Our expert reviewers conducted a thorough review of the Layla and Nectar mattresses. We paired those results with customer reviews and easy-to-digest summaries for the top factors that buyers consider when purchasing a new bed. In this review, you’ll learn how these two beds compare on performance factors like firmness options, temperature, and pressure relief.
We’ll kick off this review with good news: both mattresses are highly-rated! Mattress Advisor even awards them a place in the top memory foam mattress list for 2022. Now you simply need to choose which bed works best for you.
Layla vs. Nectar Overview
Customer Rating
MA Score
Summary
Firmness
Type
Trial Period
Warranty
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.8/10
Summary
Flippable memory foam mattress known to help people with back and joint pain
Firmness
Soft side: 4-5/10; Firm side: 7/10
Type
Copper-infused memory foam; flippable
Trial Period
120 days
Warranty
Lifetime limited warranty
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.7/10
Summary
Affordable quality mattress with excellent trial period
Firmness
Medium-firm: 5.5-6/10
Type
Gel memory foam
Trial Period
365 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty as long as you own the mattress
Layla
Nectar
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.8/10
8.7/10
Summary
Flippable memory foam mattress known to help people with back and joint pain
Affordable quality mattress with excellent trial period
Firmness
Soft side: 4-5/10; Firm side: 7/10
Medium-firm: 5.5-6/10
Type
Copper-infused memory foam; flippable
Gel memory foam
Trial Period
120 days
365 days
Warranty
Lifetime limited warranty
Lifetime warranty as long as you own the mattress
The Layla and the Nectar are two of the best memory foam mattresses around. The Layla mattress is popular for many reasons. It has a flippable design and uses copper in its foam layers, making it ideal for those who suffer from back pain. The Nectar is your classic memory foam bed with a twist; it uses gel-infused layers to keep you cool while still cradling your body.
While both the Layla and the Nectar mattresses suit side sleepers nicely, the Layla’s firmer side is better for back and stomach sleepers who want a soft, but still supportive mattress. The Nectar is a more budget-friendly mattress and is known for being one of the best bangs for your mattress buck.
Key Similarities:
- Both the Layla and the Nectar offer lifetime warranties which covers you for as long as you own the mattress.
- Both mattresses are priced affordably; you can get a queen-size of either the Nectar or the Layla for under $1,500.
- The Layla and Nectar are both memory foam mattresses, making them some of the best beds for side sleepers.
Key Differences:
- The Layla has a flippable design featuring two different firmness levels, while the Nectar is only offered in medium-firmness.
- The Nectar comes with a one-year sleep trial while the Layla only offers a 120-night trial.
- The Layla is infused with copper and the Nectar is infused with gel.
Layla Mattress Review Highlights
- Layla’s stand-out feature is that it’s a flippable mattress. That’s right—you get two memory foam mattresses for the price of one. The firm side has 1″ of foam that’s about 7/10 on the firmness scale. The soft side of the Layla has 3″ of foam and is a 4 or 5/10. You can try both sides and settle on the one that best fits your needs.
- Back sleepers and stomach sleepers will appreciate the firmer side, and side sleepers will like the supportive sinkage of the soft side.
- Another unique feature of Layla’s foam bed is that it’s infused with copper. Copper is excellent at calming inflammation in your joints. That means you wake up feeling less stiff and more energized.
- The copper also promotes cooling. Whereas traditional memory foam tends to trap body heat, the weight of your body causes the conduction of the copper particles, which moves heat away from your body.
Nectar Mattress Review Highlights
- The Nectar is considered a reliable budget option. A quick look at their customer reviews shows how pleased buyers are with their mattresses. Plus, they have been known to give discounts and bonus accessories, so keep a lookout for the latest prices and deals.
- As a gel memory foam mattress, the Nectar works for various sleeping positions. It’s medium-firm, or 6/10 on the pressure scale, and that memory foam feel is one loved by back, stomach, and side sleepers alike.
- Nectar offers one of the best bed-in–a-box mattress sleep trials on the market. You get a full year to test out your bed. The 365 days don’t begin until you’ve had your mattress for a month, which is about how long it takes for your body to adjust to a new bed.
- Nectar also offers a “forever warranty” that covers normal wear if you’re the original owner.
Compare Mattress Specs/Sizes
Mattress sizes are usually pretty consistent across brands. We found the Layla and Nectar to have identical dimensions for each mattress size, the only difference being Nectar’s extra 1.5″ of thickness. This means that Nectar’s foam layers may be a tad thicker or denser than the Layla’s, but not by an extraordinary amount since it’s only an inch difference.
