedicated testing team of 9, headed up by Dr. Michael J. Breus, Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and a sleep doctor in private practice for 25 years. The rest of the team are sleep experts who have spent years testing products in our Seattle Test Lab as well as in their homes. Our testers include people with all sorts of body types and sleep styles (so there’s definitely someone like you putting in the work, no matter your specifics).

We applied our rigorous testing methodology to the process, evaluating the Nectar mattress across many specific categories — checking for qualities like firmness and durability, plus how it relieves pressure on the body and isolates motion. Ahead, I’ll get into all those nitty-gritty details so you can see how it matches your own sleep style and goals. 

But for now, here’s a spoiler: Along with the other testers, I found this mattress to be an absolute winner. It’s well-made from quality materials and has tons of excellent features driven by performance. It effectively reduced pressure on my body, minimized motion transfer so my husband’s movements didn’t wake me up, and felt overall nicely supportive — all at a budget-friendly price.

Most importantly of all, it’s super comfortable, and fulfilled my hopes for that restorative rest I dearly need.

Nectar launched back in 2017 with the aim of selling good-quality, performance-driven mattresses at a value price point. (And it has worked: The brand consistently ranks in our annual list of best mattresses.)

I’m reviewing the flagship Nectar mattress here (though the Nectar Premier and the Nectar Premier Copper upgraded versions are also available in the range).

Nectar is a premium memory foam mattress that claims to cradle your body and keep you cool. Plus, it offers free shipping and returns, with a generous 365-night home trial and lifetime warranty.

In keeping with the brand’s claims — and customers’ gushing reviews — we found the Nectar mattress did a great job at significantly relieving pressure, thanks to the memory foam comfort layer. The premium foam in the transition layer made it nicely responsive, and the high-density polyfoam felt sturdy and kept our team from sinking in.

That said, given the all-foam construction, this mattress might not be cooling enough for hot sleepers. And the edge support probably isn’t sturdy enough for people with bigger bodies or mobility issues.

Dr. Breus echoed this thought. “All-foam mattresses do tend to trap body heat more than hybrids or traditional innersprings, so that should be a consideration if you’re a hot sleeper. They can also be softer than other types of beds, so if you have back or neck pain, you might want to go with a firmer option,” he said.

Off the bat, price is something that attracts people to this mattress: The accessibly priced Nectar mattress makes it an excellent value for budget-conscious shoppers. So that’s a win in my book right away.

Now let’s dig into the comfort and quality. Our team of testers rated the Nectar Mattress a 6 on our 10-point firmness scale — so it’s somewhere on the firmer end of the middle of the range. And that means this mattress can appeal broadly to all kinds of sleepers (but if you already know you prefer extra firm or extra soft, this probably won’t be for you).

As a side sleeper, I found the gel-infused memory foam comfort layer and underlying layers of sturdy polyfoam provided just the right balance for comfortable sleep and rest. (Other testers on our team weighing less than 230 pounds had similar results.)

The back sleepers on our team weighing under 230 pounds liked it too. The memory foam cradled the back and neck, while the polyfoam helped keep them from sinking into the mattress too much, and helped align their spines. (Our testers weighing over 230 pounds also liked the support, but noticed a bit too much sinking around their hips.)

Now for the stomach sleepers: This group of testers liked the Nectar mattress least. The heavier stomach testers in our group found they sank too much into this mattress for comfort, which tweaked their spines into misalignment. (If you’re comparison shopping, Purple’s mattress is slightly firmer, so it might be a better bet for stomach sleepers.)

Nectar Mattress Sleeper Ratings

Our team of testers rated the Nectar Mattress a 6 on our 10-point firmness scale — a medium firm feel that isn’t overly soft or hard.

In general, mid-range firmness levels have the broadest appeal, but finding that ideal balance of firmness and support depends on a person’s body type, sleep position, and personal preferences. Here’s how our testing team rated the Nectar across weight ranges and sleep positions.

Because of its popularity, this mattress has been widely reviewed. And other experts generally underscore our findings. 

Wirecutter noted the standout feature of the full 365-day home trial, an industry outlier. But the review veered a bit from our findings, finding the mattress to be on the softer side of the middle range (whereas we found it on the firmer side of mid-range). But it did recommend the product for people who already know they like softer foam mattresses, especially considering the low-risk extended trial period. 

Overall, Good Housekeeping testers praised the cooling cover, noting it would be just the right temperature “all year long.” They also liked the “ideal balance of comfort and support” it provided — describing it like “sleeping on a cloud” — and called the experience “luxurious” despite the accessible price point. That might be a bit extreme for a value mattress like the Nectar, but we agree it’s a solid choice for many.

Sleepopolis recommends the Nectar mattress for memory foam lovers, given it “has a classic memory foam feel, so there’s lots of sinkage, contouring, and pressure relief.” The review recommends it mainly for back sleepers and side sleepers: “They’ll get some nice sinkage as it conforms to their bodies, but not so much that they feel trapped in the mattress,” according to Sleepopolis — but not so much for stomach sleepers. And that dovetails with our findings.

Real reviews (we combed through thousands with the help of AI) overall point to happy customers, who especially appreciate the value for dollar, as well as the comfort — even pain relief — from the Nectar mattress. Customers say they are “sleeping much better” with their Nectar mattress. 

