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The Spruce / Lecia Landis
Tried-and-true innerspring mattresses feature a supportive coil system, often with a layer of fabric cushioning, and more often today, you'll find hybrid models with foam on top. Innerspring mattresses tend to be firmer and bouncier than other mattress types, making them a great choice for sleepers who want a mattress that responds to their tossing and turning.
To help you find the perfect options, we researched and tested today's best-selling innerspring models. We took a close look at the materials used, the level of support and cushioning provided, any certifications or sustainable practices used, and how each mattress performed firsthand to offer a comfortable sleeping surface with just the right amount of firmness for sleepers who move often.
Best Overall
Boll & Branch The Mattress
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Boll & Branch
2,000 micro-coils
Supportive, yet soft
Temperature-regulating
Isolates movement
Expensive
Coils make some noise
Boll & Branch offers one mattress and one mattress only—because it's that good. The Mattress earned a 4.8 out of 5 overall score during our home testing. We loved the supportive yet soft design and luxuriously comfortable wool shell. We also appreciated its temperature-regulating layers, which kept us comfortable all night. Thanks to multiple layers of naturally breathable, moisture-wicking, and temperature-regulating materials, like wool and graphite-infused latex, we fell asleep and stayed asleep more easily.
Unlike the innerspring mattresses of decades past, this one boasts individually wrapped foundation coils, plus over 2,000 encased micro-coils to offer full-body support and isolate movement. In our testing, we found that the springs do a great job preventing motion transfer; however, we also noted that they make a little noise when climbing on the bed and with excessive movement. The natural latex and graphite-infused latex layers are both natural foam alternatives to the popular memory foam models from mattress-in-a-box brands.
Coils on the head and foot of the mattress offer greater support for your neck, shoulders, ankles, and feet, while larger coils offer firm support along your back. The Mattress is hand-assembled from ethically sourced, sustainable materials and backed by a ten-year warranty. Boll & Branch offers a 100-night sleep trial so you can be sure The Mattress is the right fit for you. While the price is pretty steep, we think this mattress' construction, quality, and comfort make it a worthy investment.
Price at time of publish: $1,900 for Twin
Material: Steel coils, wool-poly blend, graphite-infused latex | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal. king | Thickness: 13.5 inches | Warranty: 10 years
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The Spruce / Cheyenne Elwell
Best Budget
Swiss Ortho Sleep Encased Coil Pocket Spring Contour Mattress
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Amazon
Isolates movement
Compressed packaging
Bamboo shell
No twin XL size
Must fully expand before sleeping on it
Looking for something a little easier on your bank account? Check out the Swiss Ortho Sleep Encased Coil Pocket Spring Contour Mattress. It's 12 inches thick (a 10-inch thickness is also available) with a foundation of individually wrapped pocket springs, offering support and stability, while isolating movement. You'll no longer have to worry about disturbing your sleeping partner when you climb in bed. The springs also offer edge support, which prevents you from feeling like you could roll off the bed.
The upper layers consist of a cotton pad, 1-inch-thick wave foam, half an inch of memory foam, and bamboo fabric. As an inherently breathable material with natural temperature-regulating abilities, the bamboo helps you stay at a comfy temperature throughout the night. While it's unavailable in a twin XL size, unlike many other innerspring models, this mattress comes in compressed packaging, making it easier to move into your room of choice. However, you will have to allow this mattress to fully expand for up to 72 hours before you can sleep on it. Most mattresses that come in a box are ready to go in just 24 hours, but don't be surprised if you notice more expansion after that period.
Price at time of publish: $330 for 12-inch Queen
Material: Coils, foam, cotton, memory foam, bamboo fabric | Sizes: Twin, full, queen, king, Cal king | Thickness: 12 inches | Warranty: 10 years
Best Splurge
Stearns & Foster Lux Estate Cassatt Mattress
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Potterybarn
Ventilated coil system
Adaptive support
Moisture-wicking shell
Calls for extra-deep fitted sheet
If you're looking for a plus mattress that's still firm and luxuriously crafted, consider the Lux Estate Cassatt from Stearns & Foster. This mattress is available in a number of firmness levels (plush to extra firm), and it has a ventilated coil system at the base to ensure breathability and temperature regulation. Extra vents on the outside of the mattress base also ensure that stale air is never trapped within the coil system. The two types of densely packed, individually wrapped IntelliCoil innersprings promise adaptive comfort for all types of sleepers and edge support, so you won't have to worry about the mattress losing its shape over time.
The Lux Estate mattress comes with extra TEMPUR-Indulge Memory Foam, compared to the standard Estate mattress, giving the Lux even more enhanced pressure relief. The quilted cover is made from TENCEL, a sustainably sourced material with a silky feel that helps wick away sweat while you snooze. The only potential downside of this mattress is that you'll need to purchase an extra-deep fitted sheet, since it's thicker than average at 15 inches deep. You can also choose a pillow top finish for an even plusher sleep experience.
