An expensive mattress isn't always best — meet the cheap memory foam bed that outperformed many luxury rivals in our testing

Two of our mattress testers sit on the Siena Signature Mattress on a bed frame in our testing studio. On the left, Nicola Appleton sits close to the side of the mattress to test the edge support. On the right, Frances Daniels sits on the sleeping area of the bed to better understand the comfort.

(Image credit: Future)

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Looking for a budget mattress?

This image shows the hands-on edge support testing. The Siena Memory Foam mattress on a bed frame sits in the center of a decorated room. Sleep writer Eve Davies sits on the foot of the Mattress. She's comfortable and shows no signs of sliding off. — (Image credit: Future)

We've reviewed the best cheap mattresses of the year so you can get a bed that supports you without breaking the bed.

We test mattresses of all different types, but there are two mattress designs we test the most: all-foam (made entirely of memory foam) and hybrid (a mattress that uses both springs and memory foam).

Recently, our testing panel decided to re-test five of the top-rated mattresses we've ever tested. Out of every mattress in the re-test line-up, which includes a mixture of memory foam and hybrid mattresses, one bed stood out the most: the budget Siena Signature Mattress.

Here's why the Siena Signature Mattress impressed us so much, and why it's the one of the best Black Friday mattress deals we've seen so far this year.

The cheap memory foam bed that wowed us

The Siena Memory Foam Mattress in a light blue bedroom with neutral-colored decor. — (Image credit: Future)

With a simple 10" memory foam design, the Siena Signature Mattress is the flagship bed of affordable sleep brand Siena.

We've tested and re-tested the Signature Mattress, and you can read our extensive testing notes in our in-depth Siena Signature Mattress review, but here's the short version: it's a cheap mattress with the support of a luxury hybrid.

We rate it as the best cheap mattress on the market, and the best foam bed for smaller budgets as you can buy a queen Signature Mattress for just $359 at Siena.

As one of the best mattresses in a box, the Siena is shipped to your door for free, comes with a 10-year warranty, and a 180-night sleep trial.

3 ways the Siena outperformed the most luxury mattresses

1. It proved a great choice for couples

This image shows our subjective motion isolation test, conducted in our sleep studio. The Siena Memory Foam Mattress sits on a bed frame in the middle of a decorated room. Frances Daniels, a member of our sleep team, lies on the right side of the mattress in a side sleeping position. On the left of the bed, Nicola Appleton is climbing on the mattress using high force movement. Despite Nicola's movements, Frances looks undisturbed. — (Image credit: Future)

One of the key areas we test every mattress in is motion isolation (how well a mattress dampens a co-sleeper's movements so they don't transfer to your side of the bed), which is important for sleepers who share a bed.

We won't bore you with the details of how we test motion isolation (you can read all about that in our mattress methodology), but we'll tell you the results: out of all 5 of the mattresses we re-tested, the Siena was the best at absorbing the initial impact of a person jumping into bed (simulated in our tests using a slam ball) and then reducing any motion transfer.

2. It remained supportive right up to the edge

This images shows our sleep writer Ruth Jones testing the edge support of the Siena Memory Foam Mattress. The Siena Mattress is on a bed frame in our sleep studio. To the left, Ruth Jones lies on the very edge of the mattress where she seems well balanced (a crash pad is placed on the floor to the left of the mattress.) To the right, sleep writer Frances Daniels measures the distance between Ruth's hips and the furthest edge of the mattress. — (Image credit: Future)

Edge support (how sturdy the sides of a mattress are) is important for getting in and out of bed, sitting and sleeping close to the edge (particularly important for those who like to spread out like a starfish or co-sleep with someone who hogs the bed.)

We test edge support by balancing a 25kg weight on the edges and then measuring how far the weight sinks (the deeper the compression, the weaker the edge support). The Siena had the lowest compression, beating the likes of best luxury mattress guide entries Saatva Classic and DreamCloud Classic.

3. It's excellent value for money

A close up of a hand pushing into the surface of the Siena Memory Foam mattress. The hand is pressing hard to try and making an indentation but it still barely sinks into the mattress. — (Image credit: Future)

Like we mentioned above, the Siena Signature is the top budget choice in multiple mattress guides due to its small price tag for such a huge array of benefits.

It outperformed the DreamCloud Classic in terms of edge support and cooling rate, and it outperformed the likes of the Saatva Classic (our best hybrid mattress) and the Bear Elite Hybrid (our best cooling mattress) in terms of motion isolation.

These beds are in much higher price tiers than the Siena Signature, with the Bear Elite costing over $1,400 more for a queen) and yet the budget foam bed still beat them in multiple areas.

How much should you spend on a mattress?

How much to spend on a mattress depends entirely on what your budget allows, although we always advise to invest as much as you can on your sleep.

If you're working with a tighter budget, a cheap mattress (like the Siena) should regularly cost no more than $500 for a queen. If you can stretch your budget a little further, a mid-range bed (just under $700 for a queen) is the next option.

The best mattresses under $1,000 for a queen are also great value, but if you want the ultimate durability and build quality, consider investing in a luxury mattress (between $1,000 and $2,500 for a queen).

However, we have to admit that testing the Siena has made us question just how much you need to spend for a fantastic mattress. As long as you buy from a reputable brand and read plenty of mattress reviews, a cheap mattress can be more than enough.

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Frances Daniels is a PPA-accredited journalist and Sleep Staff Writer at Tom's Guide with an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. Her role includes covering mattress and sleep news and writing sleep product reviews and buyer's guides, including our Best Hybrid Mattress 2025 guide. She is interested in the relationship between sleep and health, interviewing an array of experts to create in-depth articles about topics such as nutrition, sleep disorders, sleep hygiene, and mattress care. She is also our specialist on mattress toppers — producing bed topper reviews and taking care of our Best Mattress Toppers 2025 guide — and leads content relating to fiberglass-free beds for a non-toxic sleep. Outside of Tom's Guide, she has written for Ideal Home and Marie Claire.

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