It's likely you've got a friend, or a friend of a friend, who has raved to you about their bed-in-a-box. Both Koala and Ecosa have become well-known brands, and both regularly come up in conversations when you're talking about moving house or buying new furniture.
You'll find plenty of people to vouch for either brand, and it's not often you hear from someone who isn't happy with their online mattress purchase. But which one should you go for?
The essentials
Both Koala and Ecosa produce mattresses-in-a-box, and both brands launched in Australia in 2015. These mattresses come compressed into a cardboard box and are delivered to your home ready for use, often within four hours if you live within a metro area. They've caused quite a stir in the industry for their ease of set-up; all you need to do is open the box and the mattress will fold out into shape. Done!
The Ecosa mattress in queen size is usually priced at $1099, but it's currently on sale for $849 thanks to its EOFY sale (correct as of 24 June 2019).
Firmness
Unlike traditional mattresses which offer a choice between soft, medium and firm, the Koala mattress comes with one set firmness level. The mattress comes in medium-firm, with customers rating it about a 6.3 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Koala says it has run many focus groups to get the firmness level "just right" for the majority of people, but if you're particularly fussy about the firmness of your mattress you might benefit from the trial period offered.
Many online reviews by customers say they found it too firm to begin with, but after about a week or two they found the mattress dramatically reducing their back pain.
The Ecosa mattress offers an adjustable level of support with an upper layer that can be flipped, allowing you to switch between medium, medium-firm and firm. This is a big selling point for fussy sleepers, plus it allows you to adjust the support over time as your body changes.
Like the Koala mattress, many online customer reviews still call out the fact the mattress is a bit too firm to begin with, but it's something they got used to after a couple of weeks. If you're someone who enjoys a particularly soft mattress or even a water bed, it might not be the right fit for you.
Trial period
Koala offers a 120-night risk-free trial period, so it has a slight edge over Ecosa here. You can use the Koala mattress at your home for 120 nights and, if you're not in love with it, return it for a full refund. This also includes free return shipping for those within the four-hour delivery areas (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth). Those outside of these areas need to pay the return shipping fees.
Ecosa offers a 100-night in-home trial for you to use the mattress and see how you like it. If you're not happy with it within this 100-night period you can return it for a full refund. Ecosa says any mattress that is returned is donated to charity, rather than sold to another customer.
Materials
The Koala mattress has two layers of Dunlop foam, which is said to offer a bit more support than memory foam while still being breathable. The two layers consist of a thinner, soft top comfort layer at the top (which Koala calls the "Kloudcell") and a firmer, thicker layer underneath for support.
The Ecosa mattress combines three layers of memory foam: A Gel Memory Foam layer that helps to keep you cool, an ergonomic support foam to provide maximum support for your body's key pressure points and a "bouncy" open-cell foam that's soft and breathable at the top.
Cover and ongoing care
The top cover is made from a combination of polyester and eucalyptus fibre (called TENCEL) and is removable so it can be easily taken off and hand-washed when needed. You don't need to flip or rotate the mattress, as the top layer needs to remain on the upper side.
This mattress comes with a removable cover that zips off easily, so you can remove it and wash it when needed. Removing the cover from time to time also allows the mattress to air out. Like the Koala, there's no need to flip or rotate the Ecosa mattress.
Sharing with a partner
We've all seen that video of someone jumping on a Koala mattress without spilling a glass of wine. Koala has designed its mattress with "Zero Disturbance Technology", to ensure the foam is strong and supportive enough that you won't be bothered by movement from someone else through the night, while still being soft, comfy and breathable.
Ecosa has also designed its Ergonomic Support Foam base layer so there's no partner disturbance. While it didn't go quite as viral as the Koala video, Ecosa has a similar YouTube video where not one but three wine glasses are stacked on the mattress which don't tip over when someone jumps on it. Impressive!
Water and allergens
The Koala mattress doesn't have an in-built waterproof cover like the Ecosa does, but you can easily add your own waterproof mattress protector over the top. The removable cover also helps protect against common allergens as it's easy to clean regularly.