Price at time of publish: $2,349 for Luxury Firm top, Queen
Material: Encased coils, Tempur-Pedic memory foam, TENCEL | Sizes: Twin, queen, king, Cal. king, split king, split Cal. king | Thickness: 13, 14.5, and 15 inches | Warranty: 10 years
Best Firm
Allswell The Brick Mattress
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Allswell
Reasonably priced
Isolates movement
Edge support
Takes 24 hours to expand
The Allswell Brick Mattress is an even firmer version of the brand's luxe hybrid mattress. In a nod to its name, this mattress offers firmness without being overly hard or uncomfortable. It has a base of individually wrapped coils that help to minimize motion transfer and offer edge support on all sides to prevent you from sinking in when you sit down or roll to an edge.
A 2-inch layer of high-density foam offers additional support and the top 1-inch, copper-infused memory foam layer helps move heat away from the body for a cooler sleep. The minimally padded top layer results in a firm finish that doesn't result in that overwhelming sinking feeling that some pillow top mattresses have. This mattress arrives compressed in a box, making it easy to carry to your bedroom, but it takes about a day to expand fully. While an extra-firm mattress may not be for everyone, back and stomach sleepers with joint pain may find relief in this mattress that offers maximum support at all times.
Price at time of publish: $399 for Twin
Material: Coils, high-density foam, copper-infused memory foam | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal. king | Thickness: 12 inches | Warranty: 10 years
Best Pillow-Top
Saatva Classic Mattress
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Saatva
Made to order
Responsive coils
Lifetime warranty
Return fee
Doesn't isolate movement
Saatva's Classic Mattress clocked a 4.8 out of 5 overall score during our in-home testing. We liked the responsive comfort of the coils and the thoughtful design behind it. When ordering, you can choose from two thicknesses (11.5 or 14.5 inches) and three firmness levels: plush soft, luxury firm, and firm. This mattress took about two weeks to arrive at our home, but we were happy to wait for our made-to-order mattress to arrive in pristine condition.
Although we were initially disappointed by the plush soft mattress's lack of cushy softness, we found that it started to learn our movements with each night of sleep and become more comfortable with regular use. This mattress has a dual-coil base with a high-density foam rail around the entire edge to prevent sagging. Responsive Lumbar Zone Pocketed Coils are located in the center third of this mattress to support where most of your body weight is concentrated. This is also the layer that "responds" to movement, which we felt during our five-week test. Just above, CertiPUR-US certified high-density memory foam offers pressure point relief, and the organic cotton cover is naturally hypoallergenic to promote a healthier sleep.
We did discover that this mattress does not isolate movement, which can be especially frustrating if you have a restless sleeping partner. There's also a fee if you return it, but you can't beat the lifetime warranty that promises protection for your mattress at every stage of its lifetime.
Price at time of publish: $1,995 for Queen
Material: Steel pocketed coils, memory foam, organic cotton | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, split king, Cal. king, split Cal. king | Thickness: 11.5 or 14.5 inches | Warranty: Lifetime
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The Spruce / Lindsay Boyers
Best for Back Sleepers
Serta Perfect Sleeper Firm Innerspring Mattress
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Serta
Supports natural alignment
Isolates movement
Edge support
Not ideal for side sleepers
All back sleepers understand the frustration of trying to find a mattress that supports their hips while also aligning their shoulders and feet. Enter: Serta's Perfect Sleeper Mattress. This firm hybrid mattress features 1,000 densely packed, individually wrapped metal coils to minimize motion transfer and ensure support from head to heel. You can choose among three support levels—standard, enhanced, and ultimate—which increase in the number of supportive layers as you increase in level. The Perfect Sleeper is also available in plush, medium, and extra-firm feels, all of which can also be purchased in a pillow top finish.
If you purchase the Ultimate level, coined the "Luminous Sleep" by Serta, you can expect three different memory foam layers that offer pressure relief, a cooling sensation, and cushioned support where you need it. The BubbleCloud Memory Foam layer, a pillow-peaked foam meant to deliver cushioning support, is what sets the ultimate level apart from the enhanced level. No matter the level of the Perfect Sleeper you purchase, the top of the mattress is covered in CoolFeel fabric, which is plant-derived and feels cool to the touch. Though this mattress might be too firm for folks who sleep on their sides, it's ideal for those who doze on their backs with minimal tossing and turning.
