Walmart's Allswell Hybrid Mattress delivers comfort on a budget — it's $350

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As a sleep reporter who has tested more than 100 mattresses for our guide to the best mattresses, I've found you get what you pay for. We generally recommend spending at least $1,000 on a mattress. But if you can't spend that much, there are still some good options under $500.

After testing 13 budget mattresses, I found the Allswell Mattress as the best cheap mattress, though it's not without its drawbacks. Below are my experiences with the Walmart brand's flagship mattress after sleeping on it for 14 nights and putting it through our battery of objective tests.

Design

Most sub-$500 mattresses are made exclusively of foam. Of the hybrids I tested in this price range, the Allswell is the only model I'd recommend. Hybrids consist of pocket coils or springs and foam. Combining the materials gives you the benefits of both.

The top features high-density foam and a quilted panel that you can spot clean with mild detergent and warm water. Then a gel-infused memory foam layer is designed to dissipate heat. Below, a comfort foam layer offers pressure relief and optimal spinal alignment. Then, pocket springs make up the thickest layer, offering motion isolation, support, and durability. The bottom layer is durable high-density foam. All foams in the Allswell are CertiPUR-US certified.

The Allswell is the brand's flagship mattress and most affordable option. It also makes four other mattresses, from lowest to highest price:

• Allswell Luxe Medium Firm: The Luxe Medium Firm is 12 inches thick and appears to have a similar construction as the flagship mattress, aside from a layer of copper-infused memory foam just below the quilted top panel. Copper-infused memory foam tends to keep you cooler.
• Allswell Luxe Extra Firm: Also known as the Brick, this mattress has the same thickness and construction as the Luxe. The difference is the copper-infused memory foam layer is thinner, and there's a thicker high-density support foam below it, contributing to a firmer feel.
• Allswell Supreme: At 14 inches, the Supreme is the thickest Allswell mattress. The construction is similar to the Brick, only it has a thicker quilted top and an extra layer of memory foam for pressure relief. For an additional $40, you can add a cooling quilted cover.
• Allswell Organic: This eco-friendly mattress is made of organic latex, cotton, and wool. The pocket springs are made of recycled steel. 

Our review of the Allswell Mattress

Setup

The Allswell mattress is delivered to your door in a mini fridge-sized box. Instructions aren't included, but it's easy enough to figure out that you need to open the box and remove the plastic to allow the vacuum-sealed mattress to expand. I recommend using a letter opener-style cutter to cut through the plastic without damaging the mattress.

The setup process took five minutes. At 82 pounds, the Allswell is lighter than the average of mattresses I've tested (105 pounds), making setup easier. Still, 82 pounds may be unmanageable for some. Unfortunately, unlike many of the best mattress-in-a-box companies, Allswell doesn't offer an in-home setup service.

When I unboxed the mattress in the morning, I noticed a mild "new bed smell." By bedtime, this dissipated, and the bed expanded to full size.

Comfort

The Allswell mattress has medium-firm firmness, meaning it's firmer than most mattresses but not as firm as it gets. I slept best on my stomach and back. The firmness was too intense to sleep comfortably on my side.

I wear the Garmin Forerunner 945 watch while sleeping. It gives me a sleep score each morning based on my REM, restless, deep, and overall sleep. While testing the Allswell, my sleep quality was above my average and better than any other cheap mattress I tested. Objectively, the mattress facilitated better sleep.

Subjectively, I awoke often in the night while testing the Allswell, but I had no trouble falling back asleep. Each morning, I felt refreshed, and my body was mostly pain-free, an impressive feat considering I was training for a marathon.

Heat dissipation

I test heat dissipation with a laser thermometer. To see how cool the mattress stays, I measure its surface temperature before bed and when I get up. Two minutes later, I take another reading to assess its heat dissipation.

When it came to staying cool, the Allswell was hotter than average, increasing by 20 degrees Fahrenheit while I lay on it, from 67 degrees to 87 degrees. Plus, it was among the worst at dissipating heat, only dropping 11 degrees. The average was a 13-degree decrease. A few nights during my testing, I felt like I was overheating on the Allswell.

