10 best sofa beds tried and tested – comfortable, stylish, and versatile

The best sofa beds can help you to transform your home by conjuring up overnight sleeping space for guests in the living room, or allowing you to convert a guest bedroom into a home office or playroom without sacrificing the ability to host friends and family occasionally.  

However, finding a sofa bed that's stylish, affordable and comfortable is a tall order –  trust us, we've walked multiple miles around multiple sofa showrooms in search of the best sofa beds, and unearthed plenty that don't hit the mark in terms of sitting or sleeping comfort – so we know just how difficult finding a good one can be.

Thankfully we've compiled all of that first-hand testing experience into this guide, rounding up the best sofa beds from John Lewis & Partners, Habitat, Darlings of Chelsea, Heal's, Swyft, Dunelm, and many more, so you can jump straight to the Ideal Home team's top recommendations.

Whilst most sofa beds are going to feel a little firmer for sitting on than one of the best sofas, we're confident that this selection offers the most comfortable of the sofa bed crop, including some great multifunctional options that will allow you to maximise your living space and add versatility to your home.

The quick list

Short on time? This quick list is an overview of the very best sofa beds. You'll find more information on each sofa bed and why we recommend it if you keep on scrolling.

Best sofa beds of 2024

Best sofa bed overall

It may be an investment compared to other options in our edit, but if you have a little more budget to play with then the Bromley sofa bed from Darling's of Chelsea offers a lot of bang for your buck. It manages to nail the holy grail of the sofa bed search; a sofa bed that's comfortable enough to use as your everyday seating as well as providing overnight guests with a decent night's sleep.

There are four frame widths available, all with a single roll-out action mechanism that makes the transformation from sofa to pull-out bed a super simple affair. And as the seat and back cushions remain attached to the frame there's no need to find somewhere to store them whilst your guests are snoozing (although that does mean you can't flip the seat or back cushions over like with some other pull-out models).

The roll-action design also means this model is able to offer a longer mattress than most pull-out sofa beds, with a 190cm length sleeping area that taller guests will appreciate. And, at 12cm, the mattress is one of the deepest that pull-out sofa beds can be equipped with, also offering options of pocket spring or memory foam construction for enhanced comfort. 

Seat comfort can also be tailored to your preference with a choice of fibre-wrapped foam or feather-wrapped foam seat cushions for low-maintenance squish-factor, and there are a whopping 175+ upholstery options to choose from.

Plus, if a narrow hallway, tight corners, or tricky stairs are an issue, this sofa bed can be delivered flat-packed and built by the delivery team in situ; a real boon for those with awkward access. 

Best value small sofa bed

If you're looking for a small sofa bed on a budget, then the super affordable Roma sofa bed from Habitat is our top pick, combining a (relatively) low price point, stylish good looks, and perfectly acceptable comfort levels for both sitting and sleeping.

The main downside is that whilst the largest 108cm width option can sleep two guests at a push, both the chair bed and small sofa bed option are really a better option for a lone guest. However the small footprint does make this a great option for a smaller home, and, with all options well under £400, the price is hard to beat.

The click-clack sofa bed design also makes it a super simple task to transition this sofa bed from seating to sleeping, with hidden pockets (disguised by the coordinating scatter cushions) opening to reveal hinged legs, and the backrest and seat easily unfolding to create the sleeping surface. That design does mean the sleeping surface ends up pretty low to the ground, but we still found the medium-firm foam cushioning a comfortable spot to bed down for a few nights – especially if you add a mattress topper. And it's more comfortable than we expected as a seat too, with the angled back hitting just the right level of recline. 

The lack of arms and medium-firm cushioning mean we can't quite see it cutting the mustard for everyday use, but as occasional seating, it makes a great accent chair, working particularly well in a living room, bedroom, or guest room, or providing a great solution for impromptu sleepovers in a kids' bedroom or playroom. Upholstery-wise, there are seven colourways to choose from, including our favourite, the Roma sofa bed in off-white boucle.

Best budget buy

This simple futon sofa bed may be fairly basic, but if you're after an affordable way to put up the occasional overnight guest then, at just £175 for the single chair bed and £209 for the small double, the Dunelm Mito Futon makes for a useful and budget-friendly extra sleeping space.

