Nectar and Tuft & Needle are both popular mattresses within the online mattress space, but they have a few different characteristics that’ll probably sway you towards one bed or the other. In this post we’ll go over everything from price, firmness, feel, construction, body type, sleeper type, and more so you can get a grip on deciding which bed is right for you.

Nectar mattress VS. Tuft & Needle Original mattress
$399 – $1,598Price Range$745 – $1,095
$100 Off + $399 In Free AccessoriesOffer 20% Off Applied In Cart
  • If you want a memory foam mattress
  • People that need a comfy foam bed
  • All sleep styles
Best For
  • Shoppers who want an affordable foam mattress
  • All types of sleepers, including back, stomach and side
365 NightsTrial Period100 Nights
ForeverWarranty10 Years
Free Shipping and ReturnsShipping Options Free Shipping and Returns
Shop Now Shop Now

Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle Mattress Overview

Nectar and Tuft & Needle are well-known names in the bed-in-a-box mattress space, ranking in popularity with Casper and Purple. In the comparison of the Nectar mattress vs. Tuft & Needle, the primary differences include:

  • Price — Before sales or promotions, Nectar retails for around $1,300, and Tuft & Needle retails for about $900 (based on queen sizes).
  • Feel and construction — Nectar features memory foam, while Tuft & Needle is made of soft neutral foam.
  • Company policies — Nectar has a longer warranty and trial period.

Nectar has become a popular memory foam choice in the online mattress industry, a more affordable option to the luxury TempurPedic memory foam mattress. Tuft & Needle, on the other hand, has gained notoriety for their budget-friendly, neutral-foam feeling mattresses. You may have even seen them in a commercial on TV, discussing their great customer reviews. In this Nectar vs. Tuft and Needle comparison, we’ll discuss the major differences between these two beds and make recommendations based on body type, sleeper positions, price, and more.

  • Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle Video Comparison

Nectar
Nectar
Why it’s Great
Nectar could be the most popular memory foam mattress online. It’s affordable, comfortable, and usually comes with free pillows. They also have monthly payment options with Affirm.
Best for
If you want a memory foam mattress
People that need a comfy foam bed
All sleep styles
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Memory Foam
Temp
Neutral
Free Shipping
and returns
Trial Period
365 Nights
Warranty
Forever

$100 OFF + $399 IN FREE ACCESSORIES

$100 Off + $399 In Free Accessories

Design & Construction

A Nectar mattress is about 12” thick, which is the average size of most bed-in-a-box mattresses made only with foam. To give our readers a better view of what’s inside Nectar, we cut through its casing.

We cut open Nectar to see the foam layers inside
  • Standard Foam Base Support – As the name implies, this 7″ layer serves as the bed’s foundation.
  • Soft Support Foam – The proprietary material is basically a 2″ layer of memory foam that acts as a transition layer from the support foam below.
  • Gel memory foam – A top layer of 3″ gel memory foam.
  • Cooling Cover – This soft cover provides a cooling sensation upon direct contact.
tuft and needle mattress review construction and foam layers
The two layers inside a Tuft & Needle mattress

The Tuft & Needle mattress is a bit thinner than Nectar. It has a simple construction made of only two layers of foam — less than Nectar — and is 10” thick instead of 12”. The two layers are as follows:

  • Comfort layer – Tuft & Needle Adaptive Foam, a proprietary foam infused with graphite to allow for better temperature regulation.
  • Base layer – Dense polyurethane foam (neutral foam) that provides the mattress’s base.

Feel & Firmness

The memory foam Nectar Mattress

Due to the two layers of memory foam at the top of a Nectar mattress, it has a dense memory foam feel, in which you become nestled inside the foam once you lay down. Despite this, it won’t immediately sink into the mattress. It takes about 4-6 seconds for the mattress to soften from your body heat and not only pull you in but also mold you to the curves of your body. And, even though it’s memory foam, Nectar ranks around a medium-firm feel.

Tuft & Needle, on the other hand, provides a feeling that would be described as “soft and fluffy” with its combination of neutral polyfoam and Tuft & Needle Adaptive Foam. Still, it lands as a medium on our softness to firmness scale. It fits in the sweet spot between soft and relieving while also being supportive.

tuft and needle mattress review
Tuft & Needle’s flagship mattress

Nectar also offers another memory foam bed called Nectar Premier. The Nectar Premier is the next step up from the Original Nectar mattress. It’s thicker than Tuft & Needle, comes with a cooling cover for temperature regulation, and is a touch softer. Though, it’s also more expensive, as a queen Nectar Premier bed retails around $1,797.

