The Best Platform Bed Frames Under $600 of 2025
Top pick
Why it’s great
It won’t wiggle or wobble when you settle into bed. The popular KD Frames Nomad Platform Bed features two sets of slats that form something akin to a rib cage, and none of the other frames we tested offered this weight-bearing design. With 16 beefy, 2-by-1-inch hardwood planks on each side, it can hold up to 600 pounds. Between each slat there’s just a small, 2.8-inch gap, which contributes to the bed’s strength. Add up those specifications, and you have a 68-pound platform bed frame that one tester said could withstand “energetic jump-ons and 190-pound body slams” with confident indifference.
You can customize it by staining the wood. The Nomad is a great choice for DIY enthusiasts who want a customized look. The blond wood is nice on its own, but it also takes stain or paint well, giving you the option of personalizing your frame. The straightforward silhouette also lends itself to whatever creative design you may come up with. Without any treatment, the frame over time will patina slightly in direct sunlight.
It has plenty of room for storage underneath. This bed frame is taller than any other frame we recommend: It’s 15 inches high, with 11.5 inches of clearance. This means you’ll have a little more storage space underneath it than with other beds we recommend here, and KD Frames also sells a replacement set of 18-inch legs (about $30), which raise the clearance to 14.5 inches. At either height, you get plenty of room for storage bins, which is a perk for anyone looking to take advantage of space under the bed.
For matching under-bed storage, KD Frames sells rolling drawers that are outfitted with wheels for smooth and easy access (and they work with the Nomad). If you regularly host guests and sometimes need room for one more, a Roll-Away Trundle Bed twin frame adds a hideaway bed underneath.
One of our long-term testers reports that the bed is holding up perfectly after several years of use, and she especially appreciates that because it has only four legs, sliding the under-bed storage in and out is easy.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- The bare wood of this model is susceptible to nicks, cuts, pen marks, cat claws, and other household agents of destruction.
- We’ve found this frame’s availability to be somewhat inconsistent, but the company has always been communicative and honest about timing, which is why we’ll continue to recommend this bed.
- The Nomad is made of heavier hardwood, so it requires more effort to assemble than some lighter-weight softwood or veneer beds we tried in this price category. It also ships with a lot of pieces, so although the instructions were clearly laid out and assembly was straightforward, there were dozens more slats, sides, and pieces of hardware to keep track of in comparison with our other picks.
