updated July 2023
Nolah vs. Bear Mattress Comparison
Not sure if the Nolah or Bear mattress is the right bed for you? We’ve tested both of these beds and compared them so you can find your best mattress.
Nolah and Bear are two highly regarded online mattress brands. Their all-foam and hybrid bed-in-a-box mattresses are competitively priced and made from high-quality foams. In this review, we’re going to compare the flagship Bear memory foam mattress and the Nolah Original AirFoam mattress so you can figure out which one was built with your needs in mind.
Read More: Compare Mattresses
Nolah and Bear Quick Comparison
Customer Rating
MA Score
Summary
Firmness
Type
Trial Period
Warranty
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.9/10
Summary
Temperature neutral AirFoam mattress known for offering great pressure relief
Firmness
Medium firm: 5 - 6 /10
Type
All-foam mattress
Trial Period
120 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.6/10
Summary
Known to help relieve pressure points and aid in muscle recovery
Firmness
Medium firm: 6.5/10
Type
Memory foam with graphite gel
Trial Period
120 days
Warranty
Lifetime limited warranty
Nolah
Bear
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.9/10
8.6/10
Summary
Temperature neutral AirFoam mattress known for offering great pressure relief
Known to help relieve pressure points and aid in muscle recovery
Firmness
Medium firm: 5 - 6 /10
Medium firm: 6.5/10
Type
All-foam mattress
Memory foam with graphite gel
Trial Period
120 days
120 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Lifetime limited warranty
Key Similarities
- Sturdy Edges: Both mattresses scored well in our edge support test. This means you can comfortably sleep along the edges or sit there to get ready in the morning.
- Responsive Feel: Nolah and Bear both utilize responsive foams, meaning they quickly respond to movement so you don’t feel stuck like you might in some all-foam beds.
- Risk-Free Sleep Trial: Both mattress companies offer free returns during their 120-night sleep trial periods.
Key Differences
- Motion Isolation: The Nolah mattress did a better job at absorbing motion than the Bear in the Mattress Advisor lab. Minimizing motion transfer is essential for sound sleep when you share the bed.
- Sleep Positions: The Nolah’s medium-firm feel makes it work for all sleep positions. The Bear’s firmer surface isn’t as good for side sleepers as it is for back and stomach sleepers.
- Firmness: While both of these mattresses have a medium-firm feel, the Nolah is noticeably softer than the Bear. The Nolah falls at around a 5.5 on the 1-10 firmness scale and the Bear a 7.1.
- Cooling: The Bear sleeps cooler than the Nolah, although both are cooler than the average all-foam mattress.
Nolah Mattress Review Highlights
- Supports a Healthy Spine: The Nolah Original mattress earned an almost perfect score in our spine alignment test. This tells us that the Nolah is a good choice for many people with back pain and body aches.
- Responsiveness: Thanks to the responsive foams found in the Nolah, it’s as easy to move around on as an innerspring mattress.
- Great for Couples: The Nolah has sturdy edges, allowing people who share the bed to spread out comfortably. It also does an excellent job dampening motion so you can sleep deeply, even when your partner tosses and turns.
- Warranty: Nolah’s lifetime warranty is much better than the industry-standard 10-year warranty.
- Other Options: Consider the Nolah Signature mattress for a more luxurious all-foam bed, the Nolah Evolution for the added support of innerspring coils, the Nolah Natural for a peace of mind about the materials you’re sleeping on, or the Nolah Nurture for your growing child.
Bear Mattress Review Highlights
- Sturdy Edges: The Bear has sturdy and comfortable edges, so people who share the bed can utilize the entire mattress surface. This also means you can sit along the edges without feeling like you’re going to fall off.
- Sleeps Cool: The Bear is one of the coolest memory foam mattresses that we’ve tested, which makes it a good fit for hot sleepers who like an all-foam feel.
- Promotes Healing: The Bear mattress cover boasts Celliant technology. Celliant is an FDA-approved technology that supports tissue healing and thermoregulation, encouraging restful sleep and expedited recovery.
- Made in the USA: All Bear mattresses are manufactured in the USA using materials sourced from the US.
- Other Choices: The Bear Hybrid mattress is cooler and more supportive.
Mattress Dimensions
Both the Bear and Nolah mattresses are 10 inches thick and come in the standard mattress sizes.
| Nolah | Bear | |
| Thickness | 10” | 10” |
| 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” |
| California King | 72” x 84” | 72” x 84” |
| Split King | N/A | 76″ x 80″ |
Learn more about mattress sizes.
Mattress Cost
Nolah and Bear both have competitive price points, but Bear’s pricing is more affordable, costing over $200 less for a queen-size mattress. If you’re on a tight budget, the Bear mattress may be the better choice.
| Nolah | Bear | |
| Twin | $699 | $748 |
| Twin XL | $899 | $811 |
| Full | $999 | $895 |
| Queen | $1,149 | $998 |
| King | $1,349 | $1,248 |
| California King | $1,349 | $1,248 |
| Split King | N/A | $1,622 |
A Look Inside the Mattresses
Nolah and Bear are both all-foam mattresses made using high-quality CertiPUR-US Certified foams. They each measure 10 inches thick and have a medium-firm feel, although the Bear is firmer than the Nolah mattress.