You can opt for the minimal Japandi vibes of the natural or pale grey upholstery, or there are multiple other colour options available, including practical darks and vibrant brights that are perfect for a teenager's lair or children's bedroom. Plus, the new patterned colourways including an on-trend watermelon-pink stripe Mito futon and a graphic abstract print futon are perfect for adding style to an otherwise bland home office.

The FSC-certified solid pine frame is fairly roughly finished – there were a few sections that looked like they could splinter on the model we tested – and, at this price point, the sleeping is a fairly firm experience. Guests also won't be that far off the floor once the futon bed is extended, which may not be ideal for less mobile visitors. 

However, whilst guests might struggle to spend a whole week on this temporary bed (which may or may not be a good thing!), if you only need a guest bed for the occasional overnighter and want a cheap and cheerful option that's a little more permanent than a roll-up or inflatable mattress, this budget option could strike just the right balance. Plus, the addition of a good mattress topper can work wonders in terms of sleep comfort.

Quick delivery sofa bed

If you need overnight sleeping space fast, then this quick-delivery sofa bed could be for you. 

The majority of sofas and sofa beds come with long lead times (up to 16 weeks isn't unusual) which can make sourcing one fast a bit of a headache. You'll find a range of time-sensitive options in our guide to where to buy a quick delivery sofa, but Swyft's sofa-bed-in-a-box is our top pick as it can be delivered in just 24 hours if you order direct from Swyft, or under a week at third-party stockists. Yep, you read that right.

Alongside super fast delivery, this sofa bed is also designed to eliminate stress in more ways than one, with its flatpack design a real boon for anyone struggling with awkward access. This does mean the sofa bed needs to be self-assembled, but we put the no-tools build to the test in our Swyft Model 04 sofa bed review and can confirm it's as easy as the brand claims. It also makes for simple disassembly and reassembly should you move house – a particularly useful feature for renters – and the sofa arms can be detached if necessary, which is a bonus if you're short on space.

However, the high-level convenience does mean some compromises elsewhere, with the 300-pocket-spring foam bench cushion not offering much squish-factor and making this sofa bed one of the firmest seating options in our round-up. Upholstery options are more limited too – although all are versatile shades with a mix of hardwearing stain-resistant linen mix fabrics and luxe-look velvets.

On the plus side, this is the only sofa bed to offer a bespoke-fit mattress protector to extend the longevity of your investment, and there's even a handy integrated storage compartment under the seat to keep it hidden out of sight when the bed isn't in use.

Best value large sofa bed

At the other end of the price scale, if you're looking for a large sofa bed at a (very) reasonable price then it's hard to beat the Kota sofa bed – as long as you're happy with its somewhat Marmite contemporary design.

For well under £500 you get a generous three-seater sofa with a simple click-clack design where the backrest folds down to create a flat sleeping surface. At first, we weren't sure how comfortable those oversized Chesterfield-style pockets would be, but it's perfectly acceptable for lounging on and creates a roughly small double-sized sleeping area once extended. You'll probably want to add a mattress topper for an extra layer of comfort – and to protect the sofa upholstery – but that's the case with most fold-out sofa beds.

Looks-wise the Kota comes in six colourways in total, including vibrant flame orange, two grey options, and three velvet upholstery options in shades of green, teal, or mid-grey. 

It's worth noting that the side profile of this model leaves quite a lot to be desired, with the base platform very visible from the back and each end, so you'll definitely want this option pushed against a wall, and preferably camouflaged by a coffee table either side. The slanted backrest also pushes this model out quite far into the room, so it may not be the best option if you're short on space. However, as occasional seating or sleeping in a home office, kid's playroom, or teenager's bedroom, this great value sofa bed is hard to beat on price.

Best for everyday use

Heal's Oswald sofa bed is an investment, and although we love its simple design, the contemporary look won't blend into every home. However, in terms of sleep comfort, this is one of the most comfortable and generously proportioned options we've come across, with the mix of hyper-soft foam layers over a high-resilient foam and pocket-spring core giving the closest feel to a 'true' mattress, and a king-sized sleeping area offering a luxurious amount of space to stretch out.

In sofa form, that sleep comfort translates into a comfortable sitting experience too. It's not a squishy sofa, and you do feel you're sitting more on top of the foam seating than sinking into the seat like with models that offer removable seat cushions, but it still has enough give and bounce to make it a pleasant place to relax.

