Ashley Furniture operates primarily as a manufacturer and retailer, offering its own brand of affordable, on-trend furniture through a vast network of showrooms and its website. In contrast, Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) is a massive, multi-category retailer that sells furniture from numerous brands alongside electronics, flooring, and appliances, focusing on a one-stop-shop superstore experience.
Let's compare these two furniture giants to help you decide which is the right store for your home.
Ashley Furniture: The Affordable & Accessible Option
Ashley Furniture is one of North America's largest furniture manufacturers, recognized for its trendy designs and budget-friendly prices. Catering primarily to first-time homeowners, renters, and families, Ashley provides stylish pieces that align with current interior design trends without a high-end price tag. Their business model revolves around volume and accessibility, making them a fixture in retail parks and online searches across the country.
- Product mix: Sells exclusively Ashley-branded home furnishings, including sofas, bedroom sets, dining tables, home office desks, outdoor furniture, and decor.
- Style/vibe: Focuses on casual, contemporary, and popular transitional styles. You'll find a lot of modern farmhouse, industrial, and minimalist-inspired collections.
- Price point: Aimed at the budget-conscious consumer. Sofas often start around $399, dining sets can be found for under $500, and complete bedroom sets often sell for less than $1,500.
- Quality: Quality is consistent with the lower price point. Most pieces are constructed with engineered wood, veneers, and particleboard. Upholstery often uses durable but basic fabrics like polyester blends and foam cushions.
- Shopping Experience: Primarily an online and dedicated showroom experience. Their website is easy to navigate, and showrooms offer a direct look at their product lines.
- Sales: Known for frequent promotions and sales events, especially around holidays, making their already low prices even more competitive.
- Delivery & Assembly: Offers standard delivery and in-home assembly for an additional fee. Many smaller items can be shipped directly for self-assembly.
Ashley Furniture excels at delivering current styles at mass-market prices, making it a great destination for anyone needing to furnish a space quickly and affordably.
Shop Ashley Furniture: ashleyfurniture.com
Nebraska Furniture Mart: The One-Stop Superstore
Owned by Berkshire Hathaway, Nebraska Furniture Mart is a home furnishings institution, famous for its enormous physical stores that act as one-stop shops for the entire home. NFM is a retailer, not a manufacturer, meaning they sell products from a wide variety of brands, including Ashley Furniture itself. Their core appeal is a vast selection, competitive pricing, and the ability for customers to see and try products in person before buying, from sofas to refrigerators.
- Product mix: Extremely broad. NFM offers home furniture, mattresses, outdoor sets, major appliances, electronics, flooring, and more from dozens of different brands.
- Style/vibe: Highly diverse. Because they carry multiple brands, NFM's selection includes everything from traditional and classic designs to modern, transitional, and contemporary looks.
- Price point: Ranges from entry-level to mid-range and higher-end. Sofas start around $499 but can go well into the thousands, while bedroom sets range from $1,000 to $3,000+. They emphasize competitive pricing and offer a price-match guarantee.
- Quality: Varies significantly by brand and price. You can find basic engineered wood pieces alongside durable, solid-wood furniture with premium fabric and leather upholstery all in the same store.
- Shopping Experience: Centered on the huge, immersive showroom. The "see it, touch it, take it home today" model is a key advantage, supported by a knowledgeable sales staff. Their online store also offers a broad catalog.
- Sales: Regular sales events and a "Lowest Price Guarantee" on products. They also host large clearance events at their physical locations.
- Delivery & Assembly: Comprehensive delivery, installation for appliances, and assembly services are available. They also have extensive options for customers to pick up sizable items directly from the store.
Nebraska Furniture Mart is the perfect choice for shoppers who want to see a huge variety of options in person and potentially furnish their entire home from a single store.
Shop Nebraska Furniture Mart: nfm.com
Ashley Furniture vs. Nebraska Furniture Mart Comparison
Price Comparison
Ashley Furniture generally positions itself as more budget-friendly. With frequent promotions and a focus on entry-level pricing (like sofas under $400), it's often the cheaper alternative for a single purchase. Their business model is built around making stylish furniture as affordable as possible.
Nebraska Furniture Mart is highly competitive on price and offers a price-match guarantee, but its average price point is slightly higher due to carrying a wider range of mid-tier brands. While you can find budget pieces, NFM also offers more expensive, higher-quality options, placing its overall product mix in a slightly different category. The real value comes from bundling purchases across a wide range of products.
Style & Aesthetic
Ashley Furniture focuses heavily on what's popular right now. Their collections are filled with the modern farmhouse, industrial, and casual contemporary pieces you see trending on social media. While versatile in a modern context, their aesthetic is somewhat limited compared to a multi-brand retailer.
