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When you’re mattress shopping, you’ll eventually find yourself comparing options. If price point is a major factor in your decision, you might consider a mattress from Nectar or Zinus.
Both companies offer memory foam mattresses with free shipping. Nectar is one of the most well-known and well-priced beds in a box, and Zinus offers even more impressive affordability.
Read on to learn more about these brands and how to choose between them.
Here’s a quick look at how Zinus and Nectar compare overall.
| Zinus | Nectar | |
|---|---|---|
| Mattress types | Memory foam, spring, and hybrid | Memory foam |
| Price range for queen size | $289–$729 | $1,198–$1,898 |
| Certifications | CertiPUR-US, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 | CertiPUR-US |
| Known for | Comfort and affordability | Affordable bed-in-a-box brand |
Zinus mattresses vs. Nectar mattresses
While Nectar offers just two different mattresses, Zinus has 19. We’ll cover both Nectar mattresses, plus two from Zinus that are the most similar to Nectar’s offerings.
Pricing guide
- $ = under $600
- $$ = $600–$1,200
- $$$ = over $1,200
Zinus mattresses
Zinus mattresses are available in varying sizes. Some are available in all sizes from twin to California king, while others are only available in a handful of sizes.
Each mattress is sold in several different thicknesses for varying levels of firmness.
Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress
- Price: $
- Type: Memory foam
- Height: 8, 10, 12, or 14 inches
- Firmness rating: Medium to medium-soft
This mattress is designed with cooling, CERTIPUR-US certified memory foam and a stretchy, soft fabric cover to keep you cool all night. It’s infused with green tea, which Zinus says neutralizes odors.
Close to 700 reviews on the company’s site put this mattress at a solid 4 stars. Happy customers are pleased with the price point and cooling comfort, while others describe an unpleasant “sunken” experience.
Buy the Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress online.
Zinus Pressure Relief Cloud Memory Foam Mattress
- Price: $
- Type: Memory foam
- Height: 8, 10, or 12 inches
- Firmness rating: Medium to plush
Designed for a cloud-like, luxurious feel, the Zinus Cloud Mattress is made with a plush, quilted microfiber and foam cover and several inches of CERTIPUR-US certified memory foam. Conforming, customized support is designed to offer pressure relief to minimize aches and pains.
Over 17,000 reviewers on Amazon put this mattress at a 4.4 rating out of 5 stars. While most reviewers are satisfied, some say the mattress didn’t decompress to its full height. Others say it’s better for back sleeping than it is for side sleeping.
Buy the Zinus Pressure Relief Cloud Memory Foam Mattress online.
Nectar mattresses
Nectar is a popular online company offering memory foam mattresses in most sizes — twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king.
The company offers a number of promotional incentives, like free pillows, sheets, and mattress protectors with your mattress purchase.
The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
- Price: $$
- Type: Memory foam
- Height: 11 inches
- Firmness rating: Medium-firm
The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress has over 28,000 reviews that are overwhelmingly glowing. Happy customers praise its comfort and the simple order, delivery, and set-up process.
The handful of negative reviews mention delivery issues and discomfort, though many were still within the 30-day “breaking-in” window.
The mattress is designed to provide minimal motion transfer with several layers of foam (meaning your partner shouldn’t feel you tossing and turning). An adaptive memory foam layer is meant to relieve pressure point pain in the shoulders, hips, and legs. A layer of gel foam aims to keep you cool throughout the night.
With a medium-firm feel, this mattress may provide a good balance of softness, firmness, and support for all sleeping positions.
Buy the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress online.
Nectar Lush Mattress
- Price: $$$
- Type: Memory foam
- Height: 12 inches
- Firmness rating: Medium-firm
The Nectar Lush is a thicker, cooler version of the original Nectar mattress. From the cooling cover to the gel-coated memory foam, the Lush is designed for superior support and cooling.
There are just over 200 reviews of this mattress on the Nectar website, but happy customers rave about how it resolved back pain issues and gave them the best sleep ever.
While both Zinus and Nectar offer well-reviewed memory foam mattresses with cooling features, the biggest differences come down to price point.
While Nectar mattresses are on par with other popular bed-in-a-box brands, Zinus has a lower price point for shoppers on a budget.
To narrow things down further, think about whether you sleep hot. If you do, you may want to opt for a mattress that includes gel memory foam, like the Nectar Lush Mattress or the Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress.
Finally, consider your firmness preference and sleep style. If you like a soft mattress, you might be better off with Zinus. But if you prefer a medium-firm sleep surface, go with Nectar.
Zinus
Zinus mattresses ship for free. To keep prices low, Zinus ships mattresses via FedEx Ground for weekday delivery in the contiguous United States only. That means Zinus mattresses cannot be delivered to Hawaii and Alaska. While the company says they hope to offer expedited or date-specific delivery options in the future, they don’t offer them yet.
Orders placed on the company website are typically delivered between 5 and 12 business days.
