How we test mattresses
We conduct seven robust tests in our lab to capture objective data on the four areas of a mattress that most affect your sleep comfort: pressure relief, temperature regulation, motion isolation and edge support. We also sleep on a mattress for at least three weeks before subjectively rating it. All of this data is fed into our bespoke scoring system, along with feedback captured by our expert testing panel, to create an overall review score. Read our full mattress methodology here.
Nectar is one of the most well-known mattress brands out there, and the Nectar Classic is its entry-level mattress-in-a-box, made from three layers of memory foam. The brand is behind some of this year's best mattresses we've tested, so our team of expert mattress testers were excited to put its flagship model to the test.
The biggest highlight of the Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress is its firm support. Unlike most other foam mattresses on the market, which deliver the "body-hugging" feel, the Nectar Classic stands out with robust edge support, firm comfort and overall good temperature regulation.
Made by Resident Homes, the same company behind DreamCloud, the Classic is excellent value for money, offering affordability without sacrificing great perks like a forever warranty, free shipping and returns and a 365-night sleep trial.
In terms of a similar price range and firm feel, the Casper One and Bear Original mattresses could be considered the main competitors. But considering the benefits and overall performance of the Classic, we think it stands out as one of the best memory foam mattresses of the year.
Value for money: 4 out of 5
- The most affordable Nectar mattress starting from $349
- Includes a full-year home trial, forever warranty and free shipping and returns
- Regular sales drop the cost of a queen bed to $649
While it's the cheapest mattress out of the Nectar collection, the Classic Memory Foam bed has a lower-mid-range price tag starting from $349 for a twin. For reference, the best cheap mattress guide consists of beds under $500 for a queen, so I'd say the Classic is at the lower end of the mid-range price bracket.
Similar to its sister brand DreamCloud, it's easy to assume you've found a huge sale looking at the official Nectar website — but we recommend ignoring the 'total value' figure. While it's supposedly equal to the MSRP, Nectar mattress sales offer 50% off mattresses all year long, which means you never pay over $649 for a queen.
Here are the official total values for Nectar Mattresses and how much you can expect to pay:
- Twin: MSRP $1,053 (usually sold at $349)
- Twin XL: MSRP $1,148 (usually sold at $549)
- Full: MSRP $1,475 (usually on sale for $599)
- Queen: MSRP $1,615 (usually sold at $649)
- King: MSRP $2,085 (usually sold at $849)
- Cal King: MSRP $2,085 (usually sold at $849)
- Split king: MSRP $2,296 (usually sold at $1,098)
Nectar also runs regular bedding bundle sales, offering 66% off on a mattress protector, bed sheet set and a cooling pillow.
The Nectar Classic also offers excellent benefits for the price point. The one-year sleep trial is on par with some of the top mattress brands we've seen on the market, like Saatva, DreamCloud and Awara. The lifetime mattress warranty, too, is impressive for a lower-mid range bed.
As mentioned, the Nectar Classic Memory Foam sits in a similar price bracket to the Bear Original (a queen usually around $699), DreamCloud Classic Hybrid ($649 for a queen) or Cocoon by Sealy Chill (typically $597 for a queen).
However, if you're looking for a more luxe option, consider Casper One (a queen at $799 on sale), Nectar Premier Memory Foam (a queen is $949) or the Puffy Cloud ($1,049 for a queen on sale).
Design
- 12" tall all-foam mattress
- Topped with a cool-to-touch antimicrobial cover
- 100% fiberglass-free and CertiPUR-US certified
The Nectar Classic is a luxurious mattress, made up of five layers.
At the bottom, you'll find a durable, shift-resistant fabric cover with the Nectar logo. Above that is an 8" foundational foam base, responsible for the sturdy edge support and overall stability.
That's followed by a 3" responsive support foam, which ensures correct spinal alignment, helping you stay on top of the bed without sinking into it. Sitting on top of that is a 1" foam layer, which contours to your body, relieving the pressure on your back and hips.
