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Mattresses are arguably the most critical component of a bed, playing a big role in your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and feel refreshed in the morning. "Your mattress and pillow have to be up to snuff for you to slumber well," says Mary Helen Rogers, VP of Marketing and Communications at Better Sleep Council. And if your current mattress is on its last leg, it's worth reviewing your options.
"Mattresses are not a one-size-fits-all type of item," says Logan Foley, Managing Editor at Sleep Foundation. "You need to take into account your specific needs and sleep preferences before starting to shop around." She recommends considering your sleeping position (back, stomach, or side), which will help you figure out what material, thickness, and level of firmness to get.
Those who sweat or run hot at night should also look for a breathable design. And if you're worried about buyer's remorse, check to make sure there's a generous trial period and lenient return policy. With tips from these sleep experts in mind, we searched high and low to find the choicest mattresses for every sleep style and budget.
Here, the best mattresses currently available.
Best Overall: Tuft and Needle Mint Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal. King | Materials: Graphite, gel beads, knit fabric, proprietary foam, open-cell foam, high-density polyfoam | Thickness: 3 inches | Type: All foam | Warranty: 10 years | Firmness: Medium
Adapts to different sleeping styles
Breathable
Edge support
10-year warranty
No handles on the cover
As Logan points out, there's no one-size-fits-all option. But if we could only recommend one, we'd have to go with Tuft & Needle's Mint Mattress. Made of adaptable open-cell, gel-infused foam with a generous graphite top layer, it conforms to your body and pulls heat away to keep you cool while you doze. Our tester was particularly impressed with the mattress's versatility, as it was able to support both her and her husband's sleeping styles—with minimal motion transfer, to boot.
Unlike the brand's Original Mattress, this one has edge support, meaning the sides and corners don't collapse when you sit down or get in and out of bed. It has a medium firmness that's slightly softer than the Original, making it undeniably plush but plenty supportive. Plus, it's compatible with all sorts of different bed setups, from plain box springs to platform, slatted, and adjustable frames, so you won't have to worry about purchasing a new bed frame or foundation.
The Mint Mattress is backed by a 10-year warranty and has a 100-night trial period with hassle-free returns. As with any mattress, you'll want to give yourself at least 30 days to adjust.
"I expected this foam mattress to 'give' under our weight, but it really didn’t. You don’t sink into this mattress but sleep on top of it. As a restless sleeper, that was wonderful because it took less effort to change positions. And, the foam absorbed motion, so I didn’t disrupt my husband nearly as often, nor did his restless nights wake me. That alone made the Mint worth every last penny."—Stacey L. Nash, Product Tester
Best Innerspring: Boll & Branch The Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal. King, | Material: Coils, latex, wool/poly blend | Thickness: 13.5 inches | Type: Spring | Warranty: Lifetime | Firmness: Medium-firm
Supportive
2,000 micro-coils
Cooling technology
Expensive
Those partial to innerspring mattresses should check out this beauty from Boll & Branch. Unlike the spring-filled mattresses of yesteryear, it boasts upwards of 2,000 teensy-tiny coils to isolate movement and provide whole-body support. On top of the coils are three more layers: latex, graphite-infused latex, and a layer of wool and polyester. This adds more breathability to the mattress, along with making it more stable.
"We found that the edges of the bed are quite sturdy. The coils located on the lower layers are reinforced at the edges to eliminate that roll-off feeling, which gave us comfort knowing we wouldn’t fall off whenever sitting or sleeping near the edge of the bed."—Cheyenne Elwell, Product Tester
Best Pillow-Top: Saatva Classic Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Split King, Cal. King, Split Cal. King | Material: Coils, fiber pillow-top cover, memory foam | Thickness: 11.5 or 14.5 inches | Type: Pillow-top hybrid | Warranty: 15 years | Firmness: Available in plush soft, luxury firm or firm
Plush pillow top
Multiple firmness options
15-year warranty
Doesn't isolate movement
Fee for returns
Prefer a pillow top? Check out Saatva's Classic Mattress. This luxury hybrid model has a durable innerspring base with hundreds of pocketed coils and firm edge support, then a layer of high-density memory foam with zoned support, and a notably plush pillow top. You can choose from three firmness levels—plush soft, luxury firm, and firm—to customize your plush.
As with many other pillow-top options, Saatva's mattress works best with platform foundations. The company offers a 180-night trial period (though, if you do decide to return they'll charge you a transportation fee for the pickup).
