Shopping for a new bed? Tuft & Needle and Nectar are two of the most popular bed-in-a-box mattress brands, bringing luxury comfort at an affordable price. In this review, we’re going to compare Nectar’s flagship mattress with the Tuft & Needle Mint bed to help you figure out which all-foam mattress is best for you.
At a Glance
Customer Rating
MA Score
Summary
Firmness
Type
Trial Period
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
Customer Rating
MA Score
9/10
Summary
One-step up from the original Tuft & Needle while still being a budget-friendly mattress
Firmness
Medium: 5/10
Type
Foam combo
Trial Period
100 days
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Nectar
Tuft & Needle Mint
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.7/10
9/10
Summary
Affordable quality mattress with excellent trial period
One-step up from the original Tuft & Needle while still being a budget-friendly mattress
Firmness
Medium-firm: 5.5-6/10
Medium: 5/10
Type
Gel memory foam
Foam combo
Trial Period
365 days
100 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty as long as you own the mattress
10-year limited warranty
Key Similarities
- Materials: The Nectar and Tuft & Needle Mint are all-foam mattresses, free of springs or other materials.
- Responsive: Despite being memory foam mattresses, both are easy to move around on. This makes them ideal for those who toss and turn at night or don’t want the “stuck” feeling.
- Work With All Sleeping Positions: Both work well for every sleep position, including side sleepers, back sleepers, stomach sleepers, and combination sleepers.
Key Differences
- Spinal Alignment: The Tuft & Needle mattress works better for sleepers with back pain thanks to superior spine alignment abilities.
- Overall Feel: Nectar has a distinct memory foam feel, hugging the body more closely than the Mint.
- Cooling: The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress sleeps cooler than the Nectar mattress.
- Sleep Trial: Nectar comes with a more generous 365-night sleep trial, while Tuft & Needle offers the standard 100-night trial.
Nectar Mattress Highlights
- Nectar’s original mattress boasts 3 layers of contouring memory foam for a traditional memory foam mattress feel.
- The Nectar is one of the best mattresses for couples, as proven by its high scores in our motion isolation and edge support tests.
- Nectar’s memory foam construction delivers excellent cushioning at pressure points, great for side sleepers who weigh more than 130 lbs.
- Nectar has some of the most generous policies around, with a year-long sleep trial and forever warranty.
- Nectar is a well-loved online mattress. Only 3% of customers return their mattress, even though they’re given an entire year to do so!
Tuft & Needle Mint Highlights
- The Tuft & Needle Adaptive Foam is impressively responsive, making it easy to switch sleeping positions. You’ll never feel stuck in the Mint mattress.
- The T&N Mint mattress earned a nearly perfect score in our spine alignment test. By promoting healthy body alignment, this bed is a good fit for those with aches or pains.
- The Mint mattress sleeps exceptionally cool for an all-foam bed. Open-cell foam promotes breathability while ceramic gel and graphite move body heat away from the mattress surface.
- Tuft & Needle’s 100-night sleep trial with free returns and a 10-year warranty is the bed-in-a-box mattress standard, which is more generous than the typical mattress.
- The Mint mattress is one of the very few beds to score an 8/10 or higher in every one of the 14 categories that we evaluate. As such, it’s one of the best all-around mattresses.
- Tuft & Needle also offers other mattress models: the Original Tuft & Needle and the Tuft & Needle Hybrid.
Compare Sizes
The Nectar Original and Tuft & Needle Mint all-foam beds come in similar sizes, with a split king option for the Nectar. While the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress is .5″ thinner than the Nectar, it’s 1″ wider for twin sizes.
|
Nectar |
Tuft & Needle Mint | |
| Thickness | 12” | 11.5” |
| Twin | 38” x 75” | 39” x 75” |
| Twin XL | 38” x 80” | 39” x 80” |
| Full | 54” x 75” | 54” x 75” |
| Queen | 60” x 80” | 60” x 80” |
| King | 76” x 80” | 76” x 80” |
| Split King | 76″ x 80″ | N/A |
| California King | 72” x 84” | 72” x 84” |
Learn more about mattress sizes.
Compare Prices
The Nectar mattress is significantly less expensive than the Tuft & Needle Mint, costing nearly $1,000 less for a queen-size mattress.
Keep in mind that the table below reflects a full price mattress. To see our Mattress Advisor discounts, click the buttons below.
| Nectar | Tuft & Needle Mint | |
| Twin | $449 | $1,295 |
| Twin XL | $669 | $1,395 |
| Full | $799 | $1,595 |
| Queen | $899 | $1,795 |
| King | $1,199 | $2,295 |
| Split King | $1,238 | N/A |
| California King | $1,199 | $2,295 |
Compare Construction
Let’s take a look at what each of these beds is made from and examine how this influences the feel and sleeping experience.
Inside the Nectar Mattress
The flagship Nectar mattress is a memory foam bed that falls at a 5.5-6 on the 1-10 firmness scale. Its medium-firm feel is the ideal firmness for most sleepers, particularly those who weigh more than 130 pounds.
