We spend one-third of our lives sleeping, and you should approach buying a new mattress similarly to buying a new home. When choosing a bed, seek one that provides a comfortable and restorative rest to wake up ready to seize the day. Your sleep patterns, lifestyle, and body type are all deciding factors when choosing the best mattress. We can guide you through understanding your sleep needs and comparing them to what a new mattress can offer. Whether you sleep on your side, move around and disrupt your partner or wake up covered in sweat, there is a mattress out there for you. Mattresses are designed to accommodate specific sleep patterns and circumstances. For example, you may be surprised by how the slightest change in a mattress’s firmness or breathability can radically change your life. Our research will help you walk away from this with a clearer understanding of why buying the best mattress is so important and how to pick a new online mattress you won’t regret purchasing.
The Best Mattresses of 2023 - Our Top Mattress Picks
Best Overall - Saatva Classic Best Hybrid – Casper Wave Hybrid Best Luxury - DreamCloud Original Best for Couples - Nectar Original Best for Pressure Relief - Nolah Signature Best Extra-Firm Mattress - Brooklyn Bedding Plank Best Latex - WinkBeds EcoCloud Best Mattress for Back Pain - Bear Elite Hybrid
Best Overall - Saatva Classic
● Material: Hybrid (foam and coils) ● Firmness: Soft (3/10), luxury-firm (6/10) and firm (8/10) ● Customer Rating: 4.9/5 ● Free white glove delivery ● Warranty: Lifetime Versatility defines a mattress that stands out from the rest. In this case, the Saatva Classic performs on all fronts. Available in three firmness options, it’s suitable for all sleeper types. This hybrid mattress offers remarkable support to your body, scoring a 9 out of 10 in pressure relief and an unbeatable 10 out of 10 in spine alignment. If you sleep warm, you can rely on the breathability of the bed’s coil system, as it also scored a 9 out of 10 in cooling ability. The mattress also scored a standout 10 out of 10 in edge support, making it great for couples who need to spread out or side sleepers who end up at the very edge. Scoring 10 out of 10 for its durability makes the Saatva a long-term, consistent provider of comfort and support. The Saatva’s ability to adapt to most sleeper types while offering a distinguished level of healing and support without compromising comfort has us deeming this mattress the best of the best.
Best Hybrid Mattress - Casper Wave Hybrid
Material: Hybrid (foam and coils) Firmness: Medium (5/10) Customer Rating: 4.6/5 Delivery: Ships free within 2-7 business days Warranty: 10-year limited
Memory foam beds have an undeniable hug-like comfort layer that cradles you as you settle in. Innerspring mattresses offer a reliably breathable and responsive base layer. The Casper Wave Hybrid mattress incorporates both a foam layer and durable coil system into its construction, offering you the best of both worlds. This Casper hybrid mattress adapts to all sleeper types, and its 9 out of 10 score in motion transfer makes it great for couples or if you are expecting kids or pets to jump in the bed here and there. This bed scored well across the board among our mattress review testers. Casper’s 9 out of 10 in spine alignment and 9.25 out of 10 in responsiveness can alleviate your concerns about a memory foam mattress that lacks posture support. If you sleep warm and are concerned about the lack of breathability in a typical memory foam mattress, this Casper mattress scored a 9 out of 10 in cooling. Expect long-lasting comfort and durable support with this hybrid mattress that lives up to its reputation.
Best Luxury - DreamCloud Original
Material: Hybrid (foam and coils) Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10) Customer Rating: 4.6/5 Delivery: Within 18-21 business days Warranty: Lifetime
The superior materials and precision distinguish a high-end mattress from the rest. Using only quality materials that work together to produce a warm, supportive and contouring comfort, the DreamCloud mattress stands out. This hybrid mattress uses a fusion of coil systems and high-density foam at its base to ensure breathability. You can find cozy comfort in the memory gel foam and quilted pillow top layer made with ultra-plush cashmere that cradles you in the top two layers. This combination of top-tier materials compliment each other well, forming this luxurious hybrid mattress. Scoring a 9 out of 10 in both spine alignment and responsiveness, you can expect to embrace the coziness of that cashmere top layer without compromising your posture’s integrity. These high-quality materials do not only aid your sleeping experience but are also reliably long-lasting, according to testers that gave the mattress a 9 out of 10 for durability.
