Ghostbed vs. Nectar

In This Comparison
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We score 8 different factors that impact the comfort, feel, and value of the mattress. Testing categories include:

Factor	Ghostbed Classic	Ghostbed Flex	Ghostbed Luxe	Nectar	Nectar Premier	Nectar Premier Copper
Cooling	9.0	9.5	9.5	9.0	9.5	9.5
Motion Transfer	10	9.8	10	10	10	10
Response	10	10	10	7.5	10	10
Edge Support	9.3	9.9	9.6	8.4	7.9	8.4
Sex	9.5	9.8	9.6	8.8	9.1	8.9
Pressure Relief	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5
Off-Gassing	9.8	9.7	9.6	9.7	9.7	9.8
Company	9.8	9.8	9.8	10	10	10

The table below shows the data we generated to determine these scores.

Factor	Ghostbed Classic	Ghostbed Flex	Ghostbed Luxe	Nectar	Nectar Premier	Nectar Premier Copper
Overall	9.53	9.72	9.68	9.01	9.43	9.50
Max Temp.	92.7° F	85.7° F	89.7° F	90.6° F	90.5° F	90.6° F
Max Sinkage	2.34″	2.15″	2.90″	2.03″	2.23″	2.22″
Total Motion Transfer	4.80 m/s²	5.61 m/s²	4.90 m/s²	2.67 m/s²	2.80 m/s²	1.88 m/s²
Response Time	0.4 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.2 sec.	3.0 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.3 sec.
Total Bounce	8.00″	10.65″	8.58″	4.76″	7.10″	5.14″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	4.50″	3.25″	3.75″	6.25″	7.25″	6.25″
Edge Support – Lying Support	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Very Good	Excellent
Sex Overall	9.5	9.8	9.6	8.8	9.1	8.9
Comfort Material	3.50″	2.00″	5.50″	5.00″	6.00″	5.00″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong	Strong	Moderate	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	2 days	4 days	5 days	4 days	4 days	3 days
Trial	101 days	101 days	101 days	365 days	365 days	365 days
Warranty	20 years	25 years	25 years	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime

Ghostbed vs. Nectar: Which Is the Winner?

The table below shows which of these mattresses is the winner in each scoring category we test for.

Factor	Winner	Value
Best Overall	Ghostbed Flex	9.72
Best Cooling	Ghostbed Flex, Ghostbed Luxe, Nectar Premier, Nectar Premier Copper	9.5
Most Sinkage	Ghostbed Luxe	2.9″
Least Sinkage	Nectar	2.03″
Lowest Motion Transfer	Nectar Premier Copper	1.88 m/s²
Fastest Response Time	Ghostbed Luxe	0.2 sec
Slowest Response Time	Nectar	3.0 sec
Most Bounce	Ghostbed Flex	10.65″
Least Bounce	Nectar	4.76″
Best Edge Support	Ghostbed Flex	3.25″ max sinkage
Best for Sex	Ghostbed Flex	9.8
Best Pressure Relief	Ghostbed Classic, Ghostbed Flex, Ghostbed Luxe, Nectar, Nectar Premier, Nectar Premier Copper	9.5
Least Off-Gassing	Ghostbed Classic	Strong, 2 days
Best Company	Nectar	365-night trial and lifetime warranty

Both mattress brands exhibited good cooling performance.

For the best mattress overall, the Ghostbed Flex takes gold. This mattress has great cooling, high levels of bounce, the best edge support, and the best sex score.

For a more traditional memory foam feel, Nectar is still a great pick. This mattress has the least amount of sinkage, the slowest response time, and the least amount of bounce, which are all common performance specs for memory foam.

For the least amount of motion transfer, go with the Nectar Premier Copper.

Ghostbed Luxe Cooling Test

Nectar Premier Cooling Test

Ghostbed Flex Cooling Test

Nectar Premier Copper Cooling Test

Considering sinkage, Nectar generally has less sinkage than Ghostbed.

