Nolah and Nectar are two leading bed-in-a-box mattress companies that craft high-quality foam mattresses. So, how do you know which online mattress is a good fit for you? We’ve put each of these mattresses to the test at our in-house mattress lab to find out what makes them stand out.
In this mattress comparison, we’ll see how they performed, explore their construction and feel, and explain their similarities and differences so that you can choose the best new mattress for you.
At a Glance
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
8.7/10
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
Nolah
Nectar
Customer Rating
MA Score
8.9/10
8.7/10
Summary
Temperature neutral AirFoam mattress known for offering great pressure relief
Affordable quality mattress with excellent trial period
Firmness
Medium firm: 5 - 6 /10
Medium-firm: 5.5-6/10
Type
All-foam mattress
Gel memory foam
Trial Period
120 days
365 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Lifetime warranty as long as you own the mattress
Key Similarities
- Warranty: Both beds come with an incredibly generous lifetime warranty.
- Firmness: Both are medium-firm mattresses. This is considered the universal firmness because it’s the preferred firmness of most sleepers and works for all sleeping positions.
- Cooling: Both mattresses sleep cooler than your average all-foam and memory foam mattresses, although neither is one of the coolest beds that we’ve tested.
Key Differences
- Feel: The Nectar has a traditional memory foam mattress feel that cradles the body’s curves. The Nolah has a more balanced foam feel with a sensation a bit more like floating.
- Spinal Alignment: The Nolah outperformed the Nectar in our spine alignment test, so it’s better for most people with neck or lower back pain.
- Trial Period: Nectar’s year-long sleep trial is longer than Nolah’s 120-night trial.
- Pricing: The Nolah has a higher price point, costing $250 more for a queen-size mattress.
Nolah Mattress Highlights
- Breathable: Nolah’s AirFoam has billions of tiny air pockets that promote airflow and a cool sleeping experience.
- Spinal Alignment: The Nolah kept the spines of our mattress testers in nearly perfect alignment. Excellent alignment while sleeping can minimize back pain.
- Responsive: Nolah’s proprietary foams are easier to move around on than most all-foam beds. The responsive surface lets you toss and turn with ease.
- Good for Couples: The Nolah excelled in our motion isolation and edge support tests, two tests that are important for people who share the bed.
- Other Options: Consider looking into Nolah’s other mattresses, including the 12″ Nolah Signature mattress and the hybrid Nolah Evolution bed.
Nectar Mattress Highlights
- Traditional Memory Foam Feel: Do you like the cradling sensation that some memory foam beds offer? Nectar’s memory foam is very dough-like, hugging the body for a snuggly feel.
- Pressure Relief: As you might expect given the Nectar’s deeply-hugging surface, it does an incredible job cushioning pressure points.
- Good Couple’s Mattress: The Nectar’s sturdy edges allow couples to claim their own space. Plus, its foam minimizes motion transfer so you can sleep soundly.
- Committed to Customer Satisfaction: With one of the longest sleep trials around, Nectar only wants their customers to keep the Nectar if they’re fully satisfied.
Compare Sizes
Both Nectar and Nolah come in the same mattresses sizes, although there are slight variations in the dimensions. Most importantly, the Nectar is one inch thicker. This added thickness combined with Nectar’s high-density foams make it more durable, so it better supports bigger bodies.
| Nolah | Nectar | |
| Thickness | 10” | 12” |
| 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” |
Learn more about mattress sizes.
Compare Prices
Both of these beds are competitively priced, but the Nectar is less expensive than the Nolah in every size, making it better for budget shoppers.
| Nolah | Nectar | |
| Twin | $649 | $499 |
| Twin XL | $799 | $569 |
| Full | $899 | $699 |
| Queen | $1,049 | $799 |
| King | $1,149 | $1,099 |
| California King | $1,149 | $1,099 |
Compare Construction
The Nolah Original mattress and flagship Nectar bed are both all-foam mattresses with a medium-firm feel. With only one inch separating their thickness, these two beds are quite similar at first glance. However, they’re made from vastly different foams that create different sleeping experiences.
The Nectar is a classic memory foam mattress. When you lie on its surface, you’ll feel like you’re being hugged by a soft marshmallow. Being hugged by a mattress means excellent contouring and pressure relief, and memory foam does a great job at minimizing motion transfer.
The Nolah doesn’t have any memory foam layers. Instead, they utilize proprietary polyfoams to create a mattress with a more balanced feel. The surface stills deliver comfortable cushioning, but you won’t sink in as far as you do on the Nectar. This foam adjusts more quickly to the body when you reposition, which is a good thing for combination sleepers who move around a lot.
