The Best Mattresses You Can Buy Online
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
Best Mattress OverallHelix Sleep Midnight Luxe Hybrid MattressRead more
Runner-UpLeesa Sapira HybridRead more
Best for Side SleepersBear Bear EliteRead more
Best Firm MattressPlank Firm MattressRead more
Searching for the best mattress online is a waking nightmare, and picking the wrong one can literally cause bad dreams or kill your back. It doesn't help that the online market is flooded with options or that there are more dedicated mattress review sites than stars in the sky.
A few years ago, we started this guide by filling a room with dozens of beds from top mattress-in-a-box companies and spent several days examining, reclining, and even jumping on each of them. We've since upgraded our process. Testers now spend weeks or months sleeping on each mattress in their homes; we've only included mattresses WIRED reviewers have spent at least a week sleeping on. These are our favorites.
Be sure to read our other sleep guides, including the Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Bed Sheets, Best Bed Frames, and Best Sleep Trackers.
Updated November 2023: We've added the Bear Elite, Saatva Classic, and Sealy Cocoon, plus added two even cheaper mattresses for tight budgets.
You'll spend a third of your life on a mattress, which means picking the right one is important. Start with your preferred sleeping position and how much support you need. Here are a few tips.
Firm or soft? Generally, heavier people and back or stomach sleepers will do better with firmer mattresses, while lighter people and side sleepers enjoy softer mattresses. Temperature is also an issue: Softer mattresses sleep warmer since your body is sinking into a layer of fabric and foam. Keep in mind that all mattresses have a break-in period, and the way the mattress feels on your first night won't be how it feels after a week or two.
Hybrid or foam? The next big question is whether you want a foam mattress or a hybrid model that layers foam with built-in springs. We tend to recommend hybrids because they are more stable and supportive, and they usually stay cooler. Hybrids are often slightly pricier.
What size do you need? The prices below are based on the queen size, but almost all mattresses come in the standard sizes of Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, and California King. You'll want to buy a mattress based on the size of your bed frame.
Set up. Most of these mattresses are delivered in a box, vacuum-sealed, and rolled up. Some are pretty heavy—up to 150 pounds—so be sure you have someone to help you. After you unroll your bed-in-a-box mattress and cut the vacuum bag open, it'll immediately begin to inflate, so unbox it on your bed frame or near it. We have a helpful guide on how to set up the mattress you bought online with more tips. The mattresses are usually ready to go in a few hours, but most manufacturers recommend giving them two days to reach their normal state.
Buy it on sale. Mattresses go on sale often. If you see one at full price, there's a strong chance you can save hundreds of dollars by waiting for the next big sale event (every few months).
What if you don't like it? Most of the mattresses we have tested and recommend have at least a 100-night testing period and a 10-year warranty. You may want to look at the company's policy as you may be on the hook for a nominal return fee.
- Photograph: Helix Sleep01
Best Mattress Overall
Helix Sleep Midnight Luxe Hybrid MattressFormer WIRED editor Jeffrey Van Camp tested several mattresses over the years, but this is the only one that put him to sleep immediately after just a few minutes of lying on it. Helix's Midnight Luxe has a plush cushion top and a medium-firm feel that's relaxing whether you're a side, back, or stomach sleeper. (He's most definitely a stomach sleeper.)
Helix mattresses are hybrids and have a base of individually wrapped inner springs that are firmer in areas that need more support to prevent back pain, like your lower spine. On top is a stratum of cooling gel foam and denser foams. In all, there are six layers and the mattress is more than 13 inches high. It's cozy, and Helix has a variety of other mattresses that cater to different sleeping positions and firmness preferences. Helix is almost totally vertically integrated—the springs are made from bales of wire cut in the company's Arizona factory, where it has recently started pouring its own foam.
