The Very Best Foam Mattresses

Foam is typically made from one of two materials: polyurethane or latex (though there are a handful of unique foams made from soy or other plant-based sources, they are pretty rare).Polyurethane foams, which are plastic-based, are the most common.Memory foamis probably the most well-known type of polyurethane foam, but there are many varieties.Latex foamis made from rubber, so it is often touted as “more natural” and eco-friendly than polyurethane foam; the two most common types of latex areDunlop and Talalay, so named for the differing processes used to make foam from rubber-tree sap.

Regardless of foam type, foam mattresses are rarely made from a solid block of foam. They usually layer multiple varieties on top of one another, like a cake: acomfort layeron top of a transition layer or three, with a base/support layer on the bottom. For each mattress below, I’ve described the basic construction and listed the types of foam it contains.

What firmness is best for you will depend on your sleep position and personal preferences. Side sleepers typically need a little more pressure relief for their hips and shoulders, in addition to spinal support; soft to medium-firm is a good place to start. Stomach sleepers should look for a mattress that supports their hips, to avoid putting strain on their lower back; a firm mattress that doesn’t allow the body to “sink in” too deeply is often the best option. Back sleepers need enough firmness to keep their spine supported but may want some pressure relief and extra cushioning around their shoulders or lower back; a medium to firm mattress is usually best. However, what feels most comfortable firmness-wise can vary from person to person. For each mattress below, I’ve noted any discrepancies between how our tester described the firmness (soft, medium-soft, medium, medium-firm, or firm) and how the brand describes the firmness.

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Springy feel:Zhao says the Leesa Original is the most “springy” foam bed he’s ever slept on. “There’s a return, or bounce, that I don’t get from, say, a Casper or Tuft & Needle,” Zhao says. “And none of the sinking I associate with pure memory foam.” Leesa says its foam is formulated to have a responsive, rather than sinking, feel.

Crowd-pleasing, medium-firm feel:Zhao rates the Leesa as on the “firm side of medium.” He felt supported and comfortable while sleeping on his side, and though the bed is slightly more plush than he’d prefer, he didn’t think it was too soft.

Optional quilted cover:The standard version of the Leesa Original comes with a knit cover, but Zhao opted for the upgraded cooling quilted top. It costs an additional $199, but Zhao says it’s worth it because the stitched-in, quilted cover compresses the foam a bit and gives the mattress a more luxe feel.

Sleeps cool:With the cooling cover and Leesa’s “high-airflow” foam, Zhao says he didn’t overheat while sleeping on this mattress.

Lacks edge support:When Zhao’s mother-in-law slept on the Leesa Original at his home, she noticed the edges were sloped and mentioned that she felt she might fall off the bed.

Construction:The Leesa Original mattress is made with three layers of foam: two inches of cooling foam on top, two inches of memory foam in the middle, and six inches of high-density base foam. The standard version of the mattress comes with a knit cover made from polyester and viscose; the upgraded quilted cover Zhao tested is a blend of polyester, polyethylene (a common cooling fiber), and spandex.

Firmness and support:Leesa says the Original mattress has a squarely medium feel. Zhao describes the Leesa as just firmer than medium; he ranked it a 6.75 out of 10.

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Middle-ground firmness:Aranita slept on the Casper Original mattress for ten years and loved it because was firm without feeling like an upholstered rock — “I grew up in Hong Kong, where standard mattresses are so firm that’s how I usually describe them,” she says. When she tried the Casper One, which replaced the Casper Original in 2024, she was relieved to find it shared many of the same qualities. It’s firm enough to be supportive but soft enough to relieve pressure on her joints — “a Goldilocks sort of just right for me and my fellow-side-sleeper husband.” Aranita also likes how the mattress has give but not bounce. “I don’t like mattresses with springs; I just want to sleep on a firm sponge,” she explains.

Well-constructed:Aranita likes the One’s soft gray microfiber cover, and even though the mattress does not have a raised “lip” around the perimeter like the Original had, she can comfortably roll all the way to the side thanks to its strong edge support. It also doesn’t contain any fiberglass — another change that came with the launch of the One — that brought Aranita relief after she went down a fiberglass-in-my-mattress rabbit hole on TikTok.

