The quick answer#
Nectar sells memory foam and hybrid mattresses on the strength of a long home trial and a generous warranty. If you want the same medium memory-foam feel for less money, the Westwood Memory Foam at £109 is the cheapest mattress we are willing to recommend, and the Superior Cashmere at £198 is the one we would actually buy.
If the long trial is the part you care about, skip to Luxe Velour Hybrid at £399, which includes a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty.
Why people look for a Nectar alternative#
Nectar's proposition is built around risk removal: a 365-night home trial and a "Forever Warranty" that runs for as long as you own the mattress. That is genuinely valuable if you are buying a mattress you have never lain on, and we will say plainly that no mattress on this page matches those terms. The catch is that the proposition is priced in. Buyers who already know they get on with medium memory foam are paying for insurance they may not need.
The other common reason is heat. All-foam mattresses insulate, and if you run warm, the fix is either a cooling-specific foam or a sprung core. Both options appear below. Our own assessment of the brand is in the Nectar mattress review.
What Nectar charges#
Double prices (135 x 190 cm), directly comparable with the double prices we quote below. The "from £199" you see advertised is a single. Taken from nectarsleep.co.uk on 21 September 2026:
| Nectar model | Type | Depth | Feel | Single | Double |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Memory Foam | Memory foam | 25cm | Medium-firm 6.5 | £199 | £449 |
| Classic Hybrid | Hybrid | 25cm | Medium 5 | £299 | £499 |
| Premier Memory Foam | Memory foam | 28cm | Medium-firm 6 | £399 | £649 |
| Premier Hybrid | Hybrid | 28cm | Medium-firm 7 | £549 | £699 |
Worth noting the jump from single to double: the widely advertised £199 becomes £449 for the size most couples actually buy. Nectar also includes free named-day delivery, free returns and old mattress removal, and the range carries MTick certification for menopause-friendly cooling, which is a genuine differentiator none of our picks hold. The honest summary: on trial length, warranty and cooling certification, Nectar beats everything below. On price per centimetre of mattress, it does not.
Our picks at a glance#
| Mattress | Best for | Type | Firmness | Price (double) | Our score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Cashmere | Best overall alternative | Memory foam | Medium | £198 | 8.5 |
| Westwood Memory Foam | Cheapest we recommend | Memory foam | Medium | £109 | 8.4 |
| The Saffron Comfort Deep | Deeper foam build | Memory foam | Medium | £174 | 8.5 |
| Core CoolMax Memory Foam | Hot sleepers | Memory foam | Medium | £147 | 8.4 |
| Luxe Velour Hybrid | If you want a trial | Hybrid | Medium | £399 | 8.4 |
| Reverso Memory | Softer feel | Memory foam | Soft | £329 | 8.1 |
The alternatives in detail#
Best overall alternative: Superior Cashmere, £198#
The Superior Cashmere is a 23cm memory foam mattress with a cashmere-blend cover, scoring 8.8 for comfort, the highest of any foam mattress in our catalogue. It lands at a true medium, which is where most memory foam buyers want to be, and the cover gives it a surface feel that belies the price.
Cheapest we recommend: Westwood Memory Foam, £109#
The Westwood Memory Foam scores 9.3 for value, our highest, because £109 for a double that holds a genuine medium feel is close to unbeatable. It is an 18cm two-layer build with no frills. For a guest room, a first flat or a child's bed it is exceptional; heavier adults sleeping on it nightly should choose something deeper. It anchors our under £500 rankings.
Deeper foam build: The Saffron Comfort Deep, £174#
At 23cm, The Saffron Comfort Deep gives you more material under you than most sub-£200 mattresses, scoring 8.5 for comfort and 8.3 for support. Depth matters most for heavier sleepers, where a shallow core compresses towards the base.
Hot sleepers: Core CoolMax Memory Foam, £147#
The Core CoolMax Memory Foam wraps a CoolMax cover around a 15cm foam core at £147, with 8.9 for value. It is the cheapest answer here to the single most common complaint about memory foam.
If you want a trial: Luxe Velour Hybrid, £399#
If the trial period is genuinely the reason you were considering Nectar, the Luxe Velour Hybrid is the pick. It is a 28cm medium hybrid at £399 with a 100-night trial, a 10-year warranty and free delivery, and its sprung core sleeps cooler than any all-foam mattress on this page. Hybrids explained in full in what is a hybrid mattress.
Softer feel: Reverso Memory, £329#
The Reverso Memory is a soft 25cm memory foam mattress from Luxe, with the same 100-night trial. Support is 7.4, so it suits lighter sleepers and dedicated side sleepers rather than heavier builds. Side sleepers should also read our side sleeper picks.
What you give up#
We would rather you hear this from us than find out after paying. The Foam People do not advertise a home trial, and their warranty runs to 5 years rather than the 10 the bed-in-a-box brands offer. If the freedom to send a mattress back after two months matters more to you than the price, that is a legitimate reason to pay more elsewhere, and our guide to trial periods explains what the trial small print usually means in practice.
Luxe Mattresses sit in between: a 100-night trial, a 10-year warranty and free delivery, at prices still well under the premium bed-in-a-box brands. If a trial is non-negotiable, start there instead.
Frequently asked questions#
Is a £109 mattress really any good?#
For the right use, yes. The Westwood scores 7.8 for support and 8.0 for comfort, which is a competent medium foam mattress, and 9.3 for value because of what it costs. What you do not get is depth, a long warranty or a trial. We would put it in a spare room without hesitation and in a main bedroom only for lighter sleepers.
Which alternative sleeps coolest?#
The Luxe Velour Hybrid, because springs move air in a way solid foam cannot. Among the all-foam options, the Core CoolMax Memory Foam is the one built for the problem.
Do these come with a long trial like Nectar's?#
No. Luxe offer 100 nights with a 10-year warranty; The Foam People do not advertise a trial and offer 5 years. If a year-long trial is the deciding factor, that is a fair reason to pay more.
Memory foam or hybrid?#
Choose foam for pressure relief, motion isolation and the lowest price. Choose a hybrid if you sleep hot, are heavier, or want easier movement across the surface. Our how to choose a mattress guide works through it properly.
References#
- Caggiari G, Talesa GR, Toro G, Jannelli E, Monteleone G, Puddu L. What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. 2021;22:51. doi:10.1186/s10195-021-00616-5
- Hu Z, Wang Y, Li L, et al. Effects of Mattress Firmness on Sleep Quality and Sleep Architecture. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2025;17:865–878. doi:10.2147/NSS.S503222
How we picked these alternatives#
Every mattress above is one we have scored ourselves out of 10 for support, comfort and value, using the same framework for each (see how we score). We ranked candidates on the specific quality people are trying to replace, not on overall score alone, then sense-checked the shortlist on price, warranty and what happens if you don't get on with it.
Not sure which suits you? Our mattress quiz takes four questions and ranks the whole catalogue against your position, build and budget.
Prices and specifications are as published by the brands on 21 September 2026 and change often, check the current price before buying. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you, and it never affects a score. See our affiliate disclosure.
