updated July 2023

Nolah vs. Nectar Mattress Comparison

Nolah vs. Nectar Mattress Comparison

Is the Nolah or the Nectar the right all-foam mattress for you? Find out everything you need to know to choose the best mattress based on your body size, sleeping position, preferences, and more.

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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

Screen Shot 2021 01 07 at 2.21.49 PM 1
MA CustomImagery Nectar

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 so you can sleep better knowing you’re protected for life.
  • Firmness: The Nectar and Nolah memory foam mattresses are medium-firm beds. 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 much longer than Nolah’s 120-night trial.
  • Pricing: The Nectar has a lower price point, costing $250 less for a queen-size mattress.
Screen Shot 2021 01 08 at 12.33.03 PM 1

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 Nolah Signature  12″ mattress, the Nolah Evolution 15″ mattress, Nolah Natural 10″ mattress, or the Nolah Nurture 10″ mattress.
nectar original mattress updated

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 its 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 2″ 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 53” x 75” 54” x 75”
Queen 60” x 80” 60” x 80”
King 76” x 80” 76” x 80”
Split King 38″ x 80″ (x2) 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 $699 $499
Twin XL $899 $669
Full $999 $799
Queen $1,149 $899
King $1,349 $1,199
Split King $1,798 $1,238
California King $1,349 $1,199

Compare Construction

The Nolah Original 10″ mattress and flagship Nectar bed are both all-foam mattresses with a medium-firm feel. With only 2″ 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.

Updated Nolah Layers
  1. Tencel Mattress Cover: A cover made from naturally-derived Tencel fabric keeps the mattress cover cool-to-the-touch. 
  2. AirFoam Comfort Layer: Nolah’s unique foam contains air pockets that cushion pressure points while keeping the mattress cool. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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 12″ thick. Thanks to high-quality foams, the Nectar mattress is durable yet pressure-relieving. Let’s take a peek inside. 

nectar matttress layers updated
  1. Quilted Mattress Cover: The combination of a poly-blend and knit cover helps prevent overheating and provides a soft surface.
  2. Gel Memory Foam Comfort Layer: A top layer of plush, contouring memory foam provides pressure relief. Gel infusion supports optimal thermal regulation. 
  3. Adaptive Response Transition Layer: A responsive polyurethane foam layer makes it easier to move around so you don’t feel stuck in your mattress.
  4. Supportive Base Foam: A support layer of high-density foam dampens motion transfer and stabilizes the mattress. 
  5. 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 8.5
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 7.5
Durability Evaluation 7 8.5
Customer Service Score 9 8
Social Impact Score 6 9
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.  

More Nectar & Nolah Mattress Comparisons

Cariloha

Still Deciding?

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