The Very Best Mattresses, As Tested by Our Editors

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Sturdy back support:When Kitchens tested the Saatva Classic mattress (first in Luxury Firm and later in Firm), she was on a quest to find a mattress to support her sore back. What she liked most was the support this mattress offered, which she says kept her lower back from collapsing in and kept her spine in alignment. WhenI retested the Saatvaa few years later, I had a similar experience. This mattress is largely made of sturdy coils, so it isn’t especially sinky, and I felt very lifted up. Though there isn’t an entire foam layer, the Saatva does have a memory-foam lumbar support — a strip of foam that runs horizontally across the middle of the mattress — which provides some lower-back relief. I tested the Luxury Firm version, which is the middle firmness option. While it was firmer than my normal preference, I came to really appreciate the strong, but still gentle, support.

Easy to change sleeping positions:The Saatva Classic is very easy to move around on. The coil-heavy construction means it won’t conform around you the way memory foam would, so you’ll feel more “on top” of it and you’ll never get that sunken, stuck feeling.

Comfortable for all sorts of sleepers:Because there are three firmness levels to choose from (Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, or Firm), the Saatva Classic can work for just about everyone. The Luxury Firm model I tested should appeal to most people. Side sleepers who want some additional pressure relief should go for the Plush Soft model, while back or stomach sleepers who want an even firmer option should pick the Firm model. Both Kitchens and I really liked sleeping on the Saatva, even though we have different sleep styles and preferences.

Noticeable motion transfer:The bounciness from the coils can lead to more noticeable motion transfer than you’d feel on a mattress with thicker layers of foam.

Minimal pressure relief:The Luxury Firm Saatva Classic that I tested was slightly too firm for me while side sleeping. There isn’t much padding above the coils, so I felt my shoulder getting jammed up a bit. However, Kitchens found the Luxury Firm model extremely comfortable for side sleeping, so personal preference will definitely come into play. I think the Plush Soft model may have offered better pressure relief for me and those like me who have more sensitive joints.

Pillow top gives the bed a tufted top:Kitchens didn’t love the tufted top layer, as she prefers a smoother sleep surface.

Construction:The Saatva has three main layers: two layers of springs plus a cushioned cover. The bottom layer is made ofinterlocking steel coils(typical for an innerspring mattress), and the second layer features“pocketed coils,”which are individually wrapped in fabric and compress independently from one another. This double-stacked coil construction is what makes the Saatva both sturdy and bouncy. Wrapped around the perimeter of both coil sections is a border of high-density foam, which gives the mattress extremely strongedge support. An organic-cottonEuro topcovers the coils, with a narrow strip of memory foam under the center of the cover to provide extra lumbar support. This construction — coils on coils, with a touch of foam for the lower back — makes the Saatva one of our favoritemattresses for back pain, too.

Firmness and support:There are three firmness levels available.The Luxury Firm is the middle option, closest to the versatile “medium-firm” feel that most people will find comfortable. The Plush Soft offers slightly more cushioning that may be preferable for side sleepers or lighter-weight people (who won’t sink into their mattress as much). The Firm will have the least sinkage and the most resistance, keeping you the most “on top” of the bed.

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Supportive, with an on-top-of-the-bed feel:Before I received the Leesa Original Hybrid, I was sleeping on an Allswellnamesake hybrid mattressI’d purchased a few years earlier. The Leesa is firmer than the more cushiony Allswell, with good edge support and a comfortable level of bounciness — it’s definitely a mattress you sleep on top of, rather than sink into.

Comfortable in multiple positions:I tend to go to sleep on my side and wake up on my back, and I never had any trouble changing positions. I felt supported either way, with my posture aligned as it’s supposed to be.

Doesn’t overheat:Even though I run hot, the Leesa didn’t cause me to wake up in a sweat. Part of the reason is that it has a fabric cover made from an especially breathable knit.

Knit cover loosens over time:Overall, I’m happy with this mattress, but I noticed that after about two years of sleeping on it, the knit cover has stretched a bit and become somewhat loose. Occasionally, it will bunch up underneath my sheets, which can be slightly annoying.