The Bear boasts a medium-firm memory foam top layer that provides the balance of contouring and support that most stomach and back sleepers need. Nolah doesn’t contain any memory foam but instead uses proprietary polyfoams for a unique feel. The top layer of the Nolah mattress has billions of microscopic air pockets that bring a buoyant feeling along with cushion. The softness and support of the Nolah work for all sleeping positions.
Inside the Nolah Mattress
The Nolah Original is a three-layer all-foam mattress that provides excellent cushion and support paired with an almost floating feeling. Here’s what makes up the Nolah mattress.
- Tencel Mattress Cover: A naturally-derived cover that’s soft and breathable.
- Nolah AirFoam Comfort Layer: A proprietary foam with tiny air pockets that cushion pressure points and bring an almost bouncy feel.
- High-Resilience Foam Layer: A firmer foam supports healthy spine alignment.
- Durable Base Foam: A high-density polyurethane foam stabilizes the mattress while minimizing motion transfer.
Inside the Bear Mattress
The Bear mattress is a three-layer memory foam mattress that cushions pressure points without allowing the body to sink in too far. Let’s take a look inside.
- Celliant Mattress Cover: A mattress cover with Celliant technology, designed to harness body heat and support physical recovery. A breathable fabric supports airflow for a cool feel.
- Cooling Memory Foam Comfort Layer: Slow-response memory foam brings a distinct contouring memory foam feel. Graphite and gel are used for their natural cooling properties to support a good night’s sleep.
- Responsive Transition Foam: A firmer foam layer minimizes sinkage and supports ease-of-movement so you don’t feel like you’ve sunk into quicksand.
- High-Density Foam Base Layer: A support layer of durable polyfoam brings longevity and solid edge support.
How They Performed in the Lab
We had our mattress experts test the Nolah and Bear mattresses in-person. Take a look at how they scored in our 14-point evaluation, paying close attention to the tests that matter most to you.
Learn more about our review and scoring process.
| Nolah | Bear | |
| Shipping | 10 | 10 |
| Trial Period | 10 | 9 |
| Return Policy | 10 | 10 |
| Warranty | 10 | 9 |
| Set-Up Test | 9 | 7 |
| Motion Transfer Test | 9 | 7.75 |
| Edge Support Test | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Pressure Relief Test | 7.25 | 7 |
| Spinal Alignment Test | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Responsiveness Test | 9.25 | 9 |
| Cooling Evaluation | 8 | 9 |
| Durability Evaluation | 7 | 8 |
| Customer Service Score | 9 | 9 |
| Social Impact Score | 6 | 6 |
| TOTAL SCORE | 8.9/10 | 8.6/10 |
Motion Transfer
Have you ever woken up to your partner’s movements? If you share your bed with someone who has a different sleep schedule than you or who tosses and turns a lot, it can seem inevitable. However, some mattresses do an impressive job dampening motion rather than spreading it.
During our in-house testing, the Nolah mattress earned a 9/10 for motion isolation, compared with a 7.75/10 for the Bear mattress. If you sleep with a spouse, child, or pet, the Nolah may help you get deeper, more restorative sleep.
Cooling
One of the most common complaints that we hear about all-foam mattresses is that they trap heat. Depending on how hot your room is and how hot you run personally, heat retention can be a major factor when finding your best mattress.
While most innerspring and hybrid mattresses are cooler than foam beds, there are exceptions to this rule. Since memory foam mattresses became popular in the 1990s, companies have spent tons of money to engineer foams that don’t sleep hot.
The Bear mattress is one of the coolest memory foam mattresses that we’ve come across. They utilize cooling technologies in both their cover and foam layers, helping most hot sleepers stay cool and dry. While the Nolah is cool enough for the average sleeper, it may sleep too hot for people who tend to wake up hot and sweaty.
Spine Alignment
Your mattress is responsible for your posture while you slumber away at night. When your spine is properly supported, you’re less likely to wake up with back or neck pain, a big win for people who struggle with this type of pain.
Both the Nolah and Bear mattresses earned high scores in our spine alignment test, with the Nolah scoring a 9.5/10 and the Bear an 8.5/10. If you’re someone whose primary concern with a mattress is back pain, the Nolah Original is likely the better choice.
Which Mattress Is Right for You?
The Bear is an exceptionally cool memory foam mattress whose firmer medium-firm feel is excellent for back and stomach sleepers. The Nolah Original’s unique AirFoam balances pressure relief and support in a way that works for all sleeping positions. The Nolah’s superior motion isolation makes it a better couple’s mattress.
Whether you choose the Bear or Nolah mattress, you can expect healthy spine alignment, a responsive feel, and sturdy edges. They’re also both backed by risk-free sleep trial periods so you can test your new mattress out at home.
More Comparisons
Related Content
Mattress 101
Best Time to Buy a Mattress
Before you buy a mattress, make sure you know how to save money and get the best deal. Read about the best time to buy a mattress based on holiday promos and sales trends.
Mattress Accessories & Bedding
Duvet vs. Comforter
If you've hit the question of buying a duvet vs comforter for your bed, we can help you learn the difference and decide which will be best for you. Plus, check out our top recommendations for each style.
Mattress Guides
King vs. California King Beds
Learn the size difference between king size and California king size mattresses to know which bed is ideal for your sleeping needs.