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Simba vs Emma Mattress Reviews

Compare Simba and Emma mattresses side by side: owner satisfaction, support, durability and price, based on aggregated customer reviews.

Checked byBecky Reeve, Staff Writer, Mattress Expert
SourceCompiled from WantMattress review data

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Brand

Simba

Our pick
4.8/5Owners12,706 reviews
Price range£399 – £1,607
Brand

Emma

4.5/5Owners1,084 reviews
Price range£219 – £849

On aggregated owner reviews, Simba scores higher: 4.8 against 4.5 out of 5.

Becky’s take

By Becky Reeve

Checked against current models and prices in October 2026

I'd buy a Simba over an Emma, because Simba makes the better hybrid and Emma makes the better advert. Emma is the boxed brand I like least, and its advertising budget is most of the reason. Simba gives everything a long name and a high list price for much of the year, but underneath is a hybrid I rate, with a layer of little cone springs above the pocket-spring unit so the top moves with you instead of holding you still.

Simba's Hybrid and Emma's Original Pro are both medium with memory foam on top, and on numbers of buyers and reviews the Simba is well ahead. Simba offers a 200-night trial to try the mattress at home. Emma gives you a 200-night trial at home.

Buy the Emma if you're a slim side sleeper and medium feels too hard, because the Original Lite is soft-medium and nothing Simba makes goes below medium. Buy the Emma too if you want firm, since its Diamond Spring Free is the only firm mattress here. If you sleep hot, buy one of Simba's Natural Hybrid models, which use natural fillings rather than memory foam.

Head to head

Simba has sprung throughout, with pocket springs or a hybrid build in every model; Emma has 13 of its 14 mattresses sprung and 1 all memory foam. Only Simba offers latex, in 1 model. Simba runs from medium to medium-firm, and Emma runs from soft-medium to firm. Emma covers more of the firmness scale, which helps if two sleepers need different feels. Emma is clearly the cheaper way in; Simba's range starts well above it. At the top end Simba goes further still. Simba's owner score rests on far more reviews (12,706 against 1,084), so treat Emma's number as the less settled of the two.

How they differ

SimbaEmma
Mattresses we list1014
Price range£399 – £1,607£219 – £849
Owner rating
4.8/5Owners12,706 reviews
4.5/5Owners1,084 reviews

Mattresses only. Owner ratings are the review-weighted average across each brand’s mattresses on UK retailer sites. Prices read 4 November 2026.

Simba

Simba have been in the bed-in-a-box industry since 2015. Simba started its journey with one mattress before branching out to encompass an entire range. These aren’t just any mattresses though, and they have been tested using data from ten million sleepers’ body profiles and over 100 prototypes to help ensure that the mattress and its design will suit the vast majority of sleepers. To date the Simba lineup has become one of the most well-reviewed mattresses worldwide and with the new line-up, there's different models to suit different budgets.

Simba has an entire lineup dedicated to bed in box rolled mattresses. This avenue to market has become increasingly popular in recent years and has numerous benefits, namely that the cost of the product is typically lower due to savings within logistics warehousing and delivery.

Emma

Emma is an immensely popular German sleep brand that specialises in bed in a box mattresses. First clamouring to fame in 2015 but achieving real velocity from 2018 onwards, Emma is one of the last standing in the war on sleep having bested Eve, Casper and Leesa, all of whom had similar marketing objectives and business models. To date, Emma offers a short core range of mattresses commercially through their own website with store and retailer derived versions for the masses of retailers looking to piggyback the brand's success. The mattresses all feature foam as a staple with some featuring additional springs. Regardless of which version you choose, comfort is almost guaranteed with thousands of satisfied customers to date.

Recently Emma rebranded to become known as Emma Sleep and pivoted their focus toward other items in the bedding sector ranging from bed frames, pillows, duvets and protectors.

Simba owner satisfaction

Satisfaction for Simba is high on their priority list, offering an impressive comfort guarantee which means that if you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase you are able to organise a return for a full refund. The return process is one of the easiest we have come across and involves letting the company know and they will arrange collection at a time convenient to you. Additionally, there are no additional surcharges, costs or delivery fees associated with the returns process which means you get 200 nights risk free to try the mattress.

After this trial period you will also receive a 10 year guarantee that will further instil confidence and ensure your investment is protected long term.