Best for Couples - Nectar Original
Material: Gel memory foam Firmness: Medium-firm (6/10) Customer Rating: 4.8/5 Delivery: 2-5 business days Warranty: Lifetime
If your partner moves around in their sleep and frequently disrupts your rest, it may build resentment between you over time. A bed’s ability to provide consistent support, body contouring, and comfort from edge to edge while also isolating motion are three key factors couples should consider when choosing a bed together. The Nectar Original works well for stomach sleepers and back sleepers, and scored a 9 out of 10 in edge support. Our mattress review testers found the bed stopped the spread of disruptive movements between sleepers, giving the mattress an 8.5 out of 10 in motion transfer. The Nectar is a memory foam mattress that promptly cradles your body’s movement as you sleep, consistently delivering support and comfort. For couples on a budget, this luxury mattress is fairly affordable when compared to other mattresses of its caliber, and the generous year-long trial period lets you and your partner put the bed to the test.
Best for Pressure Relief - Nolah Signature
Material: All-foam Firmness: Medium-soft (4.5/10) Customer Rating: 4.8/5 Delivery: Free within 2-8 business days Warranty: Limited lifetime
Relief and a bed should go hand in hand. A bed that doesn’t evenly disperse your body weight can cause existing inflammation, injuries or chronic pain to get worse. The long-term health of your joints or overall physical well-being is determined by a bed’s pressure relief ability to protect your body as you sleep. The Nolah Signature foam mattress scored a 9.25 out of 10 in pressure relief and 9.5 out of 10 in responsiveness. The bed’s medium-soft firmness and resilient air foam structure make it a good choice for both stomach sleepers and side sleepers. You’ll get that plush hug feel of a memory foam mattress or Tempur-Pedic, yet not concern yourself with risking the aches and pains that may come from sinkage or a lack of consistent support.
Best Extra-Firm Mattress - Brooklyn Bedding Plank
Material: Polyfoam Firmness: Firm (7/10) and extra-firm (9/10) Customer Rating: 4.8/5 Delivery: 3-4 business days Warranty: 10-year
For people struggling with back pain, a firmer mattress that delivers superior lumbar support can be a helpful tool in the fight for relief. The Brooklyn Bedding Plank is for fans of a firm bed that still want options. The bed offers two-firmness levels: Firm (7/10) and extra-firm (9/10). This mattress is more unique because you can sleep on both sides. The mattress is reversible, offering different firmness levels on each side. Our mattress review testers also found the mattress delivered great spine support and pressure point relief. Scoring an 8.75 out of 10 in responsiveness makes the bed great for combination sleepers, as you can move around and expect a comfy and consistent adaptable response to your movements. Apart from its unusual and appealing ability to be used on both sides, the mattress did well overall in every factor tested, asserting its position as one of the best firm mattresses around.
Best Latex - WinkBeds EcoCloud
Material: Latex and memory foam Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10) Customer Rating: 4.5/5 Delivery: 7-10 business days Warranty: Lifetime
Latex beds offer a natural composition that promotes breathability compared to more artificial foam-based beds. The WinkBeds EcoCloud is a remarkably eco-friendly hybrid mattress that provides the bouncy resilience of a latex bed while delivering that extra breathability stimulated by an innerspring coil system. The bed lives up to the expectations of a conscientious consumer, as it is certifiably sustainable and 100% natural. The mattress may not be ideal for couples due to its mediocre motion isolation ability. However, it delivers competitive results in responsiveness, pressure relief and spine alignment. The bed’s latex and coil hybrid design work together to let you dig into its cozy exterior while preventing unhealthy sinkage and maintaining a supportive base later. Notably, the mattress topper is fresh organic cotton, and underneath is a plush wool layer sourced from New Zealand.