Sinkage Test	Sinkage Depth	Max Sinkage
Ghostbed Classic	Deep	2.34″
Ghostbed Flex	Moderate	2.15″
Ghostbed Luxe	Very Deep	2.90″
Nectar	Moderate	2.03″
Nectar Premier	Moderate	2.23″
Nectar Premier Copper	Moderate	2.22″

The average level of sinkage across all mattresses tested to date is 2.20″ so these are just slightly below average.

The Nectar Original and Ghostbed Flex fall slightly below average and the Nectar Premier and Nectar Premier Copper are basically right at average.

Both the Ghostbed Classic and Ghostbed Luxe have more sinkage than average, with the Luxe being considered “very deep” sinkage.

Images below show the level of sinkage for each mattress.

Sinkage is a bit of a preferential factor, but still important to consider. Less sinkage sometimes equates to more of a floating feel, while more sinkage can provide a deeper hug and contour. More contour is often beneficial for side sleepers to help with pressure relief and support.

All of the six mattresses tested here have less motion transfer than average.

Motion Transfer Test	Score	Acc. Range
Ghostbed Classic	10	4.80 m/s²
Ghostbed Flex	9.8	5.61 m/s²
Ghostbed Luxe	10	4.90 m/s²
Nectar	10	2.67 m/s²
Nectar Premier	10	2.80 m/s²
Nectar Premier Copper	10	1.88 m/s²

The average amount of motion transfer, based on all of our tests to date, is 5.83 m/s².

Among these, the Nectar Premier Copper has the lowest level of motion transfer. The Nectar Premier and Nectar Original have slightly more than the Premier Copper, but still about 1/2 the average level of motion transfer.

All of the Ghostbed mattresses have about 2X the motion transfer of Nectar, but still less than average.

The Ghostbed Flex has the highest level of motion transfer, likely due to the pocketed support coils, which can generate more motion.

The exact level of motion transfer on each mattress is documented in the videos below. The graphs that follow each video show a quantifiable version of motion transfer based on accelerometer data.

Ghostbed Classic Motion Transfer

On the Ghostbed Classic, you can see here that the initial spike of energy is a bit on the high side, but by 0.8 seconds, that motion has all been absorbed into the mattress.

Nectar Original Motion Transfer

The Nectar Original uses a good amount of memory foam. You see the initial energy spike at 0.06 seconds, but by 0.5 seconds, that energy has been absorbed. This is a touch faster than the rate of absorption on the Ghostbed Classic mattress.

Ghostbed Luxe Motion Transfer

The Ghostbed Luxe has a decent amount of motion transfer from the initial drop. Comparatively, the motion extends across the surface of the mattress for a longer length of time, beyond 1 full second.

Nectar Premier Motion Transfer

On the Nectar Premier, the motion levels from the initial drop were not that high and the motion that did transfer was absorbed into the mattress by 0.3 seconds. This is very fast and gives the Nectar Premier a great performance score.

Ghostbed Flex Motion Transfer

As mentioned above, the Ghostbed Flex is the only mattress with coils here. As a result, we see higher motion transfer. Following the initial drop, energy is pretty slow to be absorbed into the mattress.

The coils just give it too much bounce and the energy carries across the mattress for over a full second before dying down.

Nectar Premier Copper Motion Transfer

The Nectar Premier Copper had very low levels of motion transfer from the initial ball drop and all motion was absorbed into the surface of the mattress by 0.87 seconds.

Response time on Ghostbed vs. Nectar showed that 5 of the 6 mattresses have excellent response times.

Response Test	Score	Mostly Recovered	Completely Recovered
Ghostbed Classic	10	0.4 seconds	1.0 seconds
Ghostbed Flex	10	0.4 seconds	0.8 seconds
Ghostbed Luxe	10	0.2 seconds	0.3 seconds
Nectar	7.5	3.0 seconds	5.0 seconds
Nectar Premier	10	0.4 seconds	0.8 seconds
Nectar Premier Copper	10	0.3 seconds	0.5 seconds

The slowest response time of the beds in this bunch came from the Nectar Original (about 7-10 times slower than the others).

Average response time across all mattresses that we’ve tested to date is 0.56 seconds to be mostly recovered and 0.94 seconds to be fully recovered.