- Photograph: Leesa02
Runner-Up
Leesa Sapira HybridThis is a true runner-up in comfort to our top pick. We love the silky diamond-textured cover of the Leesa Sapira almost as much as its soft-yet-firm, pressure-relieving feel. It didn't whoosh us away to dreamland like the Helix Midnight Luxe, but it was a mattress we kept coming back to during testing—sometimes for comparison and a few times because it felt so cool and cozy.
Like a lot of our top picks, this is a hybrid mattress. It has a layer of springs sandwiched between five layers of foam in various densities, including a 1.5-inch top layer of airy, cooling Avena foam. The layers blend well, gently hugging my body while offering proper support.
- Photograph: Bear03
Best for Side Sleepers
Bear Bear EliteMost people are side sleepers. The stats vary by study and how you define side sleeping, but between half and three-quarters of people sleep mostly on their side. For them, it's important to find a mattress that strikes a perfect balance between cushion and support. The Bear Elite is a five-layer hybrid mattress that is a full 14 inches thick and firmer than most other side sleeper mattresses. Your initial impression might be that a squishy memory foam mattress is better—my experience is that sinking too much gets old after a while.
The Bear's top layer is a quilted pillowtop made from a cooling fabric that sits above a layer of cooling copper-infused foam. There's a single layer of springs of varied rigidity so your hips can sink a bit without your back coming out of alignment. It's a sturdy mattress and comes with a 120-night trial period (plus a lifetime warranty). Read our Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers guide for other picks.
- Photograph: Plank04
Best Firm Mattress
Plank Firm MattressWIRED editor Adrienne So likes a firm mattress. And by “firm” she means “rock hard.” She finds sleeping on a quarter-inch of foam over dirt to be both relaxing and good for her back. The Plank's high-density support foam took a few hours to fully inflate, which left both So and her spouse with a misleading initial impression of too much softness. But after a few days, the mattress firmed up considerably. The 0.75-inch quilted top is barely perceptible. It's like sleeping on a clean wooden floor (this is a good thing).
If this is too much for you, you can also flip it over to sleep on 2 inches of comfort foam on the underside. But let’s be honest, if you’re ordering a mattress called the Plank, you probably don’t want to do that. The foam also doesn’t move laterally at all, meaning kids can hop in and out of the parental bed with minimal shaking. Her one complaint is that the edges could use a bit more support; she has slipped off the sides a few times while putting on her socks.
- Photograph: Saatva05
If You're Battling Back Pain
Saatva Classic Mattress (11.5 Inch)Most of the mattresses on this list come roll-packed for shipping by FedEx or UPS, but not this one. As direct-to-consumer mattresses grow in popularity, there are a few brands we like that make more traditional innerspring mattresses, and that includes Saatva. Its mattress will be delivered by someone in a moving truck, and they will also move it to whichever room you'd like and set it up on your behalf—great for keeping the back pain at bay. (Saatva can also take your old mattress away.)
The Saatva Classic is our pick for people battling back pain thanks to its unique spring structure. The “luxury” firmness level has a pillow top made from organic cotton that’s quilted in zones to promote lumbar support. Below that, there’s a well-positioned high-density foam layer in the middle of the mattress for lumbar support, which can make a huge difference for anyone with a creaky lower back. There’s a layer of pocketed coils made with 14.5-gauge steel and a separate base layer made with heavier 13-gauge steel coils. All those springs do make it a bit more bouncy than others on this list but in a good way. The rim of the mattress is lined with high-density foam, meaning you get peerless edge support.
- Photograph: Nectar06
Best Mattress for Pressure Relief
Nectar Sleep Nectar Premier Hybrid MattressThe regular mattress from Nectar was our top pick for side sleepers for years. That mattress is made with four layers of dense, high-quality foams; we're finding ourselves moving more toward hybrids that have a layer of coils for additional support. Enter the Nectar Premium. For anyone who likes a softer mattress to slowly sink into, this is a great option given its excellent contouring and pressure relief. It has five layers of foam plus gel and is softer than the original. This mattress is 13 inches thick with satisfying squishiness and a cooling layer—a must for anyone who sleeps hot. Make sure you choose the “Hybrid Foam + Springs” option on the product page.