Good value:At full price, a queen-size Casper One is just under $1,000 — though you can often get it for around $200 cheaper during major sales holidays.

Lacks the cupped edges of the Casper Original:While the edges are still very sturdy on the Casper One, Aranita misses the raised lip that the Casper Original had.

Construction:The Casper One was designed as the brand’s new flagship product; it launched in 2024 as a replacement for the now-discontinued Casper Original that first came out 2014. The bed is constructed with three layers — a top layer of flexible polyurethane foam, a middle layer of memory foam, and a base layer of support foam. One noteworthy change in the Casper One, compared to the Casper Original, is that the Casper One is made without a fiberglass fire barrier. While fiberglass has been a common mattress component for decades — all mattresses are legally required to have a fire-retardant element — many brands are moving away from the material due tohealth concernsthat fiberglass can cause if it somehow escapes the mattress.

Firmness and support:Casper describes the One as having a “medium feel” that’s best for back and stomach sleepers. We found it to be slightly firmer — more medium-firm than true medium — and thought it worked well for side sleeping, too.

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Truly firm (with two options to choose from):Kitchens wanted to test the firmest mattress out there — or one of the many that claim to hold the title. When she unboxed the Plank and let it expand, her first impression was that it didn’t feel all that firm, and that it was even a bit squishy. But after a few weeks of sleeping on the ultrafirm side — “To be honest, I wasn’t even interested in trying the less-firm side,” she says — Kitchens nonetheless ranked it was the firmest memory-foam mattresses she’d ever laid down on.

Not too rigid:According to Kitchens, the Plank is not what the average firm-mattress-averse person might expect: This is not a rigid futon with no give. The initial squishiness she felt is actually part of the design and makes it appealing for people like her who might roll from side to side — no compressed shoulders in the morning.

Excellent for back sleeping:Where this impressively firm mattress really shines is when you’re lying on your back, Kitchens says. The foam doesn’t just fill in around the contours of your body, it puffs you up on top of it with your weight evenly dispersed. She describes the feeling of lying on it as “neutral spine” — similar to lying on the floor at the end of yoga class in Savasana, when the curvatures of your spine are all in alignment.

Foam sleeps warmer than coils:Kitchens found that this mattress slept warmer than other beds she has tested, owing to the all-foam construction.

Construction:The Plank comes in three versions:Plank Firm, the brand’s signature memory-foam option, with a six-inch core of high-density base foam; a hybridPlank Firm Luxeversion, with a six-inch core of individually encased coils; and thePlank Firm Natural, with GOTS-certified organic cotton and Talalay latex. Each mattress has a flippable design, so you can choose a firm or firmer side. The company told me that the firmness of the models differs, but in general the Plank Firm, the style we tested, is its firmest option.

Firmness and support:One side of the Plank Firm is considered “traditional firm” while the other is “ultra firm.”

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Comfortably firm (for people who like a firm mattress):As a fan of softer mattresses, this Zinus Original Green Tea mattress was not a great fit for me (more on that below). However, my partner actually loved the Original Green Tea; he even said he felt less neck pain, and as if his spine were better aligned, after we switched to this bed. He is a textbook combination sleeper and reported feeling comfortable in all three main sleeping positions, including on his side.

Affordable:It’s not especially easy to find a decent queen-size mattress for under $500. For those who like a firmer feel, this mattress is a really good value.

Too firm for some side sleepers:Prior to testing this mattress, I had been sleeping on an ultracushy memory-foam mattress; the firmer Zinus was quite a change, as it doesn’t have much give. However, it’s not as firm as some other super-firm beds I’ve tried, such as the Plank (which my colleague Simone Kitchens has reviewed above). After a couple of weeks on the Original Green Tea, I started to feel more comfortable when lying on my back, but it still felt too firm for side sleeping — my shoulder felt jammed.

Lower-quality construction:The materials of the Original Green Tea also feel a little cheap to me, so I suspect this bed may not be super-durable in the long run.