Nebraska Furniture Mart, by nature of its business model, offers a much broader spectrum of styles. Shoppers can find everything from formal, traditional dining sets and ornate bedroom frames to sleek, minimalist sectionals. This diversity caters to a wider audience with varying tastes, from classic to ultra-modern.
Quality & Construction
The quality at Ashley Furniture is generally consistent across its brand: functional and stylish for its price, but not designed as heirloom furniture. Most items utilize engineered wood, pine solids, and polyester-blend fabrics. It’s well-suited for everyday use in a non-demanding environment but may show wear more quickly than pricier alternatives.
At NFM, you get a full spectrum of quality. You can find furniture made with particleboard right next to pieces constructed from solid oak with high-density foam cushions and performance-fabric upholstery. This allows shoppers to make a direct trade-off between price and durability and choose the construction quality that best fits their budget and needs.
Product Selection
The distinction here is simple: Ashley sells Ashley Furniture. Their selection is deep within their own product lines, covering every room of the home. However, every item carries the Ashley brand.
Nebraska Furniture Mart’s selection is immense. They are a retailer for dozens of furniture brands - including Ashley - plus a full range of electronics, appliances, and flooring options. If your goal is to buy a sofa, a TV, a washer/dryer, and new carpet in one trip, NFM is one of the few places you can do that.
Shopping Experience
Shopping at Ashley is a straightforward retail experience, available online or in one of their many standardized showrooms. It’s convenient and predictable. You know what you're getting, and their website is user-friendly for remote shopping.
The Nebraska Furniture Mart shopping experience is the opposite: it's an event. Their physical stores are enormous, designed to be explored for hours. The ability to sit on 50 different sofas or compare 20 washing machines side-by-side provides a tactile advantage that online-first retailers can't match. This appeals to shoppers who want to physically interact with products before committing.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both retailers offer compelling value, but they serve very different shopping preferences and priorities.
Choose Ashley Furniture if:
- You're furnishing on a tight budget and want the most style for your money.
- You're a fan of current trends like modern farmhouse or industrial looks.
- You prefer a convenient online shopping experience with predictable product lines.
- You're furnishing a first home, apartment, or a space where long-term durability is not the primary concern.
Choose Nebraska Furniture Mart if:
- You want to see, touch, and test a wide variety of brands and styles in person.
- You are making purchases for multiple areas of your home (e.g., furniture, electronics, and appliances) and want the convenience of a one-stop shop.
- You value a broader selection of quality levels, from budget-friendly to more durable, long-lasting pieces.
- You want the assurance of a price-match guarantee and enjoy an immersive, in-store shopping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ashley Furniture or Nebraska Furniture Mart cheaper?
At the entry level, Ashley Furniture is typically cheaper, with sofas and bedroom sets often available at lower starting prices. However, Nebraska Furniture Mart offers a price-match guarantee, so on identical items (including Ashley furniture that they both carry), prices may be equivalent.
Which brand has better quality furniture?
Nebraska Furniture Mart offers a wider range of quality. While they sell budget furniture similar to Ashley's, they also carry many mid-range and higher-quality brands that use more durable materials like solid wood and premium upholstery. If your priority is finding higher-quality options, NFM has a better selection.
What is the main difference between Ashley Furniture and NFM?
The main difference is their business model. Ashley Furniture is a manufacturer that sells its own branded products directly to consumers. Nebraska Furniture Mart is a giant retailer that sells products from a massive variety of different brands across multiple home categories.
Does Nebraska Furniture Mart only sell furniture?
No, NFM is a true "home" store. They have enormous sections dedicated to furniture, mattresses, electronics (TVs, computers, audio), home appliances (refrigerators, washers), and flooring (carpet, tile, wood).
Can you shop at Nebraska Furniture Mart online?
Yes, NFM has a comprehensive e-commerce website where you can browse and purchase items from their vast inventory. However, the brand is most famous for its immense physical showrooms in locations like Omaha, Kansas City, and Dallas.
Which store is better for families?
Nebraska Furniture Mart may be a better choice for families who need durable, long-lasting pieces. Their wide selection includes furniture made with solid woods and performance fabrics specifically designed to withstand the rigors of family life.
Do both stores offer financing?
Yes, both Ashley Furniture and Nebraska Furniture Mart offer financing options and store credit cards to help customers pay for large purchases over time.
Do they sell the same brands?
As a retailer, Nebraska Furniture Mart actually sells furniture from various manufacturers, which often includes select collections from Ashley Furniture. This means you may find some of the same products at both stores.
At Interior Insider, we're dedicated to curating the best in home decor, interior design, and home essentials to help you discover brands we think you'll love. Every brand we feature is independently selected by our editorial team based on quality, design, and craftsmanship. When you make a purchase through our links, Interior Insider may earn a commission - which helps support our small team and allows us to continue bringing you inspiration and expert advice for creating your perfect space.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore our curated design guides to find your next favorite piece.