The mattress comes with a waterproof inner-cover which protects against dust mites, bacteria, mold and other allergens. There's also a top cover above this that's removable so you can wash it.
Sizes
You can choose between five sizes: single, king single, double, queen and king. The height of the queen mattress is 23cm, so you'll notice it's a lot shorter than what you're probably used to.
Ecosa offers seven sizes: single, long single, king single, double, queen, king and super king. The queen size is 25 cm in height, 2cm higher than the Koala but still quite low compared to traditional mattresses.
Warranty
Koala offers a 10 year warranty period, which is 5 years less than what Ecosa offers but is still a very long warranty period when compared to other products. Koala's warranty covers sags of up to 2.5cm, so slightly bigger than what the Ecosa covers.
Ecosa offers a 15 year warranty, which is a massive warranty period for any product. Ecosa confirms the warranty covers sags of at least 2cm plus defects in the mattress cover such as tears or stitching errors.
Bed base
The Koala mattress can be used on any form of bed base, although it's recommended that for a base with slats the slats aren't more than 7.5 cm apart (which is likely true of most mattresses!). If you're using the mattress directly on the floor, just remember to lift and air it out regularly.
This mattress can be used on any bed frame or mattress base. The same recommendation applies for bases with slats, it's best to have them less than 7.5cm apart. It can also be used straight on the floor with no base, although Ecosa does say lift it up regularly to allow it to air out, to avoid moisture build up.
Delivery
Delivery is free and Koala offers four-hour delivery within metro areas including Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. Outside of these areas is still free for delivery, but it'll take a couple of days to arrive. Koala offers a premium delivery service which includes crew carrying the mattress-in-a-box all the way into the room you'd like it in (including up stairways!) and removing the packaging for you.
Ecosa promises same-day, free delivery within four hours for customers in metro areas of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Other areas will take 2-7 days for delivery, but there's still no charge for delivery. Ecosa's delivery is a front-door courier service only, meaning once the box is at your doorstep, the rest is up to you.
Sustainability
The Koala mattress is made in Australia, is completely vegan and uses foam certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia. There are no heavy metals or nasty chemicals like phthalates in the product. Koala also donates to WWF Australia to support sick and injured Koalas with each mattress purchased.
The Ecosa is certified with CertiPUR-US and OEKO-Tex Standard 100, which is a certification to guarantee the foam used is free from "harmful substances". Other than this, there isn't as much detail readily available around how environmentally friendly the mattresses are.
The lowdown
Overall, the mattresses are quite similar so you're unlikely to go wrong with either one. One factor that has come up in a lot of customer reviews that gives Ecosa a slight edge is the fact that the firmness level is adjustable.
So if you're unsure what sort of firmness you want, or if you want to be able to adjust between firmness levels as your body changes, the Ecosa will be a better choice for this. The Ecosa also has a built-in waterproof cover to protect against spilled liquids, so if you have young kids or often find yourself accidentally knocking over your Saturday-morning coffee in bed, this is a good choice.
The Koala offers a slightly longer trial period of an extra 20 nights, which can give you more peace of mind if you're not sure about your purchase.
If you're looking for something that has the least-hassle in terms of delivery and set-up, the Koala is the better choice here. Koala offers a premium delivery option which means two people will delivery the mattress-in-a-box to your home, carry it up any stairs and put it in the room you'd like it in as well as remove any packaging for you.
Watch our hands-on review of the Koala mattress
We're all about helping you make better decisions. Do your own comparison by heading to the Finder home page to compare credit cards, savings accounts, shopping deals and much, much more. Go on, be a Finder.
Alison Banney is the banking and investments editor at Finder. She has written about finance for over six years, with her work featured on sites including Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine and Dynamic Business. She has previously worked at Westpac, and has written for several other major banks including BCU, Greater Bank and Gateway Credit Union. Alison has a Bachelor of Communications from Newcastle University, with a double major in Journalism and Public Relations. She has ASIC RG146 compliance certificates for Financial Advice, Securities and Managed Investments and Superannuation. Outside of Finder, you’ll likely find her somewhere near the ocean.
Don’t know where to start looking for a new mattress? This easy guide will help you navigate the world of homewares and make your life easier.
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