Casper One vs Nectar Classic: Which budget friendly memory foam mattress should you buy?

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Price & Trial
Materials & Design
Comfort & Support
Temperature Control
Which should you buy?

Casper The One

Type: Memory foam
Firmness option: Medium firm
Height: 11”
Sizes: 7
Sleep trial: 100 nights
Warranty: 10 years
Price: from $749 at Casper

Nectar Classic

Type: Memory foam
Firmness option: Medium firm
Height: 12”
Sizes: 7
Sleep trial: 365 nights
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: from $349 at Nectar

The best memory foam mattresses offer sleepers cushioning comfort, providing deep pressure relief for sleepers.

Casper and Nectar are both old hands in the memory foam mattress game, with both brands being at the forefront of the ‘bed in a box’ revolution. But which of their entry-level mattresses will suit you best?

The Nectar Classic is one of our best mattress picks of the year, but that’s not to say that you should rule out the Casper One, which is the updated version of the brand’s hugely successful original mattress.

Casper One vs Nectar Classic Mattress: Price & Trial

The Nectar Classic is never sold at full MSRP
Regular discounts on the Casper One knock 20-30% off MSRP
Nectar offer a 365-night trial to Casper’s 100

A year round Nectar mattress sale means you’ll never pay full MSRP for the Nectar Classic.

Prices start at $349 for a twin (MSRP $1,081) and, in fact, you’ll currently get 58% off a queen size, taking it down to $649 (MSRP $1,664).

These evergreen deals mean you don’t need to wait for a major sale to take advantage of lower prices, although you will often see free bedding bundles thrown in at these times (at present, you’ll just pay a reduced price.)

The Casper is the brand’s cheapest mattress but it's still a few hundred dollars more than the Nectar with prices starting at $749 for a twin.

A queen mattress will currently set you back $999, but it might be worth waiting for one of the regular Casper mattress sales before you buy, as you can often get between 20-30% off.

Benefits wise, the Nectar knocks the Casper out of the park with a 365-night trial and lifetime warranty. You’ll only get 100 nights and a 10-year warranty with the Casper, but both mattresses offer free shipping and returns.

Casper One vs Nectar Classic Mattress: Materials & Design

Both mattresses have an all-foam design
The Nectar Classic is 12” high and has three layers of foam with a top and bottom cover
The Casper One is 11” high and has three layers of foam with a cover

The Casper One and Nectar Classic both have fairly simple all-foam designs. The Casper One is 11” tall and is made up of three layers of foam and a cover.

Starting at the top of the foam layers, you’ll find an open cell Breathe Flex Foam that’s designed to promote airflow.

Underneath is a layer of Align Memory Foam for pressure relief, with a ‘Casper Core’ foundation foam layer for support and structure. The mattress is wrapped up in a breathable knit cover.

Casper One Mattress, with one half showing the three foam layers that make up the bed — (Image credit: Casper)

Nectar’s top cover is made with cooling fibers to help keep it cool to the touch. The cover has an antimicrobial treatment applied for a healthy sleep surface.

Up next is a one inch layer of pressure-relieving memory foam that contours to the body and gives some sinkage. This is backed up by three inches of responsive support foam to promote spinal alignment.

The main foundation of the mattress is provided by an eight inch layer of foundation foam. This not only gives the mattress structure but also reduces motion transfer.

The Nectar is finished off with a durable shift-resistant fabric cover that stops any layers from shifting out of place. Both mattresses also use CertiPUR-US certified foams made without harmful chemicals and low in volatile organic compound emissions.

Exploded diagram of different layers of the Nectar classic memory foam mattress — (Image credit: Nectar)

Casper One vs Nectar Classic Mattress: Comfort & Support

The Casper One is a medium firm mattress, rated at 7 out of 10
The Nectar Classic is also medium firm, rated at 7.5 out of 10
Both mattresses offer excellent motion isolation

The Casper One is a medium firm mattress that’s particularly suited to back and stomach sleepers.