Layla |
Nectar |
|
| Thickness | 10.5″ | 12″ |
| Twin Size | 39″ x 75″ | 38″ x 75″ |
| Twin XL | 39″ x 80 | 38″ x 80″ |
| Full Size | 54″ x 75″ | 54″ x 75″ |
| Queen Size | 60″ x 80″ | 60″ x 80″ |
| King Size | 76″ x 80″ | 76″ x 80″ |
| Cal King Size | 72″ x 84″ | 72″ x 84″ |
Learn more about mattress sizes.
Compare Layla vs Nectar Prices
Cost is a big factor that buyers consider when searching for their best night’s sleep. Whether you’re looking for a budget buy or a luxury brand, you want your bed to deliver comfort and quality for the price you pay.
If you’re on a stricter budget, the Nectar mattress is one of the best options around and earned a spot on best mattresses under $1,000. The Layla mattress also earned a spot on this list and is only a few hundred dollars more.
Layla |
Nectar |
|
| Twin | $749 | $499 |
| Twin XL | $849 | $669 |
| Full | $999 | $799 |
| Queen | $1,099 | $899 |
| King | $1,249 | $1,199 |
| Cal King | $1,249 | $1,199 |
| Split King | N/A | $1,238 |
Both companies offer financing through Affirm. That way, you can pay for your bed in monthly increments. Nectar is also known to run regular discounts as well as Layla, so be sure to keep an eye out for sales or exclusive Mattress Advisor discounts to save some extra cash.
Differences in Construction
Layers are what make mattresses unique. Both the Layla and Nectar are foam beds, but inside they look different.
While the Layla and the Nectar both feature memory foam layers, they still differ in many ways. The Layla is composed of 3 layers of memory foam and features a soft side and a firm side. The firm side feels more sturdy and gives you the feeling of sleeping “on” your mattress. Both sides are infused with copper which is known to reduce inflammation and soreness. The Nectar also has 3 foam layers, but uses gel instead of copper to cool you off and contour to your curves.
Our testers found both mattresses excel in pressure relief and edge support. They reported that the edges of both were secure enough to frequent the side of the bed without fear of falling off. Our testers also loved how the foam layers of both cradled their pressure points and kept any weight off of sensitive spots. Not to mention the excellent motion transfer. If you sleep with a partner or pet, either one of these mattresses will isolate motion so you can sleep through your partner’s late night bathroom breaks.
The Layla’s layers are some of the softest you’ll ever experience. That’s thanks to their proprietary “softening” process that’s used in the Layla’s fabric which makes not only the mattress cover super soft, but it also changes the way your sheets interact with the mattress for a more comfortable night’s sleep overall. You will genuinely feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud with the Layla.
The Nectar gives you more of that classic memory foam feel. Its foam layers envelope you completely, so if you enjoy the feeling of sleeping “in” your mattress rather than “on” it, the Nectar’s for you.
Inside the Layla Mattress
Either way, take a look inside the Layla mattress to see how you can have two beds in one mattress:
- Soft Side: composed of 3 inches of memory foam with copper-infused gel. The foam provides contouring to hips and shoulders. Plus, when the copper is compacted, it becomes antimicrobial, which reduces stinky smells and keeps your sleep space cleaner.
- Air Flow Layer: topped with a sunken grid that keeps air moving and temperature levels down while you sleep.
- Base Layer: made of support foam which is denser and provides support, reduces motion transfer, and minimizes long term wear.
- Firm Side: is just like the soft side, except it’s only 1 inch thick, rather than 3 inches. Again, the copper in the foam provides joint support and cooling. It also creates a cushy and supportive surface by firming in response to pressure. Layla calls this “variable support.” In other words, the more pressure from your body, the more support you get.
- Removable Cover: The mattress layers are all encased in a removable cover designed to cool in response to body heat. Keep in mind that excessive bedding over the mattress cover diminishes the cooling effects.
Inside the Nectar Mattress
The Nectar has 3 layers of foam and no-slip base. Each section is designed to keep you cozy and meet a different sleep need. It’s considered medium firm, or a 6/10 on the firmness scale.
- Quilted Polyethylene Cover: The first layer offers a comfy, cozy feel and is made of a poly-blend and knit.
- Gel Memory Foam: Nectar’s memory foam provides pressure relief by distributing the weight of your body across the mattress surface and keeps you cool.
- Adaptive High-Core Memory Foam: This transition layer is slightly firmer to give you optimal support and keep you from sinking too low into the mattress.
- Base Layer: At the bottom of the mattress is a base layer that provides the foundation of the mattress. It creates a firm support layer and adds length to the mattress life.
- Bottom Mattress Cover: The Nectar mattress uses a mattress cover to help keeps the mattress in place.
