Zinus' most popular queen mattress is on sale for just $229 this Black Friday — why I'd buy it

A woman lies on top of the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress reading a magazine, a Tom's Guide Black Friday mattress deals graphic (left)

(Image credit: Zinus / Future)

If you're shopping for a good budget memory foam mattress this holiday season, you're in luck as right now you can buy a queen Zinus 12" Mattress for $229 at Amazon in the retailer's big Black Friday sale. That's the lowest price I've seen the queen size sell for this year.

Our expert team has tested and slept on a lot of mattresses to create our guide to this year's best mattresses for all sleep styles, and I got a chance to try a Zinus Memory Foam Mattress to see how it matches up to the rest of our top picks.

From my experience, the Zinus Memory Foam Mattress is ideal for side sleepers who want a contouring foam hug on a budget. It's also a great Black Friday mattress deal for growing kids and teens, and for upgrading guest rooms.

Zinus 12" Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress (queen): from $299.99 $229.99 at Amazon

Summary: I slept on the 10" version of this mattress for several weeks as part of our Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review testing period, and there was one thing I couldn't stop raving about: the pressure relief. This medium mattress has squishy foams that yield to the body to create restful cushioning at the shoulders and hips. When lying on your side, it's almost like being hugged to sleep by one of the best memory foam mattresses. I expect the 12-inch version to deliver a similar feel, with perhaps a touch more support. The motion isolation also stood out in my review, but hot sleepers should give this one a miss — I woke up sweaty a few times during the testing period.

Benefits: 100-day returns | 10-year warranty | Free shipping

Summary: Zinus makes some of the best cheap mattresses you can buy, but this price is unusually good. The queen size is the only one reduced in the current Amazon Black Friday sale and is now at the lowest price it has been all year with a queen size costing $229.99 (was $299.99). I'm not sure how long this sale will run for, so I wouldn't hang around if you like the look of this mattress at this price.

Looking for a hybrid mattress instead? Try this...

Allswell 10" Hybrid Mattress: from $217 $194 at Walmart
Our testing panel described this model as "hybrid comfort at a sensationally low price" in our Allswell Hybrid Mattress review. The medium firm feel best suits back and front sleepers, and while there's minimal pressure relief, the support is good for a low budget mattress in a box. It's not often we see this model on sale (usually the more expensive Allswell designs are discounted) but you can currently save on most sizes of the Allswell 10" Hybrid. A queen is now $284 (was $317) which is over $1,000 cheaper than the average cost of this year's best hybrid mattresses.

Ruth is a staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things mattress and sleep. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. At Tom’s Guide she writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of specialists who share her passion. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.