This budget-friendly Origin mattress is now just £379 – I put it to the test, and I'm impressed

Our Origin Hybrid mattress review puts this affordable online-only mattress through its paces to see how it compares to the best mattresses Ideal Home has tested so far.

In a nutshell

If you're looking for a budget-friendly mattress, the Origin Hybrid mattress has a lot going for it.

I've now tested several mattresses that are around the £500 mark for a double, and so far, the Origin Hybrid is one of my top picks, especially if you can snap it up in one of the brand's discounting events. Officially the price of a double in the Origin Hybrid mattress is £632, but, as of writing, it's on sale for just £379.

For that affordable price point, you get a lot for your money, including convenient boxed delivery to the room of your choice, a mattress that doesn't need to be rotated or flipped, and a generous 200-night sleep trial to test it out for yourself at home.

A medium-firm mattress, the Origin Hybrid's mix of comfort, support, and temperature regulation also really impressed me. I'm a side sleeper who prefers a slightly firmer feel, and, for me, this mattress was just right.

It also offered decent motion isolation and edge support, and if you're someone who prefers to sink into the mattress surface a little, it offered just the right amount of cradling to my mind, although active sleepers or those with mobility issues might not find it quite responsive enough.

The only real downside I could find is that the brand only offers doorstep delivery (and there's no option to pay for deliviery to the room of your choice) and is less well-known than many of its competitors, which means there's less customer review data to base a purchase on. My experience with the product was very positive, and the brand's TrustPilot score is high. Although Origin doesn't yet have many reviews in the grand scheme of things (679 compared to Simba's 50,000+), and a few reviews do mention delivery problems (which I didn't encounter).

Based on our research, Origin is also making less effort towards sustainable and circular manufacture than Simba, so all in all, the Simba Hybrid Original mattress still remains our top choice for the best value mattress you can buy, but, the Origin Hybrid mattress is a worthy contender, and often the more affordable choice.

Origin Hybrid mattress review

Specifications

• Type: Hybrid
• Construction materials: Hexagrid, steel pocket springs, natural latex, bamboo-infused wool
• Sizes: Single, small double, double, king, super king
• Tension: Medium-firm
• Height: 26cm
• Side handles: Yes
• Flip or rotate: Neither
• Manufacturer sleep trial: 200 nights

1. Comfort

For me, the Origin Hybrid mattress offers a perfect synergy of comfort and support.

The manufacturers describe the mattress tension level as medium-firm. This is the tension recommended by experts as the best mattress for back pain, and, according to the brand, it's also ‘the firmness level that is preferred by the vast majority of British sleepers'.

I clearly must fit this ‘majority’ category because my first impression of laying on the Origin Hybrid mattress was that it felt so comfortable I never wanted to get off of it!

As a frequent side-sleeper, there was good cushioning so that my hip and shoulder could sink into the mattress, keeping my spine straight, something which I’ve been told recently by my physio can help to alleviate the pressure that can cause back pain. But it wasn’t too firm, (an overly firm mattress isn’t ideal for side sleepers).

Sometimes when I’ve slept on my side on firm mattresses I’ve felt a pain in my hip or shoulder the next morning. This wasn’t the case on this mattress. Instead, it felt like it took the pressure away from all areas of my back, shoulders, and hips.

I sometimes sleep on my back too, and when mattresses are too soft I find that my lower back sinks too low into the mattress and I sometimes wake up with lower back pain.

Not in this case though! The cushioned top layer was gorgeously comfortable, but the firmness meant that my hips didn’t dip too low. The same was true when I tried laying on my front - again my hips didn’t sink too low.

Another wonderful thing about this mattress is that the HexaGrid orthopaedic layer provides support but also adapts to your shape, with the intention of distributing pressure more evenly. Laying on it, the top layer was literally like laying on a giant (supportive) marshmallow and not at all hard like some mattresses I’ve tried.