Every mattress had a faster response time than average, except for the Nectar Original, which is significantly slower than the average.

You can see these material responses in real-time in the video below.

Ghostbed Classic Response Test

Nectar Original Response Test

Ghostbed Luxe Response Test

Nectar Premier Response Test

Ghostbed Flex Response Test

Nectar Premier Copper Response Test

Bounce is one area where these two brands really differ. The Ghostbed mattresses have moderate to high levels of bounce, while the Nectar mattresses have very low to low levels of bounce.

Bounce Test	Bounce Height	Bounce Range
Ghostbed Classic	Moderate	8.00″
Ghostbed Flex	High	10.65″
Ghostbed Luxe	Moderate	8.58″
Nectar	Very Low	4.76″
Nectar Premier	Low	7.10″
Nectar Premier Copper	Very Low	5.14″

The average amount of bounce across all mattresses tested to date is 9.35″.

Ghostbed Classic and Ghostbed Flex both have more bounce than average. The Ghostbed Luxe has slightly less bounce than average, but still more than any Nectar mattress.

By comparison, the Nectar Original and Nectar Premier Copper have about 1/2 the amount of bounce than average. The Nectar Premier has a little more than the other two Nectars, but still less bounce than average.

Bounce levels can also be viewed in real-time via the short video clips below.

Ghostbed Classic Bounce Test

Nectar Original Bounce Test

Ghostbed Luxe Bounce Test

Nectar Premier Bounce Test

Ghostbed Flex Bounce Test

Nectar Premier Copper Bounce Test

Moving right along, let’s talk about edge support. The Ghostbed mattresses all have good edge support and excellent lying support.

Nectar struggles edge support across the board.

Edge Support Test	Score	Max Sinkage	Lying Support
Ghostbed Classic	9.3	4.50″	Excellent
Ghostbed Flex	9.9	3.25″	Excellent
Ghostbed Luxe	9.6	3.75″	Excellent
Nectar	8.4	6.25″	Fair
Nectar Premier	7.9	7.25″	Very Good
Nectar Premier Copper	8.4	6.25″	Excellent

The average level of sinkage (when sitting right at the edge of the mattress) is 4.67″.

All three Ghostbed mattresses had less edge sinkage than average and all three Nectar mattresses had more edge sinkage than average.

You can see the difference in the images below.

If edge support is an important factor to you, I would recommend sticking with Ghostbed. In this comparison, compared to Nectar, Ghostbed is the clear winner.

Here’s a look at our sex formula:

Sex Score Formula = (Bounce * 0.5) + (Edge Support * 0.2) + (Noise * 0.2) + (Sinkage * 0.05) + (Cooling * 0.05)

We use the following scores, plugged into the formula, to derive a sex score for each mattress.

Sex Test	Sex Score	Bounce	Edge Support	Noise	Pressure Relief	Cooling
Ghostbed Classic	9.5	9.5	9.3	10	9.5	9.0
Ghostbed Flex	9.8	10	9.9	9.0	9.5	9.5
Ghostbed Luxe	9.6	9.6	9.6	10	9.5	9.5
Nectar	8.8	8.7	8.4	10	9.5	9.0
Nectar Premier	9.1	9.3	7.9	10	9.5	9.5
Nectar Premier Copper	8.9	8.8	8.4	10	9.5	9.5

From this table, we can see that Ghostbed is the better performer in this category. The good performance stems from higher (more desirable) levels of bounce, good edge support, as well as good pressure relief and cooling.

Nectar has more of a memory foam feel so it also has more restrained bounce and poorer edge support.

The Nectar mattresses did have good cooling and pressure relief, but because these are not as important to the overall sex score, the good performance wasn’t able to fully offset the poorer support in the other categories.

All of the Ghostbed and Nectar mattresses had good pressure relief in our tests. In my experience, good pressure relief comes from a thick comfort layer combined with a sufficient support layer.