This mattress is best for true side sleepers. If you are a combo sleeper who often rolls over to your stomach or back, then we recommend going with the Bear Elite above. Two nice things about Nectar are that it offers a full year of trial and a forever warranty, so if you feel like you made the wrong choice, you can ask for a do-over.
- Photograph: Sealy07
Best Cooling Mattress
Sealy Cocoon Chill Memory FoamThere are two types of hot sleepers: those who adapt by kicking off the covers, and those like WIRED contributor Nicole Kinning’s husband, who—no matter how hot they get—will never sleep without a blanket. Sealy’s Cocoon Chill Memory Foam mattress has been a game-changer for the Kinning household. As soon as the mattress is freed from its plastic wrapping, its surface is noticeably cool to the touch thanks to the “phase-change materials” inside (yes, it sounds like something out of Star Trek). It essentially saps away your body heat, stores it, and then releases it when your body is cool, keeping temps even throughout the night.
The mattress also has a relatively low profile as it sits in a bed frame, measuring 10 inches thick, placing it at the lower end of the usual mattress size spectrum. In terms of comfort, this all-foam mattress leans firm, making it well suited for back and stomach sleepers. We found that there was very little motion transfer, allowing us to get up at different times without disturbing the other person. If you’re looking for sweat-free sleep, the Cocoon Chill is the ticket.
- Photograph: WinkBeds08
Best Mattress for Stomach and Back Sleepers
WinkBeds The WinkBedThe WinkBed is akin to the Casper further below—if you're not sure what to get, there's a good chance this mattress will satisfy. WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu has been sleeping on it for more than a year and a half and he's quite happy. His favorite perk? The edge support is fantastic so his partner never wakes when he slips into bed late at night. The plush pillow top also adds a luxe hotel-like feel to a relatively firm bed. (He tried the Luxury Firm, but there are three other choices.) He is a stomach and back sleeper; his partner, often a side sleeper, says it's a bit too firm.
The WinkBed is a US-made hybrid mattress with an eco-friendly Tencel cover that wicks moisture and has individually wrapped coils for excellent support. The company says it works well with most bed frames (as long as there's rigid center support). There's a 120-night trial and a full-replacement lifetime warranty.
%2520copy.jpg)
- Photograph: Helix Sleep09
Best Mattress Upgrade
Helix Sleep Helix EliteOur top pick, Helix, has an Elite collection that consists of six new mattresses along a spectrum of softness. Those hybrid mattresses come in two separate boxes, each heavy enough to require help lifting. The firmness is dictated by the foam density of the upper layer, which zips into a larger support system. In theory, this makes the mattress adjustable if you end up regretting your order. The bottom section has two separate layers of tiny springs called microcoils. Helix says you need to pair this with a bed frame that has slats (not a traditional box-spring frame).
Helix advertises the Elite as "the tallest mattress on the internet," and at 16 inches, it is indeed the Shaq of boxed mattresses. I spent a month sleeping on the softest model from the Elite line, dubbed the Sunset, and appreciated the deep cradling effect. Most people prefer a mattress that cools them as they sleep—like many on this list, Helix claims to use a special fabric that dissipates body heat, and it indeed remains remarkably cool even when you're settled in. Helix offers a 100-day trial period on all of its mattresses.
- Photograph: Melissa Krused/Avocado Mattress10
Best Organic Mattress
Avocado Green Organic Hybrid MattressThe Avocado Green hybrid mattress is the only mattress WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson and his wife agree on. She likes a soft mattress, and he prefers a firm one. This model somehow manages to be both without being too much of either. Despite more than a year of sleeping on it, there's zero sagging or any other issues. If you prefer a soft feel, there's a pillow-top option.
