Nectar vs. Layla Mattress Comparison

Overall Rating

8.3

Nectar Classic

Bottom Line

The Nectar Mattress uses plush foam to cushion your body and dense base layers for sturdy support.

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Full Mattress Review

VS

Overall Rating

8.4

Layla Memory Foam Mattress

Bottom Line

The reversible Layla Memory Foam Mattress features a soft feel on one side and a firm feel on the other.

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Up to $200 off mattresses + 2 free pillows

Full Mattress Review

Watch Video: Nectar vs. Layla

Our Testing Team’s Take

There’s a reason we’re mattress experts – our team has tested nearly 2,000 of them over roughly a decade. Through the years, we’ve honed our research methodology to include what we think are the most important considerations for anyone who’s mattress shopping. 

We test how well each bed regulates temperature, isolates motion, and relieves pressure among other performance factors. We also investigate how supportive and comfortable beds are for different sleeping positions and weight groups. Our team compiles all these data points and scores for each bed so that we can determine which are the best mattresses on the market.

Our Verdict

The Nectar Classic and Layla Memory Foam Mattress both showcase some of memory foam’s best qualities. They’re excellent at relieving pressure and preventing joint pain, and they’re supportive for multiple sleeping positions and weight groups. That said, there are a few major differences between them which should help you narrow down your choice.

Jackson Lindeke

Executive Product Director

Side sleeper

180 lbs.

Showers before bed

“When I first brought the Nectar home, I was pleasantly surprised by how firm and supportive it felt. Despite the memory foam feel, I still found it relatively easy to move around and didn’t get the ‘stuck feeling’ I often get with beds of this type. I did wake up feeling a bit hot one of the nights, but this isn’t abnormal during the summer, when I tested it.”

If versatility is a major factor for you, the Layla might be a better fit than the Nectar. You can swap between medium soft (4) and firm (7) sleep surfaces whenever you want, which is valuable for couples with different preferences and those looking for a flexible guest bedroom or rental home option. The Nectar is a standout for people who weigh between 130 and 230 pounds, especially side and back sleepers. Its medium firm (6) surface offers these groups the ideal blend of cushioning and support.

You’ll pay a few hundred dollars more for the Layla than the Nectar, but that added cost comes with two firmness levels and a more intricate construction. We think both beds offer shoppers a solid value and performance for their intended users. Consider your sleeping position, body weight, budget, and preferences when choosing a mattress, no matter the model.

Logan Foley

Editorial Director

Side sleeper

140 lbs.

Too many dogs in the bed

“I’ll start by saying I’m not a huge fan of memory foam mattresses. I’m more of a hybrid girl. But the flippable Layla design is a fun and unique approach to solving the problem of finding the right firmness for you. It offers great motion isolation and contouring, but it lacks some of the support I need as a side sleeper.”

Construction and Materials

The Nectar Classic and Layla Memory Foam Mattress are all-foam models that use polyfoam and memory foam within their designs. The table below shows their similarities and differences.

Nectar Classic Breakdown

The Nectar Classic has a medium firm firmness level that’s a 6 out of 10 on our firmness scale. It has three total layers that stand 12 inches high. The first is 1 inch of gel-infused memory foam that’s designed to relieve pressure in your hips and shoulders by hugging your body and cushioning high-impact areas.  

Following the comfort layer, there’s a 3-inch polyfoam transitional layer. It’s intended to feel more buoyant and responsive than traditional polyfoam and help you move around on the mattress without sinking too deeply into its layers. 

The final layer is an 8-inch polyfoam support core that contributes to the bed’s medium firm feel. It helps your spine stay aligned, and the foam is thick enough to keep motion transfer to a minimum. The cover has two sections. The upper is made from a polyester blend fabric that’s woven with cooling fibers. The bottom is more heavy-duty and is made from shift-resistant fabric that prevents the mattress from moving on your bed base.

Layla Memory Foam Mattress Breakdown

Like the Nectar Classic, The Layla Memory Foam Mattress has an all-foam construction that incorporates both memory foam and polyfoam. It’s a flippable mattress with two firmness levels from separate comfort systems – one on each side of the mattress. They share a support core that’s sandwiched between them. One side has a medium soft (4) feel, while the other is firm (7), so you get a soft mattress and firm mattress in one. In total, the mattress stands 10.5 inches tall.

The softer side begins with 3 inches of memory foam that’s infused with copper and gel to help wick away moisture and prevent heat retention. Underneath, there’s a 2-inch polyfoam layer with a zoned support system that gives extra pushback beneath your midsection to keep your spine in alignment. It also has channels cut through the foam to increase airflow and regulate temperature. 

The firm side has one comfort layer: 1 inch of gel and copper-infused memory foam that offers some cushioning and pressure relief, but with less compression and hug than the medium soft side. The shared support core is 4.5 inches of polyfoam that gives the bed stability and structure. 

