Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Side-sleeping delight for under $500

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress is a low-cost bed that often tops the Amazon bestseller list, but can it compare to this year’s best mattresses?

We put it to the test, spending three weeks sleeping on a full-size Zinus 10-inch Mattress, with feedback from a wider review panel and support from objective testing per our mattress methodology. (Spoiler: It's a hit among side sleepers.)

Our full review is below, but if you only have a moment to skim, here's our Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review in brief...

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress: review in brief

The Zinus mattress excels in pressure relief. The very best memory foam mattresses are known for their contouring comfort, adapting to the touch points to evenly distribute body weight and decrease pressure buildup. The Zinus, with its slow-moving cushioned foams, eases around the body to bring relief to the shoulders, hips, and knees.

It’s like a big hug from a marshmallow, with the dense base foams providing just enough support to keep the body lifted. All our side sleeping testers enjoyed resting on the Zinus.

It also delivers when it comes to motion isolation. Our testers agree that even a fidgety bed partner shouldn’t bother you when sharing the Zinus. Its performance in this aspect ranks alongside some of our favorite all-foam beds, including the more expensive Nectar Premier Memory Foam Mattress.

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Although primarily a side sleepers' mattress, some back sleepers will also get on with the Zinus, particularly those who prefer a soft bed or have a light build. However, the ‘sink-in’ feeling can cause some tension in the lower back. For this reason, we don’t recommend the Zinus to stomach sleepers. If you lie on your front, a firmer all-foam bed like the Siena mattress is a better choice.

The Zinus does fall into some of the common traps of a cheaper all-foam mattress. It struggles with temperature regulation (which can lead to some sweaty mornings), and the edge support is subpar. If you need a push off the sides of the bed to get up in the morning, consider the superior support of the EGOHOME Memory Foam Mattress because you'll slide straight off the Zinus.

But while these are noteworthy issues, we still think the Zinus delivers excellent value for money. A queen is often $499 direct from Zinus, but if you head to Amazon, you can pick up an older model for under $250. If you need a crowd-pleasing bed for a well-used guest room, we think this is among this year’s best cheap mattresses.

For everyday use, we think the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress will best suit side sleepers who are tired of waking up with aching arms and want a new bed on a tight budget. You could do a lot worse in this price bracket.

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Price & trial

• A budget-friendly introduction to a memory foam mattress
• Direct from Zinus, a queen now costs $449.10 with a 100-night trial
• Cheaper on third-party sites, but you sacrifice the sleep trial

Regular mattress sales make Zinus a budget-friendly sleep brand. Its flagship Green Tea Memory Foam mattress can typically be picked up for less than $500 for a queen-size.

Thanks to these frequent Zinus mattress sales, you can pretty much go ahead and ignore the MSRP. Below is the current pricing for the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress, including the full cost and what you'll normally pay in the sale:

• Twin MSRP: $399 (normally sold at $199)
• Full MSRP: $499 (normally sold at $399)
• Queen MSRP: $599 (normally sold at $499)
• King MSRP: $699 (normally sold at $699)

These sale prices stay fairly consistent year-round, but major sales events are sometimes accompanied by an added discount. We've seen an extra 10% off appear several times this year.

But when it comes to the Zinus Green Tea mattress, this is only part of the pricing story. For the lowest cost, you often need to go third-party.

At the Amazon Zinus store, we've seen a queen drop below $200 (but you're most likely to pay around $230). That puts it in line with super-affordable beds like the Linenspa Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress and the Allswell Hybrid Mattress, and makes it one of the best cheap mattresses on Amazon.

There are a few disadvantages, however, to shopping with third parties. First, Amazon typically sells older versions of this mattress. We predict this design has a similar feel to the current build, but the newer model might have better performance aspects (such as cooling).

Second, shopping third party does mean missing out on benefits. You'll get a 10-year mattress warranty both at Zinus and Amazon, but buying from Zinus comes with the bonus of a 100-night sleep trial. This allows you to try the mattress in your home and return it if it isn't right for you. At Amazon, once the bed is out of its packaging, it can only be returned if there's a fault.

You might also have noticed that the Zinus mattress comes in only a handful of sizes. For a cheaper all-foam bed with a vast sizing line-up, try the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential mattress.

Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress: twin was $399 now from $199 at Zinus
The regular Zinus sales mean you never have to pay full price for this mattress but the cost does fluctuate slightly. Your best chance to save more tends to come around major sales events — think Memorial Day or Black Friday — but honestly, this is never a pricey bed. Zinus also offers a 10-year warranty and 100-night trial. For bargain hunters, you can often find the Zinus Green Tea mattress for less at Amazon but shopping third-party does mean sacrificing the sleep trial.