Pressure Relief Test	Score	Comfort Layer	Support Layer
Ghostbed Classic	9.5	3.5″	7.5″
Ghostbed Flex	9.5	2.0″	9.5″
Ghostbed Luxe	9.5	5.5″	7.5″
Nectar	9.5	5.0″	7.0″
Nectar Premier	9.5	6.0″	7.0″
Nectar Premier Copper	9.5	5.0″	9.0″

Ideally, I like to see at least 3″ of comfort material for optimal pressure relief (with 4.0″ or more being better). The Ghostbed Flex has a little less than expected but was still quite comfortable. Nectar has very thick comfort layers, which makes sense because these mattresses have deeper contour and hug.

If you’re a heavier sleeper and want the best pressure relief, I would recommend the Ghostbed Luxe, Nectar Premier, or Nectar Premier Copper.

The off-gassing is pretty strong on both Ghostbed and Nectar mattresses.

Off-Gassing Test	Score	Initial Smell	Off-Gassing Period
Ghostbed Classic	9.8	Strong	2 days
Ghostbed Flex	9.7	Strong	4 days
Ghostbed Luxe	9.6	Strong	5 days
Nectar	9.7	Moderate	4 days
Nectar Premier	9.7	Strong	4 days
Nectar Premier Copper	9.8	Strong	3 days

What is off-gassing?

Off-gassing is the process that happens when fumes are released by the mattress decompressing after unboxing. The average off-gassing period is about 2.8 days (across all mattresses that we’ve tested to date).

All mattresses in this comparison take longer than average to off-gas with the one exception being the Ghostbed Classic, which is slightly shorter than average.

The company analysis of Ghostbed vs. Nectar shows that both companies have pretty favorable policies, but Nectar takes the win here.

Company	Ghostbed	Nectar
Trial Period	101 nights	365 nights
Warranty	20 years	Lifetime
Shipping	Free shipping	Free shipping
Returns	Free returns	Free returns
Country of Origin	USA	Other

Ghostbed offers a 101-night trial period, while Nectar offers a full year, or 365 nights. For warranty, Ghostbed offers 20 years and Nectar has a lifetime warranty.

Both companies offer free shipping and returns.

All of the mattresses tested here fall within a medium to medium firm range.

Firmness	Rating	Label	Read Review
Ghostbed Classic	6.5	Medium-Firm	Read Review
Ghostbed Flex	6.0	Medium-Firm	Read Review
Ghostbed Luxe	6.0	Medium-Firm	Read Review
Nectar	6.5	Medium-Firm	Read Review
Nectar Premier	5.5	Medium	Read Review
Nectar Premier Copper	5.0	Medium	Read Review

Among these 6 different mattresses, Nectar offers a softer feel with the Nectar Premier Copper (5 out of 10). For a slightly firmer mattress, check out the Ghostbed Classic or the Nectar Original, which both came in at 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale.

Both the Ghostbed Flex and Ghostbed Luxe came in at 6 out of 10. The Nectar Premier is slightly softer with firmness of 5.5 out of 10.

Both Ghostbed and Nectar offer firmnesses that fall in a range that would be suitable for a wide range of sleepers. If you’re not sure which firmness is right for you, here are some quick guidelines you can follow.

Generally speaking, lighter sleepers prefer a softer mattress than heavier sleepers. And side sleepers prefer a softer mattress than stomach or back sleepers.

Using these guidelines, a lightweight side sleeper would in turn prefer the softest mattress, and a heavier weighted back or stomach sleeper would prefer the firmest mattress.

Design

Both Ghostbed and Nectar use a blend of different foams to create their mattresses, with the one exception being the Ghostbed Flex, which uses foam and coils.

Design	Type	Thickness	Cover
Ghostbed Classic	Combo Foam	11″	Thin, viscose + polyester blend
Ghostbed Luxe	Combo Foam	13″	Thin, phase change
Ghostbed Flex	Hybrid	13″	Quilted cover
Nectar	Combo Foam	12″	Thin, zipper closure
Nectar Premier	Combo Foam	13″	Thin, zipper closure
Nectar Premier Copper	Combo Foam	14″	Thin, zipper closure, copper-infused

I will also note here that Nectar mattresses have a cover that zips off for easier washing.

The Ghostbed Luxe and Nectar Premier Copper both use cooling covers, which limits heat retention on the surface of the mattress.

