We are a team of three product designers at Novosbed Inc., one of the first-ever online mattress brands. Novosbed Inc. owns the Douglas and Novosbed mattress brands and this website, and we are based in Edmonton, Canada. To make sure we offer great value, we regularly compare our products to our competitors’ products. Here’s how we compared Endy, Douglas, and Novosbed:

• We bought a queen Endy mattress from ca.endysleep.com
• We bought a queen Douglas mattress from douglasbed.ca
• We bought a queen Novosbed mattress from novosbed.com
• We performed the same tests on each mattress in the same room with the same people each time

To reduce bias as much as possible, we review all mattresses in the same way, including our own.

Endy is headquartered in Toronto, and its manufacturing operations are based entirely in Ontario. Endy has offices, a showroom, and manufacturing in and around Toronto. Endy sells to both the USA and Canada. Endy launched in 2015. Endy does not use harmful chemicals in its mattress construction. At the time of writing, there was no dedicated section on the Endy website outlining how the company goes beyond the basics to help the environment.

Douglas’ offices are in Edmonton with manufacturing in Quebec and Ontario. Douglas is a brand of Novosbed, one of the first online-only mattress brands (since 2009). Douglas is exclusive to Canada, and is available online only, without a showroom. Douglas promotes a strong commitment to eco-friendly design and the environment. From its unbleached, recycled box, to its use of low-carbon ecoLight™ foam, to its sustainably-farmed cover, Douglas uses production materials that are better for the environment.

Novosbed is headquartered in Alberta, with manufacturing operations in Pennsylvania. It has distribution centers in Toronto and PA. Novosbed has a dedicated section on its website that discusses its environmental commitment. From zero-waste manufacturing to ‘greener’ shipping techniques, Novosbed seeks to continuously improve its environmental impact.

Endy offers free shipping, a 100-day sleep trial, and free returns. Endy offers free ground shipping from Ontario, which means you’ll receive your bed in 1-4 days in the East and up to 10 days in the West. Endy ships to the USA.

If you ask for it, Endy will send you a free dual-sided topper 21 nights after receiving the mattress. We asked for it and received the topper within three days. Endy does not advertise the free topper on its website. The Endy topper is made in China and comes with a soft and a firm side. It ships in a small box and looks great. However, the topper we received didn’t fully expand and was lumpy along the fold lines, even after a few days.

When we tested the topper that came with our Endy, we noticed that it seemed to make the mattress feel more firm. This was how we felt using both the soft and firm sides, though the topper was softer on the soft side. After some moving around on the topper, it shifted and bunched up in places. Endy’s 2-sided topper is unique and innovative but has the same weaknesses as standard toppers.

Endy offers free returns, with pickup and full refunds. We do not return the mattresses we review and did not test out the return process.

Douglas offers free ground shipping from Ontario, which means you’ll receive your bed in 1-4 days in the East and up to 10 days in the West. Douglas exceeds expectations in this area, offering a generous 120-night sleep trial, with the free return, free pickup, and a full refund.

Novosbed offers free shipping, a 120-night sleep trial, and free returns. Novosbed will send you a free Comfort+ kit if requested between 30 and 120 nights. The Comfort+ kit is not a loose topper, as it integrates seamlessly into the existing Novosbed. It comes in different comfort levels, each specifically designed to fit as part of Novosbed. Comfort+ provides either a firming or softening effect, depending on a customer’s personal preference.

Straight out of the box, the Endy did not emit the significant odor sometimes associated with new foam mattresses. Within 24 hours, the Endy firmed up very slightly. This was the same firmness observed after three days.

Douglas did not emit the significant odor sometimes associated with new foam mattresses.

Straight out of the box, the Novosbed did not emit the significant odor sometimes associated with new foam mattresses. Within 24 hours, the Novosbed firmed up slightly. This was the same firmness observed after three days.

Endy foam layers

Endy uses three foam layers. The top layer is 2 inches of gel-infused foam. The second layer is 3 inches of transition foam. The third layer is 5 inches of poly foam.

Douglas foam layers

Douglas uses three foam layers. The top layer is 2 inches of cooling gel ecoLight™ foam. The second layer is 2 inches of Elastex™ foam. The third layer is 6 inches of poly foam. Gel foam is ideal for providing airflow and cooling throughout the night, which helps prevent the mattress from sleeping too hot. According to Douglas, ecoLight™ foam (unique to Douglas) is made with less material but has the same feel and durability as fast-response high-density memory foam. This results in a significantly lower carbon footprint, without an impact on quality. Elastex™ foam (also unique to Douglas) is a responsive elastic transition layer.

