These days, if we’re lucky enough to have a spare room, it usually doubles up as a home office, kids’ playroom, or storage space, rather than a gleaming guest bedroom. Dedicated guest bedroom decor is replaced with computer screens, desk chairs, and piling up cups of coffee. But in the corner, hails the one thing that keeps the balance: the trusty sofa bed – a hardworking, dual-functional piece of furniture that enables you to accommodate overnight guests comfortably, while still keeping your spare room’s double identity as an office.
Sofa beds have, historically, been composed of clunky mechanisms, bumpy seat cushions, and paper-thin mattresses, resulting in furniture that leaves much to be desired. But fortunately for savvy space-savers, sofa beds have evolved, combining shrewd engineering, stylish designs, and even high-tech memory foam mattresses.
Both modern click-clack (or clic clac) styles and more conventional sofa beds have their pros and cons – it’s all down to personal preference and the designated space you have. But, the very best sofa beds prove perfectly comfy in either setup and will withstand everyday use.
With this in mind, I set out to find the best sofa beds you can find in 2025, and tested them to see if they’re worthy of your next guest.
How I tested
I put a range of sofa beds to the test, including click-clack and pull-out styles, looking for that sweet spot that gives you comfort and support in both sofa and bed setups. I weighed up several factors, including:
- Affordability: I tested affordability by comparing a wide range of sofa beds across different price points, checking if lower-cost options still offered good comfort, durability, and features compared to more expensive models.
- Quality: I evaluated quality by inspecting build materials, frame sturdiness, and the ease of converting between sofa and bed. I also tested the sofas by using them daily to see how well they held up under real-life conditions.
- Different upholstery fabrics: I tested various upholstery types to assess their feel, durability, stain resistance, and how easy they were to clean. This helped identify which fabrics work best depending on your needs, like having pets or kids.
- Ease to setup: How easy a sofa bed is to set up or convert makes a big difference in everyday use. I tested each sofa bed by timing how long it took to unfold and fold back, and by checking how intuitive and smooth the mechanism felt.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Ali Howard is an experienced writer and interiors editor, whose passion for great design has landed her bylines in Fabric magazine, Little London, Baby magazine and British GQ. She has regularly contributed interior design content to The Independent since 2019, including review features such as best corner sofas, dining tables, bean bag chairs, and more. When it comes to finding the perfect sofa bed, Ali’s knowledge comes from years of experience, so her reviews are ones to trust.
The best sofa beds for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Dreams Gallway clic clac sofa bed: £899, Dreams.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Benson for Beds Alexa small double sofa bed: £399.99, Bensonsforbeds.co.uk
- Best slim-profile design – Swyft model 02 3-seater sofa bed: £1,919 Swyfthome.com
- Best for style – King Felix studio bed: £2,490, Kingliving.co.uk
- Best for quality craftsmanship – Sofa.com Patrick three-seater sofa bed: £2,420, Sofa.com
10 best mattress toppers for a comfortable night’s sleep
Best duvets 2025, tried and tested for year-round comfort
Best cordless vacuum cleaners, tried and tested in real homes
12 best steam irons that make light work of stubborn creases in your clothes
11 best bedding sets 2025, tested by an expert for the perfect night’s sleep
Dreams Gallway clic-clac sofa bed
Best: Sofa bed overall
Dimensions: H 89cm x W 218cm x D 87cm
Fabric: Velvet-look fabric
Colourways: Grey, green, navy, saffron, orange
Why we love it
- User-friendly mechanisms
- Makes for a comfy sofa and comfy bed
- Clean silhouette
If you’re after a nippy turnaround from sofa to bed, the Gallway, with its user-friendly click-clack mechanism, proves particularly speedy and efficient. Simply unzip and pull out the hidden metal legs at the back, push backrest, lay it flat, and voila – a makeshift double bed in seconds.
This one is a comfy sofa and a comfy bed in equal measure, meaning it can absolutely be used as a main settee – yet you have the versatility of an extra guest bed when you need it. Mid-century in design, the sofa bed is elevated off the floor with tapered wooden legs. Despite its bulk (think firm and supportive deep cushioning), it boasts a clean silhouette.