Compare Mattress Advisor Testing Scores
You’ll be happy to know that we’ve personally tested these mattresses to score them on the most important factors. Take a look at the results of our tests below to help you decide between the Layla vs. the Nectar. If you’re a sleeper with unique needs, be sure to pay special attention to factors that matter to you, like spine alignment for back sleepers.
The Layla and Nectar mattresses earned almost the exact same overall score. One major difference is in responsiveness. The Layla earned a near-perfect score in responding to our tester’s movements, making it a better choice as a mattress for combination sleepers than the Nectar. Also, keep in mind that both mattresses didn’t do so hot when it came to cooling. This can be attributed to their memory foam construction which doesn’t keep you cool as well as innerspring or hybrid models. If you’re a true hot sleeper, you may want to steer clear of these foam picks and instead take a look at our best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers.
See the full report below.
| Layla | Nectar | |
| Shipping | 10 | 9 |
| Trial Period | 9 | 10 |
| Return Policy | 10 | 8.5 |
| Warranty | 10 | 10 |
| Set-Up Test | 9 | 8 |
| Motion Transfer Test | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Edge Support Test | 9 | 9 |
| Pressure Relief Test | 9 | 8.5 |
| Spinal Alignment Test | 8 | 7.5 |
| Responsiveness Test | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Cooling Evaluation | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Durability Evaluation | 8 | 8.5 |
| Customer Service Score | 9 | 8 |
| Social Impact Score | 3 | 9 |
| TOTAL SCORE | 8.8/10 | 8.7/10 |
How Do We Score Mattresses?
Our Mattress Advisor team puts their expert review skills to work by testing and scoring all the mattresses on our site. That way, you don’t have to nap on countless mattresses to find the one that best meets your needs—because we do it for you. We’ve tallied over 1,200 hours of mattress evaluations to bring you only the most reliable, trusted results. Learn more about our review process here.
Verdict: Which Is Better For You?
The good news is that both mattresses score high on both Mattress Advisor and customer reviews. The biggest difference is in Layla’s unique flippable design which sets it apart from the Nectar’s true memory foam feel. If you’re still unsure, consider your budget, sleep position, and buying experience.
Your Budget
If freebies are your thing, remember that Nectar likes to include extras with your mattress purchase, like pillows, mattress covers, or sheets. They also tend to offer big discounts that are worth checking out. If you need to finance your mattress, rest assured that both companies offer financing through Affirm. Typically, you can pay for your bed in 3, 6, or 12-month increments.
Both companies also offer lifetime warranties as long as you’re the original owner. That means you can get a new mattress any time if your original cracks or sags from normal use. Shipping is free for Nectar and Layla, unless you live in Alaska or Hawaii. In that case, Layla charges $100 and Nectar charges $150. Nectar also offers white glove delivery for $149 plus $49 for each extra item.
Your Sleep Position
Memory foam mattresses generally attract consumers looking for great pressure point relief and spinal alignment because of the way they cradle the body. Fortunately, The Layla and Nectar both use memory foam layers that will support sleepers in any position.
Nectar is great for shoppers who want a standard medium firm bed. Layla is better for consumers who want flexibility in their firmness level since they offer a flippable bed with a soft side and firm side.
If pressure relief is your top priority, consider that the Layla scored a 9 on our evaluation, while the Nectar scored 8.5. Layla’s bed also incorporates copper which helps relieve joint and back pain. For this reason, Layla is a better choice for senior shoppers or those with arthritis.
Your Preferred Buying Experience
Layla and Nectar provide significantly different buying experiences. The most remarkable difference is the sleep trial period. Nectar offers a full 365 day trial period that begins a month after you receive your mattress. Layla’s trial period is only 120 days, which is still a full 4 months. Both companies provide a full refund if you return the mattress.
You’ll receive both beds in under a week, although Nectar will come a little quicker. They deliver in 2-5 days, and Layla delivers in 4-7 days. Both beds arrive at your doorstep compressed in a box.
With both beds, you unroll the mattress onto your preferred foundation and wait up to a day for it to rise. Nectar suggests letting their mattress air out for a few days for off-gassing. Our team only noticed a subtle scent during our unboxing. Both mattresses meet the standards for CertiPUR-US®, so you don’t need to worry about toxic emissions or chemicals.
Finally, Layla’s mattress cover can be removed when you flip sides, whereas Nectar’s cannot. Layla recommends taking the cover to the dry-cleaners for stain removal. If you need a bed immediately, Nectar is the better option.
Still Undecided?
Remember, either choice provides you with a quality memory foam bed at a decent price. Layla offers more versatility, but Nectar offers more perks. Plus, you have plenty of time to decide once you receive your mattress and a forever warranty for whichever bed you choose.
Compare Nectar and Layla to Other Mattresses
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