"After a month, I was fully hooked and all in on the Saatva. It was just as soft and comfortable when I slept on my back as when I slept on my side as if it knew just how to adapt to my varying sleeping positions."—Lindsay Boyers, Product Tester
Best Memory Foam: Leesa Original Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal. King | Material: Foam, twill fabric | Thickness: 10 inches | Type: Memory foam | Warranty: 10 years | Firmness: Medium-firm
All-foam design
Reasonably priced
Cooling top layer
No handles on the cover
Those who toss and turn at night will appreciate a memory foam mattress, as they do a good job isolating motion. "If you like the feeling of sleeping 'in' a mattress instead of on top of it, you should consider a memory foam bed," says Foley. We recommend the Leesa Original Mattress, an all-foam model with a cooling top layer that offers comfy contouring, pressure relief, and a breathable sleep experience.
Best Hybrid: Cocoon Chill Hybrid Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cali. King | Material: Memory foam, knit cover | Thickness: 10 inches | Type: Memory foam| Warranty: 10 years | Firmness: Medium-firm
Breathable
Cool to the touch
Supportive
Heavy
No handles on the cover
A combination of foam, coils, and sometimes latex, hybrid mattresses allow you to reap the benefits of multiple mattress materials in one single option. Because hybrid mattresses use several layers of materials, they are generally quite efficient at contouring to the body and reducing motion transfer. And in this category, the best option is the Chill Hybrid from Sealy's Cocoon line.
Featuring breathable spring coils, adaptable memory foam, and a cover infused with the brand's signature Phase Change Material, this mattress is designed to encourage airflow and help you feel cooler while you snooze. Our tester, who sleeps hot, loved how the memory foam contoured to her body without enveloping it too much. This is due to the mattress's memory foam and coil combo, which is more firm than an innerspring but retains less heat than straight memory foam. The result? A cool, motion transfer-free night's sleep.
"The combination of memory foam with coils prevented me from getting 'stuck' in the memory foam. I could feel the memory foam contouring to my body, but when I moved, the foam shifted back into place so quickly that I didn’t notice it. It was awesome I didn't get stuck in a memory foam topper."—Stacey L. Nash, Product Tester
Best GOTS-Certified: Birch Luxe Natural Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal. King, | Material: Coils, organic cotton, organic cashmere, natural latex, organic wool | Thickness: 11.5 inches | Type: Latex/organic | Warranty: 25 years | Firmness: Medium-firm
GOTS and Other Certifications
Cooling
Supportive
Firm
Expensive
If being eco-friendly is top of mind, this new luxury mattress from Helix's Birch Living has all of the certifications to ensure your being kind to the environment. It's both GOTS certified organic and Greenguard Gold certified, so you can sleep easy knowing you are resting on something that isn't causing indoor air pollution.
The Birch Luxe Natural Mattress is described as having a medium-firm feel. While testing this mattress, we found it to be very firm at first—but after 30 days of testing, it gave in a little more. It still has a medium-firm feel which is great for back or stomach sleepers, but it could prove a little firm for our side sleepers. Upon delivery, the mattress had zero off-gassing smell and fully expanded in just a few hours, making set-up convenient and easy.
Both of our testers are hot sleepers and neither woke up hot or sweaty after two months of testing. The mattress includes a cashmere euro top as well as a breathable cotton cover, which ensures you stay comfortable all night.
"If you suffer from back, neck, or hip pain, this mattress provides quality comfort leaving you feeling refreshed and pain-free in the morning."—Dwyer Frame, Vice President of Commerce
Best Latex: Avocado Green Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal. King, | Material: Coils, organic cotton, organic latex, organic wool | Thickness: 11 or 13 inches | Type: Latex/organic | Warranty: 25 years | Firmness: Available in medium-firm or pillow-top/gentle firm
Naturally sourced
Organic
Supportive
Not ideal for side-sleepers
Expensive
Avocado's Latex Mattress flaunts 9 inches of naturally sourced organic latex, plus comfy layers of organic wool and cotton. It's incredibly supportive, not too bouncy, and does an excellent job isolating motion. Since it's on the firmer side, this mattress is ideal for back and stomach sleepers.