Best Mattress for Back Pain - Bear Elite Hybrid
Material: Hybrid (foam and coils) Firmness: Luxury-plush (5.5/10), luxury-firm (6.5/10), extra-firm (7.5/10) Customer Rating: 5/5 Delivery: Ships free within 7-10 business days Warranty: Limited lifetime
Chronic back pain can be excruciating. If you wake up in more back pain than when you went to sleep, switching mattresses may be a proper solution. This Bear mattress can accommodate and potentially heal sleepers suffering from back pain. The mattress’s mid-layer is cut into five zones, with each zone distinctively delivering lumbar support and joint relief when responding to your body. Spring steel coils are individually placed above the Bear mattress’s durable base layer to create a supportive reaction to your body’s movement without causing disruptive motion transference (great for couples who wake each other up in the night). The mattress is also available in three firmness options upon order, making it more accessible to the needs of various sleeper types who suffer from joint and back pain. This six-layer Bear mattress is an orchestra of a supportive foam comfort layer and innerspring components that can truly help you wake up feeling refreshed. MA Score: The Mattress Advisor Score is a weighted score that takes into account 14 different factors related to the mattress’ performance, function, convenience and the brand’s social responsibility
What to Know When Searching for the Best Mattress
When searching for the right new mattress, you want to be sure that your body and lifestyle fit with the design. If you have kids, pets or a partner, you will want a bed that prevents motion transfer so everyone can enjoy their rest. If you are a side sleeper, you want a bed that takes you in without generating inflammation in your knees, shoulders or neck. Hot sleepers, you want a mattress that prioritizes airflow and delivers a counter-cooling to your body heat. You can walk into a mattress store and jump into bed after bed, falling in love with each one every time. However, bringing a mattress into your home is a long-term decision that can have real-life ramifications on your body and mind. Between studying twin mattresses, queen mattresses, king mattresses, and California king mattresses, we have spent hours researching what happens between sleepers and a bed once the bed enters the home for the long haul. It may seem almost funny the amount of thought that goes into a bed’s design or the understanding behind a bed’s capability, but if you choose that right mattress, your back, your partner, or maybe your overall mental health may realize why all these considerations truly matter.
Mattress Types
Memory foam: Memory foam mattresses are designed to mold to the shape of your body. They are often more affordable than other mattresses. While being very comfortable and great for side sleepers, some prefer the harder firmness and zoned support of innerspring or hybrid mattresses. Innerspring: The combination of coil springs and metal wiring defines an innerspring mattress. Innersprings are known to be more breathable and provide a firmer level of support to the sleeper. However, over time innersprings can become noisy if the springs and coils aren’t made with high-quality materials. Latex: Latex mattresses are among the most natural foam-based mattress types. They usually resemble memory foam mattresses in terms of a cushioning comfort layer however, are known to deliver superior bounce. Hybrid: A hybrid mattress can offer the comfort of a memory foam layer or latex while incorporating the coil-based breathability and durable zoned support perfected in innerspring mattresses.
Performance Factors
Set-up: Determines how easy it is to set up the mattress, factoring in the weight, unboxing and if more than one person is required. Pressure relief: Determines how well a mattress can relieve pressure and evenly disperse body weight across the bed. An important consideration for side sleepers. Spine alignment: Determines how well a mattress can support a healthy posture and maintain the spine’s natural alignment. Durability: Determines the long-term stability of a mattress’s construction and its ability to deliver consistent support and comfort. Motion transfer: Determines the ability of a mattress to isolate and absorb motion to prevent disruptive movements in the bed. An important consideration for couples or combination sleepers. Temperature regulation: Determines the bed’s ability to respond to body heat and regulate a cool or neutral temperature for a more comfortable sleep. An important consideration for hot sleepers. Responsiveness: Determines a bed’s ability to respond to your body’s movements with consistent comfort and support. An important consideration for combination sleepers. Edge support: Determines the support available on the sides of the bed. An important consideration for people who sleep on the sides of the bed or have a hard time getting into bed. How much does a mattress cost? The price of a mattress needs to reflect the quality of its construction and ability to be comfortable, support and quality rest. Whether a mattress costs you $100 or $5000 should be determined by its ability to fulfill your needs and expectations. The benefit of most luxury beds is a flexible test trial and return policy. If you are a more budget-oriented or indecisive consumer, you can find comfort in knowing that if a huge mistake was made, it’s not the end of the world. What’s the best type of mattress? There is not an objective answer to this. The best mattress is whichever best fulfills your sleeping needs. Your needs, however, are determined by sleep patterns, body type and lifestyle. How long will my mattress last for? You should expect a lifespan of at least 10 years from a quality mattress. Durability scores available from Mattress Advisor help better guide your expectations regarding your bed’s lifespan. Regardless of claims made by mattress companies, many beds include a 10-year warranty or even a lifetime warranty, which can maybe help calm your concerns about durability. What mattress firmness level is right for me? Mattress firmness should be determined by your sleeping patterns and overall joint or back health. People struggling with back pain may prefer a firmer mattress to help support proper posture and spine alignment as you sleep. Side sleepers may prefer a more plush mattress that prevents inflammation when applying pressure to specific points on your body.
Summary of Our Top Picks for the Best Mattresses
Best Overall - Saatva Classic Best Hybrid – Casper Wave Hybrid Best Luxury - DreamCloud Original Best for Couples - Nectar Original Best for Pressure Relief - Nolah Signature Best Extra-Firm Mattress - Brooklyn Bedding Plank Best Latex - WinkBeds EcoCloud Best Mattress for Back Pain - Bear Elite Hybrid