If you're a year-round hot sleeper, you'll want a cool mattress no matter the season. Two leading cooling mattress candidates are the Bear Elite Hybrid and GhostBed Luxe. Both have strong features to banish the night sweats, but which should you buy? We're here to help.
We've rated both these mattresses highly this year. The Bear Elite Hybrid has earnt a spot in our best mattress guide for all sleepers and budgets and the GhostBed Luxe is our number one best cooling mattress.
Both are fantastic options, but it makes deciding which one to shop now, or in the upcoming Black Friday mattress sales, a difficult matter. Here we'll break down how these luxury cooling mattresses compare in terms of price, design, temperature regulation, support and comfort to help you decide which one is best suited to your budget, sleep needs and body type.
Bear Elite Hybrid vs GhostBed Luxe: Key Differences
Type: Hybrid
Firmness option(s): Soft (2-4), Medium (6), Firm (7-8)
Height: 14"
Sleep trial: 120 nights
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: was from $1,893 now from $1,326 at Bear
Type: All-foam
Firmness option: Medium-plush (5-6)
Height: 13"
Sleep trial: 101 nights
Warranty: 25 years
Price: was from $2,295 now from $1,377 at GhostBed
Bear Elite Hybrid vs GhostBed Luxe: Price & Trial
- Evergreen sales reduce the cost of both luxury cooling mattresses
- You can get two free pillows with both
- The Bear Elite Hybrid comes with a lifetime warranty; GhostBed's warranty is more restricted
As two luxury cooling beds, we can't expect either the Bear Elite Hybrid or GhostLuxe to come cheap, but regular sales at both brands offer generous discounts. A queen Bear Elite Hybrid mattress retails at $2,305 at full MSRP (without the Celliant cover). But with 30% off right now, you can get it for $1,614 along with two free Cirrus Cloud Pillows worth $150.
There's also a 50% discount on a Bear Essentials Bundle, including a waterproof mattress protector and sheet set, when bought alongside the Elite Hybrid (was $170, now $85 with mattress purchase).
At MSRP the GhostBed Luxe is more expensive than Bear's Elite Hybrid. A queen is $2,595 at full price, but GhostBed regularly cut its prices. There's currently 40% off, bringing a queen down to $1,557 meaning it comes in cheaper than the Bear Elite Hybrid.
You'll also get two free pillow thrown in with the GhostBed Luxe, and won't have to pay any extra to benefit from the mattress' full cooling functionality (note Bear's Celliant cover costs an extra $140).
While that's a great price from GhostBed, you won't get the same level of benefits included with a Bear purchase. Bear's lifetime warranty and 120-night sleep trial offer reassurance and financial security, adding a lot of value to the price.
However, GhostBed's warranty only lasts 25 years and between the 11-25th year, GhostBed determines whether or not to repair the mattress. If they do, they’ll charge owners a handling fee or offer a new mattress at a prorated rate.
Bear Elite Hybrid vs GhostBed Luxe: Materials & Design
- The Bear Elite is a hybrid mattress, while the GhostBed Luxe is an all-foam
- The Bear Elite Hybrid is 14" with the option to add a Celliant cooling cover
- The GhostBed Luxe is 13" tall including a Ghost Ice cover
As one of our best hybrid mattresses of the year, the 14" Bear Elite has five layers of different materials (including coils and foam) that work together to give a strong balance of comfort, support and temperature regulation.
Bear knows that one way you can extend the life of your mattress is rotate it regularly. So, they've added two handles on each side of the Elite Hybrid for easy manoeuvring.
Diving inside, there's a high-density support foam base to maintain a strong structure over time. Then a layer of individually wrapped coils to increase air circulation and enhance support and motion isolation. Not slacking on edge support, the coils are reinforced around the perimeter, while the center features higher-gauge coils for better lumbar support.
Next comes the foam layers. The upper foam layers consist of transitional foam for support and pressure relief, plus a copper-infused memory foam and hand-quilted cover with phase change materials for extra cooling.
This cover removes heat from the surface of the mattress, making it a dream for year-round hot sleepers. But if running hot at night is severely disrupting your slumber, we recommend upgrading to Bear's Celliant cooling layer.
On the other hand, the GhostBed Luxe is a seven-layer all-foam model packed with cooling foam technology. The all-foam structure is unusual for an effective cooling mattress since coil layers tend to offer better airflow. That said, GhostBed know what they're doing and have incorporated cooling fiber and gel memory foam to offer the best cooling power alongside cloud-like comfort.
