updated August 2022

Nolah vs. GhostBed Mattress Comparison

Nolah vs. GhostBed Mattress Comparison

Torn between the Nolah and GhostBed mattresses? We’ve got you covered in this head-to-head comparison that includes performance scores and our recommendations.

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Shopping for the right mattress can be overwhelming. If you’re choosing between the Nolah and GhostBed mattresses, this in-depth comparison will make your decision a little easier.

Nolah and GhostBed are both bed-in-a-box online mattress brands in the USA with a history of customer satisfaction. We think you can count on a comfortable mattress from either brand, but which is the best mattress for you? We’ll help you decide by putting the performance scores, highlights, dimensions, and pricing for the Nolah mattress and GhostBed mattress side-by-side in this comparison.


How Nolah and GhostBed Compare

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

ghostbed sleep in comfort

GhostBed

Customer Rating
MA Score

8.5/10

Summary

Affordable latex mattress

Firmness

Medium-firm: 6.5/10

Type

Latex mattress with gel memory foam

Trial Period

101 days

Warranty

20-year limited warranty

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ghostbed sleep in comfort

Nolah

GhostBed

Customer Rating

MA Score

8.9/10

8.5/10

Summary

Temperature neutral AirFoam mattress known for offering great pressure relief

Affordable latex mattress

Firmness

Medium firm: 5 - 6 /10

Medium-firm: 6.5/10

Type

All-foam mattress

Latex mattress with gel memory foam

Trial Period

120 days

101 days

Warranty

Lifetime warranty

20-year limited warranty

Key Similarities

  • Firmness Level: The Nolah and GhostBed mattresses share a medium-firm feel that ranges from about 5–6.5/10 on the firmness scale. GhostBed is a little firmer, but it’s still considered a medium-firm mattress.
  • Cost: The pricing for Nolah and GhostBed mattresses is pretty similar.
  • Edge Support: We felt very well supported on the edges of these two mattresses during our review process. If you sleep near the edge of the bed, or use the edge to get ready in the morning, you can’t go wrong with either mattress.

Key Differences

  • Temperature: The GhostBed mattress is made with a top layer of aerated latex foam that does a slightly better job than the Nolah of keeping the temperature of the mattress cool.
  • Spinal Alignment: The Nolah mattress earned a significantly higher score than the GhostBed for spinal alignment. If you are a side or stomach sleeper, the Nolah will do a better job of preventing back pain.
  • Warranty: Nolah offers a particularly generous lifetime warranty on all of their mattresses models. GhostBed warrants their original mattress for 20 years, which is still remarkably long for the mattress industry.
  • Return Policy: The Nolah return policy includes a 120-night sleep trial. GhostBed gives their customers a 101-day trial to test out their new mattress at home.
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Nolah Mattress Review Highlights

  • Nolah AirFoam: Nolah mattresses are known for the addition of AirFoam. This foam is designed to mimic the responsiveness of latex and the pressure relief of memory foam. AirFoam sleeps cooler than most all-foam mattresses since it doesn’t trap heat.
  • Pressure Relief: AirFoam has lots and lots of air pockets that work together to lift stress off of your pressure points. It does such a good job of relieving pressure, that we consider it to be one of the best mattresses for side sleepers that we’ve reviewed.
  • Motion Isolation: The Nolah mattress is made with naturally buoyant foam that traps motion where it starts. When we tested Nolah in our sleep lab, our testers gave it a near perfect score in this category, since they hardly noticed each getting on and off the bed.
  • Spine Alignment: Good spine alignment is akin to good sleeping posture. The Nolah mattress suspends your body weight in a way that keeps your spine in a neutral position. This reduces—and even prevents—back pain related to your mattress.
  • Responsiveness: The Nolah mattress cushions your body without trapping you in the foam layers. If you toss and turn at night, you won’t feel stuck in body impressions made by previous sleeping positions. This helps you to stay comfortable all night long.
GhostBed

GhostBed Mattress Review Highlights

  • Cooling: The top layer of the GhostBed mattress is made with aerated latex foam that is naturally cooling and breathable. The second layer is gel memory foam. Gel creates a temperature neutral mattress by absorbing and redistributing extra body heat.
  • Contouring: Gel memory foam conforms to the shape of your body and cushions pressure points like shoulders, ribs, hips, knees, and ankles. Plus, unlike traditional memory foam, you won’t feel “stuck” in this memory foam layer.
  • Responsive: When we tested the GhostBed mattress, it responded to our changes in position very quickly. For example, when we moved from side sleeping to back sleeping, impressions on the mattress surface rapidly conformed to our new sleeping position.
  • Edge Support: We asked our mattress testers to rate how well the GhostBed supported them near the edge of the bed, and they gave it an 8.5/10. In other words, you can confidently sleep or sit on the sides of the GhostBed without sliding off.
  • Durable: GhostBed mattresses are made with durable materials that don’t deteriorate quickly. Latex is one of the primary materials used in the original GhostBed mattress, and it’s slow to develop body impressions.

GhostBed Mattresses Are Slightly Thicker

Nolah GhostBed
Thickness 10” 11”
Twin 38” x 75” 38” x 75”
Twin XL 38” x 80” 38” 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 38″ x 80″ (x2) 76″ x 80″

Learn more about mattress sizes.


Nolah Is Generally More Affordable

Nolah GhostBed
Twin $699 $945
Twin XL $899 $1,095
Full $999 $1,295
Queen $1,149 $1,395
King $1,349 $1,695
California King $1,349  $1,720
Split King $1,798 $2,190

Compare Builds

We compare mattress layers because the way a mattress is constructed has a big impact on how it feels. Nolah is an all-foam mattress that is responsive and motion isolating. GhostBed is a latex and memory foam mattress that sleepers cooler than Nolah.