The mattress also offers ‘more support in the centre third of the mattress’ because this is where your bodyweight is concentrated. As someone who frequently suffers with back pain, this is another welcome innovation to aid back support.

Although the surface felt a lot softer than the Sealy Newton Posturepedic Mattress that I have previously tested, it still felt firm enough to offer a good level of support and I didn’t have that sinking feeling I've encountered on some all-foam mattresses.

2. Motion isolation

When I lay on this mattress with my husband we hardly felt any motion transfer, either when getting into bed or moving around in the night.

This is presumably down to the individually pocketed 'ErgoCoil' springs which ‘adjust instantly to sleep movements’ and what the manufacturer describes as the ‘spring's unique shape’ which ‘compresses inwards, limiting transfer of movement’.

The motion isolation was considerably better than the similarly priced Dreams Workshop Follows Traditional Spring Mattress I'd previously reviewed.

3. Responsiveness

Whilst I found the motion isolation on the Origin Hybrid mattress particularly good, its responsiveness was a little less impressive.

A responsive mattress responds to motion or pressure quickly, making it easier to move around on its surface. When I slept on this mattress when my lower back was playing up I did find it slightly harder to move around as the mattress surface cradled my body slightly.

If you're an active sleeper who changes position frequently in the night, or have any mobility issues, this is worth bearing in mind as you might find it challenging to turn over in the night.

4. Temperature regulation

The Origin Hybrid mattress includes what the brand describes as its ‘ice-cold pillow top.’ This top layer is made with 'SnowTencel fibre' which the brand says is designed to keep ‘you cool all night’. It’s also hypoallergenic, ultra-soft and meant to be ‘cooling to the touch'. In fact, Origin go so far as to describe it as ‘making it feel like the surface has been under the gentle breeze of an air-conditioner.’

This is something which is hugely appealing to me, even in the darkest, coldest winter months. This is because recently, (perhaps it’s because I’m 44!) I’ve been finding that I’m freezing cold when I go to bed at night so I layer up in PJs and a dressing gown. Then I invariably wake up in the night overheated and sweaty. Interestingly however, when I slept on this mattress I didn’t wake up feeling sweaty like I often have done, so the temperature regulation must be effective.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that the temperature regulation when sleeping on this mattress was the best I’ve experienced yet.

My youngest son who always gets hot and sweaty in bed also found that he was much cooler when sleeping on here too.

5. Edge support

This mattress has what is described as ‘D-2' edge support. Basically, it’s made with foam edges that are ‘two times denser than your average foam’.

The edge support was good enough that I didn't have that sensation of rolling off the bed if I got too close to the edge when I was asleep.

When getting out of bed or sitting on the side to put my socks on I noticed it wasn’t quite as firm as the best-in-class Sealy Newton Posturepedic Mattress which has exceptional edge support, and there was some sinking. But this wasn’t something that impacted my sleep quality at all, and it was still reasonably supportive around the edges.

However, it’s worth considering if you have mobility issues which mean you need a firmer edge to help you get out of bed.

6. Sleep trial

A sleep trial can be a really useful way of testing out how a mattress feels before you commit to keeping it. In the case of the Origin Hybrid mattress you get 200 nights to sleep on this mattress in your own home.

This is important because experts advise that it can take 30 days for our bodies to adjust to a new mattress so the trial gives you plenty to assess how it performs on your bed frame and whether it works for your weight and sleep position.

7. Ease of care

Most mattresses need to be either flipped, if they're two-sided, or rotated, if they're one-sided, to ensure even wear and tear. But, according to the brand, the Origin Hybrid does not!

They state, 'Our AntiGravity Springs are custom-built to keep their shape while supporting the maximum recommended weight daily without rotation'.

That's good news if you struggle to lift heavy items, as although the four side handles on this mattress (two on each side) are robust and comfortable to hold, the mattress is still too heavy for me to easily move around on my own.

8. Delivery

The delivery of the Origin Hybrid double mattress went smoothly. I was given a date when the mattress would arrive and contacted by the delivery driver when they were approximately half an hour away.

