A battle between two foam juggernauts. Let that visual sink in for a second before I clarify that we’re talking about mattresses. The Tuft and Needle was one of the pioneers in the direct to consumer mattress game. They invented many of the features that are now standard, from excellent customer support to free vacuum pack shipping. Their mattress was designed to be inexpensive to produce and perfect for all kinds of sleepers. Leesa was founded with similar principles and came to market a bit later but has built itself up as one of the most popular mattress companies in the direct to consumer mattress space. Both of these companies have done very well in the market at slightly different price points, I’ll try to break down how these two popular mattresses stack up.
Company Vs Company – Leesa Vs Tuft and Needle
What a company does for the community is an important factor for me when deciding on any big purchase. Mattress companies are in a great position to help, and only a few choose not to. From the information provided on both companies’ websites, Tuft & Needle and Leesa both work to donate to charitable organizations in need of mattresses.
Tuft & Needle was the first company to offer the option to donate a returned mattress, and does their best to donate 100% of all returned mattresses. The donation return policy is now a common practice among other companies in the industry. Besides donating returned mattresses, Tuft & Needle gives back through organized team volunteer opportunities, bulk mattresses donations to shelters and not- for-profits, and The Tuft & Needle Gives Back program. The Tuft & Needle Gives Back program partners with school districts, and a percentage of each sale made using the Gives Back link goes directly to the school district.
Leesa also does it’s best to donate all returned mattresses to local charities and if that’s not possible free takeaway to a local recycling center. Additionally Leesa donates a new mattress for every 10 mattresses sold to charities, homeless shelters, and others in need.
Both policies are great. This one is really a toss up based on what you think suits your personal charitable beliefs better.
Winner – Everyone Is A Winner Here
Tuft and Needle Vs Leesa Mattress Build Quality and Materials
When it comes to the Leesa, the mattress uses a Lycra blend material which is known for its durability, comfort, and breath-ability. I always advocate for a cotton topper, but the expense seems to the primary factor when companies decide on their cover material. Aesthetically the Leesa is much nicer to look at, a few minimalist horizontal bars go a long way in an industry plagued by uninteresting mattress covers. Not a big thing, but enough to show that they at least gave the look of the thing some thought. In a head to head comparison I much prefer the lyrca based cover.
Winner – Leesa
Winner – Leesa
Leesa Vs Tuft and Needle Overall Review
When it comes to comparing the Tuft & Needle and the Leesa I personally feel the Leesa is a fair bit better. Not to say the Tuft and Needle isn’t still a great mattress, that cannot be denied, but head to head the Leesa takes the cake.
Winner – Leesa
Tuft and Needle Vs Leesa – Pricing & Returns Policy
Due to the length of time they have been on the market Tuft & Needle seems to have been able to streamline their production, sales, and returns process while producing a product at a lower price point than the competition. Leesa’s prices are still great, considering what you’re getting, and especially when compared to their direct competitors, but it just cannot match Tuft and Needle. A Queen sized Tuft and Needle will cost you a mere $600, a small figure when compared to Leesa’s base price of $890. When Leesa’s $75 discount is factored in (which you can get automatically applied by clicking here!) you are sitting right around $800. So for a little less than $200 you can get what I feel is one of the best mattress options on the market. I would still argue that for the budget conscious the Tuft and Needle is the best on the market. That said you spend a third of your life asleep, I wouldn’t let a few hundred dollars make or break your decision.
| Size | Tuft and Needle | Leesa |
| Twin | $350 | $525 |
| Twin XL | $375 | $625 |
| Full | $500 | $790 |
| Queen | $600 | $890 |
| King | $750 | $990 |
| Cal King | $750 | $990 |
Both companies offer a full one hundred days to decide whether you want to keep their product or not. Bear in mind that it’ll take you around thirty days to adapt to a new mattress. In addition you get a wonderful ten year warranty, which includes sagging. Those are essentially standard in the industry, but it was due to Tuft and Needle that they became so.
Winner – Tuft and Needle
Leesa Vs Tuft and Needle – Conclusion
For me, choosing between the two is an easy decision. If you know anything about the direct to consumer mattress industry you know that the standard pricing for a Queen is around nine hundred dollars. You should be going into your search with that in mind. I would personally recommend spending the extra couple hundred bucks and getting what I feel is the better mattress.
Overall Winner – Leesa
2018 Update: As of 2016 you can get a pretty substantial discount on any Leesa mattress by clicking this link. After clicking the link you will be redirected to the Leesa website and have a $75 discount automatically applied to your purchase.
Bedding Add-Ons
Mattress Protector – As is usually the case I have come to recommend extras. Regardless of which of these two mattress you end up buying, you will need a mattress protector. The SafeRest is tested against all kinds of spillages, bed bugs, rips, tears, whatever in your deranged state you decide to throw at your bed, this protector will meet the challenge of defending it nicely. Be sure to click the link for a discount.
Sheets – Seen as neither of these great mattresses come with a cotton topper, you’re going to need a damn good sheet. Thankfully I’ve got my hands on one. I order a 1500 Thread Count Wrinkle & Fade Resistant Egyptian Cotton Sheet from amazon a few weeks back, and I cannot get over how nice it is. Always go for high thread count cotton, unsurpassed in quality to this day. That link is the one I bought, by the way.
2016 Disclaimer: Any and all products recommended by our authors are products they either have used personally or have done extensive research regarding and feel are a great fit for our readers. That said some product reviews may contain referral links. For more information you can check out our website policies here.