Simba supportiveness

Simba have multiple mattresses in their range, however all offer roughly the same level of supportiveness coming in at a medium firm tension. The comfort that you derive from a mattress will generally come from the top layer that sits somewhat detached from the support layer. The support layer is what contours and fights against your body to give you pressure relief. Depending on how you sleep or how much you weigh are both factors in determining suitability of tension. With the medium firm support of the Simba lineup we find them most suitable for back sleepers and those of average or heavier build. That said, due to the inclusivity that Simba has aimed to achieve through its prototypes and extensive testing, we do have plenty of reports of side sleepers and those who are lighter getting maximum comfort out of the lineup.

Simba durability

People are increasingly expecting more from their mattresses with more comfort and more support on offer than ever before. It’s actually a really great time to buy a new mattress as companies new and old are changing the way they do business and produce mattresses with improvements and savings along the way. The same has become true for durability and while the average lifespan of a mattress before being replaced currently lies at around 7 years, the Simba goes above and beyond with a guarantee covering a full 10 years. The result of mattresses lasting longer is the cost of sleep actually decreases relative to cost and time meaning products like Simba may be cheaper in the long run due to that enhanced and increased durability.

Simba best offers

We've managed to find the following top deals from across the web on Simba mattresses.

Emma owner satisfaction

Emma Sleep’s entire business model is focussed toward consumer satisfaction. Key parts of their marketing strategy comes from word of mouth and statistics show that people buy from people. What makes Emma stand out from the crowd is an interesting shift in consumer buying behaviour. Previously, if you bought a mattress and didn’t enjoy it, you were out of luck, not so with the rise of Emma. Now, if you don’t like your mattress you can arrange a return within Emma’s trial, which the brand advertises as up to 200 nights when you buy direct. This shift has proved extremely positive for customers and has increased satisfaction in the lineup.

To date, Emma has amassed more than 53,000 reviews on Trustpilot (checked 9 October 2026), a fantastic display given the company's fairly new tenure in the industry.

Emma supportiveness

Firmness is a very subjective thing which proves a particularly tough nut to crack when you are producing one mattress to suit all people. So much so that Emma has prototyped and tested numerous models previous to going to market in order to get that mix just right. The result? Emma’s own range runs from a medium tension to a medium firm one. Medium is a great supportive rating as it gives the user enough body contouring and support in the back and neck while giving enough softness and compression to accommodate those who sleep on their side or are of a lower BMI. It really is considered the one-size-fits-all approach and it’s one that suits many who purchase an Emma mattress, just take a look at the thousands of reviews to date.

Emma durability

With the mid-range price point of Emma products, it’s important for shoppers that the bed lasts for a number of years. Generally we find companies consistently trying to cut costs at the expense of durability. Fortunately Emma already has a unique business model as the mattresses follow the rolled and bed-in-a-box model that allows savings through logistics and delivery meaning Emma can spend more on materials while still finding profit. The result of this means you get a mattress that is affordable and of higher quality than competing brands which, as a result of the quality increase, is more durable and lasts longer as a result. It’s a win for everyone.

Emma best offers

We've managed to find the following top deals from across the web on Emma mattresses.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so here. All corrections

9 October 2026
We called Emma a British manufacturer, said it sold two mattresses and offered a 100-night trial. Emma is a German brand with a wider range, and it advertises a trial of up to 200 nights.

