Photo: Courtesy of Wayfair.

There’s a peculiar guilt that lingers after relegating a visitor to a night’s sleep on the couch. Perhaps it’s because we’re abandoning them to a few feet of cushions while we retreat to our mattresses for sleepy time. For the noble among us, there is always letting the guest claim the real bed, which means we, not the visitors, are cursed to toss and turn in the living room. It’s a lose-lose, but before you devote hours of therapy to eradicating your guilt, we have a more affordable option: an under-$500 sleeper sofa or sofa bed.

It was a tough task, but we prevailed and found 12 top-rated sleeper sofas and sofa beds going for less than $500. What’s the difference between the two? Sleeper sofas have hidden mattresses, while sofa beds resemble futons and simply fold down. Neither will fully replace a mattress, but both will give guests way more room to spread out comfortably and let you sleep guilt-free in your regular bed.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect sleeper sofa for plus-sized friends or a faux-leather sofa bed dressed to impress guests, the following picks are in budget, reviewer-approved, and made to be slept on (literally, not metaphorically). Scroll on for cozy convertible sofas, four-in-one beds, pull-out mattresses, and more multi-functional furniture finds for your home.

All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission.

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