Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier: Which mattress in a box should you buy in the Presidents' Day sales?

Be you a side sleeper, lightweight sleeper, or someone with achy joints, you'll appreciate the soft embrace memory foam mattresses offer. Nectar is well known for crafting cradling all-foam mattresses at exceptional value, and its current Presidents' Day mattress sale offers even bigger steals. But should you go with the budget-friendly Nectar Classic or the slightly more plush Nectar Premier?

The Nectar Classic features in our best mattresses of 2025 guide as our top-rated memory foam pick. It’s an affordable option with impressive features. But if you're looking for a little more luxury, the pricier Nectar Premier may be a better mattress in a box for you. It’s an inch taller than the Nectar Classic and has more sink-in cushioning.

Our Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier showdown will consider the price, design, and performance of each mattress based on our hands-on testing to help you decide which one is best for your sleep needs and budget. Either way, you'll get a one-year trial, a lifetime warranty, and for a limited time a complete bedding set valued at up to $599.

Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier: Price & Trial

• The Premier is $300 more than the entry-level Classic for a queen
• Up to $599 in free accessories included with purchase right now
• Both include a 1-year sleep trial and a lifetime warranty

The Nectar Presidents' Day flash sale has just been turned up a gear, offering some of the best deals we've ever seen from the brand, or indeed across the mattress market as a whole.

Right now, you can save up to 50% on all Nectar mattresses — which is the standard discount, but all mattresses now come with up to $599 worth of accessories for no extra cost. That's jaw-dropping value, especially if you're sizing up or down for your next mattress purchase.

The Nectar Classic is the brand's most affordable bed, while the Nectar Premier is one step up in terms of quality and design, which means a higher price tag. But neither will break the bank; Nectar is generous with its sales, after all.

An evergreen Nectar mattress sale drops the Nectar Classic Memory Foam into the lower mid-range price bracket, with a queen costing $649. You can ignore the "total price" (Nectar's version of the MSRP) as we've never seen this mattress cost that much. On the other hand, a Nectar Premier will set you back $949 for a queen size in the almost-permanent sale.

The perks are good too. Both mattresses are complete with free delivery and returns, a 365-night sleep trial, and a lifetime warranty.

Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress: was from $1,081 now from $349 + free bedding at Nectar
Nectar's up to 50% off sale sounds exciting, but it's the same deal we see regularly from the brand. However, throwing up to $599 worth of sleep accessories is exciting as this is a rare deal, and one of the best we have ever seen from the brand. A queen Nectar Classic is only $649 and there's a 365-night trial and lifetime warranty included too.

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Nectar Premier Memory Foam Mattress: was from $1,413 now from $549 + free bedding at Nectar
For an extra $300 you can bag yourself more cushioning with the Nectar Premier memory foam mattress. Yet the rest of the deal remains the same. All in all, now is a great time to snap up great value at Nectar. But you must act fast, this is a limited-time deal.

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Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier: Materials & Design

• Both are memory foam mattresses with 5 layers
• The Nectar Classic is 12" tall with a firmer feel
• The Nectar Premier is 13" thick with more cushioning

Nectar produces some of the best memory foam mattresses available right now, but each mattress also comes in a hybrid version. Next to each other, you'd be hard-pressed to distinguish between the two mattresses; they are more or less identical with a blue and gray shift-resistant bottom cover and a white top cover. The differences occur beneath the covers.

Each mattress has five layers with cushioning memory foam sandwiched between a cooling cover and an 8" foundation base with motion isolation foam providing stability and reducing movement transfer. Where they differ is in the thickness of this memory foam. The 12" Nectar Classic memory foam mattress has 1" of memory foam, providing a firmer sleep surface, while the 13" Nectar Premier has 2" of memory foam for more cushioning for the joints and muscles.

Both mattresses are conveniently delivered in a box, but this means they need time to expand before you sleep on them.

Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier: Comfort & Support

• Both are medium-firm, but the Classic is slightly firmer
• The Nectar Premier has twice as much pressure-relieving foam
• Both Nectar mattresses are ideal for side sleepers

Nectar rates the Classic at 6.5 out of 10; we placed it at a firmer 7.5 in our Nectar Classic Mattress review. However, during our Nectar Premier memory foam mattress review, our testers agree with the brand's 6.5 firmness rating out of 10 for the Premier.

Offering a balance of comfort and support, the Nectar Classic and Nectar Premier will appeal to a broad range of sleepers, but the side sleepers within our testing panel were the most impressed with the Nectar Classic. Lighter-weight side sleepers will benefit from the extra cushioning offered by the Nectar Premier as this will take extra pressure off joints like the shoulders, hips, and knees. Meanwhile, heavier side sleepers and back sleepers will like the responsive surface of the Nectar Classic.

Both mattresses have a support layer promoting spinal alignment, contouring, and dynamic support while you move through the night.

Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier: Temperature control

• Both all-foam mattresses have a moisture-wicking cover
• The Nectar Premier has 60% more cooling tech
• Either one is available as a hybrid for more airflow

We don't usually recommend memory foam mattresses to hot sleepers looking for a cooling sleep solution — hybrid mattresses are more breathable and, therefore, cooler. If you suffer from hot flushes or night sweats, check out our best cooling mattress guide.

But if you're a memory foam fan who only runs a little hot occasionally, you're in safe hands with a Nectar. The soft fabric cover on the Nectar Classic and Premier is infused with cooling fibers and an antimicrobial treatment that wicks away sweat. According to the brand, the Premier memory foam packs 60% more cooling tech than the Classic.

Nectar Classic vs Nectar Premier: Which should you buy?

Buy the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress if...

✅ You're on a tighter budget: The Nectar Classic is the entry-level model in Nectar's four-piece memory foam mattress suite. You'll spend $300 less for a queen Nectar Classic versus a Nectar Premier in the same size.

✅ You prefer a firmer sleep surface: With less sink-in foam, the Classic offers a more responsive, sturdy sleep surface - the kind usually preferred by back and stomach sleepers and those searching for a mattress for heavy sleepers.

✅ You're a combi-sleeper: With a more responsive, firm surface, it is easier to switch between sleep positions on the Classic, and you'll be more supported when on your back and stomach.

Buy the Nectar Premier Memory Foam Mattress if...

✅ You want a plusher feel: The Premier has more memory foam, offering sink-in cushioning for strict side sleepers who like their mattress to hug them.

✅ You sleep hot: While we're yet to test the Nectar Premier overnight in an actual bedroom, the brand promises the Premier model offers a 60% cooler sleep experience.

✅ You deal with regular aches and pains: The Premier's thicker memory foam comfort layer provides deeper pressure relief to ease tension in your joints and lower back. Consider this one if you're searching for a mattress for back pain.