Owner reviews of Simba mattresses

5 Anna B.

We've been needing a new mattress for a long time, to replace our turn of the century Sealy memory foam mattress and divan bed, which we have had lots of use from (2nd hand from family when we got it). We wanted to invest in a really high quality, low environmental impact mattress (and bed) that also ticked all the boxes for comfort, support, no nasty off-gassing chemicals, made with natural materials and market leading durability. This was a huge outlay for us and we've been thinking about it for a few years. We're now in our mid 50's and know that a good night's sleep is crucial, particularly as I'm a light sleeper and have suffered from back and hip pain in the past. Our old mattress was smelly, well past its prime and I dread to think what might have been living in it (and on us!). So, we see this new Simba mattress as an investment for our future. Lots of really helpful info on the website and very enticing video of the mattress we were considering. Once we decided to go for it, we had a bit of trouble paying for the order on the website as I couldn't figure out how to set up the credit facility to spread the cost. In the end I had to message Simba about it and soon after was given the option of having a callback slot, at a time to suit me, to speak to a person. The customer service chap rang me at the allotted time and was very helpful and polite, who helped us resolve the issue, with the added bonus of a further code to use to get free collection of our old bed and mattress, which saved us £50, that really made us happy. We are very pleased with the promotional offer of free high quality Simba bedding as well (2 pillows, duvet and mattress cover), so felt that although it was a big expense, we were buying the best we could afford and were being treated very well as customers. Following the email confirmation of the order after purchase, a day or two later we received details of the VIP service delivery and the date suggested worked for us. So, within a week of placing the order we would get our new bed and mattress (we live in rural Wales, not that easy to get to). Two gentlemen from the delivery company arrived on time, carefully backed up their van on our narrow driveway, carried in the bed and mattress with care, they were really polite and quietly got on with the job of building the new bed. They would have removed the packaging too, but I asked if we could keep it, no problem at all! They removed our old bed and mattress and so within the hour of their arrival we were all set up with our new bed and mattress. Fab! The mattress is very different to our old memory foam one. It's much deeper, heavier and firmer. I'm a side sleeper, but occasionally sleep on my back. It did take me a few days to get used to the new firmer support, but it does have lovely soft cushioning in the top layer. After a few weeks we are now feeling much more comfortable on it than we did initially. I can feel it does give me much better support, as am not getting back pain from sleeping on it. My husband really loves it. According to our Fitbit watches, which we wear at night, we are generally getting a good quality night's sleep (we just need to get to bed earlier now to make the most of it!). For me, with a very sensitive sense of smell, there is also a slight scent of sheep wool, which was stronger to start with. I actually like this smell, and it reminded me what the mattress contains, natural fibres, not off-gassing of chemical VOCs. But, we do make sure we air the bed each day, which is good sleep hygiene, whatever mattress you're on. The mattress comes with helpful information about how to care for it. It definitely will need two of us to turn it every so often, way too heavy for me on my own. I do find changing the bedclothes harder work, as the mattress is heavy to lift to get the fitted sheet on it, especially at the head end. So bear this in mind if you live on your own and you order King Size! You also need to use extra deep fitted sheets. We hope that it'll remain this comfortable for the next 10 years, reassured by the guarantee and love the fact that the mattress was made only a couple of weeks before we bought it (the label on it states when it was made). Nice to think it's not been sitting very long in a warehouse somewhere before we received it. Lovely to know that its recyclable at end of life too and we're supporting a certified B Corp. Fingers crossed we'll both be still sweetly sleeping on it well into our 60's.

4 Martin D.

So, two weeks ago, I got a response from the supplier of my previous mattress (Emma) saying that due to some sort of restructure, they wouldn’t be able to deliver a new mattress for weeks. They gave me the option to get a refund, which I took. I needed the mattress by that Sunday at the latest as that’s when my temporary accommodation in the Airbnb that I was staying at came to an end and I needed to sleep at my new less-temporary, but unfurnished accommodation. My previous mattress had been damaged by the water ingress at Coniston House (google it for stories in the Standard and The Slice, Tower Hamlets if you're interested). The ongoing works on my building necessitated the move. Anyway, I found a roughly equivalent mattress sold by Simba, which is UK-based and B Corp certified. It is a bit more expensive, but hey, it was an emergency and they offered to deliver the next day if ordered before 1 p. m. This is when it all went horribly wrong. Simba sent the mattress by DPD and DPD’s tracking showed it was out for delivery. The delivery slot came and went and then the tracking said they were running late. Phoning DPD to find out what was going on, they reassured me that they would deliver it that day, but it appeared from the tracking that it had gone back to the depot. I waited in until 8 p. m. The same thing happened on Friday, the contact centre reassured me that it would be delivered, but tracking I could see showed that it was still at the depot. I eventually got a call back from the depot who said it wasn’t out for delivery after all and wouldn’t be delivered that day (despite what the call centre had said). DPD booked it in for a Saturday delivery. Saturday came, again, the same pattern and no delivery. The DPD contact centre doesn’t seem to have any way to contact people on the ground, and I won’t call it lying, but they make statements (e. g. that they will certainly deliver today) which they clearly don’t have the information to back up. On the Monday, I had an exchange with Simba, who arranged for the delivery with DPD to be cancelled. I had to go to the office on Tuesday (I had already spent several days trapped working from home by DPD), so Simba arranged to send out a replacement with ao. com’s logistics on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Garry from AO called me first thing to say he was delivering that morning, and he called again when he was on the way from his previous job. Delivered direct to my door, no fuss. It seems from other reviews of DPD that mattress delivery and other heavy/bulky items are a recurring problem for DPD. I would give Simba five stars, especially for fixing the mess as promptly as they could. However, it was their choice in the first place to use DPD where there appear to be known issues with their performance. If Simba turn to using AO for all their deliveries, I would give them an unqualified recommendation as the mattress is super comfortable and their customer service is helpful and responsive. Most importantly, over the last week, I've had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in over a year!

