If you need to provide an extra sleeping space in your home for guests but are unsure how to proceed, you have a couple of options to consider. The two most popular choices are a sofa bed and a futon bed. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons of Sofa Beds vs Futon Beds

We’ll start with the classic sofa bed, also known as a hide-a-bed in days gone by.

Sofa Pros

Sofa beds have come a long way from the clunky, tacky, scratchy contraptions that live in the basement. These days, beds can be tucked inside a modern, stylish sofa, and they come equipped with a comfortable and high quality mattress. This is probably the biggest advantage — most mattresses in newer sofa beds are actually comfortable to sleep on.

They also are great if you often have guests but no guest room. If your living room is the only place to accommodate your company, but you don’t want to sacrifice the aesthetic of your room, a sofa bed is a great choice.

Sofa Cons

Good quality sofa beds can be expensive, especially if you want one that is sleek, easy to unfold and that comes with a good mattress. They also require some agility and strength to unfold and set up. And even though sofa beds are not as heavy as they once were, they are still much heavier than a regular sofa.

Now let’s look at futon beds, the easy to use, one-stop bed.

Futon Pros

Futon beds have also come a long way and though this piece of furniture might once have been commonly associated with college dorm rooms, designs today can be modern and sleek, especially if you prefer a minimal look.

These beds are very easy to convert from sitting to sleeping, and can even come with high density foam mattresses that are comfortable for both functions. They are an affordable piece of furniture and are versatile, usually you can change the slip cover and switch up some throw pillows to quickly freshen up the feel of your room.

They are also great for a spare room that also functions as an office or other use, since futon beds take up less room than a sofa.

Futon Cons

Futon beds don’t have the same level of elegance or quality that a sofa can bring to a room. It’s hard to disguise the fact that it’s a futon, and they are often associated with “budget” furnishings, so they might not fit everyone’s aesthetic.

They can also be less than comfortable, especially when they are lower quality and have a thin mattress. They might wear down more quickly requiring an extra mattress topper if it is going to get a lot of use.

At the end of the day, what you choose will depend on factors like your budget, room size, style and space available. We recommend that whichever your choose, you still invest in a quality mattress that allows for a good rest.

If you’re looking for a guest bed, have you considered a Cube Bed also commonly referred to as a Cabinet Bed?