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Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Design

• 10 inches tall (6-, 8-, and 12-inch available on Amazon)
• Three layers of foam, including memory foam comfort layers
• Features green tea foam infusion for freshness

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress has a three-layer, all-foam build. That's a fairly standard design for an all-foam mattress, particularly in this price bracket. We tested the 10-inch model but there are different heights available via Amazon. Only the 10-inch model is available direct from Zinus.

The top layer is a comfort layer consisting of memory foam enhanced with a green tea infusion for added "freshness" (although we have some doubts on its effectiveness). Beneath this is a layer of transition foam, offering responsive support. Finally, a base of durable foam brings stability and support to the overall mattress.

This is all wrapped in a soft to the touch cover with a breathable design. The cover on our model appears cosmetically different to the cover on the Zinus website, but we expect any changes in feel to be minimal. The cover can’t be removed and is spot clean only.

There are no handles, which can make the Zinus Mattress difficult to move around. Our test model also had a surprisingly loose cover. This was rarely noticeable, but after a particularly restless night there was some bunching.

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Comfort & support

• We rate this mattress 5.5 out of 10 for firmness
• Softer foams are best for side sleepers
• Supportive enough for some back sleepers

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress delivers the kind of adaptive comfort we expect from a memory foam bed. It ‘hugs’ the body, molding itself to your form to relieve pressure at the touch points and cushion the joints. This is a mattress you sink into, rather than lie on top of.

The memory foam ‘hug’, similar to the cushioned feel of a Tempur-Pedic mattress, makes the Zinus Mattress most comfortable for side sleepers, especially those with a lighter build. At the shoulders and hips the Zinus feels dreamy, with a pillow-y softness that ensures none of the ‘numb’ shoulders and hips that can accompany side sleeping on a firmer mattress. We think it's one of the best mattresses for side sleepers on a budget.

The dense foam at the base enhances the support of the Zinus Mattress, and our lightweight back sleeping tester was comfortable lying in this position. However, our primary tester would have appreciated firmer support at the hips, to prevent the lumbar region from sinking.

Our lead tester is a stomach sleeper and found the Zinus Memory Foam Mattress too soft to consistently sleep comfortably in this position — most mornings she woke up with a slight ache in her lower back. The best mattresses for stomach sleepers have a firmer feel to prevent the spine from twisting as you sleep. The Siena Mattress is a better alternative if you like to sleep on your front.

The soft foams do make it hard to move about on the Zinus; it's a bit like having a fight with a marshmallow. For some, this cradling effect is cushioning and cozy. For others, it can be stifling.

Zinus rates the Memory Foam Mattress as having a medium feel, and our testing panel agrees. We rate it as 5.5 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale, with one being hugely soft and 10 being rock hard. This was backed by our objective testing. When we placed a 50lb kettlebell on the bed it immediately sank at least five inches into the foam, indicating a medium firmness.

We did notice the firmness varied with the weather (which isn’t unusual for a memory foam mattress). On hot days, the Zinus felt a few degrees softer.

Pressure relief score: 4 out of 5

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Setup

• Arrives in a box and recommends 72 hours to expand fully
• Appeared fully inflated after 24 hours
• Off-gassing smell disappeared quickly

Delivery of the Zinus Memory Foam Mattress was fast and easy, with our tester model purchased from the Zinus store on Amazon. A boxed bed, it arrived vacuum sealed, compressed in plastic, and rolled to fit in a cardboard box.

The package was slightly unwieldy – some mattresses are folded lengthwise then rolled, but as the Zinus was just rolled, it was still pretty tall. However, this is potentially only an issue for some sizes (larger options might be folded) and was only a minor inconvenience. Out of the box, the Zinus Mattress was quick and easy to unroll.

With the mattress on the bed frame, Zinus recommends waiting 72 hours for it to expand before use. This is a long waiting period, but our model looked fully inflated after roughly 24 hours. Although if you can, try waiting the full 72 hours.

Once unboxed, a mattress off-gassing smell lingered for a while. Mattress off-gassing is caused by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) being released into the air, and it’s a common issue with even some of the best mattresses in a box. Our testing panel noted a strong paint-like smell at first, but it did fade quickly with the window open.

Zinus doesn’t offer white glove delivery, and while the bed isn’t particularly heavy for a mattress, it’s bulky and hard to move. Two people or more are needed to unbox safely and efficiently.

Delivery and setup score: 4 out of 5

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Performance

• Excellent motion isolation
• Average temperature regulation but can sleep hot
• Edge support is poor, with sinkage at the sides

As part of our mattress testing methodology, we conduct a series of performance tests for three key performance areas: motion isolation (how much movement disrupts the sleep surface), edge support (how strong the mattress is at the perimeter), and temperature regulation (how well the mattress maintains a neutral temperature overnight).

These are the results of our testing:

Motion isolation

The Zinus excelled at motion isolation during our testing period. This refers to how well a bed can absorb movement and the slow-moving foams of the Zinus simply eat up motion. If your partner tosses and turns, we don't think you'll feel it on the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress.

