Where’s the Best Place to Buy a Mattress?

If your mattress is sabotaging your sleep and finding a new one seems stressful, this article is for you.

Whether your bed has started annoyingly creaking or you’re not getting the same reliable support you used to, it’s likely time for a new mattress. However, given the vast array of mattress choices available today, finding a trustworthy bed distributor with quality beds at a fair price can be overwhelming.

In this guide, I want to help simplify the playing field so you find the best place to purchase a mattress based on your unique needs.

As a certified wellness coach, I know the vital role that sleep plays in our health and well-being. I’ve spent years researching and reviewing mattresses to help shoppers find the right bed for their homes. 

Working with Sleepopolis has made my mission all the easier. Sleepopolis has tested over 500 mattresses in person at its headquarters under the guidance of a team of Certified Sleep Science Coaches. Furthermore, all our testing results are reviewed by our Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM, and our Chief Medical Product Tester, Dr. Joe Tedesco, DPT, OCS, ATC, CSCS, to deliver medically backed, unbiased information before presenting our findings to the public.

Put simply, you have two main options when shopping for a new bed: buy in brick-and-mortar shops where you can try a mattress before buying, or buy online. Not surprisingly, buying online will be my go-to suggestion. You will usually find the most options, better prices, and more return flexibility. Shopping online also lets you make choices without a pushy middleman rushing you into a decision, even at the best mattress stores.

Below, I’ll share all my research to help you get the ball rolling on finding your new bed. But before diving in, I suggest you take our customized mattress quiz to learn which type of mattress you should be looking for based on your lifestyle and sleep patterns. So, where is the best place to buy a mattress?

The Best Place to Buy a Mattress: Our Video Guide

Below is a video tutorial to help you find the best place to buy a good mattress.

Top Places You Can Purchase a Mattress

Below, I go through all the options for finding a good place to buy a mattress these days. I also mention some of the better mattress brands we have reviewed in depth at Sleepopolis that offer direct-to-consumer shopping on their official sites.

Online

Buying a mattress online is often the best way to get a great price on a new bed. This is generally because online shopping allows you to order directly from a bed manufacturer, cutting out the middlemen. The slight drawback? You won’t be able to jump into the bed before bringing it home.

However, most beds take some time to adapt to your body, break in, or truly demonstrate that they will work for you in the long term (beds are a long-term investment). In-person mattress retailers will highlight the in-person testing ‘experience’ to try to distinguish themselves from online shopping. But most online mattress companies offer very generous sleep trials (typically 100 to 365-night trials) and 100% money-back guarantee returns, which should give you the ability to truly try out the bed at home, while alleviating anxieties about potential future buyer’s remorse.

Furthermore, you won’t have a salesperson looking over your shoulder when you’re trying to make the best pick for your sleeping needs.

The Best Places to Buy a Mattress Online

• Saatva – Saatva is one of the better-known top-tier luxury mattress brands that assembles all its beds and sleeping products in the USA. They tend to offer higher-end beds made with more hypoallergenic, eco-friendly materials, while striving to deliver that ‘hotel-like’ mattress experience from home. The Saatva Classic is their best-known mattress, available in multiple firmness options for greater customization.
• Helix – Helix offers a wide array of mattresses for all types of sleepers. Notably, Helix offers both low and high-budget mattresses, making Helix a great place to look regardless of your budget. One of their best-selling mattresses is the Helix Midnight, which is great for couples and combination sleepers. The Midnight, like many of Helix’s mattresses, is available in a more affordable Midnight Original option and a higher-end (more expensive) Midnight Luxe option.
• Leesa – Leesa specializes in mattresses and other sleep products and is famous for their mission to donate one mattress to people in need for every 10 beds sold. The Leesa Original all-foam mattress is one of their more affordable and popular mattresses, and is a great choice for hot sleepers or couples seeking a firmer memory foam bed. 
• Nolah – Nolah offers around 8 mattress types, ranging from budget-friendly to higher-end models. Nolah’s beds are CertiPUR-US certified, making them more eco-friendly, regardless of your budget. The Nolah Original 10” is one of their more famous and affordable models, and is great for both back and side sleepers.  
• Nectar – Nectar offers high-quality, affordable mattresses with generous sleep trials (365 nights) and a lifetime warranty, despite their competitive pricing. The Nectar Classic is one of their better-known beds, specifically for being a quality all-foam mattress that’s great for side and back sleepers, with an affordable price tag compared to similar-grade mattresses on the market today. 
• DreamCloud – DreamCloud offers mattresses with some luxury features at reasonable prices, considering their quality and features. The DreamCloud Original is a great hybrid (foam and coils) choice for combination sleepers and hot sleepers, without putting a huge hole in your wallet despite its luxury quality. 
• WinkBed – WinkBed produces handmade beds that p[rioritize eco-friendliness. Their well-known EcoCloud mattress combines organic cotton, natural latex, New Zealand wool, and recycled coils to make for one of the more eco-friendly and couples-friendly (exceptional bounce) mattresses available today.
• Brooklyn Bedding – Brooklyn Bedding offers a range of sleep products, including mattresses to suit different sleeper types. One of their more unique mattresses is the Brooklyn Bedding Plank. This extra-firm mattress is geared toward back and stomach sleepers (who sometimes struggle to find beds that meet their firmness needs) and uniquely offers dual use: a firm (7.5/10) side and an ultra-firm (9/10) side, essentially two beds in one. 

Brick-and-Mortar Mattress Stores

There are different types of brick-and-mortar mattress stores, with some of the more famous chain-store options being Mattress Firm and Mattress Warehouse. Additionally, brands such as Saatva, Casper, and Tempur-Pedic have flagship stores in select cities where customers can test the products in person before ordering the bed. Also, brands such as Purple have showroom testing centers where you can try out a bed, but they encourage you to make your final purchase online. Other brands, such as Nolah, have temporary showrooms where they partner with chain stores or in-person shop distributors to promote their products and give sleepers a chance to try out their beds before buying one.

Shopping in person has some benefits. For example, picking out a new bed with your partner could make for a fun date. Additionally, mattress stores can potentially offer a solution for an emergency bed situation where you need to see and get your new bed on the same day. But in most cases, brick-and-mortar shops or flagship stores offer online purchasing options, because many people find this more convenient.

Despite the few perks of in-person shopping, overall, my research indicates you’re most likely to find the best price when you go straight to a bed brand’s official website.

Furniture Stores

Some furniture stores, like IKEA or Raymour & Flanigan, sell mattresses. You can expect a similar experience to shopping at a brick-and-mortar mattress shop, but you can also grab a coffee table or new lamp in the process. This might be nice when moving to a new place: just grab everything at once. However, you likely won’t find the same degree of helpful expertise you’d get about a mattress being right for you from an employee at a mattress-specific shop, or even when ordering online. Also, I should note that most online mattresses include free delivery, while furniture stores are likely to charge a delivery fee.

Wholesale Stores and Department Stores

Department stores like Macy’s, as well as wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club, also sell mattresses. Department stores will more often than not charge a heftier price for mattresses than online retailers, but they do offer the convenience of just walking in and walking out with a new bed. Costco and Sam’s Club may offer more affordable options, but they require a membership fee that may not be worth it for just buying a bed. Additionally, both types of stores will likely offer fewer mattress brand options than a chain store like Mattress Firm.

For Costco members considering a mattress purchase during their next visit, we assembled a 2026 mattress roundup of what they offer and whether it’s the right pick for you.

Best Place to Buy a Mattress FAQs