Deciding between the Tuft & Needle or Zinus mattress? Our comparison will help you decide which all-foam bed is best for your needs.
Deciding between the Tuft & Needle or Zinus mattress? Our comparison will help you decide which all-foam bed is best for your needs.
Tuft & Needle and Zinus are two mattress brands known for their affordable prices. Budget shoppers looking for a high-quality bed-in-a-box mattress often end up deciding between these two companies.
In our Zinus vs Tuft & Needle review, we’re going to compare the flagship Tuft & Needle mattress with the Zinus Green Tea memory foam bed to highlight their differences. By the end, you’ll know which all-foam mattress is right for you.
Budget-friendly mattress for the average sleeper
Medium-firm: 6/10
Foam blend
100 days
10-year limited warranty
Budget-friendly memory foam mattress
Medium-Soft: 4.5/10
Memory foam
100 days
10-year limited warranty
The Zinus comes in more sizes than the Tuft & Needle mattress. The thicker Zinus mattresses are softer and better for adults, while the thinner mattresses are firmer and work best for children or teens.
Tuft & Needle | Zinus | |
Thickness | 10” | 6”, 8”, 10”, 12” |
Twin | 39” x 75” | 39” x 75” |
Twin XL | 39” 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” |
Learn more about mattress sizes.
Tuft & Needle and Zinus are two of the most affordable bed-in-a-box mattress brands. Of the two, Zinus is the least expensive, costing between $309-$221 less for a queen-size mattress.
Tuft & Needle | Zinus | |
Twin | $350 | $151-$252 |
Twin XL | $395 | $207 |
Full | $495 | $187-$329 |
Queen | $595 | $205-$374 |
Short Queen | N/A | $203-$284 |
King | $750 | $241-$464 |
California King | $750 | $464 |
Let’s take a look at what makes up each mattress and how this influences the sleeping experience.
The Original Tuft & Needle mattress is a 2-layer all-foam mattress. The top layer of the T&N is made using their Adaptive foam, a polyfoam that’s breathable and responsive. It’s this layer that gives the T&N mattress a unique feel that’s at once pressure-relieving, cool, and supportive. This type of foam doesn’t have the deep hugging sensation of memory foam that you’ll find with the Zinus mattress.
The T&N is a medium-firm mattress, registering at a 6-6.5 on the 1-10 firmness scale. Most sleepers prefer a medium-firm mattress, with back and stomach sleepers particularly well-suited by the balance between support and cushion. And thanks to a soft polyfoam, the T&N is great for side sleepers who weigh more than 130 pounds.
The Zinus Green Tea mattress is a 3-layer memory foam bed. The top layer is made from ultra-plush memory foam that cradles the body, achieving excellent pressure relief. It’s this memory foam layer that’s to thank for the soft feel of the Zinus mattress, which rates as a plush 4-5 on the 1-10 firmness scale.
Separating the cushy top layer from the support foam base layer is a thin layer of comfort foam. This polyfoam keeps the body from sinking in too low. The resultant feel is best for light and average weight sleepers, particularly side sleepers. Heavy sleepers are better-suited by a more supportive bed, such as an innerspring or hybrid mattress.
The combination of Zinus memory foam and polyfoam excels at motion isolation and has a surprisingly responsive feel. These attributes make the Zinus a great choice for couples.
The Zinus Green Tea mattress comes in 4 thicknesses. The thinner the mattress, the firmer the feel, although every option falls on the softer side.
Let’s compare how the Zinus and Tuft & Needle mattresses performed at the Mattress Advisor lab.
Tuft & Needle | Zinus | |
Shipping | 10 | 8 |
Trial Period | 9 | 9 |
Return Policy | 10 | 7.5 |
Warranty | 9 | 9 |
Set-Up Test | 7 | 7.75 |
Motion Transfer Test | 7.5 | 9 |
Edge Support Test | 8.5 | 6 |
Pressure Relief Test | 8.5 | 8 |
Spinal Alignment Test | 8.5 | 9 |
Responsiveness Test | 8 | 8 |
Cooling Evaluation | 7 | 7 |
Durability Evaluation | 8 | 6.5 |
Customer Service Score | 10 | 8 |
Social Impact Score | 8 | 2 |
TOTAL SCORE | 8.7/10 |
7.8/10 |
All-foam mattresses tend to absorb motion better than beds with innerspring coils. By limiting motion transfer across the mattress surface, foam mattresses help couples sleep together peacefully.
While both the Zinus and T&N mattresses do a good job isolating movement, the Zinus outperformed the T&N in our in-house tests for motion transfer. If you share your bed with someone who moves around a lot, the Zinus may be a better option.
For those who sleep along the edges or use the edges to get in and out of bed, it’s important to have a mattress with sturdy and comfortable edges. The Tuft & Needle mattress has better edge support, ideal for couples who like to spread out.
One downfall of budget mattresses is that they tend to break down faster than more expensive models. The Tuft & Needle is one of few affordable mattresses that’s incredibly durable, likely to last for 5-10 years of regular use. While the Zinus has good longevity considering its price point, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t last a full decade.
The Zinus is one of the best memory foam mattresses for shoppers on a budget. Its soft feel is great for lightweight side sleepers and those who prefer a plush mattress. But if you need a bed that balances support with pressure relief, the medium-firm Tuft & Needle is a better option.
Both mattresses come with a 100-night sleep trial, so you can try out whichever one you’re leaning towards with zero financial risk.
Compare over 120 different mattress models in our Mattress Comparison Tool to help you narrow down your options.
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