Futon Pros

Fun futon

Double use:  The futon and mattress provides utmost flexibility for a home, office, apartment or dorm.  The main thing is that it can be used as a couch or a bed anytime the person chooses.  In the daytime, the futon can be converted into a wonderful couch.  Add a few pillows and a throw and the futon becomes a great accessory to decorate a room and for sitting and relaxing.  At night, open up the futon and the mattress becomes a great bed.  The size of the bed is larger than what is used to sit on.  Therefore, if you have guests, the futon becomes a much better bed than a couch.  Also, since the futon can open up, oftentimes, the futon mattress bed can fit more than one person.

More space:  Because the futon can be folded up, it is perfect for anyone with a smaller room.  The compactness of a futon allows you to put it in the room as a couch, but convert it into a bed at anytime.  Futons tend to be more compact than couches of similar sizes.

Price:  Futons tend to be much cheaper than couches or beds.  You can sometimes get a futon for half the price or even less versus a couch or bed.  Therefore, the futon is not as big of an investment.  If you don’t have as much money or don’t want to spend as much, consider buying a futon.

Moving a futon

Easier to move:  Futons are easier to move because you can take them apart.  You can move the futon frame and then the futon mattress separately.  The frame becomes much lighter without the mattress.  The mattress becomes much easier to move around without the futon.

Easy décor change:  The futon is a great item to easily decorate.  Countless futon covers are sold and the covers fit well.  Unlike a couch that comes in a specific color, you choose your futon cover and can choose the accent pillows as well.

Futon cons:

Mattress is not as comfortable:  The futon mattress is usually not as durable as a bed or couch since you haven’t paid as much.  Therefore, it is oftentimes not as comfortable or soft unless you buy a high quality futon mattress.  

Uncomfortable futon bed

Not a bed:  The futon is not a traditional bed, therefore, it does not sleep as well unless that mattress is an innerspring mattress.  Even then, a mattress bed usually has a box spring and is not made to be flexible.  A futon mattress usually has to be flexible so it can be made into a couch.  Because of this, and the fact that you tend to open and close it to become a bed or couch, the futon mattress experiences more wear and tear.  In the long-term, it tends not to be as good as having a traditional bed.

Hard to open and close:  Although the futon provides a lot of flexibility, it tends to be hard to open or close, especially for young children or people who are not as strong.  If the futon is larger, it requires 2 people to open and close it.

Frame is hard:  Unlike a couch, the futon frame is hard.  The couch has soft arms that you can lean on.  The futon frame has to act as a bed and couch.  It has to support the mattress differently.  The arms are not soft since it needs to open.