Price at time of publish: $699 for Queen
Material: Coils, gel-infused memory foam | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal. king | Thickness: 14 inches | Warranty: 10 years
Best for Side Sleepers
Parachute Eco Comfort Mattress
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Parachute
Zoned support
Conforms to body shape
Isolates movement
Expensive
Requires two people to unbox
If you're part of the 60 percent of people who sleep on their sides, Parachute's Eco Comfort Mattress has your name on it. The medium-firm design consists of several layers, starting with an insulator wool pad on the bottom, which protects your bed frame from the pocket coils. Two types of pocketed innerspring coils offer different levels of support for your upper body, hips, and feet. The Comfort Zone 1 soft coils at your shoulders and feet allow your spine to fall into proper alignment with the Support Zone firm coils located in the middle of the mattress.
The mid wool insulator pad protects the microcoils from the pocketed coils below, and the three tiers of tiny microcoils react individually to isolate movement and conform to the shape of your body. Atop these layers is one more wool pad to help regulate your body temperature, and a quilted organic cotton shell rounds out the mattress design. Side sleepers will find their shoulder pains alleviated, and their legs will easily align with their spine for a comfortable sleeping position all night.
Aside from this mattress's comfortable design, we appreciate its thoughtful craftsmanship. The Eco Comfort Mattress is completely recyclable and sustainable for the environment—free from toxic chemicals like chemical flame retardants, foams, or adhesives. There's a lot to love about this thoughtfully designed mattress, but we do wish it were more affordable. However, we recognize that the price is justified by the high-quality materials and thoughtful design. We also recommend having a second person nearby to help unbox this mattress, as it could be quite heavy.
Price at time of publish: $2,399 for Queen
Material: Coils, organic cotton, wool | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal. king | Thickness: 13 inches | Warranty: 10 years
Best for Stomach Sleepers
Avocado Green Mattress
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Avocado
Ergonomic zones
Edge support
Organic materials
Expensive
Not ideal for side sleepers
Avocado's Green Mattress is a supportive option to consider if you sleep on your stomach. It has over 1,400 fabric-wrapped tempered steel coils, and the springs are arranged in five different zones to provide ergonomic support in all the right places. A reinforced steel perimeter, which prevents you from sinking down when you sit or sleep on a side, wraps around the mattress. The multiple zones of coils ensures that the mattress responds to your movement, keeps your back aligned, and alleviates pressure points. This is key for stomach sleepers who need extra support to keep their back and hips aligned.
Above the coils sit 3 inches of GOLS organic certified latex rubber to provide full-body support with medium firmness. You also have the option to purchase this mattress with a pillow top (an additional 2 inches of latex rubber foam) for even more pressure relief, which is ideal for combination sleepers. The outer shell is tufted wool that's not only organic but also Oeko-Tex certified to ensure it's safe for you and the planet. Like most organic mattresses, this model comes at a heftier price tag, but we expect that for such high quality. If you're a side sleeper, we recommend checking out the pillow top mattress, which will offer more support to your hips and shoulder while you're on your side.
Price at time of publish: $1,999 for Standard Queen
Material: Coils, natural latex, organic wool, organic cotton | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal. king | Thickness: 11 or 13 inches | Warranty: 25 years
Best for Hot Sleepers
Beautyrest Emerald Bay Series Harmony Mattress
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Pottery Barn
Cooling technology
Moisture-wicking
Targeted support system
Calls for extra-deep fitted sheet
Cooling properties are considered an upgrade
Hot sleepers should consider the Beautyrest Emerald Bay Series Harmony Mattress, which has layer after layer of cooling foam and coils wrapped in a sustainable outer shell. This hybrid innerspring mattress has a foundation of pocketed coils with T1 Pocketed Coil Technology to provide support and prevent sagging. Beautyrest's patented coil design is meant to offer more support under additional compression. Above the foundation of coils and the BeautyEdge (the brand's trademarked edge support design), you'll find six additional layers of comfort foam. A 2-inch layer of medium comfort foam tops the foundation, followed by a half-inch layer of gel memory foam and another half-inch of charcoal-infused memory foam to help regulate your body temperature while wicking away moisture.
The next three layers of gel are all designed and trademarked by Beautyrest. These layers offer a cooling effect, and open-cell foam encourages breathability by allowing air to pass through. The shell is made from eco-friendly TENCEL yarn with Seaqual™ Fabric Technology, which uses recovered plastics from the ocean to create a durable and luxurious cover. This mattress is 15 inches thick (or 16 inches with a pillow top), so you'll need a fitted sheet with extra-deep pockets. The "Emerald Bay" cooling level of this mattress is an additional $300 compared to the base Cayman level, which is slightly annoying. However, this mattress is reasonably affordable compared to other picks on our list, and we think the upgrade is well worth it for hot sleepers who are seeking as much relief as possible.
Price at time of publish: $1,399 for Queen
Material: Coils, gel-infused memory foam, Tencel | Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king | Thickness: 15 or 16 inches | Warranty: 10 years
Our favorite innerspring mattress is the Boll & Branch Mattress. It was a hit while we home-tested it thanks to the supportive micro-coils, temperature-regulating design, and luxurious comfort. If you're on a budget, the supportive, breathable, movement-isolating Swiss Ortho Sleep Encased Coil Contour Mattress is also a solid choice.