Inside the Nolah Mattress
The Nolah is a three-layer all-foam mattress that measures 10” thick. It has a medium-firm firmness and a balanced foam feel that’s at once soft and supportive. Here’s what you’ll find inside.
- Tencel Mattress Cover: Naturally-derived Tencel fabric keeps the mattress cover cool-to-the-touch.
- AirFoam Comfort Layer: Nolah’s unique foam contains air pockets that cushion pressure points while keeping the mattress cool.
- High-Resilience Foam Transition Layer: Sturdy, responsive foam provides great spinal alignment. It quickly adjusts to movements so you feel more like you’re floating on than sinking into the surface.
- Support Foam: A base layer of high-density polyfoam brings durability.
Inside the Nectar Mattress
The Nectar mattress is a four-layer memory foam mattress that’s 11 inches thick. Thanks to high-quality foams, the Nectar mattress is durable yet pressure-relieving. Let’s take a peek inside.
- Quilted Mattress Cover: The combination of a poly-blend and knit cover helps prevent overheating and provides a soft surface.
- Gel Memory Foam Comfort Layer: A top layer of plush, contouring memory foam provides pressure relief. Gel infusion supports optimal thermal regulation.
- Adaptive Response Transition Layer: A responsive polyurethane foam layer makes it easier to move around so you don’t feel stuck in your mattress.
- Supportive Base Foam: A support layer of high-density foam dampens motion transfer and stabilizes the mattress.
- Bottom Mattress Cover: A non-slip layer keeps your mattress in place on its foundation or frame.
Compare Testing Scores
We rate mattresses on a 14-point evaluation to help shoppers find a bed with the specific features that matter most to them. See how the Nolah and Nectar performed in our side-by-side comparison.
Find out more about our review and scoring process here.
| Nolah | Nectar | |
| Shipping | 10 | 9 |
| Trial Period | 10 | 10 |
| Return Policy | 10 | 10 |
| Warranty | 10 | 10 |
| Set-Up Test | 9 | 8 |
| Motion Transfer Test | 9 | 8.5 |
| Edge Support Test | 8.5 | 9 |
| Pressure Relief Test | 7.25 | 8.5 |
| Spinal Alignment Test | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| Responsiveness Test | 9.25 | 8.5 |
| Cooling Evaluation | 8 | 7.75 |
| Durability Evaluation | 7 | 8.5 |
| Customer Service Score | 9 | 8.5 |
| Social Impact Score | 6 | 5 |
| TOTAL SCORE | 8.9/10 | 8.7/10 |
Spinal Alignment
A properly supported spine at night means fewer aches and pains come morning. We’ve tested both the Nolah and Nectar mattresses at the Mattress Advisor lab to see how well they support healthy spine alignment.
The Nolah earned a nearly perfect 9.5/10 while the Nectar earned an okay 7.5/10. The superior spinal alignment offered by the Nolah leads us to recommend it over the Nectar for people with neck or back pain.
Pressure Relief
While pressure-relieving properties are beneficial no matter your sleeping position, side sleepers, in particular, need a mattress that cushions their pressure points. When a mattress delivers contouring along the entire surface, it minimizes built-up pressure at areas like the shoulders and hips.
When we had our sleep testers lie on these mattresses on top of a pressure mapping film, the Nectar mattress did a better job than the Nolah at evenly distributing pressure. If you spend most of your night side sleeping and have experienced shoulder or hip discomfort, the Nectar may be a better mattress for you.
Responsiveness
A common complaint that we hear about all-foam beds is that excess sinkage can leave people feeling trapped. When the surface doesn’t quickly adjust to your movements, it’s hard to move around and get comfy. Responsiveness is a term that describes how well a mattress responds to movement. Combination sleepers and people who toss and turn usually sleep more soundly on a responsive bed.
Fortunately, both the Nolah and Nectar mattresses earned high scores in our responsiveness test. However, the Nolah was noticeably easier to move around on than the Nectar. This is due to the adaptive air pockets found in Nolah AirFoam, compared to the traditional memory foam feel of the Nectar that deeply hugs the body. If you change positions a lot, Nolah could be the best mattress for you.
Summary
Is Nolah or Nectar the Right Choice for You?
The Nectar and Nolah are both all-foam mattresses with a medium-firm feel. Only the Nectar contains conforming memory foam layers for great pressure relief and a dough-like feel. The Nolah has a more balanced foam feel that’s a bit easier to move around on and better supports the spine.
Both of these mattresses are wonderful for couples thanks to impressive motion isolation properties and solid edges. They each come with a lifetime warranty and a risk-free sleep trial. Just remember that Nectar’s year-long trial period is more generous than Nolah’s 120-night trial.
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