The Nectar has 3 layers of varying foam atop a supportive polyfoam base. With nearly 6” of memory foam, the Nectar boasts the deep hugging sensation that you’d expect from a memory foam mattress. The cradling sensation delivers exceptional pressure relief, perfect for side and back sleepers.
While the Nectar feels plush and supportive for most sleepers, lightweight sleepers will experience a firmer surface. If you weigh less than 130 lbs, only go with the Nectar if you like a firm mattress.
Thanks to the generous memory foam layers, the Nectar has excellent motion isolation properties. Combined with impressively sturdy and comfortable edges, you have a mattress perfect for those who sleep with a partner, pet, or child.
- Polyethylene Cover: A quilted and cooling cover made from a blend of polyethylene, polyester, and knit.
- Gel Memory Foam: A closely contouring memory foam comfort layer with cooling gel to support temperature regulation.
- Adaptive Hi-Core Memory Foam: A responsive foam transition layer that limits sagging and adds to the traditional memory foam feel.
- Support Layer: A base layer of high-density polyfoam adds durability.
Inside the Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress
The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress is made from three layers of foam. Its medium feel rates as a 5 on the 1-10 firmness scale, delivering a balance of plush pressure relief and spinal support ideal for most sleepers. In fact, it’s a close runner-up for the best mattresses for back pain thanks to promoting healthy spine alignment.
The open-cell foam is infused with cooling gel and graphite, helping to keep even the hottest sleepers cool. If you’re someone who likes the feel of all-foam beds but finds most of them too warm, the Mint mattress may be just what you’re looking for.
The foam within the Mint mattress is a proprietary polyfoam that’s responsive, plush, and supportive. The T&N Adaptive foam doesn’t have the same deeply contouring memory foam feel as the Nectar but instead brings an experience that blends sleeping “on” and sleeping “in” the bed. Combination sleepers and those who reposition a bunch at night tend to prefer this responsive feel.
- Mattress Cover: A soft, breathable grey knit fabric that removes easily for quick cleanup.
- Adaptive Foam Comfort Layer: A top layer that’s responsive, cool, and plush.
- Adaptive Foam Transition Layer: A higher-density responsive foam layer keeps the body from sinking in too far.
- Supportive Base Foam: A firm, durable polyfoam for long-lasting comfort.
Compare Testing Scores
We’ve spent hours testing and evaluating the Tuft & Needle Mint and Nectar original mattresses. Here’s a side-by-side comparison revealing how they performed.
| Nectar | Tuft & Needle Mint | |
| Shipping | 9 | 9 |
| Trial Period | 10 | 9 |
| Return Policy | 10 | 10 |
| Warranty | 10 | 9 |
| Set-Up Test | 8 | 9 |
| Motion Transfer Test | 8.5 | 8.1 |
| Edge Support Test | 9 | 8.25 |
| Pressure Relief Test | 8.5 | 8 |
| Spinal Alignment Test | 7.5 | 9.5 |
| Responsiveness Test | 8.5 | 8.75 |
| Cooling Evaluation | 7.75 | 8.5 |
| Durability Evaluation | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Customer Service Score | 8.5 | 10 |
| Social Impact Score | 5 | 8 |
| TOTAL SCORE | 8.5/10 | 9/10 |
Spine Alignment
There’s no way to pay attention to your posture when you’re snoozing away—it’s your mattresses’s job to ensure that your spine stays properly aligned. We tested the spine alignment abilities of both of these mattresses, and the Tuft & Needle outperformed the Nectar. If you’re someone who wakes up with new neck or back pain, the Mint mattress may help you find relief.
Edge Support
Do you sleep right along the edge of your mattress? If you share your bed with someone else, chances are you or your partner utilizes the edges so everyone can enjoy their own space. We evaluated these beds for how supportive and comfortable their edges were. While both mattresses performed well, the Nectar earned an outstanding 9/10 for edge support, which tells us that the Nectar is an excellent bed for couples.
Cooling
One of the main complaints with all-foam mattresses is that they don’t sleep as cool as the average innerspring or hybrid mattress. Without added cooling technology, foam absorbs body heat and feeds it back to you over the night. Memory foam, in particular, has a tendency to sleep hot.
Fortunately, both of these mattress companies have taken numerous steps to encourage a more comfortable night’s sleep. In our cooling evaluation, we found the Mint mattress to sleep exceptionally cool for an all-foam bed, while the Nectar may still be a bit too warm for hot sleepers.
Summary
Is Nectar or Tuft & Needle Mint the Right Choice for You?
Nectar’s close contouring is best for memory foam lovers. The T&N Mint mattress is responsive and softer, but doesn’t offer the same hugging feel. Opt for the Nectar for exceptional pressure relief, edge support, and motion isolation, or the Mint for superb spine alignment, responsiveness, and cooling.
When you buy a new mattress from either company, you have a risk-free sleep trial so you can test out the bed in the comfort of your bedroom. Plus, they both come with generous warranties and free shipping.
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