Best mattresses under $200

Start with the Zinus Green Tea Mattress. It's the one pick here that's a proper full-size (queen) bed with a long track record — thousands of ratings, a 14-inch profile and a green-tea foam layer that keeps it from feeling like a slab. Best all-rounder for a main bedroom on a tight budget.

Who the others suit:

• 8" Basic Memory Foam — a simple, CertiPUR-US certified medium foam bed for a guest room or a first apartment.
• Bamboo Charcoal Infused Memory Foam — the cheapest way into a real mattress; comes in twin through king, so good for a kid's room or a spare.
• 8" Memory Foam Hybrid — if you want a bit of spring under the foam rather than all-foam.
• Low Profile Memory Foam — for a low bed frame, a bunk or an RV, where a tall mattress won't work.
• Elite Series Machka Hybrid — foam-and-spring feel in a slim 10-inch build.

Two things to weigh: foam mattresses ship rolled and need a day or two to fully expand, and the twin-size picks won't fit a queen frame.