Best Firm: Helix Dawn Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cali. King | Material: Coils, latex foam, polyfoam | Thickness: 14 inches | Type: Hybrid | Warranty: 10-15 years | Firmness: Firm
Edge support
Breathable
10-year warranty
Not ideal for side-sleepers
If you're in the market for a firm mattress, go with the Helix Dawn. It's got dense foam on the bottom, then a thick layer of individually wrapped coils, followed by high-grade ergonomic polyfoam, and a latex-foam hybrid on top. This mattress is breathable and sturdy but not too stiff, and is designed to perfectly contour to your body. A breathable cover on top ensures that you won't overheat in your sleep.
"Heavier sleepers, especially back-sleepers, will appreciate a firmer choice that better supports them and prevents them from sinking too far past the first comfort layers of the mattress."—Logan Foley, Managing Editor at SleepFoundation.org
Best Zoned Support: Casper Original Mattress
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Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal. King | Material: Polyurethane foam, memory foam | Thickness: 11 inches | Type: Available in memory foam or hybrid | Warranty: 10 years | Firmness: Medium-firm
Zoned support
Ergonomic design
Cooling technology
Distinct smell out of the box
Casper is one of the most well-known online mattress companies, and its Original Mattress is their most popular product. What, in part, makes it so special is its zoned support, which provides targeted support to different areas of your body—firmer support under the hips and softer support under the shoulders. This relieves pressure points and claims to promote better sleep. While our tester didn't notice a difference in how different areas of the mattress felt, she agrees that it provided more comfortable, restful sleep than the budget mattress her family has previously been using.
In terms of construction, Casper's Original Mattress is comprised of three layers of durable foam, with a durable foam base to last you hundreds of nights of sleep. The perforated layer on top uses the company's AirScape technology to encourage airflow and breathability, so you stay cool while catching your Zs.
Like many other options on the list, Casper offers a 100-night sleep trial: if you're not happy with your purchase, they'll pick it up, do all the packing, and give you a full refund. Plus, unlike some of the other options on this list, Casper actually has a few physical stores, so you can test the mattress before you buy.
"We found the Casper twin mattress to be just as advertised—a soft, cloud-like sleeping experience. As it is a memory foam mattress, the Casper is meant to conform to your body when you lie down. We found this was true for all of the testers in our household—adult and toddler alike."—Katie Begley, Product Tester
Our top pick is the Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress, an open-cell memory foam model infused with gel and graphite. It conforms to your curves, offers spinal support, relieves pressure points, and pulls heat away from your body. For those on a budget, we recommend Lucid's 8-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress (view at Amazon), an impressively supportive and extremely comfy model available in multiple firmness levels.
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The Spruce / Stacey L. Nash
What to Look for in a Mattress
Material
You have a few choices when it comes to what material makes up your mattress. Memory foam is popular because it contours to your body, reduces motion transfer, and relieves pressure points while you sleep—but if you’re a hot sleeper, be sure to choose a memory foam mattress with cooling features. Latex mattresses offer similar benefits to memory foam, and they’re usually eco-friendly. For a more traditional mattress, you can opt for innerspring or pocket coil styles or go for the best of both worlds with a hybrid mattress.
Thickness
In addition to bed size (standard options range from twin to California king), you’ll also want to consider the thickness of your mattress. Thickness is sometimes associated with comfort, but a high-quality 10-inch mattress will probably be more comfortable than a thicker, lower-quality option. Mattress thickness also affects how well your sheets fit on the bed—thick mattresses usually require fitted sheets with deep pockets.
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The Spruce / Cheyenne Elwell
Firmness
Mattresses range from soft/plush to firm, with medium-soft and medium-firm options in between. Why does firmness matter? If your mattress is too soft, it might be challenging to get in and out of bed. On the other hand, if your mattress is too firm, you may feel as though you're sleeping on a rock. When deciding the proper firmness for your needs, you'll want to consider the position you sleep in (we’ll get to that in a bit), as well as your weight. Heavier people will sink deeper into a mattress, so the general rule of thumb is that the higher you are on the BMI scale, the firmer your mattress should be.
Sleep position
When choosing a mattress, you’ll also want to consider your sleep position so you can find the most supportive and comfortable mattress. The position you sleep in often dictates what type of mattress is best for you, as different positions exert pressure on different parts of the body. For instance, those who sleep on their sides generally need a softer mattress, while stomach sleepers need a firmer mattress. Back sleepers have the most choice, as this sleep position spreads pressure across the body more evenly.