The sofa bed comes in a small range of plush velvet-like fabrics, while decorative details include smart buttoning at the back and curvy armrests. It’s a quality mid-priced buy.
Buy now £899.00, Dreams.co.uk
Bensons for Beds Alexa small double sofa bed
Best: Budget sofa bed
Dimensions: H 83cm x W 122cm x D 89cm/191 cm
Fabrics: Velevet
Colourways: Cobalt blue, emerald green, metallic grey
Why we love it
- Perfect for small spaces
- Unfolds easily
Take note
- Without armrests, it’s not as cosy as other models
If there were a prize for the quickest turnaround when it comes to transforming a couch into a bed, this would be a contender. Futon-like in design, the sofa bed boasts a simple fold-out function, which proves a godsend for late nights when all your guests want to do is crash. Just unfurl it and pull out the hidden metal legs.
In its bed configuration, the Alexa measures up as a small double, making it perfectly compact and suited to smaller spaces, loft rooms, and indeed spare rooms that won’t quite fit a standard double bed.
The Alexa boasts a plush velvet upholstery fabric that’s soft to the touch yet reliably hardwearing and durable. I love the addition of the matching back cushions – which, rather handily, double up as comfy pillows.
Buy now £399.99, Bensonsforbeds.co.uk
Swyft model 02 three-seater sofa bed
Best: Slim-profile sofa bed
Dimensions: H 83cm x W 207cm x D 91cm/135cm
Fabric: Velvet, linen, boucle, faux leather, eco-velvet, chenille, mottled velvet
Colourways: 26
Why we love it
- Top quality
- Stylish design
- Arrives in manageable boxes
Take note
- This one isn’t cheap
There’s no denying sofa beds can be cumbersome things, which is why Swyft’s newly transformable model 02 caught my eye. The low-sitting 02 is the sofa-in-a-box brand’s bestseller, for obvious reasons: it is a wholly stylish affair with design roots in mid-century modern. It boasts a wide comfy seat; firm but suitably slouchy back cushions; and a slimline frame that makes it compact enough for tight spaces. You wouldn’t know this one’s a sofa bed at all, with its uninterrupted, angular lines.
Like any click clack sofa bed worth its salt, the 02 can lie flat in a matter of seconds. With the addition of hidden metal legs, the seat cushion becomes the mattress, while the back of the sofa is pushed down to make up the remaining surface area. As with all of Swyft’s offerings, the sofa bed comes in a range of highly durable and stain-resistant fabrics, but you do get a smart mattress topper to go with this one, too. It may be slim, but it is surprisingly comfy, both as a sofa and a bed.
Buy now £1699.00, Swyfthome.com
Sofa.com Patrick three-seater sofa bed
Best: Sofa bed for quality
Dimensions: H 76cm x W 214cm x D 111cm
Fabric: 18 options
Colourways: 88 options
Why we love it
- Beautifully crafted
- Timeless design
- Huge choice of upholstery fabrics available
Take note
- This piece is handmade to order, with a wait time of four to six weeks
A Chesterfield-inspired sofa bed, the Patrick features the classic deep buttoning, low backrest, scroll arms and decorative turned wooden feet. Underneath its plush cushioning is a supportive and springy bed, which easily folds out via a lightweight metal frame that doesn’t lie too low within the structure of the sofa, yet allows the sleeper to feel cosy and cocooned.
This is a brand with a proven track record when it comes to quality. Like all of Sofa.com’s handcrafted seating offerings, the Patrick comes in a huge range of fabric choices, too. Think eye-popping bright velvets, silky jacquard weaves in earthy tones, soft leathers from light to dark, or the new texture-rich bubble velvet, as well as a choice of English oak or darker mahogany feet.
Available as a two-, three-, and a handy two-and-a-half-seater, the sofa bed proves a versatile number. This is a beautifully made piece that, until it’s opened up, doesn’t look like a sofa bed at all.