Construction:The least expensive mattress Zinus offers, the Original Green Tea is made of three layers of CertiPUR-U.S.-certified foams. According to the federal-law tag, the ratio is about 80 percent polyurethane foam (for the base) to 20 percent memory foam (for the comfort layer). Zinus says its foam is infused with green tea to help “maintain freshness.” The mattress is covered with a polyester-knit cover that Zinus says should not be removed and is not washable, though I did notice mine had a zipper on the bottom of the cover.

Firmness and support:Zinus advertises its Original Green Tea mattress as soft and pressure-relieving, but I disagree — I think it’s pretty firm, and the foam didn’t conform around my body very much. I’d rank it as a 7.5 on a firmness scale of one to ten where one is soft and ten is firm.

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Actually effective cooling:Cooling features are obviously a major selling point for a mattress with “breeze” in the name, and in my experience, the Tempur-LuxeBreeze succeeds here. In addition to cooling foams inside the mattress, the Tempur-LuxeBreeze has a cooling cover made from a blend of polyester, polyethylene, spandex, and nylon, according to the tag. Every time I lay down on the mattress, I noticed the cover’s coolness — even through mysheetsandmattress protector. And while that initial sensation would eventually fade, it usually lasted a good hour or so and was effective enough that I rarely overheated. Only on the hottest days of my two-month testing period (during spring and summer in North Carolina) did I ever get toasty. My partner, Sam, even noted that on chillier nights, he occasionally felttoocold on this mattress.

Unique melting-in sensation:Though I knew Tempur-Pedic is renowned for its signature memory-foam formula, I didn’t expect this mattress to feel so very different from other memory-foam mattresses I’ve tried. The Tempur-LuxeBreeze was quite firm when I first lay down on it — normal for a memory-foam mattress — but rather than immediately making an impression in the foam, Iveryslowly sank in, almost as if the foam were “melting” beneath me. It happened so gradually it was almost imperceptible until I got up and saw the deep impression where my body had been. This super-slow, melty characteristic allowed the foam to contour around me so precisely I felt as if I were floating.

Good for back and side sleeping:As a back and side sleeper, I was extremely comfortable on the Tempur-LuxeBreeze. On my back, my shoulders could sink in slightly for pressure relief, while the foam provided support for my lower back by filling the slight gap between me and the bed. On my side, I did feel some slight pressure buildup around my shoulders — a common issue for me — but was very comfortable overall. Thanks to the way the foam cradled his joints, Sam told me our time testing this mattress was the best he’d ever felt while sleeping on his side.

Zip-off cover:The cover of the Tempur-LuxeBreeze can be partially removed for cleaning, which is not common but extremely convenient. There’s a zipper along the perimeter of the mattress (with a large good-quality zipper pull); once unzipped, the top portion of the cover comes off and can be thrown in the washing machine. You can’t take off the entire cover, so I still recommend using amattress protector, but it’s a plus for those who want to keep their sleep surface extra clean.

Expensive:If I could spend the rest of my days sleeping on this mattress, I probably would. However, the cost is prohibitive; I personally can’t imagine spending almost $6,000 on a mattress. Given the unique feel and effective cooling plus the high-quality construction, I think the Tempur-LuxeBreeze is worth the price — but that certainly doesn’t make it affordable.

Doesn’t come in all standard sizes:If you’re looking for a twin or full-size mattress, you’re out of luck with the Tempur-LuxeBreeze.

Construction:The Tempur-LuxeBreeze is built from two memory-foam layers over a base of polyurethane support foam. According to the tag, the mattress is 61 percentviscoelastic polyurethane foam(a.k.a. memory foam) and 39 percentpoly foam. The top memory-foam layer is Tempur-Pedic’s proprietary Pure Cool Plus material, a foam the brand says is designed to “pull heat away from the body.” The second is Tempur-Pedic’s Ventilated Advanced Relief material, which is described as pressure relieving with increased ventilation for cooling. The cover is a blend of polyester, polyethylene, spandex, and nylon.