People often run into problems when they sleep in one position and their partner sleeps in another. Several companies address this issue by either offering dual zoned mattresses or blending various levels of firmness to minimize motion transfer and accommodate both of your needs.
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The Spruce / Stacey L. Nash
Standout Features
Breathability
Do you tend to get warm during the night? Or do you always find yourself reaching for another blanket? The mattress you choose can play a big part in your ability to regulate temperature as you sleep.
For instance, foam mattresses tend to retain a lot of heat during the night, which can be beneficial if you’re generally cold when sleeping. Innerspring mattresses are much more breathable and, as such, are often more comfortable for those who get hot while sleeping. If you're looking for a mattress that doesn’t get too hot or leave you cold, a latex option might be best—they are great at temperature regulation.
Edge support
Having extra reinforcement around the edges of your mattress is important for two reasons. First, if you sleep with a partner, neither of you wants to feel like you're going to roll off the edge during the night. Second, edge support will make your mattress more stable when you sit on the side of it.
If you're buying an innerspring or foam mattress, you'll want to check whether the edges are reinforced in some way, as these materials are more prone to sagging on the sides.
Motion isolation
If your partner gets up before you or tosses and turns in the night, you know how important it is to have a mattress that limits motion transfer. Innerspring mattresses are the worst in these situations, as you'll feel every movement your partner makes. For a product that reduces motion transfer, look into a memory foam or latex mattress instead.
Trial periods
It takes about 30 days for your body to adjust to a new mattress, so most online mattress companies offer a no-risk trial, which lets you test the mattress in the comfort of your own home (often for 90 days or more). Over the course of the trial period, you can evaluate the mattress to see if it's the right fit. If you decide it's not the right fit, you'll get a refund.
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The Spruce / Stacey L. Nash
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When should you replace a mattress?
Different mattress types have different life spans, so there's no hard and fast rule on how often you replace your particular mattress. "Typically, you should replace your mattress every six to eight years," Foley says. "However, there may be some reasons to replace your mattress before this deadline. For example, if your mattress is sagging in the middle or making more noise than usual."
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When is the best time to buy a mattress?
If you're looking to save money, the best time to buy a mattress is at the end of May, when brands clear out inventory for new models and many retailers hold Memorial Day sales.
On a personal timeline, the best time to buy a mattress is when your current one begins impacting the quality of your shut-eye. "At the end of the day, if your mattress is hindering a good night's sleep in any way, it's probably a good idea to think about replacing it," says Foley.
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How do you clean a mattress?
To keep your mattress clean, wash the cover regularly. (If it doesn't come with a cover, you may want to get one to protect it from dust and stains.) For spots and spills, you can use upholstery shampoo or a solution of mild soap and water—just make sure to avoid oversaturating it with a liquid cleaning solution or water.
Steam cleaning can also work for mattresses. But again, be mindful of getting it too wet, and let it air-dry completely before putting bedding back on. It's also a good idea to vacuum your mattress every month or so to keep dust, pet dander, pollen, and other allergens at bay.
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How can you make a mattress smell fresh?
Aside from regularly vacuuming your mattress and washing the cover, there are a few ways to ensure it smells fresh. Try sprinkling baking soda over the surface, let it sit for a few hours to soak up odors, then vacuum up the powder. Another option is to spray a light layer of equal parts water and distilled white vinegar over the surface, then let your mattress air-dry.
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What's the best way to dispose of a mattress?
There are a few ways to dispose of a mattress. One is to recycle it through a local recycling program, in which you may have to pay a fee. If it's in really good condition, you might be able to donate it, though Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and other well-known donation centers can't accept used mattresses.
Another option is to sell it or just post it for free on an online marketplace like Craigslist or Facebook. And if your main concern is physically transporting it out of your home, you might consider using a mattress removal service.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Theresa Holland is a seasoned commerce writer specializing in sleep, home design, wellness, and lifestyle. A contributor to The Spruce since 2019, she covers furniture, bedding, and cleaning products for us. Theresa sleeps on a Tuft & Needle mattress and has a Lucid in her guest room. She has also tried products from Purple, Layla, Avocado, and Saatva.
For this roundup, Theresa interviewed two sleep experts and researched the various types, materials, and firmnesses of mattresses. With expert insight in mind, she combed through reviews, considering price range and availability, and pored over the key features and specs of dozens of models before landing on her final selections.
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