2 Maria T.

Despite Simba resolving delivery issues caused by a very dishonest courier, they were also very quick to treat me as though I was lying about not receiving my £1,800 order. Whilst I understand there will be some apprehension due to other dishonest customers, there was no need for the passive aggressive emails and chat messages I received. As soon as I said I lived within MOD barracks and there was no record of the delivery truck or drivers, they sent out a replacement order immediately without explanation. For the mattress itself, I must say that both my husband and I don’t feel it (or the pillows/duvet/mattress topper!) are worth the high prices. We’ve tried to give it time as they say it takes a while to get used to a new mattress, but I really expected to be wowed by a mattress that costs so much, and I’m just not. There are already significant flat areas where my husband and I sleep, despite rotating as advised, which only happened with our old mattress after around 8 years. The pillows come with extra foam cubes so you can fill them more and thus make them firmer, which is great in theory, but I can feel the bumpiness of the cubes under my face, despite distributing them and shaking the pillows etc. Not to mention the fact that the pillows cost so much and are literally just filled with cubed sponge. The quilt is fine, it’s neither here nor there, the buttons can be felt through your duvet cover in the corners which is mildly annoying but the best part is this retails at £399…! The mattress topper is, again, neither here nor there. We tested the mattress without it for a night and it felt exactly the same, so I’m not sure what it really adds. The only good thing I can state about the mattress is that it’s a great level of firm for us (we prefer a more firm one), but again, the cost is not worth this alone, and I’m fairly certain I’d be able to find another for half the price and that feels the same. Sorry, Simba. I will add that we also purchased two inter mattresses for our kids and these are lovely - kids have commented how much they love their new beds and how comfortable they are, which was really important for us while they’re still young and growing. Perhaps we’d be best returning the Luxe and getting an Inter.

1 Stephen P.

Sadly, I cannot recommend Simba based on my experience. I ordered a mattress advertised as being 25 cm deep. The first mattress I received measured approximately 22 cm. It was only after raising this with Simba that the ±2 cm manufacturing tolerance became particularly relevant. This tolerance is contained within their Terms & Conditions, but in my opinion it is not made sufficiently clear alongside the advertised mattress dimensions when purchasing. A ±2 cm tolerance on a 25 cm mattress is actually quite significant — potentially anywhere between 23 cm and 27 cm — and I think this should be made much more obvious to customers before they buy. Even allowing for that fairly generous tolerance, my first mattress at approximately 22 cm was still outside Simba's own stated specification, so they agreed to replace it. Unfortunately, the replacement mattress measured approximately 22.5 cm — once again outside their own stated tolerance. Despite this, I was then told that the 22.5 cm depth was fine and would not affect the performance of the mattress. This completely misses the point. If a product is prominently advertised as being 25 cm deep, and the manufacturer already allows itself a ±2 cm tolerance, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the product supplied to at least fall within that range. I specifically needed a 25 cm mattress, which was one of the reasons I chose this particular model in the first place. After receiving two mattresses outside even their own stated tolerance, Simba were unable to guarantee that another replacement would meet the advertised specification. I was therefore left with the only realistic option of returning it for a refund. My experience has left me with very little confidence in the accuracy of Simba's advertised dimensions or their manufacturing quality control. I own foam mattresses from other manufacturers that measure within just a few millimetres of their advertised dimensions. By comparison, receiving two Simba mattresses that were both outside even Simba's own ±2 cm tolerance suggests to me that their manufacturing and quality-control standards are simply not good enough. If a mattress is advertised as 25 cm deep, customers shouldn't have to search through Terms & Conditions to discover that it could actually be several centimetres different — and even then receive a product that falls outside that tolerance.

