Layla vs Nectar is not an unlikely match in the world of online mattresses. Both brands were born only this decade but have made a name for themselves quickly. You can find these two in the affordable luxury category, alongside popular choices like Casper.
What sets them apart? Answering this question will be the aim of our review. But first things first. What is there to know about Layla? Well, it is one of the successful companies that have brought back flippable beds on the market. Even better, it has added dual firmness in its flagship model, the Layla Mattress.
Nectar is a known memory foam mattress firm from the collective of household products provider called Resident. Through its flagship model, the Nectar Mattress, it offers a viable alternative to the traditional memory foam bed. Its main appeal lies in its ability to keep you cool as you snooze, while also targeting your pressure points for superior relief.
It may not be easy to decide between equally reputable options. So follow through the sections in our guide to have a good grasp of their strengths and weaknesses.
Table of Contents
Layla vs Nectar Mattress Comparison
Layla vs Nectar Mattress Review
Construction & Materials
The Layla Mattress and the Nectar Mattress are all-foam designs. This makes it easy for us to compare their construction and materials.
Flippable Layla’s layers can be divided into six. Here they are, from top to bottom:
- White/Gray Stitch Hexagon Pattern Cover – This is the soft side of the Layla Mattress. It sports Thermo-Gel cooling technology, which can adjust according to your body temperature.
- Copper Gel Memory Foam – Copper is infused in memory foam, making up this top layer. This element has properties that can absorb heat. It is also antimicrobial. Overall, it contours to your body according to the pressure it makes on the foam.
- Max Airflow Support Foam – At the core, you will find this foam that provides deep channeling to maximize airflow. With Surface Modification Technology or the zoning features, it yields customized support as well. This completes the plush side of the Layla Mattress.
Now, let’s flip the mattress over:
- Black/Gray Stitch Hexagon Pattern Cover – It’s the same Thermo-Gel cooling cover but now referring to the firm side.
- Copper Gel Memory Foam – The top layer of the firm end features copper and gel, which also helps in cooling. This foam is thinner than the one found in Soft, but it is firmer and powerful enough to deliver deep compression.
- Support Core Foam – A 4-inch high-density layer completes the layers of the firm side. It is in charge of durability and support. Plus, it gives superior motion isolation and minimal bounce.
Moving over to the Nectar Mattress, which boasts of five layers. Let’s peel the layers one by one:
- Quilted Gel Memory Foam – Giving your body elevation and cooling is the gel memory foam at the top. It comes with a quilted design for aesthetic and practical purposes.
- Gel Memory Foam – A patented gel memory foam named by Nectar as the Lush Foam™, this material can absorb and distribute heat to keep your body cool.
- Adaptive Hi Core Memory Foam – This layer is the true star of the Nectar Mattress. This recovery foam is responsible for adapting to your pressure points and contouring to your curves, so you wake up pain-free in the morning.
- Breathable Base Layer – This compact base promotes air circulation at the bottom, keeping this all-foam design well-ventilated.
- Tencel Cooling Cover – A cooling cover made of Tencel fabric completes the construction of the Nectar. Tencel can wick away heat from the body and promote airflow.
Winner: Layla
Firmness & Feel
The Standard Firmness Scale can be used to determine the feel of the model you are eyeing. As often referenced by members of the mattress industry, the scale starts with 1 (Softest) and ends with 10 (Firmest).
Layla follows this standard more or less. However, it does not assign a specific firmness rating to its dual-sided features. We will then base the score on expert and user reports. The soft side is considered Plush (3 to 4 on the scale). You will get consistent, gentle support once you hit the surface, but without the quicksand feel. This makes it ideal for side and back sleepers.
On the other end is Firm (5.5 to 7 on the scale), which corresponds to medium to medium-firm. You’ll get firmer support here. It’s perfect if you lie on your stomach or switch positions frequently, as well as when you have a condition that requires you to snooze on a harder surface. In other words, people with physically demanding lifestyles can enjoy the benefits of the firm side.
Couples can also leverage the dual firmness options of the Layla Mattress. It’s perfect when you have different preferences, as you can try out both sides to find a compromise. Those who aren’t sure about what they want can also take advantage of these 2-in-1 solutions. Rotating your mattress won’t be an issue as well.
Nectar is available in only one firmness option: medium-firm (5.5 to 7). This falls within what’s considered universal comfort, so it is not too hard or not too soft. It caters to all sleeper types: back, side, and stomach sleepers.
Winner: Layla
Cooling
All-foam designs are known for sleeping warm despite the advances made by their makers in the past several years. You probably want to know if Nectar and Layla are the exceptions in this regard.
As you can see from the Construction & Materials Section, there are several components inside the Layla Mattress that cover airflow, breathability, and cooling. Thermo-Gel is a technology that is akin to phase change tech, which has some amazing effects. When it detects heat or cold, it rearranges its molecules to cool you down or warm you up, respectively.
Further inside you have the copper and gel working together to absorb and distribute heat. Infused in memory foam, these elements allow the material to release heat and draw it away from the body. More interestingly, the copper-gel particles form a thermal superhighway to make this possible. This occurs when you lie down and the top layer compresses.
Now, the gel-infused in memory foam has some temperature regulating properties, an innovation introduced in the early 2010s. It was an upgrade from the memory foam consumers were used to back then–the one NASA developed for flight emergencies. However, whether it’s gel beads or thermo-gel, the effect isn’t that significant. Gel memory foam may not sleep hot the way traditional memory foam does. But it may still sleep warm.