Edge support

With good edge support, you can spread out and still feel comfortable when on a mattress's peripheries. This is helpful when you're sharing a bed. The supportive coils of the Allswell help facilitate good edge support. Using a yardstick, I measured a 3.5-inch dip as I sat on the edge, which is average for the mattresses I've tested. The edge support was more pronounced when lying on the edge. I felt fully supported and had to roll quite far before falling off.

Motion isolation

I have two tests for motion isolation. The bowling ball test involves dropping a bowling ball from 4 feet above the mattress so that it lands a foot from a soda can. The mattress has great motion-dampening properties if the can stays upright. It could use some improvement if the can falls. On the other side of the bed, I place a vibrometer to measure the vibrations produced by the bowling ball and compare the readings to other mattresses.

Using both measures, the Allswell has good motion isolation. It passed the bowling ball test about half the time and registered a 7.1 on the vibrometer, which is better than most. 

Usually, mattresses with good motion isolation have poor bounce. Yet, the Allswell balanced the two. This and the good edge support make the Allswell a solid option for couples.

Trial period and warranty

You can try the Allswell mattress risk-free for 90 nights. If you don't like it, you can return it for a full refund. 

If you decide to keep the mattress, it's backed by a 10-year warranty. However, there are some catches:

• The warranty is void if you don't use it on a proper foundation, such as "slatted wood or metal foundations with slats no more than 4'' apart, wood or metal box foundations, and solid wood or metal platforms, as well as adjustable bases."
• The warranty is also void if you remove the "do not remove this tag under penalty of law" tag.

On the plus side, sticking customers with the shipping costs for a warranty replacement is a common practice that Allswell does not engage in. Instead, it covers the shipping costs.

Cons to consider

The Allswell mattress has worse-than-average cooling and heat dissipation, so if you sleep hot, I wouldn't recommend it. Instead, check out our best cooling mattresses guide to find a budget pick that will keep you comfortable throughout the night.

The firmness of the Allswell mattress also means it isn't the best choice for side sleepers. While stomach and back sleepers will be comfortable with an extra-firm mattress, side sleepers will have a difficult time getting comfortable. Our guide for best mattresses for side sleepers can help find a mattress that fits with your sleep style.

What are your alternatives?

If $500 is your maximum budget, the Allswell is the mattress back and stomach sleepers, couples, and cold sleepers should get. If you don't fall into any of these categories, my best cheap mattress guide has many recommendations to fit your needs. 

For example, side sleepers will likely prefer the Siena Memory Foam Mattress's softer-than-average feel. The motion isolation and edge support make it a great option for couples, and it dissipates heat well and stays cool.

The Zinus Cooling Comfort Hybrid shares a lot of similarities with the Allswell. Both provide support for back and stomach sleepers. Both cost less than $300. However, the Zinus offers greater cooling comfort through its gel-infused memory foam and breathable coil system. The trade-off is that the Zinus's motion isolation and edge support are inferior, suggesting the Allswell is better for couples.

Allswell also makes an upgrade mattress that costs just $70 more called the Luxe, which is a bit more comfortable for side sleepers with a medium firmness. Read our full Allswell Luxe Mattress review.

The Allswell Supreme is another solid under-$500 option. I liked that the medium firmness helped with side and stomach sleeping. It also has impressive edge support and solid motion isolation. Read my full Allswell Supreme Mattress review.

The Allswell Luxe Extra Firm Mattress costs $427 and is Allswell's firmest option, making it a better solution for stomach sleepers. And, Allswell's priciest option is the Allswell Organic Mattress. It features GOLS-certified organic latex and GOTS-certified organic wool and cotton. At $762, it costs less than any of the best organic mattresses in our guide, making it an affordable, eco-conscious choice.

If you have $700 to spend, go with the Nectar Mattress. The average firmness will appeal to all sleep styles. It has outstanding edge support, motion isolation, and heat dissipation. Plus, it comes with a 365-night trial period and a lifetime warranty. Read our full Nectar Mattress review.

For more mattress recommendations, check out our guide to the best mattresses.

The bottom line

The Allswell Mattress is the best mattress I've tested for under $500. I had outstanding sleep quality on it. The firmness is ideal for stomach and back sleepers. Couples will appreciate the motion isolation and edge support. This price point will always have negatives, and the Allswell is no exception. Fortunately, if you find it's too firm or sleeps too hot, you can return the mattress within 90 days for a full refund. If you're looking for a budget mattress, this is the one to get.