The cover has a zipper that makes for easy removal and washing. Its fabric is a polyester blend woven with cooling fibers. The medium soft side’s cover is white, while the firm’s is black, making it easy to tell which side is which.

Mattress Sizing and Weight

The Nectar Classic is 1.5 inches taller than the Layla Memory Foam Mattress. Weight-wise, they are very similar, with the Layla outweighing the Nectar by about 3 pounds. While both are lighter than hybrids and innersprings, you’ll need help lifting either. Some customers report that the Layla is unwieldy and tough to flip. 

You can buy the Nectar Classic and Layla Memory Foam Mattress in a variety of sizes including twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king. The Nectar also comes in a split king option.

Performance Ratings

As the Nectar Classic and Layla Mattress are both all-foam models with memory foam comfort systems, they share many of the same pros and cons. We found that they delivered on their promises to alleviate pressure points, and our team gave both beds excellent scores during pressure relief testing. The Layla’s medium soft side offers deeper cushioning than the firm side does. Both beds also excel at isolating motion, so you shouldn’t experience many disturbances if you sleep with a partner. 

Considering neither model has a reinforced perimeter, we found that they offer decent edge support. You’ll notice some compression when sitting on the edge of either, but there’s enough support to keep you from rolling toward the middle of the bed. On the downside, the Layla and Nectar are both hard to move around on. The foam is quite restrictive and the beds have very little bounce. 

One major performance difference between them is temperature regulation. The Layla Memory Foam Mattress is significantly better at preventing heat build up than the Nectar Classic. However, that’s mostly on the firm side. The medium soft side sleeps warmer than the firm, but it’s still cooler overall than the Nectar’s surface. 

The back sleepers and side sleepers on our testing team like the Nectar’s balanced feel – it was  particularly popular among those between 130 and 230 pounds. It wasn’t as popular with the stomach sleepers, who would have preferred a less compressive surface. 

There were varied opinions on the Layla since it has two sleep surfaces. Overall, most of our testers preferred the firm side,  but side sleepers under 130 pounds gave the medium soft side higher ratings. Back and stomach sleepers between 130 and 230 pounds thought the firm side gave them the right support level, and scored the bed accordingly. It was a bit of a miss for those over 230 pounds, who would have preferred a bed with more robust support.

Full Reviews: Other Nectar and Layla Models

Nectar Classic

Overall Rating:

8.3 /10

Price Range:

$349 – $1,098

Mattress Type:

Foam

Firmness Options:

Medium Firm (6)

Nectar Classic Hybrid

Overall Rating:

8.3 /10

Price Range:

$499 – $1,498

Mattress Type:

Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Firm (7)

Nectar Luxe Hybrid

Overall Rating:

8.9 /10

Price Range:

$1,099 – $2,598

Mattress Type:

Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Firm (7)

Layla Memory Foam Mattress

Overall Rating:

8.4 /10

Price Range:

$749 – $1,249

Mattress Type:

Foam

Firmness Options:

Medium Soft (4), Firm (7)

Layla Hybrid

Overall Rating:

8.5 /10

Price Range:

$1,099 – $1,699

Mattress Type:

Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Reversible: Medium Soft (4), Firm (7)

Layla Essential Mattress

Overall Rating:

7.7 /10

Price Range:

$249 – $499

Mattress Type:

Foam

Firmness Options:

Medium Firm (6)

Mattress Pricing

The average price range for a memory foam mattress is $700 to $1,200 for a queen. You’ll find both the Nectar Classic and Layla Memory Foam Mattress within this range, with the Nectar at the lower end and the Layla at the higher. 

The Layla has a more complex construction than the Nectar, so it’s not surprising that it costs more. We found them comparable to one another in terms of expected durability. You can expect either mattress to last up to or slightly beyond the average lifespan of a memory foam mattress. Policy-wise, Nectar edges out Layla. The Classic comes with a longer sleep trial and an option for White Glove delivery if you want to add it.

What Customers Are Saying

The Nectar Classic gets excellent reviews from people who like how well it balances pressure relief and spinal support. Back and side sleepers like its compressive yet resilient feel and people with joint and back pain report that it offers relief.  Customers appreciate Nectar’s lengthy sleep trial and many say that the mattress holds up well over time. Some think the edge support could be better, while others remark that it doesn’t sleep as cool as expected. 

Layla Memory Foam Mattress owners like how flexible the mattress is and they say its versatility is a major selling point. Side sleepers like the soft side, while back and stomach sleepers prefer the firmer surface. It gets excellent reviews for overall comfort and cushioning, and hot sleepers report that it sleeps cooler than other memory foam beds they’ve tried. People say the soft side doesn’t have enough edge support and some critics of the mattress state that the foam sags and indents over time.

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