Best Sleeper Sofas

The short answer

• You sit on it daily and guests stay a few times a year: a pull-out sleeper sofa.
• Small room, occasional guests, tight budget: a click-clack sofa bed.
• It is your bed every night in a studio: a futon sofa bed.

Measure open, not closed

A sofa bed's closed size tells you if it fits the room by day. Its opened length tells you if it fits at night. Measure both, plus room to walk around the bed, and remember delivery: sleepers are heavy and bulky, so check the route in with how to measure for a sofa.

Side by side

Where they differ

Sleeping comfort

A pull-out sleeper has a separate folding mattress, which is better for sleep than seat cushions, though thin mattresses and bars underneath are common complaints. A click-clack puts you on the seat cushions laid flat. A futon's mattress is designed for sleeping.

Sitting comfort

Pull-outs sit most like a normal sofa. Click-clacks are often firm. Futons are firm too, and the seat can feel deep.

Opened size and space

Pull-outs project furthest from the wall when open. Click-clacks and futons open roughly to their own depth plus the back, so they need less space, but you need room behind for the back to drop.

Weight

Pull-outs are the heaviest, with a metal frame inside. Click-clacks are light.

The picks in detail

If you never need a bed, an ordinary sofa sits better and costs less; see best small apartment sofas.

Mistakes to avoid

• Not checking the opened length.
• Nowhere to put the cushions when a pull-out is open.
• Expecting a guest sofa bed to be an everyday bed.
• Ignoring the mattress. Many pull-outs allow a mattress upgrade; it is often worth it.

Making a sofa bed comfortable for guests

• Add a mattress topper. A thin foam topper, rolled and stored when not in use, makes most pull-outs and click-clacks far more comfortable.
• Use proper bedding, not throws: a fitted sheet, a duvet and real pillows.
• Open it before guests arrive to check the mechanism and air the mattress.
• Clear space around it for a bag and a route to the bathroom at night.
• Provide a lamp they can reach from the bed.

Looking after it

Open and close the mechanism gently and never sit on the end of an opened pull-out, which strains the frame. Vacuum the mattress and the space under the seat cushions now and then. If the mechanism sticks, check for objects caught in it before forcing it.

Measure for both shapes

Measure the room with the sofa closed and opened. A pull-out bed can project well over a metre from the back of the sofa, so check that the opened bed does not block a door or the route to the bathroom. Measure the delivery route too, including stair turns and doorways.

Try before you buy

If you can, try both sitting and lying on it in a shop.

Which should you choose?

Decide whether it is mainly a sofa or mainly a bed. Mainly a sofa: pull-out. Mainly a bed: futon. Neither, and space is tight: click-clack. For planning the room around it, see studio apartment layout ideas and the small space furniture buying guide.

How we chose

These are research-based recommendations: we compared published specifications, maker documentation and the features that matter in a small home. We have not tested them hands-on. Most picks are types of product rather than single models, so the buttons open the retailer's results; compare a few listings before you buy, in your own country's store.