As well as hands-on testing, we used a series of drop tests to get an objective measurement of motion isolation. We placed a wine glass on the mattress and measured 25, 10 and four inches away. We then dropped a 10lb weight from six inches high onto the mattress from these set distances.

The Zinus performed superbly. From 25 inches, the glass didn't budge and at 10 inches we observed only the slightest movement. From four inches, there was a more pronounced wobble but the glass remained upright.

This places the Zinus among some of the best mattresses we've tested in terms of motion isolation. It's on par with the Nectar Premier and Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud mattress, which are both significantly pricier.

Thanks to this superior motion isolation, we expect the Zinus to be a good mattress for couples. Even the most restless bed partner shouldn't disrupt your sleep.

Motion isolation score: 4.5 out of 5

Temperature control

Our lead tester isn't a particularly hot sleeper but she did find herself waking up warm most mornings on the Zinus Green Tea mattress. This isn't unusual for an all-foam bed: we found the EGOHOME Memory Foam Mattress, from a similar price bracket to the Zinus, delivered a similar performance in terms of temperature control.

However, the soft, dense foams of the Zinus have a tendency to absorb heat and as you sink into the mattress, that heat can't escape. Zinus uses a green tea infusion for "freshness" but beyond that, there's little in the way of cooling tech. And to be honest, we're skeptical the green tea made any difference.

But there's a caveat: our testing period coincided with some of the hottest nights of year so we predict a cooler feel over winter. And despite the warmth our tester didn't wake up in the night. That means for most people, the Zinus should retain a comfortable feel, particularly if you opt for breathable bedding.

Hot sleepers, however, should consider one of the best cooling mattresses. The Cocoon by Sealy Chill Mattress is more expensive but it has better heat dissipation (and it's on the cheap side for a dedicated cooling bed.)

Temperature regulation score: 3 out of 5

Edge support

Edge support describes the sturdiness of the mattress perimeter and our testers agree this is one area where the Zinus falls short. The sides are medium-soft, meaning when you sit on the edge, it sinks beneath you.

Our testing panel found it difficult to sit or lie close to the side of the Zinus mattress, which minimizes the usable surface area. One night our lead tester knocked a cushion to the floor and when she leaned over the side to pick it up, nearly slid right off.

Sitting on the edge of the mattress was better but still slightly precarious. This could be an issue for those with mobility issues: a member of our testing panel has weak knees and struggled to push off the Zinus from a sitting position.

Admittedly, this is an area where the best hybrid mattresses perform best — the addition of springs add a supportive boost to the sides. But some cheaper all-foam beds can offer good motion isolation but this does tend to be a feature of firmer beds. The EGOHOME and Siena are good examples.

In addition to our subjective testing, we completed an objective support test by balancing a 50lb kettlebell on the edge of the mattress. Or, at least, we attempted to. It was impossible to get the weight to balance close to the sides. In the end, we had to place it roughly eight inches from the edge before it balanced for any extended period.

Edge support score: 2.5 out of 5

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Customer reviews

• 4.1 stars from over 163,000 reviews on Amazon
• Customers like the pressure relief but find edge support lacking
• Critics are impressed with the budget price

The Zinus Memory Foam Mattress is one of the most popular mattresses on Amazon and a fixture of the best-sellers list. So there are a lot of reviews to comb through.

As of October 2025, the Zinus 10” Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 from over 163,000 reviews. However, many of these reviews are for different heights. There are also more than 1,800 reviews on the Zinus website, but again, many of these are for a different model.

Customers have praised the pressure relief and plush feel of the mattress, with many commenting on how the Zinus helped soothe hip and back pain. Reviewers have also been impressed with the balance of support and cushioning, particularly for the price. The inexpensive price was a major selling point among top reviews, with many pleasantly surprised at the quality of the Zinus in comparison to other cheap beds.

The main criticisms are towards the edge support, with some customers finding it difficult to sleep near the side of the bed. Other customers have questioned the durability, with some noticing sagging after only limited use. This isn’t an issue we’ve spotted with our model, but we expect decreased longevity from a budget mattress.

Should you buy the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress?

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress is a sink-in memory foam bed with exceptional pressure relief and an attractively low price. With a queen typically setting you back under $500 (cheaper, if you shop third-party), this budget-friendly mattress is an excellent choice for side sleepers and guest rooms.

The dense all-foam build offers body-hugging comfort while also absorbing motion to keep bed sharers snoozing happily. However, a lack of cooling features means those foams also hold onto heat, making for some potentially sweaty nights. Edge support is also a problem, as the sagging sides can lead to an awkward sinking feel if you lie or sit on the edge.

Overall, the Zinus Memory Foam Mattress is best for side sleepers on a tight budget, although it’s comfortable enough in the short term to make a good guest bed choice. But a lack of cooling features and poor edge support means if you can afford a mid-range bed, it’s worth upgrading.

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress review: Alternatives to consider