Inside the Nolah Original 10” Mattress

nolah 10 inside
  1. Mattress Cover: The Nolah mattress has a breathable white Tencel cover that cools your body by wicking away moisture. Tencel fabric is sustainably sourced from raw wood pulp, and is one of the more durable mattress cover fabrics.
  2. Comfort Layer: The top layer of the Nolah mattress is Nolah AirFoam, which is made without viscoelastic chemicals that are known to trap heat in traditional memory foam mattresses. This layer is contouring, pressure relieving, and breathable.
  3. Transition Layer: A layer of high-resilience foam helps your body to transition into the denser layer of base foam. It’s the most responsive layer in the mattress—when you apply and withdraw pressure, it snaps back to its original shape immediately.
  4. Support Layer: This layer of high-density foam supports the upper layers of foam and your body weight. It adds structure to the mattress as a whole and keeps the mattress feeling like new over years of use.

Inside the GhostBed Mattress

inside ghostbed
  1. Mattress Cover: The GhostBed mattress cover is made with a plush polyester-viscose fabric that stretches to allow your body to sink fully into the top layer of latex foam. It’s also moisture-wicking, which helps to keep you cool and dry.
  2. Comfort Layer: The top layer of the GhostBed mattress is made with Airscape foam—an aerated latex foam that is springy and responsive. Tiny pin holes in the foam improve airflow by allowing warm air to circulate out of the mattress.
  3. Transition Layer: A layer of gel-infused memory foam keeps you cool and is divided into ergonomic zones—there is firmer, more supportive foam under your lower back and softer foam under pressure points like your shoulders and knees.
  4. Support Layer: This layer of high-density polyfoam keeps your mattress well-supported and in tip-top shape for decades of use. Support foam also keeps you from sinking too deep into the mattress, which can throw your spine out of alignment.

Compare Mattress Lab Scores

We personally tested both of these mattresses in our sleep lab and gave them 14 functionality scores. You can compare how the Nolah and GhostBed performed in the chart below.

Nolah GhostBed
Shipping 10 10
Trial Period 10 8.5
Return Policy 10 10
Warranty 10 9.75
Set-Up Test 9 7
Motion Transfer Test 9 7.5
Edge Support Test 8.5 8.5
Pressure Relief Test 7.25 6.5
Spinal Alignment Test 9.5 7.5
Responsiveness Test 9.25 8.5
Cooling Evaluation 8 8.5
Durability Evaluation 7 9
Customer Service Score 9 9
Social Impact Score 6 6
TOTAL SCORE 8.9/10 8.5/10

Motion Transfer

Both the Nolah and GhostBed mattresses received above-average scores for motion transfer, but Nolah outperformed GhostBed by 1.5 points. All-foam beds are typically better at isolating motion than latex, so this isn’t a big surprise.

Nolah is easily the better choice for those who sleep with a partner or pet and are concerned about disruptions during the night.

Sleeping Position

Back sleepers can find comfort on either mattress; however, Nolah is a bit softer, so back sleepers who opt for this mattress should enjoy a softer feel or have a petite or average body type.

The GhostBed is a better fit for stomach sleepers, thanks to its slightly firmer feel. The Nolah is probably too soft to keep stomach sleepers adequately supported. We can’t say for certain that it won’t sleep comfortably for all stomach sleepers, but we wouldn’t recommend it.

Neither mattress blew us away with their pressure relief scores, but between the two, Nolah does a better job of cushioning your bony bits, particularly if you split time between your side and back. Also, Nolah performed much better than GhostBed on our spinal alignment test. Remember that keeping your back in a neutral position while you sleep is crucial for avoiding back pain.

Durability

The average mattress provides up to 10 years of peak performance. Considering that the typical consumer doesn’t include a new mattress in their annual budget, you want a mattress that will last for at least a decade. While innerspring systems are the most durable, latex mattresses are also slow to deteriorate.

With that in mind, GhostBed is the more durable mattress. You’ll pay a couple hundred more for a larger GhostBed mattress size, but latex has been shown not to develop body impressions over time and regular use. There’s a good chance that it will last longer than Nolah, and we gave it a higher durability rating.

Don’t forget to consider your mattress warranty when you’re assessing durability. Nolah is covered by a lifetime warranty that’s prorated after year 15, while GhostBed is covered by a 20-year warranty that’s prorated after year ten.


Which Is the Right Mattress for You?

Overall, we favor the Nolah mattress for combo sleepers, couples, budget shoppers, and those with back pain. The GhostBed mattress is better for hot sleepers, stomach sleepers, and those who want a durable mattress. Either mattress works for back sleepers, but neither offers exceptionally good pressure relief to side sleepers.

If you’re still on the fence between the Nolah or GhostBed mattresses, write down your top three must-haves for your new bed, and choose the one that best meets those needs.

You could also shop other mattress models. For example GhostBed has a Luxe mattress that’s much more pressure relieving, and the 12″ Nolah Signature has a thicker core base and more foam for additional pressure relief. Also note that Nolah doesn’t ship to Alaska or Hawaii. Those with a child may want to consider Nolah’s new kid mattress, something that GhostBed doesn’t offer yet.

More Nolah and GhostBed Comparisons

Cariloha

Still Deciding?

If you still need to narrow down your options, check out our mattress comparison tool.