The Avocado's best trick is that it's incredibly comfortable and environmentally friendly. It's 11 inches thick and is constructed in California from organic latex, organic wool, and organic cotton. It contains no polyurethane, fire retardants, memory foam, or chemical adhesives, according to the company. It offers a one-year trial, a 25-year warranty, and free shipping. Better yet, the company is also a certified B Corporation that's purchasing enough offsets to be able to say it operates as a carbon-negative business. Read our Best Organic Mattresses guide for more sustainable options.
- Photograph: Cole Slutzky/Birch11
Best Organic Mattress Upgrade
Birch Luxe Natural MattressBirch's high-end Luxe model is a great side-sleeping mattress, just like its standard model, but its medium-firm feel and structured support make it a better pick for a variety of sleeping styles. It's also an organic mattress and is GOTS-certified, using natural latex with no polyurethane-based foams.
The Luxe mattress employs multiple layers of wool, plus a layer of individually wrapped coils, which provide support and some cushioning. It has a pillowy Euro top, which is an extra layer of blended cashmere that helps with temperature regulation, and the coils provide full lumbar support while maintaining a satisfyingly stiff edge on all four sides. My sleep rings have been spinning themselves closed during my month of testing this mattress.
-82.jpg)
- Photograph: Serta12
Best Throwback Mattress
Serta Perfect Sleeper Cobalt Calm Plush PillowtopLike the Saatva above, this is another mattress that doesn't come roll-packed in a box. Serta is one of the nation's largest mattress makers and has been around for nearly a century. Its Perfect Sleeper (in the Ultimate support firmness with a plush pillowtop) strikes an excellent balance between softness and support. You will need to schedule delivery by truck but unlike old-school mattresses, it does not require a box spring.
Serta's sister brand, Simmons, invented the woven wire spring mattress, and the heart of the Perfect Sleeper is an assortment of coils, arranged in three zones of firmness that are well-engineered for both side and back sleeping. The mattress sits 14 inches high, making it among the tallest on this list. Serta has updated materials around those springs, using antimicrobial layers to prevent the mattress from getting stinky and a foam to keep it cool. On my week of testing, it felt refreshingly sturdy, with nice edge support.
- Photograph: Amazon13
Best Cheap Mattress
Linenspa 10-Inch Hybrid MattressYou're going to spend roughly a third of your life on a mattress unless you're plagued by bad habits and staying up late. In my opinion, that makes bedding a bad place to cheap out. But, if you're on a tight budget, outfitting a guest room, or simply refusing to pay for a premium pick, you could do a lot worse than the Linenspa hybrid mattress. This is one of those Amazon products with more than 100,000 reviews of questionable provenance. I was unable to make contact with the company directly, so I bought it. When I cracked the heavy (75-pound) box open to let the springs and foam breathe, my impressions didn’t improve. The Linenspa’s outer shell is baggy with bunching in weird places. The memory foam layer is uneven and in one corner seems to disappear. The edge support is also uneven.
Ultimately, these are minor issues if you're looking for a cheap mattress. The mattress was comfortable from the first night and held up fairly well for several more weeks. Side sleepers will surely notice the springs are a little creaky, with no motion isolation. Sometimes those springs make you feel like you’re floating on an uneven cloud—pricier mattresses avoid this by varying the size of springs in different zones—but the overall feel is supportive and comfortable. Having spent weeks testing mattresses priced between $300 and $4,000, I can say you get what you pay for. But this is a fine option if you can't spend more.
- Photograph: Amazon14
Super Soft and Super Cheap
Best Price Mattress 8-Inch Green Tea Memory Foam MattressBest Price is one of a handful of mattress sellers that only seems to exist on Amazon and Walmart. We ordered the eight-inch memory foam mattress which is infused with green tea. This is supposed to “rejuvenate your senses,” but I call it codswallop.