Firmness and support:The all-foam version of the Tempur-LuxeBreeze comes in soft and firm variations; there’s also a medium hybrid version with coils. I tested the soft model, and while it’s great for pressure relief, I wouldn’t exactly call itsoft. It’s difficult to classify as the mattress feels firm at first before you sink into the foam. Even then, it’s not plush or squishy like many other “soft” mattresses. I think medium to medium-firm would be the most accurate way to label the Tempur-LuxeBreeze, with the caveat that it allows for deep contouring and pressure relief — you’ll definitely sink in rather than remaining “on top” of this one.

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Stays cool:I was surprised by how consistently cool the Purple mattress feels. It doesn’t initially feel as chilly as a mattress withphase-changematerialin the cover, but its coolness seems to last longer. Every time I lay down on the mattress, I could feel air flowing through the gridded top layer when I moved around — almost like little puffs comingthrough the top. In the few months I spent sleeping on the Purple, I frequently felt cold in bed, even when the weather was fairly warm. Of the cooling mattresses I’ve tested, this is among the more impressive for maintaining a consistently cool temperature.

Unique feel:Purple’s signature gridded top layer gives this mattress a unique feel. While I didn’t experience the “floating” sensation I’d heard about from others, I definitely noticed how jellylike the mattress felt. It’s similar to the squishiness of a soft memory foam with the bounciness of springs — like latex but more flexible than most latex I’ve tried. You can feel the grid through the cover, which is weird at first but not off-putting to me.

Flexible grid relieves pressure without feeling stiff:After spending a couple of months sleeping on Purple’s unique grid layer, I came away with the impression that it functions similarly to a soft memory foam in the way the mattress contours around your body. But compared with memory foam, the grid felt considerably less stiff — it’s flexible and has a much quicker bounce-back time than memory foam. It cradled my shoulders, hips, and back very comfortably. For those who need some pressure relief but don’t love foam, the flexy grid of the Purple may be the right middle ground.

Thin mattress construction:The Purple mattress is just over nine inches tall, which is pretty thin (11 or 12 inches is typical). For many people, this may not be an issue, but it does make me concerned about how supportive it will be in the long term — with a thinner mattress, any sagging from wear and tear over time will be more noticeable. It also means there is literally less material supporting you; when I sit down on the mattress, if I land with much force, I’ll actually sink through and hit the hard frame beneath. This doesn’t happen when I’m sleeping, but it makes me worry about how well this mattress would work for heavier people. (If you’re interested in a thicker, more supportive Purple mattress, the brand makes a variety of more substantial models, though they are more expensive than this one. We’ve tried, and like, theRestorePremier Hybrid mattress, for example.)

Grid may be off-putting:While I ultimately enjoyed the sensation of Purple’s grid layer, I could see some people disliking it — especially given that you can feel its texture through your sheets. (Fortunately, it’s notvisiblethrough them.)

Construction:The standout feature of Purple’s original mattress is a two-inch layer of the brand’s proprietary hyperelastic polymer GelFlex Grid. The layer isn’t a smooth plane but a grid of squares, which you can definitely feel. The polymer was invented in 1996, and it’s a strong but moldable gel-like material that was first used in medical beds, Dr. Scholl’s soles, and toy balls. The original mattress layers the GelFlex Grid over two layers of foam.

Firmness and support:Purple describes its original mattress as medium-firm, but I think it feels more medium-soft thanks to the squishy GelFlex layer. It’s not featherbed levels of soft, but it’s definitely not firm.

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Substantial feel:Before she got the Mint, Avila slept on Zinus’s affordableGreen Tea Memory Foam Mattress. Out of the box, Avila says she could immediately tell the Mint was more luxurious. “While it actually isn’t as thick as my Zinus, the Mint felt more substantial and looked nicer, with its gray knit cover,” she says.

