Nectar vs Casper: Which mattress should you choose?

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Nectar and Casper are two of the most popular brands when it comes to the best mattresses. Casper is recognized for pioneering the bed-in-a-box concept, while Nectar helped popularize the yearlong sleep trial and "forever" warranty. The two sleep companies have garnered a devoted fan base for their supportive memory foam mattress, but there are distinct differences between the mattresses and brands.

We've tested mattresses from both, including the Nectar memory foam mattress and Casper Original, both of which have advantages and weaknesses. Read our full Nectar Mattress review and Casper Mattress review. Casper redesigned its mattress line at the beginning of 2024, with their new Casper The One replacing the Original and The Casper. This comparison will consider Casper's latest launch, The One, with the original Nectar Memory Foam Mattress. 

Below, we compare these memory foam mattresses based on a few key categories: price, design, return policy, warranty, set-up process, comfort, edge support, and motion transfer.

Specs compared

Design

The Nectar Memory Foam mattress has a two-piece cover — the top portion is a quilted poly-blend with polyethylene, designed to be cool to the touch, while the bottom cover keeps the foam layers intact so they don't shift during the night. 

While the cover is removable, doing so will void the warranty. Below the cover, the mattress is constructed with three CertiPUR-US certified foam layers. The top layer is pressure-relieving gel memory foam, followed by a three-inch transition layer that helps keep your spine aligned and promotes airflow for cooler sleep, and a seven-inch ActiveSupport stability baser bottom layer for additional support.

The Casper One mattress has a top cover made from a breathable knit blend. It also has three foam layers: a layer of breathable and bouncy foam on top of the brand's newly developed Align memory foam for pressure relief and the Casper Core, the base layer.

Nectar also offers its base model as a hybrid. While Casper initially offered an entry-level hybrid, it now offers the Dream, a medium option with zoned support.  

Price compared

Every size of the Nectar Memory Foam mattress costs less than the Casper One. A queen-sized Nectar mattress is valued at $1,099 but is consistently marked down to as low as $649; a queen-sized Casper The One retails for $1,245. Casper typically discounts up to 20% off. That said, both brands offer monthly payment plans so you can finance the mattress of your choice in a more affordable manner instead of an upfront payment. Both Nectar and Casper offer free shipping on new mattress orders. 

Trial and warranty compared

Casper has a 100-night risk-free trial period and offers a full refund when you return your mattress. The brand does have an adjustment period requirement of 30 days before you can initiate a return. To help with the process, Casper can coordinate to have your mattress picked up by a recycling center or local charity. Casper's warranty covers significant indentation (an inch or more), physical flaws, and manufacturing defects. That said, it's only valid if you use the bed normally, care for it properly, and use a supportive foundation.

Nectar offers a 365-night home trial with a full refund, one of the longest in the industry, though it does require you to try the mattress for 30 days before requesting to return. Nectar offers a "forever warranty" on its mattresses. However, its warranty does have caveats, including that it's only valid for the original purchaser of the mattress and void if the cover has been removed. If the mattress is more than 10 years old, Nectar has the option to just repair (not replace) it and charge you shipping both ways.

Setup process compared

Both Casper and Nectar are bed-in-a-box companies and arrive at your doorstep in a large box. From there you need to cut through the plastic and wait for the mattress to expand to its full size. 

In general, both setup processes are pretty similar. As you can imagine, a heavier mattress is usually more difficult to set up, hence why size matters. 

Both Casper and Nectar offer at-home assembly services referred to as "White Glove" and "Premium In-Home Set Up" to help you get your new mattress up and running and get rid of your old one. Nectar's at-home setup costs $199 whereas Casper's is $149. You'll save a bit of money with Casper, but they are relatively close in price. 

Both brands note that it takes between 24 and 72  hours for the mattress to fully expand. That said, after 10 hours, we noticed that both mattresses were fully expanded, and the chemical-like smell from the Nectar mattress had dissipated; it was even longer for the Casper One.

Comfort compared

Comfort is key when it comes to a mattress. A few factors determine comfort — pressure relief, cooling properties, and firmness. The Nectar mattress and Casper One are medium-firm and help promote spinal alignment and pressure relief for a comfortable night's sleep for back, side, and stomach sleepers. We were most comfortable sleeping on our sides with the Nectar mattress, but any position was still pretty good. For Casper, we preferred sleeping on our stomachs, and it's also well-suited for back sleepers. Side sleepers may find it too firm. 

Another element of comfort is breathability. The Casper One mattress is highly breathable, making it comfortable for hot sleepers, whereas the Nectar is cool to the touch, so you're not left constantly twisting and turning during the night. This is a great feature for those who live in warm climates or run on the hot side and need any temperature regulation they can get.

Heat dissipation compared

There's nothing worse than waking up in a puddle of sweat in the middle of the night. Luckily, both Casper and Nectar's mattresses can dissipate heat well enough to keep you more comfortable and help regulate body temperature. 

If you're looking to sleep cooler with the Casper lineup, The Casper Snow is the most recommended option for hot sleepers; it uses a phase-change material (PCM) to keep you cool during the night on its top layer. The One has a cozy knit layer. 

We also noticed that Nectar's mattresses are great at dissipating heat; dropping more than 15 degrees during one of our tests. One night we even had to add an extra blanket because it was so cooling. The Nectar uses gel foam and its cover uses heat-absorbent polyethylene fibers to help you sleep cooler. However, the Casper just narrowly edged out the Nectar regarding heat dissipation. 

Edge support compared

Edge support ensures that the sides of the mattress don't sink when pressure is applied. We felt fully supported on our Nectar mattress and had to roll quite far to the side before actually falling off the bed. When measured with a ruler, it also sank 3 inches which is less than 3.5 inches from other mattresses we've tested in the past. 

On the other hand, we noticed Casper mattresses had less sturdy edge support and experienced more significant sagging. This wasn't anything too crazy, and you won't feel like you're going to roll off. However, it was more than the Nectar, for sure.

Motion transfer compared

Motion isolation is important for couples who might share the same bed as small movements may be felt by the other person during the night. We tested the motion isolation by dropping a bowling ball four feet from the air and observed whether it knocked over a soda can. For both the Nectar and the Casper mattresses, the can didn't tip when we dropped the ball, both exhibiting minimal motion transfer. 

The bottom line

Both Nectar and Casper offer bed-in-a-box options for different types of sleepers at a variety of price points. If you have to choose between the Nectar mattress and the Casper One, the Nectar is better overall, with sturdy edge support, easy set-up, and a more affordable price point. That said, hot sleepers might prefer using a Casper because of how well the heat dissipates through the memory foam layers. Nectar will also be a better choice for side and back sleepers, while back and stomach sleepers will find more support with the Casper One. 

Read our full Nectar Mattress review and Casper Mattress review.