Novosbed foam layers

Novosbed uses three foam layers. In the Soft models, the top layer is 2 inches of ultra-dense airflow gel foam. The ‘airflow’ part means that every Novosbed model comes with thousands of vertical air channels to aid cooling while sleeping. This supplements the effects of the cooling gel infused into this top layer of foam. And in this top layer, each of the three firmness options differs in its foam density and IFD. Foam density is less important to firmness than IFD, so while our table shows the Medium and Firm mattresses having a similar 2-inch / 2-inch / 7-inch composition, it is a higher IFD that gives the Firm mattress its firmness.

The second layer of the Novosbed acts as a transition layer of memory foam that provides comfort and support. In the Novosbed Soft, customers enjoy 3 inches of comfort. This middle layer is 2 inches thick in the Novosbed Medium and Novosbed Firm. The third layer is premium support foam. This layer gives the mattress stability, support, and a long life. The Novosbed Soft has a base that is six inches thick. This layer is 7 inches thick in the Novosbed Medium and the Novosbed Firm.

Mattress covers are a useful insight into the kind of value that a company is willing to add to its customers’ purchases.

Endy cover

Endy has a traditional 2-tone cover. It is mostly white on its top and sides, with a gray base. The white piece of fabric on top is somewhat thin, very stretchy, and porous. It is made from 100% polyester. This makes it great from a breathability and cooling perspective. The Endy cover is exceptionally soft, which makes it very comfortable. However, it is so soft and stretchy that it bunched up underneath our testers as we rolled around.

The top portion of the cover unzips from the non-slip pad on the bottom. This makes spot cleaning easier. But the Endy mattress cover is not designed for easy machine washing. Underneath the top cover, the Endy foam core is covered with a fire barrier sock. This type of sock is only required in the USA.

Douglas mattress cover

The Douglas’ cover features a striking mountainscape, reflecting the company’s proudly Canadian roots. The cover is cut from a single piece of fabric and woven together, so it’s almost entirely seamless, except for the zipper on the side. The top and bottom halves of the Douglas mattress cover is joined with a red zipper, ensuring the top portion of the Douglas mattress cover is washable.

The Douglas cover fabric is made from a Natural Eucalyptus Fabric™ (Tencel™) and polyester blend. This fabric is made from sustainably-farmed eucalyptus trees. The cover is stretch-knit, very soft, and extremely durable. Tencel is promoted as being great for moisture wicking and breathability.

Novosbed cover

Novosbed looks like a high-end mattress. The company website calls Novosbed “the most affordable luxury mattress in the world.” Its soft stretch-knit top cover and durable furniture-grade upholstery siding materials exceed typical online mattress industry designs. Also, the Novosbed top cover is removable and machine washable, which removes the hassle of spot-cleaning by hand.

While Endy may use some of the techniques its competitors do to help the environment, we found no explicit ‘green’ commitment on the company website.

The Douglas website talks a lot about its commitment to the environment. For example, Douglas’ ecoLight™ foam uses 50% less carbon than other high-density foams, and Douglas’ cover is made with sustainable Natural Eucalyptus Fabric™. In fact, 90% of the energy used to manufacture a Douglas mattress is generated without emitting any carbon into the atmosphere (mostly wind, solar, and hydro energy).

Novosbed has a dedicated section on its website that discusses its environmental commitment. From zero-waste manufacturing to ‘greener’ shipping techniques, Novosbed seeks to improve its environmental impact continuously.

Firmness

Our results show that Endy is a soft mattress, at a 4.3 out of 10 on the firmness scale. The Endy did firm up slightly in the first three days, but only by a bit. The very stretchy soft cover makes it feel even softer.

The Douglas feels firmer than its softer counterparts at a 5.3 out of 10 on the scale. The middle 2” layer, made of Elastex™ foam, gives the mattress more bounce. Still, the Douglas is not considered a firm mattress because its comfort and support layers provide a sumptuous sleeping experience.

Novosbed Soft is designed for people who like a plush sleep, with a 3.9 out of 10 on the firmness scale. There is more sinkage on the Novosbed Soft than the firmer options, but there was not excessive ‘hug.’ Heavier people will sink into–and experience more ‘hug’–on the Novosbed Soft. If that is an issue, the Comfort+ firming option or the Novosbed Medium may be a better choice.

At a 5.3 out of 10, the Novosbed Medium is the most popular Novosbed model. If you prefer a firmer mattress, the addition of the Comfort+ firming option will bring the Novosbed Medium closer to the Novosbed Firm in terms of firmness.

The Novosbed Firm is quite firm at a 6.5 out of 10. It is not the firmest bed-in-a-box mattress on the market. If you are looking for a very firm mattress, the Comfort+ firming option coupled with the Novosbed Firm should suit your tastes.

Our surveys show that Canadians generally prefer firmer mattresses.

We used the testing methods described in the “How We Compared Endy, Douglas, and Novosbed” section to form these opinions.