These layers are covered in a breathable, cool-to-touch fabric with antimicrobial properties. You also have the option to upgrade to include NectarCool Technology at an extra $49, which adds more cooling fibres to the cover.
According to the brand, the Nectar Classic is a 100% fiberglass-free mattress, using CertiPUR-US certified materials that meet certain safety and environmental standards.
Comfort: What it's like to sleep on
As an average-weight combination sleeper (side and back), I liked the Nectar Classic from day one. Unlike most memory foam beds I've tried before, it is on the firmer side, but it's not going to feel rock solid like the Plank Firm mattress.
The responsive support foams soothed my stiff back instantly, while the slight cushioning helped me ease into the bed. However, if you're expecting the cradling feeling and contouring pressure relief of the Helix Midnight Luxe, you'll be disappointed.
As someone who struggles with a sore back, the lumbar support of the Nectar Classic fell short over time.
However, it is an excellent value mattress, especially for those who dislike the feeling of sinking into their bed. During the testing period, sleeping in all three positions (side, back and stomach) felt comfortable.
It seemed like I moved around a lot less, settling into a comfy position quickly (reducing sleep latency— time taken to fall asleep), which also meant no random 3 a.m. wakeups.
Plus, the extra firmness resulted in excellent edge support. You could sit on the edge as comfortably as on a chair and never worry about it collapsing under your weight.
Temperature control: 3.5 out of 5
No one wants to wake up hot and stuffy, and your mattress has a major role to play in it. A mattress with good temperature regulation properties can maintain a comfortable (neutral) sleep environment. On the other hand, those with heat-trapping materials can lead to night sweats and compromised sleep quality.
The Nectar Classic Memory Foam has no actively cooling materials, except the top cover woven with cooling fibers. In fact, being a bit warmer (than on a hybrid or spring bed) is one of the five things you can expect while sleeping on a memory foam mattress. This aligns with our thermal imaging test results of the Nectar Classic.
It showed a large initial spike in temperature (by 7.1°F) in the first minute of our tester lying on the mattress. The temperature then continued to rise throughout the first 5 minutes of testing, reaching a maximum of 11.5°F.
While the temperature dropped slightly as our tester lay on the mattress, it remained high (fluctuating between 9.2°F and 10.9°F). Once the tester left the mattress, the temperature took a significant amount of time to dissipate.
Throughout the testing period in our Sleep Lab, the Nectar did not return to its initial temperature. Even 15 minutes after our tester left the mattress, it was still 3.2°F warmer than when we started, showing that the mattress was holding onto body heat.
For reference, the Siena Signature Memory Foam, one of the slowest to return to its base temperature, took 14 minutes, while the Bear Elite, the best cooling mattress we've tested so far, shed all of the heat it had absorbed in just three minutes.
This shows that the Nectar Classic does trap heat and may stay warm for a while. Hot sleepers may be better off opting for a bed that has a more open structure, like the best hybrid mattresses we've tested.
However, I found the Nectar Classic stayed temperature neutral while I slept on it. Although it is worth noting that I never sleep particularly warm and I did try this mattress during the spring when the temperature dropped below 57.2°F on some nights.
Overall, it earned a score of 3.5 out of 5 for temperature control, which is a decent score for an all-foam bed. For most sleepers, it should sleep neutral overnight. However, hot sleepers who tend to stay in one spot (rather than move around) might find the foams beneath them heat up uncomfortably during the night.
Comfort and support: 3 out of 5
Pressure relief is an important parameter to check while assessing the comfort of a mattress. This refers to how well a mattress adapts to your body to ease the stress placed on your pressure points (the areas of your body most in contact with the mattress. A lack of pressure relief in a mattress can lead to joint strain and excess pressure buildup in certain areas, which will impact your sleep quality over time.
We placed a 25kg weight (roughly one-third of the weight of an average American) at the shoulder and hip area of the mattress, measuring an average sink of 2.875 inches. This was less sink than on any of the other mattresses we've tested. In fact, the next closest is the Siena, which is considered a firm mattress, and that had an average sink of 3.625 inches.
