Zinus vs Layla: Which cheap mattress is right for your sleep style

The Zinus Green Tea and The Essential by Layla are both budget-friendly mattresses that offer all-foam comfort. While the two share a lot of similarities (such as regularly coming in at under $500 for a queen), there are some key differences between the Zinus Green Tea vs the Layla Essential mattresses. But which should you buy?

You'll find plenty of memory foam beds in this year's best mattress guide, including some with a premium price tag. Luckily, there are a lot of memory foam mattresses on the market that are affordable, and the Zinus Green Tea and Layla Essential are two such beds.

Here, we'll take a look at the key differences between the Zinus Green Tea Mattress vs the Layla Essential Mattress, comparing price, design, and support and comfort. Both mattresses are cheap even at MSRP, but evergreen discounts and the upcoming Presidents' Day mattress sales mean you'll always get a queen for under $500.

Zinus Green Tea vs Layla Essential Mattress: Price & trial

• Both mattresses typically start from $249 on sale
• A queen Zinus is usually discounted to $379, a queen Layla $399
• Both have a 10-year warranty, but Layla has a longer sleep trial

At full retail price, a queen Zinus Green Tea is $599, but regular over-30% discounts mean you'll always get this popular size for under $500 (typically $379 on sale). Discounted prices start from $249 (was $549) for a twin, which is the exact same sale price of a twin Layla Essential, thanks to a regular $300 discount on this bed.

At $399 (MSRP: $699) for a Layla queen, the Layla is still the slightly more expensive mattress. But the difference is minimal and it's still a budget-friendly mattress. Plus, Layla is currently offering two free memory foam pillows (worth $218) along with your purchase of the Essential.

As for benefits, both come with a 10-year warranty and free shipping, but Layla offers a sleep trial of 120 nights compared to Zinus' 100-night sleep trial. Bottom line: whichever you choose, you're getting two of the best cheap mattresses on the market. Like other best mattresses in a box, both beds are compressed, rolled, and shipped to your door.

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress: was from $399 $249 at Zinus
The Zinus sale is a little confusing, with different discounts on different mattress sizes. The long and short of it is to ignore the saving and focus on the final price: most of the time, you'll be paying $379 for a queen, which is incredible value.

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The Essential by Layla mattress: was from $549 $249 at Layla
With $300 off all sizes, a queen size Layla The Essential mattress is $399 (down from $799.) This sale is evergreen, and we never see it bettered, making now a good time to buy. Plus, Layla is throwing in a pillow set for free.

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Zinus Green Tea vs Layla Essential Mattress: Design & materials

• The Zinus is fiberglass-free and has three layers plus a soft cover
• The Layla Essential has two layers plus a removable, washable cover
• The Zinus is 10" tall, while the Layla is 9"

Both the Zinus and the Layla have simple, all-foam designs similar to those found it the best memory foam mattresses, but there are more differences than similarities. First of all the Zinus Green Tea is 10 " tall and has three layers plus a soft, knitted Jacquard cover.

The bottom layer is made out of high-density foam for support, the middle is a green tea infused transition layer, while the top layer is made from memory foam infused with green tea for freshness. The mattress (like all bed from Zinus now) is fiberglass-free.

We tested the 10" version of the bed, but you can also get the mattress in 6", 8" or 12" heights on Amazon (we recommend a mattress thickness of at least 10" for adults.) However, we should point out that the Zinus comes in a very limited range of sizes, with only four (twin, full, queen, and king) available direct from the brand. There are twin XL and Cal king options listed on the Amazon page for this bed, but at the time of writing, only the 8" height twin XL was available.

The Layla, on the other hand, has two layers and stands at only 9" tall. The bottom layer is a thick 7" for a durable, supportive base, while the top layer is made from airflow-enhancing, cooling Open Cell+ memory foam. The cover is made from 98% polyester and 2% lycra hexagon, and is removable and machine-washable. This is an advantage over the spot clean-only Zinus cover.

Zinus Green Tea vs Layla Essential Mattress: Support & comfort

• The Zinus provides pressure relief to side sleepers
• The Layla offers back support for back sleepers
• The Layla sleeps cool, while the Zinus tends to sleep warm

When we reviewed the Zinus Green Tea for our Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress review, we found that the bed was perfect for side sleepers, thanks to its marshmallow-like sink-in feel and abundance of pressure relief. We also felt it could suit those of lighter weight who preference back sleeping.

Its motion isolation is also great, which is good news if you share a bed with a restless sleeper. However, we noted that its edge support could be weak, and it lacked support for stomach sleepers and average weight back sleepers. The hips and lower back sink in, which can cause discomfort.

The foams can also trap heat (a common problem of cheaper memory foam mattresses.) Our lead tester doesn't sleep hot, but she woke up sweating more than a few times on the Zinus, and this was during a mild Welsh summer.

On the other hand, we found the Layla performed well at regulating our tester's temperature during our Layla Essential mattress review (which took place during a hot Californian summer), largely thanks to its airflow-boosting top layer of Open Cell+ memory foam. Though it is worth nothing that the mattress was not cool-to-touch.

We feel the Layla Essential provides great support for back sleepers of all weights but noted that the thin memory foam meant it lacked a significant sink-in feel, and as such, didn't provide enough hip and shoulder relief when side sleeping. It would suit lighter stomach sleepers, but isn't firm enough for heavier people who prefer this sleep style. This mattress also didn't perform brilliantly when it came to edge support and motion isolation.

Zinus Green Tea vs Layla Essential Mattress: which should I buy?

Buy the Zinus Green Tea if...

✅ You sleep on your side: Testers loved how much the Zinus relieved side-sleeping pressure points in the shoulders, knees, and hips.

✅ You share a bed: We scored the Zinus high for motion isolation, perfect if you're sharing a bed with a restless partner.

✅ You want a fiberglass-free mattress: All Zinus mattresses are now made without fiberglass for cleaner sleep.

Buy the Layla Essential if...

✅ You want to sleep cooler: Our reviewers were impressed with how cool this all-foam bed kept us throughout the night.

✅You want better support: We found its medium-firm feel provided optimal alignment for back sleeping.

✅ You want an easy clean: The Layla Essential has a removable and machine-washable cover.