Transforming the sofa into a bed is also super easy. A slight variation on the usual fold-flat click-clack design, with this model you pull the leather tab at the front of the sofa to lift the seat section up and out, and the backrest then tilts flat to meet it. The legs extend automatically which means no faffing, and the sleeping surface is a good height from the floor compared to other click-clack options. There's even hidden storage underneath for stashing the sofa back cushions.

The downside is that there are only three upholstery options – although the grey Dessin fabric is a nice weave and good mid-tone colour that will suit a lot of homes. If you're after a contemporary design that doesn't compromise on comfort, we think this sofa bed is well worth considering.

Best traditional-look sofa bed

A deep, to-the-floor sofa frame that offers plenty of depth for hiding the pull-out mattress and bed frame plus super deep and squishy feather-wrapped foam seat cushions make the Otto our top pick of Sofa.com's sofa bed options.

In our opinion, those deep seat cushions also make it one of those elusive finds; a mid-priced sofa bed that's comfortable enough for everyday use in the living room as the main living room seating.

As usual with Sofa.com's offerings, creating a look that's worthy of front room status is made easier by a wide selection of 95+ upholstery choices, plus there are three frame widths available. And, as one of the brand's bestselling styles, there's a great selection of matching furniture on offer, with an upholstered footstool to transform the sofa into a chaise, plus a loveseat and multiple regular sofa options if you're planning on blending a sofa bed into a living room suite.

The only downside is that you will need a fairly large room for this option, as with a 230cm extension the pull-out bed frame takes up the most space of all the models in this edit. And, unless you opt for the three-seater sofa bed which offers a generous almost king-size sleeping area, the smaller options are kitted out with shorter 183cm length mattresses, which could leave long-legged guests a little non-plussed.

Best for the home office

If you're looking for a compact sofa bed to squeeze into a home office/guest bedroom, then we think this smart and contemporary option from Innovation Living could be the one.

It only comes in one width, but the armless design means the 147cm width 2-seater sofa transforms into a sleeping area that offers somewhere in between a double and a king bed's worth of sleeping space. 

That transformation process is also super simple thanks to the brand's... innovative... design which sees the base pull forward, flip up, and then fold flat to create the sleeping surface. Whilst firm, that sleeping area feels sturdy and is nothing a mattress topper can't soften up (although being of Danish manufacture you will need to buy European sizes to get bedding to fit snugly). The sofa also disguises some hidden storage underneath the seat that's useful for stashing away said bedding.

If your access is awkward, then it may be a boon that this sofa bed is delivered flat-packed, although it definitely doesn't slot together as quickly as the Swyft model.

Whilst the lack of arms, firm seat, and limited (yet good) upholstery options mean we don't think it cuts the mustard as a sofa for everyday use, as an option for use in a spare room or home office we think this stylish Scandinavian design has lots going for it.

Best chaise sofa bed

Furniture Village's Cory sofa bed comes in three sizes; a two-seater, three-seater and a generous chaise sofa option that is one of the most comfortable chaise sofa beds we've come across at this price point.

In fact, in all widths, the Cory sofa bed achieves the seemingly impossible – a sofa bed that's barely distinguishable from the dedicated sofa in terms of seat comfort – somewhat of a rarity if you're looking for a multifunctional sofa that will allow you to host guests without compromising on your own comfort if the sleeper sofa is to become your main living room seating.

Having tested a few models in different upholstery options – with both the classic back or scatter back cushion design – we've been impressed by the seat depth that's the perfect compromise between loungey and upright to keep both sitters and curler-uppers content, and the sink-in yet supportive fibre back cushions and fibre-topped foam seat cushions, plus good height armrests.

Our only disappointment was on the upholstery front, with limited options in some fairly thin fabrics which we weren't blown away by, and the lead times are pretty lengthy. However, for the price, this sofa bed remains a good all-rounder, especially if you can snap it up in one of Furniture Village's regular sales.

Best corner sofa bed

A corner sofa bed can be an especially tricky piece of furniture to source, perhaps because if you have the space to fit one into your home, it can sometimes be better to opt for two standalone pieces of furniture – a classic sofa so you can maximise comfort for everyday lounging and a (generally firmer) sofa bed for occasional seating and multifunctionality. 

However, if you want the best of both worlds then a modular corner sofa bed could be the way to go, and Snug's Cloud Sundae seating offers a whole host of configuration options to ensure you can create a sofa layout to best suit your space, whether that's a corner option, an L-shaped, or a U-shaped seating layout.