This mattress is super soft and very cheap—you can get a twin for cheaper than the cost of an annual Amazon Prime membership—and while we did not “drift into a world of luxurious comfort” as the company promises, we did drift away and sleep rather comfortably. Among cheap mattress options, we were impressed by the 10-year warranty and the fact that the foam is CertiPUR-US certified which means it doesn't use formaldehyde or problematic flame retardants. This mattress is best for smaller and younger people and I wouldn't want to sleep on it every night, but it makes a solid pick for a guest room if you're on a budget.
- Photograph: Casper15
Best Mattress if You Don't Know What to Get
Casper Original Hybrid Mattress (12-Inch)Casper is the company that made all these bed-in-a-box mattresses popular, and its experience shows. Its hybrid mattress is as close to a “default” as beds come these days, and for more than a year, it became the mattress we always wanted to switch back to between testing other models. Sleeping on it felt like a palate cleanser—how a bed should feel. Its firmness level is a good balance between soft and supportive, and the springs make it fairly breathable and give it just enough bounce.
The Casper Hybrid is a safe, moderately-priced choice for the comfort it offers and should satisfy a fair number of stomach, side, and back sleepers. The mattress has been slightly altered since we last slept on it, but reviews indicate it offers a similar feel.
Photograph: DreamCloud Sleep16More Mattresses!
More Mattresses!There are a few mattresses we tested that don't stand out as much but are worth mentioning, in case you're thinking about them.
Awara Hybrid Mattress ($949): This is a solid organic mattress made from organic latex, organic wool, and individually wrapped springs. WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe found it springy and comfortable, especially for a single sleeper, though it's a floppier mattress that could benefit from a little more support.
Keetsa All-Foam Tea Leaf Supreme for $1,890: WIRED reviewer Matt Jancer tested the Keetsa for several months. He's a side sleeper, and though he was never blown away by the mattress's comfort, he slept fine from start to finish. He didn't think he would since the mattress was on the soft side. It has three layers of foam and a thin top layer that's made from recycled materials.
The Purple Mattress for $1,399: Former WIRED editor Jeffrey Van Camp had many good nights of sleep on the airy, Jell-O-ey, cool feel of Purple's square grid (it's like lying on a bunch of waffles made of soft, stretchy silicone). But it just isn't quite as comfortable as hybrid (coil-and-foam) mattresses. There is a hybrid Purple, but it's pricey. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just know that Purple mattresses are also kind of heavy.
Casper Standard Foam Mattress for $1,295: The original Casper mattress popularized the idea of a bed in a box years ago, and it's still a comfortable all-foam choice at a good price. But the hybrid version with coils is better.
Molecule Hybrid Mattress for $1,899: WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano likes this comfy mattress and has had no problems sleeping on it for months. However, while edge support is fine on three sides, it's nearly “non-existent” at the bottom of the bed. She nearly fell off while putting on her shoes. You can also feel the coils at the edges of the mattress, though this isn't a huge issue because it's undetectable when sleeping.
Photograph: Amazon17Mattresses to Avoid
Bad BedsThere are some models you should avoid. Many of these beds are extremely affordable, and if you aren't picky, they may feel fine. In other cases, the mattress is decent but the price is not.
- The Sleep Number Climate360 Smart Bed (5/10, WIRED Review) can be temperature-controlled, which is amazing. The adjustable base means you can be comfortable when watching TV, reading, or sleeping. Unfortunately, the price tag has too many digits, and sleep experts recommend avoiding electronic usage before bed—advice the Sleep IQ app defies. Did we mention it costs as much as a used Buick and the weight is not far behind?
- The Amazon Basics mattress and Zinus mattress are made of cheap foam that isn't dense enough, causing too much sinkage. (Van Camp had to return a Zinus for this reason.)
- The Parachute Eco Comfort Mattress just doesn't live up to its extravagant price. The model that Van Camp tested didn't have enough proper padding above its coils.
