This article was originally published on Mattress Finder.

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If you’re in the market for a new mattress and have decided to go the bed-in-a-box route, you’ve noticed that you have a lot of options, and many of them have very similar descriptions.

And that’s exactly why we’ve taken to breaking down their characteristics and performances in direct comparisons. Someone’s gotta do it, right?

Bear mattresses

  • budget shoppers
  • people who like memory foam

Details:

  • Free shipping & returns
  • 100 nights trial period
  • 10-year warranty
  • Made in the USA

Bear mattress sleeps cooler than does GhostBed

Our method of testing how cool a mattress sleeps involves zero science and relies solely on having tried so many different beds (and living in an excessively hot region of the United States).

Compared to all those other beds, the Bear is a cool-sleeper. We put it in our tier 2 category, which means it’s pretty darn impressive.

Bear’s cover is specifically designed to keep you cool.

The GhostBed, on the other hand, may like to brag about its special cooling gel memory foam, but we didn’t find it to be abnormally cool.

Like, GhostBed is that mom at the bake sale that tells everyone she made her brownies with organic cocoa from Whole Foods, but they taste just like the brownies you made in the microwave the other day.

For all that talking up the material, we didn’t notice anything above and beyond wonderful here.

We put GhostBed at a tier 3 on our coolness scale. It’s what we refer to as temperature neutral — not hot, but not exceptionally cool, either.

Having said that, we should also point out that GhostBed uses latex foam, which typically is a cooler material to sleep on than memory foam, but it’s just softer than Bear Mattress, which is why it doesn’t feel as cool.

We like to say that you sleep on the Bear mattress while you sleep a little more in the GhostBed, if that makes any sense.

Bear mattress has a memory foam feel

This point isn’t a surprise considering the Bear is an all-foam mattress and does, indeed, incorporate memory foam. When we say it has a memory foam feel, what we mean is that it does a little bit of that sink-in, shape- remembering that a traditional memory foam does.

Just a little, though. You’re not going to feel like you’re stuck in the mud or anything. We’re making this a pro point of the Bear because some people really like that feeling and you don’t get as much of that with the GhostBed.

Bear is better for back and stomach sleepers

The Bear mattress is a firm bed, and as such, it’s a good one for people who sleep on their back or stomach. We put the Bear at a 5.75 to 6.75 on our 0–10 soft to firm scale (with 0 being the inside of a burnt marshmallow and 10 being the monolithic Gibraltar).

Because the Bear is so firm, it provides enough support for back and stomach sleepers and will even be a very good option for individuals with a higher body weight of over 250 pounds.

It should be noted, though, that the firmness of a mattress will depend on your weight.

The Bear, for example, could feel like a 5 for someone with a higher body weight or up to a 7 for someone with a much lower body weight. Bottom line: If you want a firm mattress, Bear is the way to go.

Bear mattress has good edge support

We really like that the Bear doesn’t give around the edges. If you happen to roll toward the edge of the bed during the night, you won’t feel like you’re about to roll off the edge.

Edge support is something you probably want to consider if you’re a couple sharing a smaller-sized bed or maybe if you’re parents who end up with two toddlers and a dog trying to share your limited mattress space.

With the Bear, every inch is usable.

GhostBed mattresses

  • if you’re looking for a comfy foam bed
  • people on a budget

Details:

  • Free shipping & returns
  • 101-night trial period
  • 20-year warranty
  • Made in the USA

GhostBed is a hybrid foam mattress

We included the Bear’s memory foam feel as an advantage, but we’re also going to give an advantage to GhostBed for having a mixed feel because it all comes down to preference.

The GhostBed is a hybrid mattress in that it incorporates both memory and latex foam. The memory foam gives it a little bit of a traditional plush feel, while the latex gives support without being overly firm.

With the GhostBed, there’s minimal sinkage. So if you like a slightly softer bed, but prefer to sleep on top of your mattress, rather than slightly down in the mattress, the GhostBed may be right for you.

GhostBed is good for all sleeper types

The GhostBed is softer than the Bear, coming in at about a 4.75 to 5.75 on our soft to firm scale. The softer feel makes it a more accommodating mattress.

The GhostBed is firm enough to provide the support for back and stomach sleepers, but it’s still soft enough to provide the pressure relief you’ll want if you’re a side or combo sleeper.

We like all-around accommodating mattresses like this one because it’s pretty common for couples to be different sleeper types, and with a nice middle-ground feel, both parties can be comfortable.

The prices on these two mattress are pretty similar, but GhostBed usually offers bigger discounts which is why they’re the winner here. You can see a breakdown of the MSRP prices in the table below.

Bear mattress pricing:

SIZEPRICE (MSRP)
Twin$500
Twin XL$600
Full$700
Queen$800
King$900
Cal King$900

GhostBed pricing:

SIZEPRICE (MSRP)
Twin$595
Twin XL$795
Full$1045
Queen$1,145
King$1,295
Cal King$1,325
Split King$1,590

With either of these options, you’re going to get okay responsiveness, but good motion transfer control. Neither of these is going to bounce back immediately after being depressed, but it’s also not going to be a problem.

You won’t have any trouble turning over during the night, for example. And when you do turn over, your partner won’t feel jostled because both the Bear and GhostBed performed very well in our motion transfer test — virtually no cross-bed motion.

First off, like just about any bed-in-a-box, both the Bear and the GhostBed ship for free and offer free returns and pick-ups within their trial period. Bear’s trial period is 100 nights, and GhostBed offers 101 nights.

We’re not counting that one extra night as an advantage, though, because, honestly, 100 nights is more than enough to know if you like a bed.

And of course, being a bed-in-a-box, both beds will arrive (You guessed it!) in a box. Whichever mattress you decide on, it’s a good idea to give it a day or two to shape up before you pass judgement on its comfiness.

Check out the 10 Mattresses for stomach sleepers.

The Mattress Finder team is composed of certified professionals who are passionate about helping consumers improve their sleep. We thoroughly test each mattress we review through a series of practical, hands-on inspections and assessments. We write every review expecting that our closest friends and family members rely on us for their mattress and sleep product decisions, so honesty and authenticity are core principles of our inspection process.