One of the original sofa-in-a-box pioneers, a Snug sofa also offers plenty of added benefits, from the super-quick next day delivery options, to the incredibly easy-to-assemble flat-packed designs that mean all components are delivered in boxes – particularly useful for getting a large item like a corner sofa into an apartment, or any room with awkward access.

That ease of assembly – no tools are required, and in our tests self-assembly really did take under 10 minutes (read our Snug sofa review for the full lowdown) – also makes for hassle-free disassembly and reassembly if you move home. And, if your room space, family, or budget expands, the modular design makes it easy to add additional sections as your needs dictate.

How to choose the best sofa bed for your home

A sofa bed can be a great multifunctional solution for the living room, guest room, or home office, but we can probably all recall a night spent on a less-than-comfortable sleeper sofa – an experience that can leave us thinking that opting for one of the best air beds on the market instead might be no bad thing.  

Plus, with even the cheapest sofa beds still a significant investment, no one wants to invest in a sofa bed that doesn't actually deliver in either sit or sleep comfort. So how do you get it right?

We've compiled a quick checklist of what to look for when shopping for a sofa bed below, and first up is deciding which type of sofa bed is the right fit for your home.

Sofa beds come in two main designs; those with a pull-out mattress and a concertina bedframe that folds up and is hidden underneath the removable sofa seat cushions, and click-clack models where the sofa seat and backrest themselves fold flat and lock into position (with a click-clack noise) to become the sleeping surface. Each style has its pros and cons, which we've broken down below.

Pull-out sofa beds

THE PROS

• Look the most like a 'normal' sofa
• The bedframe lifts the mattress well away from the floor, so they can be more comfortable for less agile overnight guests
• Tend to have a far wider choice of upholstery options
• Often have matching furniture available (useful if you want a sofa bed to blend in with a larger suite)
• Can be easier to add a mattress protector or mattress topper onto as they tend to have 'regular-sized' sleeping areas
• Often have more bespoke options available, like the choice of mattress or cushion fillings

THE CONS

• Tend to be more expensive
• The backrest and arms of the sofa generally remain in place, which means when unfolded the bed takes up quite a lot of floor space

Click-clack sofa beds

THE PROS

• Often the cheapest options (although the ones that are the most comfortable tend to be on a par price-wise with a pull-out sofa bed)
• Tend to be the most compact options, so they're useful for small spaces
• Often have the shortest lead times if you need quick delivery
• Can be very easy and quick to transform from sofa to bed

THE CONS

• A lot of the cheaper options can be very firm/hard for sitting and sleeping
• Usually have less upholstery options
• The sleeping surface is generally quite low to the ground
• Your guests will be sleeping on the sofa upholstery unless you add a mattress protector – but it can sometimes be harder to get a protector that fits
• Depending on the design, there can be a bit of a gap between the sofa seat and backrest when folded flat

Size

Next up, you need to think about the size of sofa bed you want. It may sound obvious, but it's important to consider how much space a sofa bed is going to take up in its destination room, not just when it's in sofa form, but also when it's extended as a bed. 

Ideally, you want enough room that you can comfortably walk around the sofa bed when its extended, and access all sides easily. Find expert tips on how to measure up for similar furniture in our guide to getting sofa measurements right.

Just like sofas, sofa beds come in a range of sizes, from two and three-seaters to loveseats and even super-compact chair beds if you only need to sleep a single guest at a time. Larger options can harder to source, but there are also chaise and corner sofa beds available if you need something more generous.

Sofa comfort

Nothing beats going to test out a sofa bed in person to see if it's the most comfortable option for you, but knowing your way around the specifications can help you to narrow down your sofa bed search before you hit the shops.

If you're considering a click-clack model, check to see whether springs are mentioned in the product description. Because the seat and backrest of the sofa form both the seat and the bed – with no loose cushions to add comfort – the main frame of the sofa is all you have in terms of cushioning and support. A foam seat and backrest with added pocket springs will give things a little more bounce than those without.

A pull-out sofa bed has a few more variables to consider. First, you want to look for a deep sofa base that offers plenty of room for the mattress and bedframe to fold neatly away and leaves room for generous cushions on top. A high-legged sofa bed is likely to scrimp on cushion depth to make room for the bed, so these tend to feel far harder to sit on.