This means that the mattress won't 'give' much beneath you, or contour around your body. This is likely because, despite the layers of foam, there is only 1" of pressure-relieving, softer foam.
Because of this, we awarded the Nectar Classic a 3 out of 5 for pressure relief. It has little cushioning, which means some side sleepers will find it far too firm to sleep comfortable on it. Although it might be better for those with bigger builds.
We also measured pressure relief by observing how neutral our spines remained in certain sleeping positions. With a tester lying on the mattress in front, back and side sleeping positions for 10 minutes each, we lined up a laser in a straight line so we could measure whether the hips sank too far into the bed and led to misalignment or pressure building in areas of the body.
During side sleeping, the laser measure stayed in alignment, meaning the Nectar Classic was supportive enough in this position. It also means that body weight is evenly distributed to avoid pressure build up.
During back and stomach sleeping, on the other hand, we noted that alignment in the lower back did deviate. This indicates that the hips sink further in these positions. However, because of the firm feel of the mattress, it's likely not enough to cause pressure buildup. In general, this shows consistent support for all sleeping positions.
Firmness
Mattress firmness is highly subjective as it depends on many variables like the individual's weight, sleeping style and preferences for levels of softness. However, our team was unanimous in rating the Nectar Classic 7.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale (a standardized scale where one indicates soft and 10, hard).
This reflects both our subjective experience and the lack of sink shown during our weight tests. For context, the Siena Signature, which similarly scored low in the sink test, is rated an 8 out of 10, both securing the tag of a firm mattress.
The lack of contouring comfort and the firm nature of the Nectar Classic were apparent instantly.
While it excels at responsive support, meaning the mattress bounces back as you move around on it, it falls behind in terms of contouring and cushioning. This is why we’d hesitate to recommend it to side sleepers, although those with a larger build might be comfortable with the pressure relief.
It will ideally suit sleepers who prefer to lie on top of their mattress, rather than those looking to sink in and be cradled by their bed.
Motion isolation: 3.5 out of 5
Share your bed with someone? Motion isolation, or motion control, is an aspect you should pay attention to. It refers to how efficiently a mattress stops movement travelling from one side of the bed to the other.
Good motion isolation means you're unlikely to be woken from your partner's movements, even if they are restless. Bad motion isolation makes sharing a bed and sleeping through the night near impossible.
To objectively test motion isolation, we drop a 5kg slam ball on the area of the mattress where someone is likely to get in and out of (around halfway down the bed). We then measure the force and duration of impact with an accelerometer app running on a smartphone strapped to the other side of the mattress (roughly where your partner would sleep). We repeat this 10 times and measure the average initial impact absorption (IIA), which is how much force is being measured by the accelerometer. The higher the IIA, the worse the motion isolation.
The Nectar Classic mattress had an average IIA (initial impact absorption) of 14.279m/s2. This falls into the "poor" range (being more than 12.0 m/s²). The initial impact spike is high, which means a sudden heavy movement, such as a partner turning over or your cat jumping on the bed, will be felt as a ‘thud’.
We measured the decay rate, which refers to how long it takes for movement to stop traveling across the bed, at 2.09 seconds, which falls in the top end of the good range. This means that the mattress stabilizes motion fast, so vibrations don’t linger enough to cause much of a disturbance.
Together, the Nectar Classic earned a total score of 3.5 out of 5 in our motion testing rubric. While there is a high initial spike, the mattress quickly dampens the vibrations, meaning you might notice a co-sleeper move, but it wouldn't necessarily disrupt your sleep.
Our testing panel's opinion also reflected the results. All testers agreed that movement felt contained and didn’t travel, meaning they could probably sleep through most tossing and turning. If you share a bed, the Nectar Classic is likely to be a peaceful choice.
