What is a Zinus mattress and should you buy one? I'm a mattress tester — here's what I think

The Zinus Ultra Cooling Green Tea mattress against a dark gray wall and placed on a wooden bed frame
(Image credit: Zinus)

Zinus was one of the first mattress-in-a-box brands, founded over 40 years ago. In that time, over 25 million Zinus mattresses have been sold in more than 40 countries around the world. The brand is noted for its pressure-relieving memory foam and ultra reasonable price tag. But what exactly is a Zinus mattress, and are they worth your money?

As a wider team of mattress testers, we know that the best mattress for you will be one that suits your sleep style. Zinus offers a small range of mattress types, from the entry level Original Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress to their top-of-the-line (but still budget-minded) Ultra Cooling Green Tea Hybrid Mattress.

In this article, we’ll reveal exactly what makes the Zinus lineup standout from the crowd and how much you can expect to pay for different models. Like just about all mattress brands, Zinus offers frequent sales around holidays and Amazon Prime Day. However, the best Zinus deals appear to be by shopping direct at the brand, where you can get between  20-40% off. But is a Zinus mattress worth buying in this year's Amazon Prime Day mattress deals and sales? Here's what I think. 

What is a Zinus mattress?

  • Great value memory foam and hybrid beds with  CertiPUR-US  certification
  • Zinus 10" Green Tea Memory Foam mattress is a #1 best seller on Amazon
  • Green Tea Memory Foam s one of the most well-known budget mattresses

After carrying out our Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review, we named it as the best for pressure relief on our list of the best cheap mattresses and the best cheap mattress on our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers. It's also a #1 bestseller on Amazon. 

The foam is CertiPUR-US certified and wrapped in a OEKO-TEX certified mattress cover, which means that you don’t need to worry about harmful chemicals despite the ultra low price. 

Certain concessions need to be made when buying a cheaper mattress, and some reviewers have questioned the durability of a Zinus mattress. However, if you're operating on a tight budget, they're a great option that deliver support and comfort at a price that other brands can't beat. 

What is a Zinus Mattress like to sleep on?

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress on a wooden bed frame in a bedroom

(Image credit: Zinus)
  • Available in a range of sizes, heights, and material blends
  • Zinus is known for its pressure relief at a cheaper price 
  • Memory foam can sleep warm

Price and pressure relief are the key features of the Zinus mattress lineup. As with most memory foam mattresses, you will get that typical memory foam 'sinkage' as opposed to sleeping on top of the bed. Green tea-infused memory foam is their signature foam; the green tea helps keep the mattress fresh and odor-free. Each mattress has at least three layers of CertiPUR-US certified foams. 

The pure memory foam mattresses in the lineup, like the 10-inch Original Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress, may sleep hot for you if you have a tendency to get warm at night. However, the 12-inch Cooling Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress adds a layer of cooling gel to regulate temperature as you sleep.

If you can spend a bit more, the Ultra Cooling Green Tea Hybrid Mattress adds individually wrapped coils to give you ventilation and extra support. Depending on your priorities, you should be able to find a mattress in the lineup that works for you.

How much does a Zinus Mattress cost?

  • The entry-level 6-inch mattress starts at just $155 for a queen
  • A more standard 10-inch mattress starts at $220 for a queen
  • The ultra-cooling hybrid mattress in a queen size goes for $699

The Zinus mattress offerings are quite different depending on where you shop. The advantage of shopping on Zinus’ own website is that you get the 100-night sleep trial. If you’re not happy with your purchase, you can get a refund in the first 100 days. While you can save money purchasing a Zinus mattress on Amazon, Target, and other sites, you’ll be going by their return policies rather than Zinus’.

Zinus also offers a 10-year limited warranty against manufacturer defect. The warranty applies regardless of where you purchased your mattress. 

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress on a bed in a bedroom

(Image credit: Zinus)

You can go as low as $155 for a 6-inch queen green tea memory foam mattress on Amazon. This twin-sized 5-inch version of this can be had for just $79. While I doubt this would be ideal for your everyday mattress, if you need a spare for a guest room, dorm room, RV, or kids’ room, this could work.

The 10-inch Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress, which is the one we reviewed, is currently going for $249 on Zinus or $220 on Amazon for a queen as of this writing. Know that the slight price difference means the difference between getting the 100-night sleep trial and not getting it, so keep that in mind if it matters to you.