What to Look for in an Innerspring Mattress
Material
While most innerspring mattresses will consist of some type of coil, a memory foam or gel (if its a hybrid), and an outer shell, it's important to understand how these different materials impact your body and your sleep. Innerspring mattresses have come a long way from their "bouncy" ancestors that often didn't last long and did more damage than good for sleepers with joint pain. Most mattresses today are designed with pocketed coils, which means each steel coil in the mattress is individually wrapped with fabric. This wrapping accomplishes several things: It allows the coils to be more responsive to movement, it helps to limit noise when you shift on your mattress at night, and it helps to isolate and minimize motion, so you won't notice your partner shifting in their sleep.
While you will find some innerspring mattresses that are traditional in their coil makeup, like our best for side sleepers pick, the Parachute Eco Comfort Mattress, most of today's innerspring mattress models are actually hybrid mattresses. The Parachute mattress does not include any gel or foam layers and instead has two different types of coils layered to form a responsive and adaptive mattress. Hybrid mattresses feature additional layers above the coils that are often memory foam or latex. These materials can offer extra support, enhanced plushness, or a cooling effect.
The outer shell of a mattress is just as important as its inner materials. You should look for a mattress design with a temperature-regulating fabric, which will help you stay cool and comfortable at night. Some mattresses are now covered in eco-friendly synthetic blends that promise moisture wicking abilities and heat reducing properties. You can read this guide to learn more about how to buy a new mattress and all of the factors to consider. If you're unsure whether or not it's time to replace your mattress, check out this guide for understanding and identifying when to replace your mattress.
Firmness
The firmness of your mattress at the end of the day boils down to your personal preference, but different firmness levels can also aid your body, depending on your sleep position. Firm models are considered ideal for those who sleep on their backs, and medium-firm options work well for most sleeping positions. Softer mattresses are often preferred by side sleepers, as they help alleviate pressure on the hips. In this roundup, we selected three different mattresses that are each best for back, side, or stomach sleepers. Some mattresses may support any type of sleeper, if they're built with the right amount of support and responsiveness.
Our best pillow-top pick, the Saatva Classic Mattress, is layered with coils and foam to create a mattress that's surprisingly still firm, despite it's extra-plush topping. We appreciated how this mattress adapts to our body's sleeping position when we tested it over a five-week period.
Thickness
While in the end you have little control over the thickness of a mattress, this factor is important to keep in mind when it comes to bedding and your bed's overall height. Innerspring mattresses can range from about ten inches to 15 inches deep. Thicker options aren't necessarily more comfortable. They often just have more layers inside, and usually they are pricier and call for an extra-deep fitted sheet. However, their layers to provide benefits like temperature regulation or pressure-point relief and can be worth the splurge for side, stomach, or combination sleepers.
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What's the difference between an innerspring mattress and a coiled mattress?
Consumers and experts alike use "innerspring" and "coiled" interchangeably to describe a mattress that features a layer (or multiple layers) of steel coils that give innerspring mattresses the "springy" feel that some consumers are accustomed to.
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Does an innerspring mattress need a box spring?
Most of today's innerspring mattresses do not need a box spring, as a box spring was designed to support older innerspring mattress designs from damaging a bed frame. Many people now opt for foundations, which are firmer in support level (because they're constructed from wooden slats) and last much longer than their spring-filled counterparts. Your decision to pair a boxspring or foundation with your mattress ultimately comes down to your firmness preference.
Boxsprings have more give, but they do not last as long, as the springs wear down over time. They are also not as compatible with every type of mattress offered in today's market. As mentioned, foundations are firm and much more compatible with virtually any type of mattress. Both options offer additional height to your bed, which can make getting in and out of bed easier. To learn more about the difference between a box spring and foundation, check out our guide.
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Can you use an innerspring mattress on an adjustable bed?
Newer innerspring mattress models often have more flexible coils, which is why many of them can be compressed and packaged in a box, like their memory foam counterparts. Most hybrid models work with adjustable bed frames, but we recommend checking the mattress manufacturer's guidance on adjustable bed frames before purchasing one.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Theresa Holland is a freelance writer who specializes in home design within the commerce space. A contributor at The Spruce since 2019, Holland covers furniture, bedding, and sleep products. She also looked at insights from home-tested and lab-tested models, then researched today's best-sellers, considering the material, firmness, thickness, and overall value of dozens of options before narrowing down the top picks.
Emma Phelps, an Updates Writer for The Spruce, refreshed this roundup to provide additional context and buying guidance. She researched each of the mattresses in this roundup and added extra details about their material makeup and support level.