Saatva Classic vs. Nectar Classic Mattress Comparison

Overall Rating

9.4

Saatva Classic

Bottom Line

The Saatva Classic uses a coil-on-coil design to provide strong, bouncy support. Three firmness options meet a wide variety of needs.

Check Price on Saatva.com

Up to $600 off

Full Mattress Review

VS

Overall Rating

8.3

Nectar Classic

Bottom Line

The Nectar Classic’s memory foam comfort system contours closely to the body to provide a cushy, hugging feel.

Check Price on Nectar.com

Up to 50% off mattresses + $599 in free accessories

Full Mattress Review

Our Testing Team’s Take

In our Seattle Test Lab, we perform a series of evaluations to determine how mattresses perform in different areas like temperature regulation, motion isolation, and pressure relief. 

Our methodology includes hands-on testing by our team of experts. They try each bed, and then report how well it supports their body type and sleeping position. In less than a decade, we’ve put roughly 2,000 mattresses to the test. These evaluations have allowed us to make recommendations on the best mattresses for different types of sleepers.

Our Verdict

Choosing between the Saatva Classic and Nectar Classic boils down to budget and feel. Innerspring and all-foam beds have materials and builds that give them feels and performances that are quite different from one another. The Nectar Classic feels like you’re sleeping “in” your bed, while the Saatva Classic is more like you’re “on” your bed.

Jeremy Klein

Senior Product Testing Manager

Side sleeper

160 lbs.

Nightly melatonin user

“I loved the Saatva. The innerspring build was a refreshing change from all these squishy foam mattresses on the market today—I felt very supported and it was so easy to move around the bed. My favorite thing was how exceptionally cool the bed stayed throughout the night.”

The Saatva Classic is a premium innerspring mattress that costs more than twice what the Nectar does, but there’s a reason it tops many of our best-of lists. It’s supportive for a huge range of sleepers, exceptionally good at regulating temperature, and is more durable than many other comparable mattresses. 

The Nectar Classic is all-foam and a good pick if you’re looking for a budget-friendly bed with a strong performance. It has substantial pressure relief and top-notch motion isolation. Its medium firm (6) feel is also a worthy bet for many types of sleepers. To choose a mattress, consider which will support your sleeper type and body weight best, then think about factors like price, performance, and company policies.

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.”

Construction and Materials

The Saatva Classic and Nectar Classic are different types of mattresses, which their materials reflect. Take a look at the table below to see how they compare.

Saatva Classic Breakdown

The Saatva Classic is an innerspring mattress that comes in three firmness levels and two profiles. It is available in soft, medium firm, or firm feels that correspond to 3, 6, and 8 on our 10-point firmness scale. You can also choose from 11.5-inch or 14.5-inch profiles. There are some minor construction differences between all the options, but they share the same general design. 

The comfort system begins with a Euro-top that has polyfoam quilted directly into its organic cotton cover. Two features help boost lumbar support and reduce back pain. The first is extra polyfoam padding in the Euro-top underneath your lower back, and the second is a memory foam lumbar pad designed to alleviate pressure points while absorbing impact and dispersing weight. 

The transitional layer is a unique, pocketed microcoil system that has thicker coils under your midsection to increase pushback and help prevent sinkage. The individual fabric encasements let the coils move separately from one another to prevent motion from transferring across the bed’s surface. For balance and structure, there’s an innerspring coil system in the support core. High-density foam along the perimeter helps ensure strong edge support.

Nectar Classic Breakdown

Compared to the Saatva Classic, the Nectar Classic has a fairly simple design. It’s a memory foam mattress with a 12-inch profile and a medium firm (6) feel. The three-layer construction begins with a 1-inch layer of gel-infused memory foam. This foam is engineered to relieve pressure point pain without trapping too much body heat. 

Below that, there’s a 3-inch polyfoam transitional layer formulated to feel responsive and prevent you from sinking, creating a buffer between your body and the support core. Lastly, there’s an 8-inch layer of dense polyfoam that promotes spinal alignment and stabilizes the mattress to support your body. 

The cover is composed of two different fabrics. The upper panel is made from a polyester blend that incorporates cooling fibers to help prevent heat retention. The lower panel is made from a fabric that’s more durable and shift-resistant.