Supportive but not too firm:Avila says that over time, she had started to sink into her Zinus so much that she couldn’t tell how flat herpillowshad become. “This quickly became apparent when I started sleeping on the Mint, which felt way more supportive,” she says. “Without my body sinking into the mattress, my pillows weren’t supportive enough of my neck.” But Avila says the Mint never felt too firm on her hips or shoulders whenever she rolled to her side. And she felt cradled while sleeping on her stomach. “I didn’t really understand what the term ‘soft yet supportive’ meant until I slept on the Mint, but that’s exactly how I’d describe it,” Avila says. Her partner, who shares the mattress and prefers a firmer feel, slept well on it too — he claimed he woke up more refreshed than ever.

Doesn’t overheat:As for the mattress’s cooling abilities, Avila says this: “There were a couple nights I forgot to turn my fan on and didn’t wake up drenched. My boyfriend, who runs hot like I do, remarked he didn’t get as hot sleeping on this mattress.”

Less durable in the long run:Avila has been sleeping on this bed for a little over three years, and she still loves it. However, both Avila and her partner have noticed it losing some support over time. Avila’s partner prefers a firm mattress, so he has particularly noticed it getting softer.

Construction:The Mint Mattress is a premium version of theTuft & Needle Original Mattress, and it shares some design elements with the Original. Both have a foam base that is topped with Tuft & Needle’s proprietary Adaptive Foam. But the Mint has two additional layers of Adaptive Foam, compared to the Original’s one, as well as additional edge support. Its two-inch middle layer of Adaptive Foam is infused with a purportedly cooling ceramic gel, and its three-inch top layer of Adaptive Foam is infused with graphite that the brand claims will “pull body heat away.” Additionally, Tuft & Needle updated the Mint in May 2022 with a new cover that has a zip-off, machine-washable top.

Firmness and support:While made of denser foam than Tuft & Needle’s Original Mattress, according to a representative for the brand, the Mint actually feels softer — but overall, it still is a medium firmness.

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Firm but springy:Kitchens received the Zenhaven in July 2024 and has slept on the firm side of the mattress for over a year now. She likens the feel of it to “firm tofu,” explaining, “There is a little give, a slight bounciness to latex, but never the sinking, stuck feeling you can get with memory foam.” Since getting the Zenhaven, Kitchens says there has been “some subtle settling in the initial firmness, but it is still truly a big flat slab of firm latex that provides incredible support while still feeling kind to my joints and good for side sleeping.” Even though she also recommends thePlank, our top pick for afirm foam mattress, Kitchens says sleeping on latex has changed her. “I love getting into this bed,” she says.

Relieves aches and pains:Kitchens wakes up feeling great despite being prone to aches and pains, especially in her lower back and hips. “Anytime something flares up in the day, it’s usually gone by the morning,” she says.

Stays cool:Compared with memory-foam mattresses she has tried, Kitchens says the Zenhaven doesn’t trap nearly as much heat.

Durable construction:Latex, while an investment, is known for being durable well past theoft-quoted ten-year mattress window. So far, Kitchens says the Zenhaven has shown no lasting signs of indentations or sagging.

Heavy and difficult to move:Pure-latex mattresses are incredibly heavy. Kitchens tested this one in a king size, which weighs 165 pounds; a queen weighs 125 pounds. “The two very capable people who delivered the king still struggled a bit to get it up a flight of stairs,” she says. Additionally, latex mattresses are not as structured as memory foam or coil mattresses — they are more floppy, which makes moving them challenging. The Zenhaven is not something you would be able to easily move from room to room yourself. Flipping the mattress (since it is dual sided) would also require a second person, Kitchens says.

Construction:The Zenhaven is a ten-inch-tall dual-sided latex mattress. It’s topped with an organic-cotton cover, padded with GOTS-certified organic New Zealand wool (which is a natural flame barrier, so no flame retardants are added), and has layers of vented GOLS-certified organic natural latex for airflow and a supportive latex core. There are no petroleum-based foams, pesticides, heavy metals, or fiberglass in the construction. The Zenhaven is eco-Institut and Greenguard certified, and there was no off-gas smell.

Firmness and support:On a scale from 1 to 10, the softer side, Luxury Plush, is ranked 4 to 5; the firmer side, Gentle Firm, is a 7 to 8.