“Just the right combination of support and firmness we needed, and relief from pressure points too,” one reviewer wrote.

Another admitted to some initial skepticism followed by impressed relief. “How can a mattress relieve back pain?” the reviewer wrote. “I have had this mattress a while now and still wake up with no back pain… So happy I took the chance.”

Overall, customers note the mid-level firmness as a positive feature: “This mattress is just right, not too hard, not too soft. Goldilocks would approve.”

As we noted, customers observe the foam construction feels warmer than traditional mattresses, but mainly report being unbothered by that quality in this particular foam mattress. “It sleeps warmer than our traditional mattress did but since we got bamboo sheets instead of cotton, we are both very comfortable,” wrote one customer who’d been sleeping on the mattress for six months at the time of the review. “Love the great support.”

During testing in our sleep lab, we evaluated the Nectar Mattress across several key performance categories. Our testing team includes all types of sleeper types (side, back, stomach, combination), as well as a range of body weights (under 130 pounds, 130 to 230 pounds, and over 230 pounds). 

Here’s a summary of the findings from our extensive testing. The results are based on a 10-point scale, with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent.

Motion Isolation (8.5/10)

This is where this mattress really shines: Nectar’s memory foam construction is great at absorbing movement. And that helps you stay soundly asleep even if your partner (or pet) is moving around.

Perimeter Support (7/10)

Because it has a durable support core of high-density polyfoam, the Nectar Mattress has decent edge support (another common problem among all-foam mattresses). Even without springs or a reinforced perimeter, the edges don’t sag too much under pressure. 

Durability (6.5/10)

For an all-foam mattress, this one holds up pretty well. Foam beds can be more susceptible to wear than other mattress types like latex and hybrids, but the Nectar’s high-density polyfoam base layer and nonslip lower cover help it stand up over time. It should last for the six to seven years — typical of an all-foam bed. 

Pressure Relief (6/10)

Two inches of gel-infused memory foam provide deep contouring for great pressure relief. By conforming to the natural curves of the body, this layer helps support the joints and align the spine.

Odor Emissions (6 out of 10)

All the foams used in the Nectar Mattress meet the certification standards of CertiPUR-US for low VOC emissions. You might still notice some smell — especially right out of the box — but it shouldn’t last more than a few days.

Ease of Movement (5.5/10)

The deeply contouring foams in the upper layers impede movement. So it might not be the best fit for active sleepers. 

Temperature Control (5.5/10)

Foam mattresses tend to sleep hot. But despite that typical trait, this one does a decent job of keeping sleepers as cool as possible because it has a cooling cover, breathable transition layer, and gel infusions within the memory foam that disperse heat. (FYI: Hybrid or latex options are typically still going to be more temperature neutral if this is your top priority.)

Nectar sells its products through its own website, as well as through third-party retailers and marketplaces like Amazon. They are also available in approximately 4,000 mattress stores across the United States. And they do go on sale frequently, especially during holiday periods like the Fourth of July and Black Friday.

Nectar offers upgrades on their website and often bundles other products, like adjustable bases, pillows, sheets, and mattress protectors, into the purchase price of the mattress. So a Nectar bundle could save you even more if you’re in the market for a whole new bed set.

Nectar mattresses ship free throughout the contiguous U.S. states (you’ll pay a fee for delivery to Alaska and Hawaii). Shipping times vary depending on location.

Nectar mattresses are compressed and rolled into a box for shipping, so it’s reasonably easy to maneuver into your space. (Heads up: It can take up to 72 hours for the mattress to fully expand after unboxing.)

For an additional fee, you can opt for the white glove delivery service, which includes setup of your new mattress and the removal of your old one.

Even in an industry known for generous home trial periods, Nectar’s stands out. It offers a whopping 365-night sleep trial, so you can check it out at home with no pressure until you’re really sure how you feel. Try it during winter, summer, when you’re sick, when you’re well — really get to know it before you commit. If you initiate a return within the trial window, you’ll be fully reimbursed.

Beyond that, Nectar offers its “Forever Warranty,” Nectar’s lifetime guarantee against defects in materials or workmanship resulting from normal use. If you find a defect, Nectar will repair or replace your mattress for free.

If you’re shopping for a foam mattress at a value price point, check out our reviews of alternative options that might be right for you.

• Purple Mattress Review: Superior Cooling and Pressure Relief
• Leesa Mattress Review: Comfortable Foam Build at an Affordable Price
• Layla Mattress Review: Our In-Depth Look at the Flippable Foam Design
• Nectar Premier Mattress Review: Plush Foam, Superior Pressure Relief
• Nectar Premier Copper Mattress Review: Plush Foam, Great Cooling

About The Author

Garen Glazier

Staff Writer, Product Testing Team

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Garen is a health and lifestyle content creator. She realized the importance of sleep when her children made getting a good night’s rest more challenging. Garen is always learning something new about the wide world of sleep and sleep products. Married with two girls, ages 7 and 11, she is a book nerd and a lover of pop music, travel, and the Pacific Northwest.

• POSITION: Side Sleeper
• TEMPERATURE: Neutral Sleeper
• CHRONOTYPE: Wolf

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