A pull-out sofa bed may also offer a choice of seat and back cushion fill, or it may just be that different models suit your preferences better. There are four main options to consider:

• Feather seat cushions (when plumped) can offer that deep sink-in feeling that many of us dream of when we picture the perfect sofa. However, that luxuriously soft seat can often be an expensive, short-lived and high-maintenance affair, with the plumped air gradually deflating out of the cushion to leave a rather flattened and hard clump of feathers that needs daily (if not hourly) plumping to look and feel its best. 
• Foam is far more resilient, bouncing back into shape after it's been sat on and requiring very little maintenance which can make for a smarter look. There are different densities of foam so the feel can vary, but generally this is the firmest option; you're likely to feel like you're sat on top of the sofa rather than sinking into it, as such it can be a good option if you prefer plenty of support, and it's usually the cheapest option.
• Fibre is the man-made and vegan-friendly alternative to feather. A fibre cushion is made from hollow-fill polyester fibres that are blown into the seat cushions so that pockets of air are formed which makes for a much softer and more sink-in feel than foam and offers a more 'relaxed' look and feel. As you sit and compress these air pockets the seats will mould to your body shape. This means you will need to plump fairly regularly to maintain the aeration though, and cushions can tend to become a little flatter over time.
• Hybrids offer a keeps-it-shape foam core wrapped with an outer layer of feather or fibre for that sink-in-comfort. In our opinion this option makes for the best all-round choice, offering enough squish-factor whilst still keeping its shape in everyday use.

The construction of the pull-out bed frame will also have an impact on comfort. Some options are constructed from metal frames or wooden slats which may be able to be felt through the seat cushions, others sacrifice a little support at the feet end of the bed frame to swap out the metal base or hard slats for flexible webbing that has more give to it when sat on.

Bed comfort

Of course, we don't just want a sofa bed to be comfortable when we're sitting on it, it also needs to be comfortable as a bed.

On a click-clack sofa bed, then make sure to look out for those springs. A pocket spring seat will also mean a pocket spring sleep surface, which is much more comfortable – and durable – than just pure foam. If it's a click clack option with armrests, then check where the arms will be when the sofa bed is folded flat. Some can be either side of the sleeping area, but other options end up with the arms above the head and feet, which can make for the sleeping space cramped for taller guests. 

For pull-out sofa beds, sleep comfort tends to come down to the mattress type and its thickness. Pull-out sofa bed mattresses tend to range from 6cm to 12cm deep and can come with either a spring, foam, or memory foam mattress construction. 

The deeper the mattress the more comfortable it's likely to be, however, that also means it could be heavier to lift out of the sofa bed frame. That said, this wasn't the case with the deeper mattresses we tested for this guide, as they came with clever cantilever mechanics to reduce the amount of muscle required to extend the bed.

If you're struggling to choose between several less-than-perfect comfort options, then rest assured that adding a mattress topper to any sofa bed will improve comfort levels considerably. And if you don't opt for a mattress topper, we'd recommend sourcing a mattress protector at a minimum to protect the sofa bed's mattress on a pull-out sofa bed or the upholstery on a click-clack sofa bed. When purchasing either you will need to consider the size of the sofa bed's sleeping area though, as the sleeping area of many sofa beds don't tally up with standard bed sizes.

When thinking about sleep comfort, you might also want to double-check the size of the sleeping area size before you buy any sofa bed. 

Very few sofa beds offer the same width and length as a standard mattress, and many 'double' sofa beds are actually very small for two guests to share comfortably, so make sure to read the dimensions carefully so you know what you're getting. 

In this respect, click-clack sofa beds can sometimes offer a larger sleeping space than a pull-out sofa bed is able to.

For comparison, standard UK mattress sizes are listed below. Compare these dimensions to the sleeping area of your chosen sofa bed to see what size sleeping area your guests will be getting. 

• Single mattress: W90 x L190cm
• Small double mattress: W120 x L190cm
• Double mattress: W135 x L190cm
• King mattress: W150 x L200cm

FAQs

How we chose the sofa beds included in this guide

You'll find full details of the Ideal Home review process on our how we test page.

However, to find the best sofa beds at the best prices we’ve walked multiple miles around multiple furniture showrooms and laid down on the job to test out bestselling sofa beds in showrooms across the country and find the best-in-class models for this guide.

We've also grilled the Ideal Home team for their expert knowledge, along with their friends, and their friend’s friends, to find out how their sofa bed choices are holding up to the rigours of day-to-day life. 

Plus, we take into account the wider views of those who own each product, whether that’s via online reviews or social media.