Mattresses are compressed, rolled, and shipped in boxes, so they’ll need time to decompress before you sleep on them.
Nectar
Nectar’s mattresses are also compressed, vacuum-packed, and boxed for shipping. In addition to free standard shipping, Nectar offers a white glove service option. For $149, they’ll set up your new Nectar mattress and coordinate the removal of your existing mattress.
Nectar mattresses can be shipped to Hawaii and Alaska with an additional shipping fee of $150 per large item.
The company’s mattresses ship from a number of distribution centers throughout the United States, so delivery times vary.
Both Zinus and Nectar offer sleep trials and warranties, but there are a few differences.
Zinus
Zinus offers 100 nights for their trial period. The company has special refund instructions for decompressed mattresses, and you’ll need to contact the company to begin a return authorization.
In most cases, that involves donating the mattress to a local nonprofit and providing the proof of donation to Zinus so they can initiate the refund. Any mattresses purchased from a partner retailer (like Amazon) are subject to that retailer’s return policies.
Zinus has a 10-year limited warranty that applies to all mattresses purchased new from authorized retailers. The warranty is for workmanship and material defects. It becomes valid once the return window of the authorized dealer closes.
You’ll need your proof of purchase, and there are a few things that will void the warranty. This includes removing the outer cover or the mattress tags, or using an improper base or a heated blanket.
It’s a good idea to read the warranty in full so that you’re clear on the rights and limitations it offers.
Nectar
Nectar’s sleep trial is 365 nights. If, after 30 days, you decide the mattress isn’t right for you, you can reach out to a return specialist. This is also where exchanges are processed. Returns are always free.
The company also offers a forever warranty, which covers visible indentations greater than 1 1/2 inches.
A proof of purchase is required to return the mattress, and you’ll be responsible for a $50 shipping fee. This fee can be waived once Nectar confirms a defect in materials and workmanship. In some cases, a photograph of the mattress will be sufficient.
Both Zinus and Nectar mattresses are made with CertiPUR-US certified foam. This third-party global rating standard means the foams used in these mattresses are free from harmful chemicals and gas, including:
- ozone depleters
- heavy metals
- formaldehyde
- phthalates
- volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
But CertiPUR-US tests polyurethane foams — not the whole product. The mattresses themselves aren’t certified, but some foams inside are.
Some components of Zinus mattresses are also OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. This means the materials have been tested for harmful substances.
Zinus
While Zinus doesn’t have Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation, they do have an F rating. Most of the complaints relate to long delays in shipping and quality issues.
A class action lawsuit was filed in spring 2020 against Zinus. Like many companies, Zinus uses glass fibers as a fire retardant in their mattresses. The lawsuit alleges that Zinus hasn’t properly notified consumers of the risk of removing the outer mattress cover, which can expose these glass fibers. However, on the Zinus website, we found information warning consumers against removing the mattress cover because of the potential for exposure to glass fiber.
At this time, the lawsuit is awaiting the approval of class certification.
While Zinus recently issued a voluntary recall for their bunk beds, we couldn’t find any information relating to mattress recalls.
Nectar
Nectar doesn’t have a BBB accreditation or rating either, but the company does respond to both positive and negative reviews on the platform.
In 2018, Nectar agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over claims that their mattresses were designed and assembled in the United States. According to the FTC, the mattresses were actually imported from China, with no assembly happening domestically.
We checked Nectar’s website and they’re transparent about where their mattresses are manufactured. The company explains that they have a diversified supply chain, with products sourced and manufactured in places around the world.
There are tens of thousands of reviews for both Zinus and Nectar mattresses on various websites.
Zinus
Reviews for Zinus mattresses can be found on the company website and their retailer partners. The feedback is generally positive, with reviewers praising the comfort and affordability.
On the downside, negative reviews mention inferior quality, poor customer service, and lengthy shipping delays. There’s also some feedback about the mattresses providing insufficient support for people with more weight, so that’s worth keeping in mind.
On Trustpilot, a third-party review site, Zinus has just 20 reviews with an average rating overall.
Nectar
In addition to the tens of thousands of reviews on the Nectar website, there are over 800 reviews on Amazon.
Just like the feedback on the Nectar site, these are largely from happy customers who rave about the quality and comfort of their mattress. Negative reviews are limited and mention an issue with mattresses that didn’t fully decompress.
Nectar also has over 8,000 reviews on Trustpilot and an excellent rating.
Both Zinus and Nectar offer affordable memory foam mattresses. Zinus has a lower price point than Nectar, but overall Nectar is more enthusiastically reviewed online.
Jessica Timmons has been working as a freelance writer since 2007, covering everything from pregnancy and parenting to cannabis, chiropractic, stand-up paddling, fitness, martial arts, home decor, and much more. Her work has appeared in mindbodygreen, Pregnancy & Newborn, Modern Parents Messy Kids, and Coffee + Crumbs. See what she’s up to now at jessicatimmons.com.