Mattress Sizing and Weight

The Saatva Classic comes in two profiles: an 11.5-inch model and an extra tall 14.5-inch option. If you opt for the thicker model, you’ll need to use deep-pocket sheets and make sure your mattress foundation doesn’t make the bed too high and difficult to get in and out of easily. It weighs between 110 and 120 pounds, so enlist a partner or two when it’s time to move the mattress. 

The Nectar is available in one 12-inch profile, and at 66 pounds, it’s fairly lightweight – but lifting with a partner is still recommended. Both beds come in a full size range that includes twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, and split king. The Saatva is also available as a split California king. The Nectar is a mattress-in-a-box that ships sealed and compressed, while the Saatva is delivered uncompressed.

Performance Ratings

The Saatva Classic and Nectar Classic are quite different in construction and materials, so their performances are distinct from one another. 

The Nectar has all the hallmarks of a traditional memory foam bed – it relieves pressure effectively, prevents excessive motion transfer, and cushions the body with a deep “hugging” feel. It also offers decent edge support for a foam mattress, especially one without any perimeter reinforcement.  However, it’s not particularly cool and the foam can hinder position changes and movement across the surface.

The Saatva Classic is an innerspring that’s naturally more responsive than the Nectar, just by nature of its construction. The coils provide strong bounce, so it’s pretty easy to move around on the bed. These springs do allow movement to transfer though, and light sleepers will probably notice their partners’ movements. Air flows freely through the layers and the bed sleeps incredibly cool as a result. It has strong edge support and it relieves pressure much more effectively than you’d expect for a mattress with so little foam. 

According to our testing team, both these beds have crowd-pleasing elements. The Saatva comes in three firmness levels, which gives shoppers leeway to pick a model that suits them. All our testing groups found a Saatva model with an ideal support level. 

The Nectar has wide appeal too – its medium firm (6) feel is a good middle ground that was supportive enough for most of our testers. Side and back sleepers between 130 and 230 pounds liked it best, while stomach sleepers under 130 pounds and over 230 pounds found that it missed the mark for them.

Full Reviews: Other Saatva and Nectar Models

Saatva Classic

Overall Rating:

9.4 /10

Price Range:

$1,195 – $2,690

Mattress Type:

Innerspring

Firmness Options:

Soft (3), Medium Firm (6), Firm (8)

Saatva Latex Hybrid

Overall Rating:

8.8 /10

Price Range:

$1,395 – $3,040

Mattress Type:

Latex Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Medium Firm (6)

Saatva Rx

Overall Rating:

8.7 /10

Price Range:

$1,696 – $3,732

Mattress Type:

Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Medium Soft (4)

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 Premier

Overall Rating:

8.8 /10

Price Range:

$549 – $1,638

Mattress Type:

Foam

Firmness Options:

Medium Firm (6)

Mattress Pricing

The Saatva Classic and Nectar Mattress are in different ballparks price-wise. The Saatva Classic is a luxe mattress with an intricate construction and an above-average price-point to match. The Nectar Mattress is more budget-friendly and has a slightly below-average price-point for a foam mattress. You’ll pay at least $1,000 more to own the Saatva Classic. 

Despite their significant price differences, we think both beds are a great value for what they offer. The Saatva Classic may cost more, but it’s highly durable and will likely outlast the Nectar. Both companies offer top-notch policies with industry-leading sleep trials and warranties. The Saatva Classic comes with free White Glove delivery, but Nectar’s added fee is reasonable.

What Customers Are Saying

People who own the Saatva Classic like its excellent support and luxe feel. Back and stomach sleepers especially appreciate its even sleeping surface. It also gets praise for strong edge support and durability. Reviewers did list some drawbacks, including its high price-point and break-in period. Some customers think the mattress feels firmer than what’s advertised. 

Customers with the Nectar Classic say it’s excellent for side sleepers and that it has deep pressure relief and contouring. Couples give it high marks for motion isolation and budget shoppers appreciate its affordability. Heavier sleepers say it lacks the strong support they need and hot sleepers think it’s a bit too warm.

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