Best Budget Anti-Snoring Devices Under £20

You don't need to spend a fortune to get a better night's sleep. Some of the most useful anti-snoring products cost less than a round of coffees, though it helps to know which ones are worth trying first.

Snoring happens when the soft tissues at the back of your throat vibrate as air passes over them, usually because they've relaxed or narrowed. Budget devices tend to tackle one of two things: keeping your airway open, or keeping your mouth closed so you breathe through your nose instead. Neither approach suits everyone, which is why it's worth understanding what you're actually buying before you hand over your £20 note.

Nasal strips: the cheapest place to start

Nasal strips are small adhesive strips that sit across the bridge of your nose and gently pull the nostrils open. They're inexpensive, sold in packs, and widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies.

They work best if your snoring is linked to nasal congestion, a mild deviated septum, or simply narrow nostrils. If you've noticed you snore more with a cold or during hay fever season, strips are a sensible first thing to try. They do nothing for snoring caused by your tongue or throat, so if you're a confirmed mouth-breather with a floppy soft palate, don't expect miracles.

For a closer look at the different types and how to fit them properly, see our Best Nasal Strips for Snoring, Reviewed.

Mouth tape: cheap, divisive, and not for everyone

Mouth tape is a strip of gentle, skin-safe tape placed over the lips at night to encourage nasal breathing. It's had a surge of popularity online, and a roll typically costs well under £20.

The theory is sound in principle: nasal breathing is generally quieter and more efficient than mouth breathing. In practice, it only helps if your nose is clear enough to breathe through comfortably. If you have a blocked nose, taping your mouth shut is uncomfortable at best and unsafe at worst.

Who should avoid it

• Anyone with hay fever, a cold, or chronic nasal congestion
• People who've been told they may have sleep apnoea
• Anyone who feels anxious or claustrophobic at the thought of it

If you're curious, our Best Mouth Tape for Snoring, Reviewed guide goes into the different products, how to trial it safely, and gentler alternatives like chin straps.

Basic tongue-stabilising devices

Tongue-stabilising devices, often called TSDs, are small mouthpieces that use gentle suction to hold your tongue slightly forward, stopping it falling back and blocking your airway. Basic versions can sometimes be found under or around the £20 mark, though many better-made ones cost more.

They're worth considering if your partner has noticed your snoring is worse when you sleep on your back, or if you know your tongue tends to fall back in your sleep. They don't require any custom fitting, which is part of the appeal at this price point. The trade-off is comfort: some people find the suction sensation odd for the first few nights, and cheaper models can feel bulky.

What you generally can't get for under £20

It's worth being honest here. Proper mandibular advancement devices, the mouthguard-style devices that gently bring your lower jaw forward to open the airway, almost never come in at this price if they're any good. The ones that do tend to be one-size, poorly fitted, and either fall out overnight or feel unbearable to wear.

Boil-and-bite MADs that are properly moulded to your teeth, adjustable, and made from medical-grade materials usually sit well above £20. If snoring is a persistent problem for you, it's worth reading our full Best Anti-Snoring Devices in the UK: Full Comparison before assuming the cheapest option will do.

The £0 option: track it first

Before spending anything, it's genuinely useful to record your snoring for a few nights using a free or low-cost app such as SnoreLab. This won't stop the snoring, but it tells you how loud and frequent it is, and whether it changes with sleeping position, alcohol, or congestion. That information helps you choose the right cheap device rather than guessing.

For instance, if the recordings show snoring mainly happens on your back, a positional aid or tongue-stabilising device makes more sense than a nasal strip. If it's worse after a heavy cold, nasal strips or a saline rinse might be all you need.

Sensible expectations for budget devices

Cheap devices can genuinely help with mild, occasional snoring, particularly when it's linked to a clear cause like congestion or sleeping position. They're a reasonable, low-risk place to start.

What they won't do is fix snoring caused by excess weight around the neck, alcohol before bed, or an underlying issue like sleep apnoea. If a £15 nasal strip hasn't touched your snoring after a couple of weeks, that's useful information too, it suggests the cause sits further back in the airway, and a proper mandibular advancement device or a GP assessment is the next sensible step.

When to see a GP

No device from any price bracket is a substitute for medical advice if your symptoms suggest something more serious. Please see your GP if you or your partner notice:

• Loud snoring accompanied by gasping or choking sounds
• Pauses in breathing during sleep
• Persistent daytime exhaustion, even after a full night's sleep

These can be signs of obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition that needs proper diagnosis rather than a shop-bought fix.

The bottom line

Under £20, nasal strips and basic tongue-stabilising devices offer the best chance of a genuine, noticeable improvement, provided they match the actual cause of your snoring. Mouth tape can help too, but only if your nose is clear. If you want the full picture, including where slightly higher spending genuinely buys you a better night's sleep, browse our complete reviews hub for comparisons across every price point.