Edge support: 5 out of 5
Edge support indicates how sturdy the edges of a mattress are. This lets you gauge how close to the edge you can sleep or if you can sit on it without worrying about them giving way under your weight.
Edge support is a parameter that bed sharers (who need the full surface of the mattress) and those with limited mobility (who might need a sturdy edge to maneuver on and off the bed) will need to consider before purchasing a new mattress.
To measure this in our sleep lab, we placed a 25kg weight on the perimeter of the mattress. It balanced easily at the foot of the Nectar Classic, where we recorded a compression of 3.562 inches (which more than the sink in the sleeping area of the bed). This is only second to the Saatva Classic, which has enhanced edge support and recorded a compression of 3.625 inches.
During our second test, where we measure the 'sleepable' surface of a mattress, we recorded an area of 59.5" where our tester felt comfortable and stable enough to sleep. The full width of the bed is 60", so you can get a clear image of just how supportive the edges are. In fact, the Saatva Classic, which has the best edge support we've ever tested, has 60" of 'sleepable' space, so it's not far off the Nectar Classic at all.
Based on this and our subjective experience, we awarded the Nectar Classic an impressive 5 out of 5 for edge support.
User reviews
While our testing panel includes individuals with varying builds and sleeping preferences, it's still a small sample size. In order to give you a more well-rounded picture, we've analyzed thousands of user reviews on Nectar's official website.
As of May 2026, the Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress has amassed a total of 54,155 reviews with an overall rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.
Around 43,301 customers have given it a 5-star rating, praising its medium-firm support and motion isolation feature, crediting it for reducing lower back stiffness and restlessness due to discomfort. Users also liked that it did not overheat or feel stuffy, despite being an all-foam model.
On the other hand, most of the 834 users who were not happy with their purchase reported that it's too firm. This shows that the subjective assessment of a mattress could vary from one individual to another based on factors like sleeping style, weight and ideal temperature, which is why it's crucial to always consider Nectar's one-year trial period.
Should you buy it?
The Nectar Classic Memory Foam is an excellent value mattress for back sleepers and those who prioritize firm, reliable support.
Being an all-foam bed, it scored the maximum 5 out of 5 for edge support— the same as the luxury innerspring Saatva Classic.
The firmness and the lack of cradling comfort of the mattress (we rate it 7.5 on the firmness scale) are apparent in the low pressure relief score of 3 out of 5, which is a major reason why we wouldn't recommend it for lightweight side sleepers.
On the other hand, we found it to have good motion isolation, making it a great choice for bed sharers, comparable to the best mattresses for couples.
However, those who tend to overheat or struggle regularly with night sweats might find that it traps heat more than hybrid mattresses. If you experience night sweats or hot flashes, consider one of the best cooling mattresses instead.
The performance, price and benefits you get make it excellent value for money.
Alternatives
Thanks to the extensive range of mattresses offered by Nectar, there's always something for everyone. According to the Nectar Premier Memory Foam mattress review, this is the bed you need if you're after the classic "body-hugging" comfort. While it may be too soft for stomach sleepers, side and back sleepers will enjoy the contouring support, starting from $549 for a twin. It also includes all the same benefits as the Classic Memory foam: one-year trial, lifetime warranty and free shipping.
Hot sleeper? The Cocoon by Sealy mattress review reports that it's a medium-firm bed with a moisture-wicking cool-to-touch cover made using phase change material. What's more, the Cocoon by Sealy mattress sale regularly knocks of 35%, which means a queen bed is cheaper than the Nectar Classic at $597. Extra benefits include a 100-night trial, 10-year warranty and free shipping.
The Siena tops the best cheap mattresses, which says enough about why it should be an ideal choice for those looking for a low-budget bed. Like the Nectar, firm support is Siena's forte. The 10-inch tall bed consists of two layers of foam, resulting in head-to-toe sturdy support but compromised pressure relief and contouring. However, at $294, a queen Siena Memory Foam is indeed a great value bed. Read more in our Siena Memory Foam Mattress review.