Tuft & Needle Original
Tuft & Needle Original
Why it’s Great
Tuft & Needle is quite possibly the most popular budget mattress online. The bed is comfortable and accommodates all types of sleepers.
Best for
Shoppers who want an affordable foam mattress
All types of sleepers, including back, stomach and side
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Soft Foam
Temp
Neutral
Free Shipping
and returns
Trial Period
100 Nights
Warranty
10 Years
Made in
USA

20% OFF APPLIED IN CART

20% Off Applied In Cart

Other Factors to Consider

When choosing between the Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle mattress, it’s not enough to consider the design & construction and feel & firmness, although these factors are important. Before making your decision, explore and compare these features of each mattress. 

Edge Support

Edge support is the amount of resistance support there is for the sleeper around the perimeter of the bed. The better the edge support, the more you might feel as if you won’t “fall off” the bed. 

The Nectar memory foam mattress provides decent support, even when you take a look at the materials it’s made of. If you roll over a bit too far or stretch out, you’ll feel secure.

Tuft & Needle doesn’t have the best edge support out there, but it’s sufficient. If you go with a firmer bed from Tuft & Needle, the more edge support you’ll experience. But, overall — great edge support or not-so-great edge support — this mattress is still an excellent value.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation prevents motion being transferred from one side of the bed to the other. If you’re purchasing a mattress as a couple, then this is something that’s important to consider.

The Nectar mattress has fairly good motion isolation and is a good option if you or your partner tends to move around in the middle of the night or has to wake up before the other one to get to work. This would, therefore, be a good bed for couples who want to get a good night’s sleep without being disturbed.

The same goes for Tuft & Needle, which does a decent job at motion isolation, especially for a bed that doesn’t have memory foam. 

Temperature

Temperature is an important factor to consider in a mattress, as some people get hot or cold at night. A mattress can help you maintain the temperature that you feel comfortable with when you go to sleep.  

Generally, memory foam is good for warm sleeping, as the foam retains heat. The Nectar mattress — although it uses gel memory foam instead of traditional memory foam — does a good job at this, but won’t get too hot, either. Other memory foam mattresses usually are hotter. Therefore, the Nectar mattress is more temperature neutral. 

As for the Tuft & Needle mattress — which lacks memory foam — has a breathable cover and T&N Adaptive Foam, which cools it down and might be better for people who feel more comfortable sleeping in a cooler bed. That being said, we would say this is considered temperature neutral for the most part, too. 

Body Type Analysis

Body type can have a huge impact on how comfortable you’ll be with a given mattress. Without attempting to label bodies, knowing generally what body type you have — petite, normal, or heavy — can help you choose the best mattress for you. 

  • Petite

    Due to the materials and unique features of both the Tuft & Needle and Nectar mattresses, we believe sleepers who identify as petite will feel comfortable and supported with either one of these mattresses. But, the Nectar mattress may feel a bit firmer to smaller people.

  • Normal

    We think that average-sized people will feel comfortable and supported sleeping on both the Tuft & Needle mattress.

  • Heavy

    People who weigh more than 230 pounds may prefer a hybrid mattress (a mattress made with both foam and coils). Therefore, the Tuft & Needle Hybrid would be a good choice for heavier people. Otherwise, these mattresses may not be the best option for heavier people, and we encourage you to check the best mattresses for heavier people.

Sleeper Type Analysis

It’s not just your body type that plays a role in what mattress is best for you; it’s also the way you sleep! This is otherwise known as your “sleeper type,” which includes side sleepers, combo sleepers, and back and/or stomach sleepers. The good news is that Nectar and Tuft & Needle are both medium-firm beds in general, and therefore ideal for all sleeper types. But let’s break it down a little further. 

  • Side Sleepers

    The memory foam top layer of the Nectar mattress is great for providing pressure relief on the hips and shoulders, while Tuft and Needle have a nice balance of support and pressure relief. If we had to choose, though, we’d say T&N wins for side sleepers.

  • Combo Sleepers

    Combo sleepers are those who sleep in all different positions throughout the night. If this is you, then either mattress will work!

  • Back And Stomach Sleepers

    It’s important for back and stomach sleepers to have a mattress that provides good support for your spine and keeps it aligned. Nectar — because it’s a tad firmer than Tuft & Needle — might be the better option, but T&N does a good job, too (especially for those under 230 lbs).

Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle Mint

The story between Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle Mint (one of the brand’s more premium bed models) and Nectar comes down to feel and firmness. Do you prefer a softer feel or one that’s slightly firmer? Do you want a neutral foam feel or a memory foam feel? Those questions will help you decide which is a better fit for you. Tuft & Needle Mint has a neutral feel, but it is a soft mattress. Our team rates it a medium-soft, so it is the better option for strict side sleepers. Nectar, on the other hand, will be best for back or stomach sleepers.

Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle Mattress Pricing

When it comes to mattresses, you can either go with a budget-tier mattress, luxury mattress or somewhere in the middle. Tuft & Needle is definitely in the budget-tier, while Nectar is an example of a mattress that straddles the budget and average tiers. Here’s a pricing breakdown for queen size beds in the comparison of Tuft & Needle vs. Nectar:

SizeNectar (Discount)Tuft & Needle
Twin$599 ($499)$645
Twin XL$669 ($569)$695
Full$799 ($699)$795
Queen$899 ($799)$895
King$1,199 ($1,099)$1,095
Cal King$1,199 ($1,099)$1,095

*Listed price before sales or promotions.

Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle Mattress Review Verdict

Here are the main questions you need to ask before you decide on Nectar vs. Tuft & Needle:

  • Are you a fan of memory foam? We think you’ll like Nectar. If you want a general, soft-foam feel, that’s Tuft & Needle.
  • Are you a price-conscious buyer? Tuft & Needle is the more affordable option between the two.
  • Do you want the option of a longer trial period or warranty? Nectar offers a generously long trial period and warranty policy.
  • Are you an extra petite side sleeper? We think you might enjoy Tuft & Needle a little more than Nectar.

Shipping, Returns, Trial Periods And Warranties

The online mattress industry has fairly standard policies for shipping, returns, trial periods and warranties. Here are the details for these two brands:

  • Shipping: Both companies offer free shipping
  • Returns: Returns with Nectar can be requested after 30 days but before 365 days. A third-party service removes the mattress. Tuft & Needle also uses a third-party return service.
  • Trial period length: Tuft & Needle offers 100 nights, while Nectar offers a full year.
  • Warranty policy: Nectar offers a forever warranty for as long as you own the mattress. Tuft & Needle has a 10-year warranty.
why trust us icon

Why Trust Us

Get the kind of sleep you’ve only dreamed of with some help from our team of mattress experts. We personally test more than 150 of the best sleep solutions from over 60 leading brands on site, so you can be sure you’re getting unbiased reviews, fair comparisons and personalized recommendations.


The Review Team

  • dillon lopez slumber yard

    Dillon Lopez

    Combo Sleeper

  • JD

    JD Christison

    Combo Sleeper

  • wesley-ott

    Wesley Ott

    Combo Sleeper

  • kenzie

    McKenzie Dillon

    Combo Sleeper

Frequently Asked Questions
How did the Slumber Yard get the Tuft & Needle bed?

We purchased this mattress via Amazon with our own funds. In fact, in a one-year span, we actually purchased two Tuft & Needle mattresses so we could test them, review them and share our thoughts with the public. Tuft & Needle also sent us a twin-size mattress for our initial tests in June 2017. However, they did not pay us to write or say good or bad things about their bed.

Tuft & Needle was bought out by Serta Simmons, what’s that all about?

Truthfully, we don’t really know much about why Serta Simmons bought Tuft & Needle or what they plan to do with the brand. Our best guess is that the company will continue to operate as usual; only Serta Simmons will take over manufacturing since that is one of their core competencies. If anything, we actually see the acquisition as a good thing since it means Tuft & Needle isn’t going anywhere for a long time.

What sleeping surfaces can you place Nectar on?

Nectar is compatible with any solid surface that has next to no flex, such as slatted frames and box springs. They even say the bed is compatible with adjustable bed frames, although we didn’t put this to the test.

What other products does Tuft & Needle sell?

Tuft & Needle has plenty of other products in addition to their two mattresses. They have sheet sets, duvets, blanket, a mattress protector, a mattress topper and a pillow. Even more, they have an entire furniture section on their website, where they sell bed frames and mattress foundations. We were surprised to see that they don’t offer an adjustable bed frame.

Is the Tuft & Needle mattress good?

Yes, we think it is. It’s a simple, comfortable foam mattress that’s highly affordable.

What is this mattress made of?

Tuft & Needle is made of two layers of foam and measures 10″ thick.

Where is Tuft & Needle made?

It’s made in the United States, which is pretty amazing considering it sells for under $1,000.

Does Nectar Mattress have coils?

The Nectar Mattress is not a hybrid but an all-foam mattress.