Meanwhile, you have the powerful combination of the Tencel cover and cooling gel memory foam in the Nectar Mattress. This duo lets you feel cool when you hit the sack. There is also the breathable base which takes charge of the ventilation of the entire mattress. However, the Nectar performs similarly as most all-foam designs. It tends to sleep warm as you spend more time lying on its surface.
Winner: Layla
Edge Support & Sinkage
Both Layla and Nectar show some edge support, but this is not enough to support the sleeper while also extending the life span of their respective mattress models. This is a common feature among all-foam types. If you are concerned about this factor, you better look for a hybrid option.
For those who are not aware of what edge support does, it works as its name suggests. It provides stability and support at the perimeter. This is particularly important for those who tend to sleep near the side of the bed. In a mattress with minimal to no edge support, you will observe some or a lot of compressions when you sit or lie down at the edge.
Layla has minimal edge support, which means you probably have to lower your expectations when it comes to perimeter performance. You may experience early sagging and sinkage in the area. For an immediate sign of this weakness, you may have to watch out for that “roll-off” feel when you lie near the edge.
Nectar does not fare well in this department either. It does have little compression when you take up space near the side. So prepare yourself for some deterioration, which can impact the bed’s durability. Uneven surface through perimeter sinkage can be a problem early on.
Winner: None
Motion Transfer
Are you sharing your sleeping space with another person or a pet? Just like edge support, motion transfer is essential in maximizing your experience with either Layla or Nectar. If you are a light sleeper, you would want a bed that has little to no motion transfer. This is especially useful when your co-sleeper moves a lot in their sleep.
The Layla Mattress has two sides, right? So, how does each side fare in this department? Interestingly, both Soft and Firm can insulate movements well. The disturbance is contained within the spot from which it was generated. You have the high-density support core foam on each end to thank here.
This does not come as a surprise as foam beds can perform excellently when it comes to motion isolation. This is good news for couples, siblings, small families snuggling in one bed, and pet parents who sleep with their pets in bed. For Layla, the copper-and-foam tandem seems to deliver on that promise.
As we said, it is not unique to Layla. Nectar also has motion isolation capabilities. It does not totally eliminate motion transfer. But it limits the movements that get transferred to the other side of the mattress. The close conformity of the memory foam is partly responsible for this positive result.
Winner: Layla
Pricing
For a queen-size all-foam design, the average price ranges from $500 to $1,500. These figures are still more affordable than most luxury retail brands. Customers have been accustomed to this dynamic. So, when it comes to online mattress brands, it’s not just about who’s selling the cheaper model but the best value.
Layla definitely strikes a balance between affordability and high quality. For a queen version of its mattress, you need to spend $999. The price plummets during promos and holidays. For instance, customers received $100 off their orders during the Memorial Day Sale. You may also snag a great deal on online marketplaces like Amazon. (Fortunately for you, Layla is available on Amazon.)
Another premium mattress with competitive price points is the Nectar Mattress. A queen edition costs $799. It is $200 cheaper than Layla. This makes for a competitive memory foam mattress. You may also check out the Nectar page on Amazon for slashed-down prices and offers.
Financing is available through both companies. You may or may not have to pay a downpayment depending on your eligibility and the mattress brand you choose.
Winner: Nectar
Other Factors
Online mattress shopping comes with several incentives. When you purchase a Layla Mattress, you are entitled to free shipping provided that you live within the continental United States. If you are Alaska or Hawaii, you will be charged a delivery fee of $125 per mattress. For Canada, it costs $225 per mattress, including duties and fees.
Layla offers a 120-night sleep trial or four months, a generous amount of time as the industry average ranges from 90 to 120 nights. It also has a shorter break-in period of 14 days or two weeks. Others usually require 30 days. In case of a return, you will need to drop off your discarded mattress to your chosen charity. You can get a full refund after showing proof you have done so.
The product comes with a lifetime warranty. Layla will acknowledge your claim if you bought directly from its website or from authorized online marketplaces.
The Nectar Mattress is compressed, sealed in a box, and delivered to your doorstep free of charge. You can then enjoy a 365-night trial, which takes effect from the moment your order is made. No worries on that end because the trial period lasts a year, which is the longest we can find among bed-in-a-box companies.
Free returns are also available to those who realize that the Nectar Mattress is not the right match for them. In case you decide to keep it, your ownership of the mattress comes with a lifetime warranty.
Winner: Nectar
More: Read the Leesa vs Casper Mattress Review.
Pros & Cons
Nectar Mattress
- Offers deep compression and pressure relief.
- Sports dual-sided firmness.
- Superior cooling with phase change tech.
- Prices are within market average.
- May emit off-gassing odors.
- Weak edge support.
Layla Mattress
- Wicks away heat via gel-infused memory foam.
- Adapts to your pressure points.
- Isolates motion well.
- Prices are within average market prices.
- Tends to sleep warm.
- Poor edge support.
Conclusion
However, Nectar also has its strong points, particularly in terms of pricing and customer-centric policies. It is an affordable premium memory foam mattress with its own following. There is more to discover here if you are searching specifically for a memory foam bed.
With both the pros and cons laid out, you’re off to make an informed choice before you buy. Which do you think is the right one for you?