Since we spend so much of our lives sleeping, the mattress we choose to sleep on can have a huge impact on how we feel. These days, there are so many mattress options available. You can choose between mattresses for side sleepers or mattresses for back pain relief to help you get the maximum comfort. You also have options for types of fillings such as mattresses made of memory foam, innerspring mattresses, hybrid mattresses, and much more. You can also go with a luxury mattress and pay a few thousand bucks, a budget mattress in a box for under $500, or you can opt for something in between. You can even pick up a memory foam mattress topper and forgo the new bed entirely.
Which should you choose? We have you covered on the best mattress picks for 2020 regardless of your price range. You can also take a look at some of the best Black Friday mattress sales and mattress topper deals more options.
At a glance:
- Best memory foam: Layla Memory Foam Mattress
- Best home trial: Nectar Mattress
- Best contouring: Emma Mattress
- Best sleep tracking features: Eight Sleep Pod
- Best breathability: Amerisleep AS3 Mattress
- Best eco-friendly: Saatva Classic Luxury Firm Hybrid Innerspring Mattress
- Best luxury: Saatva Zenhaven Luxury Plush Mattress
- Most popular mattress-in-a-box: Casper Original Mattress
- Best budget value: Signature Sleep Gold Inspire 12-Inch Memory Foam Mattress
Best memory foam: Layla Mattresses
A new mattress doesn’t just help you sleep better but it’ll change your perspective about your rest experience. We tend to think “sleep is for the weak” but falling into a restful deep sleep will help you in the long run and you can’t do that with a cheap bed spring mattress. This Layla mattress is made with copper-infused memory foam and the copper-infused particles help you sleep cooler at night as it takes away heat faster. It has a soft (best for side sleepers) and firm side (best for stomach and side sleepers) so that whatever sleeping position you sleep in, you have two options to choose from. Test it out for 120 nights and if you don’t love it your money is guaranteed back.
Best home trial: Nectar Mattress
The Nectar mattress is both comfortable and affordable, starting at only $499 for a twin, and a king-size will set you back around $1,000. Constructed from five layers of foam, including medical-grade viscoelastic memory foam and hi-core 9.2-grade transition foam, the award-winning Nectar mattress is designed to minimize motion transfer while also keeping you cool throughout the night. The quilted cover and gel memory foam layer gel keep the Nectar mattress soft and cool, but the mattress isn’t too soft — it’s slightly firm, but it does conform to the body.
The mattress comes in a box that’s shipped to you in about two to three business days for free, and DIY setup takes about 15 minutes. Once you set up the mattress on your bed frame, you just let it expand, and you’re ready to sleep on the mattress later that night.
Best contouring: Emma Mattress
Emma was founded in Germany, but the company has expanded rapidly. The Emma mattress feels soft when you first lay down on it, but it’s actually really comfortable. It conforms to your body and helps prevent tossing and turning throughout the night. You wake up well-rested because you weren’t changing position every half an hour in an effort to get comfortable.
Constructed from a supportive base foam, pressure-relieving viscoelastic memory foam, adaptive airgocell foam, and a climate regulating cover, the Emma mattress is engineered to keep you cool and comfortable throughout the night. The materials allow for free airflow, without trapping body heat or moisture. The cover is removable too, so you can toss it in the washer if you need to.
The Emma mattress comes in a box, and you just remove it from the plastic, place it on your bed frame and let it expand — the process is pretty simple. Prices start at $425 for a twin and go up to $800 for a king, so the mattress is reasonably priced. This is one of our favorite mattresses we’ve tested.
Best sleep tracking features: Eight Sleep Pod
While the Eight Sleep Pod mattress doesn’t exactly make it feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud, we like the Pod because of the sleep tracking data and temperature regulation features it provides. The Pod lets you adjust your bed’s surface temperature between 55 and 115 degrees. It uses a Hub that contains a water tank. That water travels through an active grid layer on the bed to change the bed’s surface to your desired temperature.
The Pod also provides a ton of data about your sleep, from your sleep stages to heart rate and respiration. The bed can provide this data for one person, or the Pod can separately provide sleep data and temperature regulation for both you and your partner. We reviewed the Eight Sleep Pod a while back, and we were really impressed with its temperature and sleep data features.
Best breathability: Amerisleep AS3 Mattress
With a starting price of $899 for a twin size and ranging up to $1,290 for a king, the Amerisleep AS3 is priced in the upper to midrange. The 12-inch, medium-feel mattress is ideal for side and combination sleepers (people who sleep in different positions).