The higher end models in the lineup, such as the 12-inch Ultra Cooling Green Tea Hybrid mattress is $699 for a queen on Zinus. The particular model isn’t on Amazon at the moment.

When is the best time to buy a Zinus mattress?

  • Black Friday and Cyber Monday often have the deepest discounts
  • Amazon Prime Day tend to deliver strong deals on Zinus mattresses 
  • Other major sales events center around holidays

Black Friday and Cyber Monday in late November are often the best time to make any big purchase, mattresses included. Of course you can’t always wait until a certain time of year to buy something as important as a mattress. Luckily, the mattress sales happen all year long. Big mattress holidays include President’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. For Amazon purchases, Prime Day is another time to score big discounts. Other retailers like Walmart and Target often have big sales at the same time to compete with Amazon.

Should you buy a Zinus mattress?

Buy a Zinus mattress if...

 You’re on a tight budget. Zinus mattresses start at well under $100 and stay well under $1,000 for even their most expensive offerings. Zinus is a great pick for kids’ rooms, dorm rooms, and guest rooms. 

✅   Pressure relief is important. Zinus’ signature green tea-infused memory foam features into all of their mattresses and offers pressure relief. These mattresses deliver the classic memory foam 'sink'.

✅   You want a mattress-in-a-box delivered to your doorstep. No need to schedule a delivery, it’ll just be dropped on your doorstep in a box. It’ll be a big, heavy box, so be prepared to get the mattress into your home and onto your bed frame yourself. 

Don't buy a Zinus mattress if...

❌  You want a durable mattress for long term daily use: Decent cheap mattresses still come with some concessions. In this case, it's durability. The issue of how long this mattress actually lasts comes up repeatedly in user reviews.  

❌ You're on the heavier side: Zinus mattresses aren't equipped to provide adequate support for heavier bodies. If that's you, take a look at the Nectar Memory Foam mattress instead - it's budget friendly, soft yet still supportive. 

❌  You’re looking for a luxe sleeping experience. Even the higher-end Zinus mattresses fall into the budget category. 

The top 3 Zinus mattresses to shop today

1.Zinus 12" Green Tea Memory Foam mattress Was from $399 

1. Zinus 12" Green Tea Memory Foam mattress: Was from $399 now $299 at Amazon
The Zinus 12" Green Tea Memory Foam mattress is an Amazon #1 bestseller, with a 12" queen size costing just $299 from $399.  So what do you get for this reasonable sum? This mattress is composed of three layers of foam encased in a soft and breathable cover. The durable base layer serves as a solid foundation. The responsive comfort layer is infused with green tea for freshness. The top layer is refreshing green tea memory foam, which conforms to the shape of your body to relieve pressure and stress on joints. During our Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress review, we found it was comfortable and supportive enough for its ultra affordable price point, but did find it trapped a bit of heat. If you're looking for something more supportive, check out the Nectar mattress. 

2. Zinus 12" Green Tea Cooling Memory Foam Mattress: Was from $217.88

2. Zinus 12" Green Tea Cooling Memory Foam Mattress: Was from $217.88 now $194.85 at Amazon
Choose between a 6", 8", 10" or 12" depth on the Zinus 12" Green Tea Cooling Memory Foam Mattress. For maximum support and pressure relief, we would recommend the 12". Right now, an early Prime Day deal takes the price of a queen down to $294.99 compared to $599 at Zinus (and a sale price of $449). The Green Tea Cooling Memory Foam Mattress has the same soft, breathable cover, durable base layer, and responsive comfort layer as the regular Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress above. However, the top layer of memory foam is different. This soothing gel memory foam layer is infused with gel to keep you cooler as it conforms to your body for pressure relief all night long. 

3. Zinus Ultra Cooling Green Tea mattress:was from $699 

3. Zinus Ultra Cooling Green Tea mattress: was from $699 now $499 at Zinus
At the top end of Zinus's sleep suit is the Ultra Cooling Green Tea. It's available as both a memory foam and hybrid, with both offering good levels of comfort and pressure relief. This mattress has a cool to the touch cover as well as a 2.5 inch layer of premium cooling gel memory foam to try keep hot sleepers cool. There's up to 33% off but we don’t know how long this offer will be on so it’s best to act fast. There is also a 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty and free shipping. 

Karen Freeman

Karen is a world traveler, writer, podcaster, teacher, mom, wife, and occasionally a movie extra. She has written numerous reviews at iMore and CNET about home products and technology.