The top quilted cover is made from gel memory foam, cooling fiber and 'Ghost Ice' fabric, which claims and proves itself to be cool to the touch. Our tester for our GhostBed Luxe mattress review was particularly impressed by this feature as we haven't experienced it with prior mattresses that claim to be 'cold to touch'.
You'll find the patented Ghost Ice cooling technology in the next layer which is meant to absorb and disperse body heat, followed by more gel memory foam. Finally a 2" bounce foam layer and a 7.5" high density base foam make up the mattress bottom.
Bear Elite Hybrid & GhostBed Luxe: Support & Comfort
- The Bear Elite comes in three firmness levels to suit your firmness preference
- The GhostBed Luxe is medium-plush with a 6 out of 10 firmness rating
- The GhostBed is great for side sleepers, while the Bear Elite Hybrid is better for stomach and back
The Bear Elite Hybrid comes in three firmness options – soft, medium and firm – so you can choose the feel that suits your sleep style and body type. In our Bear Elite Hybrid mattress review, we tested the medium firm model, which we rated 6 out of 10 for firmness in line with the brand's rating.
Our testing panel were impressed with how the coil layer delivers deep pressure relief and excellent zoned support to the lower back.
Our reviewer found the Bear Elite Hybrid most comfortable when sleeping on their back and stomach, but said the mattress didn't sink as much as they'd liked in a side sleeping position. Meanwhile, the GhostBed Luxe features in our best mattress for side sleepers guide.
Exclusively made with foam, you'd expect the GhostBed Luxe to be soft when you lay on it, and that it is. But the longer our reviewers laid on it, the more impressed they were with the level of support the mattress offers.
While the quilted cover gives a cloud-like hug, alleviating pressure points, the high-density foam keeps the spine aligned and lumbar supported when sleeping in a side position. However, our reviewers reckon back sleepers would benefit from more firmness to ensure their hips are supported.
In short, the GhostBed Luxe is great for side sleepers, while the Bear Elite Hybrid is a better option for those who prefer to sleep on their back or front.
- Read more: Bear Elite Hybrid vs Cocoon by Sealy Chill: Which cooling mattress is right for your sleep?
Bear Elite Hybrid vs GhostBed Luxe: Temperature Control
- Both mattresses feature exceptional cooling functionality
- The Bear Elite Hybrid offers a Celliant infused cover upgrade
- The GhostBed Luxe is our #1 best cooling mattress of the year
While the Bear Elite has cooling built into its standard model thanks to the copper-infused memory foam and phase change materials, its Celliant Infused cover is where keeping cool at night really gets serious. The cover is what earns this mattress a 4.5 out of 5 for temperature regulation in our review.
Celliant is a synthetic fiber that converts body heat into infrared energy, which is then reflected back into the body. This helps improve thermoregulation while you sleep, aiding a more restful sleep and promoting faster muscle recovery, making it a great bed for people with dedicated fitness regimes. It also wicks away moisture and dries fabrics quickly, which equals a more comfortable sleep for hot sleepers.
Meanwhile, as our best cooling mattress of the year, the GhostBed Luxe scores a 5 out of 5 for temperature regulation, according to our review panel. GhostBed call it the 'Coolest Bed in the World' and although we can't verify that claim, we do highly commend its cooling capabilities, especially for an all-foam mattress.
While the Ghost Ice fabric quilted cover provides a cool to touch sleep surface, the Ghost Ice layer uses thermo-sensitivity technology designed to pull heat from your sleeping body to the quilted cover then down to be dispersed away.
There is also a extra airflow-boosting layer to keep the core of the mattress cool. None of our testers slept too warm on the GhostBed Luxe, proving the brand's cooling method and technology work effectively.
Bear Elite Hybrid vs GhostBed Luxe: which should you buy?
Buy the Bear Elite Hybrid if...
✅You have an active lifestyle: Those with athletic hobbies would benefit from the active recovery component of the Celliant cover.
✅You suffer with lower back pain: The zoned support offered by the individually encased coils provides great support and pressure relief for the lumbar region.
✅You want customizable firmness: You can choose from three firmness options (soft, medium or firm) with the Bear Elite for tailored support and comfort.
Buy the GhostBed Luxe if...
✅You sleep on your side: As one of our top-rated mattresses for side sleepers with exceptional pressure relief, the cooling foam layers in the GhostBed Luxe are a dream for people who sleep on their side and run hot.
✅You're tight on budget: The GhostBed is currently cheaper than the Bear Elite Hybrid and you won't have to pay extra for the full cooling experience.
✅You're a lightweight sleeper: The plusher feel of the GhostBed is better suited to light sleepers who need contouring comfort, while heavier bodies will benefit from a firmer sleep surface.