Construction:The Leesa Original Hybrid is a more budget-friendly alternative toLeesa’s Sapira Hybrid mattressthat sandwiches “active-response” springs between a high-density-foam base layer and two CertiPUR–U.S.-certified foam top layers: one made of memory foam for pressure relief, the other made of high-airflow foam for breathability. The “cool knit” polyester-and-viscose cover is a step up, aesthetically, from more traditional-looking white quilted mattress covers; reminiscent of a classic T-shirt, it’s heather gray with a diagonal pattern and Leesa’s signature white accent stripes.

Firmness and support:Leesa says the Original Hybrid is “medium to medium-firm,” with a firmness range between 5 and 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. The innerspring core is more supportive than the all-foam Leesa Original (our pick for the best foam mattress overall, reviewed below). The brand recommends it for all body types and sleeping positions and describes it as the Leesa Original “with bounce.”

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Springy feel:While many people assume that an all-foam mattress will be soft and squishy, 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:I live in two places, which makes me sound very fancy, but it’s just because of my husband’s job; we have a house in Philadelphia and an apartment in Washington, D.C. In the master bedroom in the Philly house, I’ve had the same Casper Original mattress for ten years. I’ve always loved it because it’s 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. But the OG Casper has a great amount of squish without making me feel like my back isn’t supported because the mattress is too soft. When we were shopping for mattresses for our apartment, we did a short stint on aTuft & Needle mattressthat turned out to be a shade too soft. So we ditched the Tuft & Needle for the newer Casper One, which we also bought for the Philly guest room. It’s firm enough to be supportive, but still soft enough to relieve pressure on my joints — a Goldilocks sort of just right for me and my fellow-side-sleeper husband. I also like how the mattress has give but not really bounce — I don’t like mattresses with springs; I just want to sleep on a firm sponge.

Well-constructed:I like the One even better than the Original because it’s encased in soft gray microfiber, so if it were to stain, the staining wouldn’t show. Even though it no longer has a sewn-on, cupped lip like the Original had, the edge support is strong enough that I never feel like I’m going to end up on the floor. I’m equally comfortable on both the Casper One and the Casper Original.

Fiberglass-free:And if, like me, you’ve visited the fiberglass-in-my-mattress corner of TikTok, you’ll be relieved, also like me, to find that one of the changes Casper made from the Original to the One is removing the fiberglass.

Lacks the cupped edges of the Casper Original:While the edges are still very sturdy on the Casper One, I did really like the more cupped edges of the Casper Original.

Construction:The Casper One is a foam mattress, launched in 2024 and designed as the brand’s new flagship product to replace the Casper Original. The bed is constructed with three layers of foam: a top layer of flexible polyurethane foam, a middle layer of memory foam, and a base layer of support foam. All three layers, together standing at 11 inches tall, are wrapped in a knit cover. One noteworthy change in the Casper One, compared with 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, like Casper, are moving away from the material because ofpotential health 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, but in testing, we found it also works well for side sleeping — so much so that we also named it thebest foam mattress for side sleepers.

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Firm but springy:I received the Zenhaven in July 2024 and have slept on the firm side of this mattress for one year now. There is a springy quality to latex that can be hard to describe if you’re not familiar. I wasn’t, but I always come back to the descriptor “firm tofu.” There is a little give, a slight bounciness to latex, but never the sinking, stuck feeling you can get with memory foam. After a year, 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. I love thePlank(one of ourfavorite firm mattresses) as a seriously firm memory-foam option, but sleeping on latex has changed me. I love getting into this bed.

Relieves aches and pains:My body, which is prone to all kinds of aches, especially in my lower back and hips, feels great when I wake up. Anytime something flares up in the day, it’s usually gone by the morning.

Stays cool:As someone who sleeps a little hot, I’ve never felt warmth on this mattress like I have with memory foam.

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

Heavy and difficult to move:It’s important to know that pure latex mattresses are incredibly heavy. I tested this Saatva style 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. Latex mattresses are not as structured as memory foam or coil mattresses — they are more floppy, which makes moving them challenging. It’s 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 capable person to help.

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), 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; while the firmer side, Gentle Firm, is a 7 to 8.

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It’s softly firm:This might sound like an oxymoron, but the Bear Elite Hybrid is a wonderful combination of feeling comfortable and a little cushy while still being firm and supportive.After sleeping on a soft, plush mattress for over a decade, this was a welcome change for me, as I was looking for something slightly firmer that would better support my back. The Bear Elite Hybrid does exactly that — I’ve been feeling less upper-back and neck pain since using it (although I will note that my lower back was sore for a couple of days while I was adjusting to the new firmness).

