About Silentnight#
Silentnight is the UK's largest bed manufacturer, founded in 1946 in Barnoldswick, Lancashire. The brand is one of the most recognisable in British bedrooms, with decades of advertising, most memorably featuring the Hippo and Duck, cementing its place in the national consciousness. Silentnight manufactures its mattresses in the UK and sells through major retailers including Dreams, Bensons for Beds, Argos, Amazon and John Lewis.
Unlike the direct-to-consumer online brands, Silentnight's mattresses are sold through third-party retailers, which means pricing varies and "sale" pricing is common. The brand offers a 60-night sleep trial through some retailers and a 5-year guarantee on most models.
The Silentnight range explained#
Silentnight offers a broad range spanning budget to premium:
- Studio range: Entry-level, open-coil construction. Budget price (under £200 for a double). Suitable for spare rooms or short-term use.
- Mirapocket range: Silentnight's pocket-sprung line, their core mid-range product. The Miracoil spring system is open-coil but uses a distinctive z-shape wire design for reduced motion transfer, a reasonable compromise between open-coil and pocket-sprung.
- Eco Comfort range: Uses recycled plastic bottles in the filling. Silentnight's sustainability credentials, though the core spring system is still conventional.
- Geltex / 2000 Pocket Luxury: Premium hybrid options with pocket springs and foam or gel comfort layers. The most competitive with online hybrid brands.
Performance highlights#
Silentnight's strengths are reliability, UK manufacture and accessible retail presence. Their Geltex Pocket mattress (pocket springs with a gel-foam comfort layer) is their best product for most adult sleepers, it provides genuine support, reasonable temperature regulation and a comfortable feel that competes favourably with mid-range online hybrids.
The weaker part of the range is the entry-level Miracoil. The open-coil z-spring design is a step up from a basic coil, but motion transfer is still noticeable and longevity is inferior to pocket-sprung alternatives.
Value compared to online brands#
Silentnight products are often listed at inflated RRPs with permanent "sale" pricing, a common high-street practice. When comparing, use the actual sale price (which is what you'll pay) rather than the RRP. At real-world prices, Silentnight mid-range mattresses offer comparable value to online brands, with the advantage of same-day viewing in a showroom.
Who Silentnight suits#
- Best for: UK buyers who prefer to buy from a physical retailer they know, those who want UK-manufactured products, spare room and children's mattresses (budget range), those wanting to try before buying
- Less suitable for: Those wanting the longest possible trial period, hot sleepers (limited breathable options in the range), buyers wanting the most competitive price-per-quality ratio
From the shop floor#
How we assessed Silentnight: this section draws on the reviewer's twenty years selling mattresses on UK high street shop floors, including fitting customers to Silentnight beds and hearing what they came back to say. It is not a structured sleep test of the current models. Construction details come from the brand's published specifications, and the comparison scores below are for the mattresses we have scored ourselves, not for Silentnight.
Silentnight is the brand we sold more of than any other, for the simple reason that it is in every bed shop, at every price, and most people have heard of it. That ubiquity is its strength and its trap. The range runs from thin open-coil budget beds to well-made Geltex and pocket-spring models, and the name on the label tells you nothing about which you are getting. The most common disappointment we saw was a buyer who chose the cheapest Silentnight because it was Silentnight, then wondered why it dipped in eighteen months. Judge each model on its construction, not the brand.
Where Silentnight genuinely wins is the mid-range pocket-spring beds sold through retailers who will let you lie on a dozen in a row. Where it loses is trial terms, which are set by the retailer and are rarely as generous as the online brands', and the entry-level open-coil models, which are not built for daily adult use.
How Silentnight compares with the mattresses we have scored#
Silentnight spans budget to mid-market through retailers. These are the catalogue mattresses that compete with its entry-level and mid-range models, sold direct with clear terms.
| Model | Type | Depth | Feel | Support | Comfort | Price (double) | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Memory Foam | Foam | 18cm | Medium | 7.8 | 8.0 | £109 | Beats a budget open-coil for a spare room, £109 |
| Superior Cashmere | Foam | 23cm | Medium | 8.5 | 8.8 | £198 | The sub-£200 foam mattress we would buy for a main bed |
| Emma Original Lite | Foam | 20cm | Medium | 7.6 | 8.0 | £246 | Foam with a 200-night trial at Silentnight money |
| Pocket Reflex 1000 | Pocket spring | 28cm | Medium | 8.2 | 8.0 | £399 | Pocket springs and reflex foam: the Miracoil alternative |
| Luxe Velour Hybrid | Hybrid | 28cm | Medium | 8.2 | 8.4 | £399 | Mid-range Silentnight pocket-spring money, better scores |
Prices are for a double at the time of writing (September 2026), using the sale price where the brand runs a permanent one. Full scores are on each review page. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you; it never affects a score.
The instructive comparison is at the bottom: a budget open-coil Silentnight against Westwood Memory Foam at £109, which will outlast it. At mid-range prices, Pocket Reflex 1000 and Luxe Velour Hybrid give pocket springs with a trial the retailer may not offer. Our budget mattress guide covers the whole lower market.
Frequently asked questions#
Are Silentnight mattresses good quality?#
The mid-range and premium ones are; the entry-level open-coil models are built to a price and are not suited to nightly adult use. Judge each Silentnight model on its construction, since the range varies enormously.
What is Miracoil?#
Silentnight's continuous-wire spring system: a single length of wire zigzagged into springs, cheaper to make than pocket springs and firmer than traditional open coil. It supports adequately but transfers motion more than pocket springs.
Do Silentnight mattresses come with a trial?#
It depends on the retailer. Silentnight sells through third parties, so sleep trials, if any, are on the shop's terms and are usually shorter than the 100–200 nights online brands offer.
Silentnight or Emma: which is better?#
For a like-for-like foam mattress, Emma scores higher and offers a 200-night trial. Silentnight wins if you want to try before buying in a local shop or want a traditional pocket-spring bed at a mid-range price.
Related reading#
- Best budget mattress UK – what to buy under £300
- Pocket springs vs open coil – why the entry-level models disappoint
- Online brands vs high street – the trade-off Silentnight sits on
- Best mattress for a guest room – where a budget bed makes sense
- Best under £500 – every mattress we score below £500
