Is a headboard the same as a bed frame?

A bed frame is the metal railing that surrounds the perimeter of the bed. The bed frame is the wooden(usually) board for decoration at head. Frames themselves are empty space in the middle, so they can't support a mattress without a box spring. You can build support relatively inexpensively by cutting two pieces of plywood the height of mattress from floor, then cutting a 3/4 inch slit halfway through each, and sliding them together. I've done this, then topped with another piece of plywood on top the size of mattress. Hope this helps. Any furniture store should have frame for about 50-60 bucks