The AS3 is a memory foam mattress, but Amerisleep’s BioPur foam is said to be five times more breathable than traditional memory foam. Its plant-based foam is exceptionally durable, and it won’t sag or indent after years of use. The Amerisleep AS3 also has an affinity transition layer to relieve pressure points, and it has a high-performance Celliant cover made of thermoreactive minerals to enhance performance and durability.
What’s really amazing about this mattress, however, is the comfort. It’s soft, but not too soft. If you’re one of those people who wakes up in the middle of the night having to change positions because your mattress makes your side hurt, or because your mattress makes you too hot, the AS3 is an ideal choice because it relieves these issues for most people. It has overall excellent reviews from thousands of happy sleepers.
The Amerisleep AS3 ships to you within in a box, and you get free shipping. Out of the box, it’s compressed, but it is very easy to set up. You can place it on the floor, on a box spring, on an adjustable base, or on a flat platform.
What’s not to love? The price. There are cheaper options available if you’re on a tight budget or if you simply don’t want to spend more than a grand on a mattress. But, if you’re looking for a bed that combines comfort and quality, this is an excellent choice.
Best eco-friendly: Saatva Classic Luxury Firm Innerspring Mattress
The Saatva mattress has received a lot of attention because it’s an affordable luxury mattress made with eco-responsible materials. It starts at only $800 for a twin, and it ranges up to $1,800 for a California king.
Few mattresses these days are made of only one type of material (only inner springs, or only one type of foam.) The Saatva mattress is no exception. It has several layers. There’s a lower steel coil layer for durability, and an upper coil layer where the coils are individually encased for optimal airflow and comfort. Above the coils lies a layer of viscoelastic memory foam and wire support. The top layer is an organic euro pillow topper, and the fabric is treated with antimicrobial fabric treatment to inhibit bacterial growth. Around the perimeter of the mattress, it’s encased in foam, which adds additional surface area, support, and durability.
You can customize the Saatva mattress to meet your individual needs. In addition to choosing the size, you can choose between three comfort levels: Plush soft, luxury firm, or firm. The luxury firm option is the most popular option. You can even customize the height of your mattress (choose between 11.5 or 14.5 inches tall).
Best luxury: Saatva Zenhaven Luxury Plush Mattress
Using pure tree-tapped latex, the Zenhaven Saatva mattress provides excellent support without painful or uncomfortable pressure points. The 10-inch mattress has a starting price of $1,200 for a twin ($2,800 for a king), so it’s on the higher end of the price spectrum.
Another thing that sets this mattress apart is its five-zone latex comfort layer. By using different sized pinholes and distributing them in a specific fashion in their Talalay latex processing, they created five different density zones designed for different parts of the body. The bed is also hypoallergenic and naturally resistant to mold, microbes, and dust mites.
The bed comes in two different comfort levels: Luxury plush or gentle firm. Most latex mattress customers choose the softer plush option. Most users give the Zenhaven Saatva excellent reviews overall. The major downside is the high cost. Also, while latex mattresses are durable and naturally hypoallergenic, not everyone likes the feel of a latex mattress, so you may want to test out a latex mattress before committing.
Most popular mattress-in-a-box: Casper Original Mattress
Casper is one of the more well-known memory foam mattress brands for a reason: The mattress is durable, comfortable, and affordable. For a starting retail price of $540 for a twin ($1,270 for a king), Casper’s mattress has a support system that’s designed for each area of your body.
The mattress has four layers, including the zoned-support layer that adjusts the firmness of the foam for your hips, legs, and shoulders. The mattress uses open-cell foams that allow airflow, so you don’t get too hot throughout the night.
Best budget value: Signature Sleep Gold Inspire 12-Inch Memory Foam Mattress
If you’re looking for a dirt-cheap mattress that’s still going to be comfortable, you can buy this one by Signature Sleep for a couple hundred bucks. Sale prices on Signature Sleep’s Gold Inspire mattress usually start at $150 for a twin, and you can get a king-size for around $350. One of our writers tried this mattress and really enjoyed it.
What to know when you buy a mattress
You might wonder if a mattress this cheap is safe. Well, if it’s Certipur certified, like this one, then it’s made without ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP flame retardants, phthalates, formaldehyde, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals. Also, the foam has low (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality.
This medium-firm mattress has an 8-inch high-density foam layer, a 4-inch layer of memory foam, three pressure-relief zones for optimal comfort, and a soft and breathable knit fabric cover.
So why buy any other mattress? While this mattress is exceptional for the price (we’d rate it an eight on a scale of one to ten regardless of the price), it’s not as excellent as some of the more expensive options. And, considering people spend so much time in their beds, that extra support and comfort might be worth the extra cash for some people.