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Sturdy without being too firm:Because I like a little softness in my mattress, I tested the medium version of the Botanical Bliss mattress. This was my first time sleeping on a fully latex mattress, and I was nervous it would feel too firm or unforgiving to my joints. But after spending a couple of months on the Botanical Bliss mattress, I’m happy to say my fears were assuaged. This mattress definitely isn’tsoft,but there’s a flexibility to it, so I didn’t feel like I was sleeping on a rock. Unlike my experiences on memory foam, I didn’t feel like I was sinking into the mattress very much; rather, it felt as if the latex could bend slightly under my weight without reallyconformingto my body the way memory foam does. This worked to keep my shoulders from becoming sore after sleeping on my side, which tends to happen to me on firmer mattresses. But because I wasn’t sinking into the bed at all, I think I would need a slightly taller pillow than what I currently have to maintain a neutral neck if I were to sleep on this bed long-term.

Customizability:This is true of many of PlushBeds’ mattresses, not just the Botanical Bliss, but I appreciate how customizable the mattress truly is. You can choose between three different heights — I tested the ten-inch — and two different firmnesses. But you can also go even further with the brand’s split queen and king options. Unlike a typical split mattress, which usually consists of pushing two smaller mattresses together, PlushBeds offers “internal split” mattresses forcoupleswho each want a different firmness on their side of the bed. That way, you can make one side medium and the other medium-firm in one continuous mattress.

Quality materials:The Botanical Bliss arrived at my apartment compressed in a box, but on my bed frame, I have to say it looks a lot fancier than you’d expect from a bed-in-a-box mattress. The finishing details, like a quilted organic-cotton cover and durable stitching, give it a high-end look and feel. And if you’re looking for a mattress that prioritizes using natural materials, this one is made with certified organic cotton, wool, and latex.

Handles on all four sides:This mattress can be challenging to move (more on that below), but thankfully, PlushBeds has thoughtfully included handles on all four sides of the mattress to make things a little easier.

Difficult to move:Latex mattresses, especially those without coils, are not only extremely heavy but also very floppy. If you’re moving the mattress on its side, it won’t remain rigid and upright like an innerspring. This can make moving latex mattresses quite challenging, and the Botanical Bliss is no exception. The weight is also noticeable when I’m making the bed, as it’s a bit more difficult to lift the corners when putting on a fitted sheet.

Construction:The Botanical Bliss mattress consists of two or three latex layers, depending on which height and firmness you select. The first is a softerTalalay latex; there is a second layer of latex under this on the 12-inch version. At the bottom is a thicker, firmer support layer of latex foam. The cover is made from organic cotton and is quilted with a circular pattern. There is also a layer of organic wool underneath the cover, which both adds cushioning and serves as a natural fire barrier.

Firmness and support:The Botanical Bliss comes in two firmness options: medium or medium-firm. PlushBeds says the medium would appeal to the majority of people and especially to side sleepers or anyone who wants pressure relief. The brand says the medium-firm would be best for side or back sleepers who want a firmer sleep surface. I tested the medium version of the mattress, and I’d agree with PlushBeds’ description.

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Just-right level of “sink”:Lewis says that a t first, the Nectar seemed almost too firm to the touch. “When I plopped down on a corner, it had nearly no bounce at all. But when I curled up to go to sleep, it was surprisingly enveloping,” she says. The mattress has just the right amount of give, Lewis says, in that it’s comfortable for her to move around on, but she doesn’t feel anyone (or anything) else moving around.

Low motion transfer:For the first time ever, Lewis says she didn’t wake up every time her dog flopped or fidgeted throughout the night.

Stays cool:Lewis says her worries about the memory foam making her overheat never came to fruition. She had been skeptical about how effective the cooling gel in the foam would be but was pleasantly surprised. “While I still woke up with stress dreams, I never once woke up with sweat-soaked sheets,” Lewis says.

Not very bouncy:If you do like some bounce to your bed, this one is a bit lacking in that department.

Construction:The Nectar Memory-Foam Mattresshas a quilted cover on top of layers of “gel-infused” memory foam, support memory foam, and high-density poly foam.