In our Casper One mattress review, our main tester felt instantly at home in these sleeping positions but did find that it took a week to get used to sleeping on their side as the mattress initially felt too firm.

Our testers also noticed how well the Casper One kept their spines aligned, with our lead tester reporting a reduction in their back pain.

Motion isolation on the Casper is excellent but do note that edge support is a little lacking, particularly when sitting on the edge of the bed.

A man in a t-shirt and jeans lying on his back on the Casper One Mattress in his bedroom, with his black and white dog sitting on the other side contentedly — (Image credit: Future/Sophia Carlisle)

The Nectar has a similar firmness feel, and in our Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress review, our testers felt the mattress rated medium firm at 7.5/10 (Nectar rate the mattress as 6.5/10).

Despite this slightly firmer feel, they rated the Nectar as one of the best mattresses for side sleepers you can buy, with plenty of contouring right off the bat, compared to the time it took to adjust to the Casper.

The denser foams used in the Nectar also mean that this is a great choice for back and stomach sleepers – although some lighter weight sleepers may feel it is a little too firm for an all-foam bed with not enough sinkage. Again, motion isolation is exceptional, but edge support is only slightly above average.

A member of Tom's Guide's testing panel sits on the edge of the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress — (Image credit: Future)

Casper One vs Nectar Classic Mattress: Temperature Control

The Nectar offers slightly better temperature regulation than the Casper
The Casper One was tested in January
The Nectar Classic was tested in a cool October

All-foam mattresses can be notorious for trapping heat, leading to uncomfortable and sticky nights. So, a mattress that offers good temperature regulation is important, particularly if you have chosen an all-foam bed.

The Casper One was fairly temperature neutral but when our tester turned the heating on, they found that the thick cover on the mattress negated the effects of the breathable foam layers.

We tested the Nectar during October, where overnight temperatures went down to 60F (16C).

Our testers were impressed with the cool to the touch cover, which did a great job of staying this way overnight.

Of course, we haven’t tested either mattress in the height of summer as yet, but initial testing suggests that the Nectar has the edge slightly when it comes to controlling temperature. Although, if you experience hot flashes or night sweats, we'd suggest investing in one of the best cooling mattresses or best hybrid mattresses instead.

A hand pressing into white surface of Nectar Classic memory foam mattress — (Image credit: Future)

Casper One vs Nectar Classic Mattress: Which should you buy?

Buy the Casper One if…

✅ You share your bed with a restless sleeper: Both mattresses offer excellent motion isolation, but the Casper did a particularly good job of isolating all movement.

✅ You sleep on your back or stomach: Again, both mattresses suit these sleeping positions, but the Casper was comfortable here right from the first night.

✅ You have back pain: The Casper One did a great job of easing our main tester’s back pain.

Buy the Nectar Classic if…

✅ You’re a side sleeper: With a slightly softer sleep feel, the Nectar Classic does an excellent job of contouring around the pressure points of the shoulders and hips.

✅ You want a long trial period: The year long trial offered with the Nectar Classic gives you a huge amount of time to see if the mattress is suited to you, as well as being able to test it during different seasons.

✅ You’re on a tighter budget: The Nectar is never sold at full MSRP, with a queen size usually retailing at $649.

See more Mattresses Face-Off

Jo Plumridge is an experienced mattress reviewer with several years' experience covering all things mattresses and sleep, and who tests memory foam, hybrid and organic mattresses. What Jo doesn't know about a boxed mattress isn't worth knowing, so naturally we tasked her with producing a series of features for Tom's Guide looking at all aspects of mattresses, from how to pick between latex and memory foam (it's a tricky one), to the seven mistakes people make when buying a mattress for the first time. When testing the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid for Tom's Guide, Jo said: "I loved the back support and pressure relief it offered. Plus, it looks far more expensive than it is." When she isn’t writing about sleep, Jo also writes extensively on interior design, home products and photography.