Good for side and back sleepers:The most comfortable way to lie on this mattress is on your side — so much so that I’ve found myself sleeping on my stomach less. It’s almost like the mattress holds you in place, which makes sense because there’s memory foam between the quilted, cushioned top and the support coils underneath. My fiancé is a combination back and side sleeper, and he also found the mattress comfortable for his regular sleep positions. We both feel we are sleeping better on the mattress than we were on our last mattress, which was much more plush.

Not as cooling as you might expect:Bear’s product-description page says this mattress is best for “sleepers looking for best-in-class cooling features.” I don’t particularly care about cooling features, as I tend to be cold when I sleep, but my fiancé is a hot sleeper, and he found that he was still warm during the night while we were sleeping on this mattress.

Construction:The Elite Hybrid’s top layer is a quilted, cushioned cover made withphase-change materialfor cooling — you can also add aCelliantcover, which is intended to promote muscle recovery, for an extra charge. The next two layers are antimicrobial copper-infused memory foam and dynamic transition foam. Under those layers are individually encased coils and reinforced edge coils, supported by a base made from high-density support foam.

Firmness and support:Bear’s own firmness guide ranks firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “mush” and 10 is “rock.” The brand says its mattresses fall in the 5 to 7 portion of the scale, and the Elite Hybrid is available in three firmness options within that range: soft, which is a 5; medium, which is a 6; and firm, which is a 7. I tested the medium, and would say that calling it a 6 on a firmness scale of 1 to 10 feels accurate.

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For decades, most mattresses were filled withinterlocking hourglass-shaped springs, also known as Bonnell coils, that were designed for uniform support across the surface of the mattress, then topped with batting for comfort. Because the springs were all connected, there was a lot of bounciness andmotion transfer, and they weren’t especially good forpressure relief. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when Tempur-Pedic first made a mattress using NASA-designed viscoelasticpolyurethane foam, a.k.a.memory foam, that there were any big shifts in how mattresses were built.

Today, there is a lot more variety in the mattress landscape.Foam mattressesabound, as dohybrid mattressesthat combine foam and springs. Traditionalinnerspringconstructions have greatly evolved, replacing interlocking springs with“pocketed” steel coilsthat are individually encased in fabric and can move independently of one another. These pocketed coils are the most common type of springs used in hybrid mattresses, too; the result is better motion isolation, pressure relief, and overall support.Latexand latex hybrid mattresses (which actuallyhad a brief momentin the mid-century before falling out of fashion in the 1970s) have surged in popularity, both for latex’s bouncy, cooling feel and its eco-friendliness relative to polyurethane foam.

Foam mattresses often let you sink in a bit more and contour around your body, though foam can vary quite a bit in its level of softness or firmness. Foam can also range in quality and durability — look for high-density foams for the most long-lasting material. Hybrid mattresses that layer foam on top of pocketed coils tend to offer more support, thanks to the sturdy coils. But hybrids can also vary a lot in how soft or firm they feel, depending on the thickness, type, and density of the top foam layers, also called “comfort layers.” Some “zoned” mattresses also have extra lumbar support in the form of strategically placed high-gauge coils across the center of the mattress, orpillow tops, which are basicallymattress topperssewn to the top of the bed (you can think of them as essentially another comfort layer).

We’ve described the construction of each mattress below, and our testers took note of how enveloped or supported they felt; whether a mattress caused them to sleep warmer or cooler than usual; and, in cases of shared sleeping arrangements, whether they could feel partners or pets moving around.

Often, manufacturers rate their mattresses on afirmnessscale from 1 to 10, but the way you sleep will have an impact on the type of mattress you find most comfortable and how you experience its firmness. Side sleepers, for example, need pressure relief for their hips and shoulders, along with a mattress that supports the alignment of the spine, shoulders, and pelvis. Back sleepers will typically do better with a firmer mattress, which helps support the spine, and stomach sleepers often prefer softer mattresses that cradle their body but are not so soft that they sink in too deep.

This is arguably the most important factor to consider when buying a mattress, but it’s the hardest to quantify. Some of our writers and editors used sleep trackers or sleep-tracking apps to study their sleep quality. Others have anecdotal evidence, like waking up without an alarm or with lessback pain, or neversweating through their sheets.