Firmness and support:Lewis found the Nectar to be quite firm, though the company rates it as a “just-right” 6.5 on a scale of one to ten, where one is soft and ten is firm.

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Generous hip support:Kitchens says the Cocoon Chill was every bit as firm as the innerspring-coil mattress she had slept on for years, but the memory foam hugged her in a way that made her lower back feel particularly supported. “Imagine two open palms gently lifting up your sacrum area,” Kitchens says. There was no hip-sinking feeling — rather, “the foam filled in the areas around my lower spine that generally ache, making it feel like I was very much on top of the mattress,” she says. The first night, Kitchens says she doesn’t remember moving around all that much. The following morning, her usual roll-out-of-bed lower-back creakiness was gone.

May help relieve back and neck pain:Kitchens says she has some very particular sleep issues: “I’ve had acupuncture and done physical therapy over the years to alleviate chronic back and neck soreness,” she says. Right before trying the Cocoon Chill, she had a new, specific bit of spinal pain. But much of that subsided after sleeping on the mattress. “Crawling into this bed at the end of the day gives me a floating yet hugged feeling that I find to be full-body relaxing,” Kitchens said.

Gets a little warm:Memory foam can hold heat, and though it wasn’t a major issue on this mattress, Kitchens found herself cranking up the AC or opening a window more often than when sleeping on latex or a bed with coils.

Construction:Cocoon Chill is Tempur-Sealy’s bed-in-a-box offering, and the mattress comes with a heat-dissipating knit cover. It has a pretty straightforward construction: layers conforming memory foam and “comfort foam” atop six inches of high-density foam for support. (There’s also a hybrid version of this mattress, with a support layer of coils instead of high-density foam.)

Firmness and support:There is one firmness option, which Cocoon rates as a six out of ten on a firmness scale where one is soft and ten is firm.

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Balance of softness and responsiveness:Right off the bat, Ro says the Tuft & Needle mattress felt substantial. The textured-fabric is plush, and when she pressed her open hand down on the mattress it bounced back with a friendly rebound. “Lying on the Tuft & Needle for the first time, I immediately felt embraced,” Ro says.

Works for multiple sleeping positions:When Ro slept on her back, she says she felt simultaneously supported and cocooned, and when she turned to her side, the transition felt natural. Tuft & Needle describes its in-house Adaptive Foam as soft and comfy while still being bouncy and supportive, and Ro agrees with that assessment. “My husband really likes it, and he’s a back and stomach sleeper whose temperature runs a little hotter than mine,” she adds.

Preferred a firmer feel:Ultimately Ro decided to get a firmer mattress with springs, but she has kept the Tuft & Needle Original in her guest room for a few years now. In that time, she had a friend who stayed with her for several months report that it was very comfortable, and other guests who’ve slept on it have asked what mattress it is. Still, for her it is too soft and squishy to sleep on every night.

Construction:The Tuft & Needle Original has just two layers of material: a seven-inch support layer of dense foam as the base and a three-inch top comfort layer of proprietary Adaptive Foam infused with a “cooling gel” and graphite to help regulate your body temperature. The mattress’s simplicity helps explain its lower price.

Firmness and support:Tuft & Needle says the mattress has a “medium firm” feel, though Ro says she would put it on the softer side of medium.

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I slept on the Tempur-Cloud mattress for about two months in an effort to understand the difference betweenTempur-Pedic’s most and least expensive mattresses. The Tempur-Cloud is the latter, though it is still significantly more expensive than many of the mattresses reviewed above. That’s part of why it didn’t earn a spot on this list — it’s a perfectly adequate mattress, but I don’t see much reason for it to cost $2,000 for a queen (the foam feels similar to that of many mattresses that are cheaper by far). I was comfortable sleeping on my back but didn’t feel much pressure relief on my side — that’s disappointing for a memory-foam mattress. If you can get the Tempur-Cloud for a few hundred dollars less (sometimes the case when it goes on sale), it’s a a good option for back sleepers or those who like a medium feel with some cushioning. Otherwise, you can save some money and still get a great mattress by choosing one of our other picks above.