The mattress arrived rolled in a rectangular box which came approximately up to my chest (I’m 5ft4) and which I could just reach my arms around.

Upon arrival, the delivery driver single-handedly carried the mattress about 100 metres from the van to my door. This was good news as with a boxed weight of 32.4kg for a double, it was too heavy for me to lift by myself.

However, Origin does only offer doorstep delivery, and there is no option to upgrade to delivery to your room of choice, or to a premium delivery service where the mattress is unboxed for you and installed onto your bed. That's a shame as it will make the mattress unsuitable for many customers.

Origin does offer collection of your old mattress of any size for recycling on delivery day. This service is available as an option at the checkout when you purchase your mattress and costs £54. (NB this is only available for UK mainland).

On the box, there are clear instructions about how to unbox the mattress.

First, you need to remove the mattress from the cardboard box and position it on the bed.

Then you can remove the polythene packaging and leave the mattress to expand. It took what felt like seconds for it to inflate to its full height and was such an impressive spectacle it had my two children transfixed, and I wished I’d filmed it. (I later spotted an Origins request for people to post unboxing videos on social media and tagging them, so clearly I’m not alone in finding it entertaining!).

The mattress didn’t seem to have much off-gassing nor did it smell strongly after the packaging was removed.

9. Third-party reviews

Origin may not have the same brand recognition as the likes of Simba or Emma, but it does seem to have a growing base of satisfied customers who appear to be as impressed by the brand's mattresses as I have been.

As of writing, Origin's TrustPilot score is an average of 4.5 stars, with 76% of its 679 customer reviews 5-stars. However, the 1-star reviews I investigated all seemed to mention delivery issues and trouble getting in touch with Origin's customer service team to resolve those issues (there is no phoneline, only email or an online chat service).

In comparison, Simba has a rating of 4.4 stars, with 79% of its 50,000+ customers giving it 5-stars and after testing multiple Simba products, the Ideal Home team has always been super impressed by the brand's customer communication.

Emma, alternatively, currently has a rather dismal TrustPilot score of just 2.8 stars, with 22% of its reviewers leaving it just one star.

10. Value for money

The Origin Hybrid mattress is a relatively budget-friendly mattress that currently retails for £632 for a double, but can often be found reduced by up to 40% off in an Origin sale, making it around £379 for a double.

When on offer, that makes it the same price as the affordable Dreams Workshop Follows Traditional Spring Mattress, which I also recently reviewed. However, for me, the Origin Hybrid mattress is a definite cut above the budget Dreams option in terms of both comfort and convenience. We also found it to outperform the budget-friendly Emma Original mattress in this regard.

However, all-in-all I still think the slightly more expensive Simba Hybrid Original mattress remains the best value for money. The Simba Hybrid Original mattress is £799 for a double at full RRP and offers everything the Origin Hybrid does in terms of comfort and support, but it also comes with more delivery options, a proven track record of customer satisfaction, and is made by a brand that's making considerable efforts towards more sustainable design and manufacture.

How I tested

Rachel Tompkins

I’m Rachel, a 44-year old mother and freelance reviewer who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. For this review, I tested the Origin Hybrid mattress in a double size on a traditional slatted bed base.

My sleep stats:

• Sleep position: back or side
• Tension preference: firm
• Sleep problems: lower back pain and/or neck pain and occasional overheating
• Height & weight: 5"5 and 9.5 stones

In putting the Origin Hybrid mattress through Ideal Home's mattress testing process I assessed ten factors that we deem vital to any mattress purchase.

I tested the mattress for comfort, motion isolation, responsiveness, temperature regulation, and edge support. This means that myself (and my husband) slept on the mattress for a minimum of two weeks before I wrote my review.

I also took into consideration ease of care, any sleep trials available, the delivery process, its value for money, and, where possible, researched third-party customer reviews – to see if they aligned or were at odds with my own experience – before writing my own review and giving this mattress a star rating.