The Ghostbed Flex is the only mattress in this comparison that features a quilted cover.

Materials

On the inside, the makeup of these mattresses have quite a few similarities between each other. They all have a three-layer composition, but the feel is distinctly different on each one.

Photos below show an inside look at Ghostbed vs. Nectar.

As you get into the Luxe and Premier mattresses, you start to notice thicker comfort layers. This is important to note if you’re looking for better pressure relief and support, which is especially true for heavier sleepers.

For some budget savings, the original Ghostbed Classic or Nectar Original should be more than sufficient for a wide range of sleepers.

Which Mattress Should You Buy?

So we have six really great mattresses here, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Not sure how to pick? Let’s review some of the highlights below on when you may want to buy each mattress and who it is made for.

Should You Buy the Ghostbed Classic?

I would recommend the Ghostbed Classic if you’re looking for:

• Good value. The Ghostbed Classic is a fantastic well-rounded foam combo mattress. It has a medium firm feel and is a good option for a wide range of sleepers. Oftentimes you can catch this mattress on sale and when it is, it’s just under $1000 for a Queen-size mattress.
• Least off-gassing. If you’re sensitive to off-gassing smells, the Ghostbed Classic has the fastest off-gassing of all mattresses we tested in this comparison.

Click here to learn more or to check the price of the Ghostbed Classic mattress.

Should You Buy the Nectar Original?

I would recommend the Nectar Original if you’re looking for:

• Least bounce. For a more traditional memory foam feel, the Nectar Original is a good pick. It offers the least bounce and also very low motion transfer levels.
• Slowest response time. With the low bounce and low motion transfer comes very slow response times. This also means that it has deeper contour and hug, again, like a classic memory foam. If you are worried about “feeling stuck” this may not be the best option for you.

Click here to learn more or to check the price of the Nectar Original mattress.

Should You Buy the Ghostbed Luxe?

I would recommend the Ghostbed Luxe if you’re looking for:

• Fastest response time. The Ghostbed Luxe has a very fast response time, quite the opposite of the Nectar Original. If you’d prefer a mattress that moves quickly to mold to your body as you move, the Ghostbed Luxe is a better option.
• Most sinkage. Despite the fast response time, the Luxe still scored the deepest level of sinkage. This is a good example of a mattress that hugs, but doesn’t make you feel stuck.

Click here to learn more or to check the price of the Ghostbed Luxe mattress.

Should You Buy the Nectar Premier?

I would recommend the Nectar Premier if you’re looking for:

• Excellent pressure relief. The Nectar Premier has 5.0″ of comfort foam, which provides excellent pressure relief. If you’re a side sleeper, a heavier sleeper, or just someone who wants to avoid pressure points, the Nectar Premier is a solid option.
• Long trial period + warranty. The Nectar Premier (and all other Nectars actually) comes with a 365-night trial period, which is great for indecisive sleepers. It also has a lifetime limited warranty.

Click here to learn more or to check the price of the Nectar Premier mattress.

Should You Buy the Ghostbed Flex?

I would recommend the Ghostbed Flex if you’re looking for:

• More bounce. The Flex has the highest level of bounce among all mattresses in the Ghostbed or Nectar lineup. If you prefer the feeling of high bounce, the Flex could be a good option. The Ghostbed Flex also had the best sex performance.
• Best edge support. Being the only mattress in this comparison with support coils, the Ghostbed Flex offers fantastic edge support for both sitting directly on the edge or when lying down as well.

Click here to learn more or to check the price of the Ghostbed Flex mattress.

Should You Buy the Nectar Premier Copper?

I would recommend the Nectar Premier Copper if you’re looking for:

• Lowest motion transfer. For the absolute lowest motion transfer, check out the Premier Copper. The 4.0″ slab of memory foam is great at absorbing motion and limiting nighttime disturbances like partners, kids, or pets.
• Great cooling. This mattress has a copper-infused cooling cover as well as gel-infused memory foam. These two materials make for a cooler sleeping surface and heightened performance.

Click here to learn more or to check the price of the Nectar Premier Copper mattress.

FAQ