Saatva vs Nectar − which mattress brand is best on test?

Saatva and Nectar are two of the biggest names in sleep. Where Saatva is an old-school mattress brand, offering complimentary white glove delivery on their innerspring, memory foam, hybrid, and latex models, Nectar is new-age: their mattresses arrive vacuum-packed and sealed in cardboard boxes, straight to your front door.

I decided to pit Saatva vs Nectar head to head. For the sake of a fair fight, I wanted to choose a similar mattress from each store. I landed on the Saatva Contour5 Mattress and the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress (two of our top contenders for the title of 'best mattress').

Here at Homes & Gardens, we assess each mattress against the following criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. If any of these terms are new to you, don't panic: just cross-reference against my mattress jargon buster. Both the Saatva Contour5 and the Nectar Memory Foam excel in (almost) every category, but the Saatva Contour5 edges the victory for superior cooling, comfort, and support.

Saatva vs Nectar − which mattress brand is best on test?

Before we begin, I want to introduce our two testers. Alex Frost, one of our most prolific freelance product testers, sampled the Saatva Contour5 Mattress. Casey Clark, another one of our freelance reviewers, tested the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress.

Saatva vs Nectar − Head to head

Saatva vs Nectar − Pressure relief

WINNER: Saatva

The Saatva Contour5 is available in multiple mattress firmness levels to suit different sleepers. I recommend Firm support for back and stomach sleepers, to keep your spine straight, while side sleepers might appreciate the extra give you get from a Medium mattress.

Alex still remembers her first night on the Saatva Contour5 in Firm: 'I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my typically achy back and joints were a little less agitated. I put that down to the enhanced support of the mattress. There was just enough give to cushion my joints without throwing my spine out of alignment.'

That's not to say that the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is uncomfortable: far from it. For what it's worth, Casey is a particularly harsh critic, since the aches and pains from her fibromyalgia often make it hard for her to sleep. 'I appreciated how the mattress sank underneath my chest area when I laid on my front allowing for some breathing room in that department,' says Casey. 'When I lay on my back, I felt like my body was in perfect alignment.'

Casey loves the medium-firm feel of her Nectar Memory Foam Mattress, but you might appreciate something softer. In that case, I recommend the Saatva Contour5 in Medium.

Saatva vs Nectar − Thermoregulation

WINNER: Saatva

Early iterations of memory foam were known for trapping heat. There isn't much room for air to flow through such a dense structure. In recent years, we've made some major strides in materials and manufacturing. Some of the best cooling mattresses are made with memory foam.

'As a stomach sleeper who gets the night sweats, especially over the summer, I need a cooling mattress more than most,' says Alex. 'I'd read about the airflow channels running through the middle of the Saatva Contour5. Now, after nine months testing, I can confirm that it's not just marketing jargon: this mattress kept me cool through a hot and humid Cincinnati summer.'

Casey was less impressed with the cooling capabilities of the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress. The poly-blend quilted cover is supposed to dissipate heat and wick moisture, but Casey still woke up in a sweat on hot nights. To carry on sleeping on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress, she'd need a set of the best cooling sheets.

Saatva vs Nectar − Motion isolation

WINNER: It's a tie

A memory foam mattress is made to absorb motion: it's great for particularly light sleepers or couples who get into and out of bed at different times. Both the Saatva Contour5 and the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress boast excellent motion isolation.

To measure the motion transfer through the Saatva Contour5, Alex filled a cup with water and placed it in the middle of her mattress. Then, she took a weight and applied pressure around the mattress, moving incrementally closer to the glass. 'No water spilled onto the Saatva Contour5 Mattress, even with significant agitation around the cup,' reports Alex. 'This indicates minimal motion transfer, which I experienced in practice. I realized a few weeks into testing that I no longer woke up when my partner rolled around or got out of bed at an unsociably early hour.'

Casey conducted the same test on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress. 'Even as I put my hands directly around the cup, there was no motion,' she recalls. Casey was able to sleep undisturbed on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress, giving her aching bones and joints a rest.

Saatva vs Nectar − Edge support

WINNER: Saatva

'Memory foam mattresses are infamous for their lack of edge support,' says Alex. 'All too often, the soft squishiness of the center extends to the sides of the mattress, making it much harder to get into and out of bed, especially if you struggle with mobility. Some nights, one or two of my kids end up in my bed with a bad dream, and I have to make the most of every inch, so I appreciate edge support more than most. I was really impressed with the edge support on the Saatva Contour5 – I could sit and sleep comfortably.'

Casey was disappointed by the lack of edge support on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress: 'While Nectar claims to offer consistent and firm edge support, that's not what I experienced. The sides of the mattress sank under the weight of my body. I couldn't even sit on the side of the bed to tie my shoes.'

Saatva vs Nectar − Practical points

WINNER: Saatva

Both Saatva and Nectar offer 365-night mattress sleep trials: that gives you a whole year to get used to the look and feel of your new mattress before you commit to your purchase.

Both Saatva and Nectar offer lifetime limited mattress warranties, covering all the usual defects in materials and manufacture. That's about as good as it gets.

Nectar is a box mattress brand: their mattresses arrive tightly sealed in plastic inside cardboard boxes, delivered straight to your door. It's a quick and convenient system, but it relies on you being willing and able to maneuver the heavy weight of your mattress. Saatva offers complimentary white glove delivery. Someone will come to your house, remove your old mattress, and set up your new one in the room of your choice.

Saatva vs Nectar − Which should I buy?

If you're buying on a budget, I suggest you stick with the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress: it's the best affordable mattress on the market. For just $649 for a Queen, I can forgive subpar edge support and middling thermoregulation, especially because the mattress scores so highly for pressure relief and motion isolation.

If money is no object, and you want the best mattress you can buy, I recommend the Saatva Contour5. This mattress gets top scores across the board and boasts a 4.8 average star rating from 20 verified reviews. Admittedly, it's also $2,000 more expensive than the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress, but you get what you pay for.

How we test mattresses

As the resident Sleep Editor at Homes & Gardens, I lead a team of expert testers in the search to find the world's best mattress. Together, we represent a wide range of body types, sleep styles, and ages, and we live right across the country. We test mattresses for a minimum of 30 nights in our own homes before we write our initial reviews to get a good idea of long-term performance.

We assess each mattress against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. To assess pressure relief, we lie on the mattress and flip between our stomach, back, and side, considering how comfortable and supported we feel in each position. To assess thermoregulation, we switch off our AC to sleep through all weather conditions, making note of any nights where we wake up in a sweat.

To assess motion isolation, we fill a glass with water and set it in the middle of the mattress. Then, we take a weight and apply pressure around the mattress, moving incrementally closer to the glass. The more the glass moves, and the more water spills, the worse the motion isolation, and the less suitable the mattress for couples and light sleepers. To assess edge support, we sit on the side of the mattress and measure how far we fall. The further we sink, the worse the edge support, and the harder it might be to get into and out of bed.

We also consider the practicalities of mattress shopping, including the length of the sleep trial, the extent of the mattress warranty, and the details of delivery. Finally, we bring it all back to the price of the mattress to help you determine value for money. To learn more about how we test mattresses, consult our expert explainer.