Owner reviews of Emma mattresses

5 Mandy

It's been 2 years now, so here is a review after 2 years of sleeping on it. I am a larger lady who has many disabilities that cause a lot of bodily pain, I have Neuropathy, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, ME, spondylitis of the neck and spine and a crumbling spine, sciatica etc. I tell you this because it's very important to find that perfect mattress when you have physical disabilities. I can not tell you the difference this mattress has made to my life. As soon as I lay down on it, it was like heaven, it was like I was weightless and 2 years on it is still the same, every time I get on it, it feels as good as the first time. My pain levels at night decreased by a lot, i used to wake constantly with hip pain, since sleeping on this Emma Mattress I have not woke with hip pain once! my sleep is deeper and longer, which has made a massive difference in my everyday life. The mattress has zero lumps, bumps, springs, coils, it's just like a smooth cloud. The mattress is that fantastic and feels so good under your body that when I put my electric blanket on top of it, and I have a very expensive thick electric blanket, I hated the feel of it and had to take my electric blanket off. You will be just fine with your electric blanket on top of the mattress, but having fibromyalgia, they used to call fibromyalgia 'The princess and the pea disease' because you can feel every stitch, lump, bump ect and every stitch, lump and bump causes so much pain, but the Emma mattress feels like a smooth cloud, you actually feel weightless. It was the best decision I ever made to get this mattress, it was more expensive than any other mattress I have purchased previously, but it is worth so much more than that just to have a pain free, long, cosy nights sleep. It's also not to hot for menopause, I don't know why that myth was put out there but it's just fine temperature wise. I also bought my son one, he has cerebral palsy and he agrees with me about how amazing they are, especially if you suffer from any aches and pains. Just buy one, do it, you will be amazed how great they are.

4 Richard

I think the mattress is great but my wife thinks it is a little hard. I have not had any back ache since we bought the matress. Our previous mattress was killing my back and had become extremly unsupportive. The delivery staff were great as they brought the new mattress in and removed the old one. I would have never been able to move the old mattress so having the gentlemen take our wornout one away was really helpful. We left the Emma mattress to vent and take shape over the stipulated time. Not sure how we could ever have returned it though as the delicery staff removed the box it came in and I would never have been able to compress it into such a small roll again. The extensive strong plastic wrap retained the compression forces which I imagine were processed at the factory so I can not think how it could be completed at home. I love the mattress and have slept well since it was delivered and the back ache has not returned.

4 Siya

We bought the Emma Hybrid AirGrid Mattress in October as a replacement for our king-sized Sloom mattress from South Africa after relocating to the UK, and we've been extremely happy with the experience so far. The mattress strikes a great balance in firmness - it's supportive without being too hard, and we've had no back pain since using it. Sleep quality has been noticeably better, and it's been comfortable from the very first night without needing a long 'breaking in' period. Delivery was smooth and right on schedule, which made the whole purchase experience stress-free. What really stood out for us was the price as it was significantly more affordable than other mattresses in the same range, yet the quality hasn't felt compromised at all. Overall, we're very pleased with our purchase and would confidently recommend the Emma Hybrid AirGrid to anyone looking for a high-quality, comfortable mattress at a great price.

2 Stuart

Having slept on an Emma memory foam mattress a few times and loved it when staying with family I was expecting great things from what I assumed would be an upgraded and better product. As well as the experience on the memory foam mattress I’d spent weeks reading reviews and was confident this mattress would deliver on the three things we most wanted - comfort, minimal motion transfer, and a cool sleep. Sad to say my wife and I are disappointed on two of those things. Comfort wise I’ve no grumbles, but I’m a fidget and mover in bed and my wife reckons it’s like sleeping on a boat, and to be honest, I don’t find it any better than the 30 yr old mattress we both got rid of. In addition we both find it quite a bit warmer than the old mattress as well. With the pocket springs covered by layers of various foams it is nothing like the memory foam mattress we’d tried at our daughters. I’m disappointed that I can easily feel the springs through the sides and bottom (just a couple of layers of fabric) - in fact it actually feels quite cheaply made to me. I guess I should have expected this from a roll up mattress, but no one mentioned this in any of the dozens of reviews I read! Maybe I’m just fussy, but I wouldn’t get another one.

2 Col

I’m a bit disappointed with this product. We previously owned an Emma Original mattress purchased in 2020, which was the best mattress we’ve ever had. Based on that experience, I expected this one to be the same or at least similar. However, despite being called “Original,” it is nothing like the one we had before. The old mattress was entirely memory foam, whereas this one has pocket springs with only a thin layer of foam on top, which makes it feel quite firm. Had I realised this, I would never have purchased it. In addition, because the underside consists of hard springs, the mattress slides on the base and needs to be pushed back into place regularly. MattressOnline have offered to exchange the mattress for a different one but as we would be unable to test the mattress, we would simply be swapping it for another unknown model that may not be any better, so we have decided to keep it. However, this will definitely be the last time we purchase an Emma mattress

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