Buy now £2420.00, Sofa.com
King Felix studio bed
Best: Sofa bed for style
Dimensions: H 64cm x W 215cm x D 105cm
Fabric: 24 fabric options and three leather
Colourways: 166 options
Why we love it
- Ingenious design
- Compact
- Transforms into a bed easily
Take note
- Low sitting, so not ideal for older guests
The most bed-like piece in our review is also the most sculptural and design-led – with a price tag to suit. Like a contemporary day bed, there’s not much shifting around needed to swiftly turn your settee into a bed – simply remove the cushions and pull out the seat to extend (or rather glide it out, with its integrated TouchGlide technology).
As comfy as it looks, the low-sitting sofa bed boasts a wonderfully deep tufted seat cushion with an equally supportive backrest to match. It is crafted with an engineered steel frame and boasts innovative springs and the brand’s own Postureflex seating system for comfort and support.
The Felix’s added luxuries include smart pockets to use with LED reading lights, swivel tables or charge tables, keeping unsightly leads out of sight, so as not to interrupt those clean, contemporary lines. This one’s not cheap but it is a modern beauty.
Buy now £2490.00, Kingliving.co.uk
Furl Paris sofa bed, large four-seater
Best: Sofa bed for a bespoke design
Dimensions: H 76cm x W 200cm x D 96cm
Fabric: 13 options
Colourways: 200+ options
Why we love it
- Top quality craftsmanship
- Choice of three mattress types
Take note
- Pricey
The luxurious Paris sofa bed ranges in size from an armchair all the way up to an expansive five-seater, making it one versatile furniture piece. It’s up to you whether you want to keep it compact to save on space or go extra-large for a sprawling, family-friendly settee that transforms into a true-to-size super-king bed (your overnight guests will love you).
There’s a choice of three mattresses: pocket sprung, memory foam, or reflex. Meanwhile, upholstery fabrics range from leathers to wools to easy-clean velvet – in fact, you can even choose your own material if you’ve got designs on a particular colour or pattern. Stylish add-ons include headrests, footstools, bolster cushions and nifty side pockets, making this made-to-order piece practically bespoke.
Timeless in shape with its slimline silhouette, gently curved armrests and high, tapered legs, this high-seated sofa bed is as elegant as it is practical. Even in its vast five-seater configuration, the steel mechanism allows you to open it up in one smooth motion.
Buy now £3539.00, Furl.co.uk
Cocoon Ashley corner sofa bed
Best: King-size sofa bed
Dimensions: H 94cm x W 200cm x D 150cm
Fabric: Micro suede, micro cloth, micro weave, micro velvet and custom
Colourways: 33 colours, plus custom options
Why we love it
- Boasts a fully integrated pocket-sprung mattress
- Transforms into a king-size bed
- Nifty modular system
Contemporary and pleasingly boxy in design, this is another dual-function furniture piece you wouldn’t know transforms into an inviting bed – the way it does so is quite the feat of engineering.
For the ultimate in comfort for your overnight guests, this sofa becomes a king-size bed in a jiffy, with a simple pull-out section, while the back of the sofa comes forward and lies flat, to give you a generous surface area. What I loved most about the Ashley is the way I can store the back cushions within the frame of the bed, including the ottoman section, keeping the living room free from clutter. What’s more, the side cushions double up as handy pillows.
As a corner sofa, this one is cosy, sociable and super comfy – choose left- or right-hand configurations, depending on your space. As a bed, it is a dream – guests can spread out in style, and they’ll thank you for it.
Buy now £1675.00, Cocoonsleeping.com
Your questions about sofa beds answered
What is the best sofa bed?
Dreams’ Gallway three-seater is a great buy if you’re after a sofa bed that’s going to take a lot of use, both as your main settee and as a makeshift guest bed. It proves equally comfortable, firm and supportive in both configurations. Mid-century in style, its tall wooden legs give it a decent seat height, while cleverly offsetting its bulky body.
I was also impressed with Bensons for Beds’ Alexa small double sofa bed, for a stylish but affordable buy. It is sized to fit smaller spaces but will still happily sleep two.
Want more recommendations? Lounge in style, with our pick of the best corner sofas
