The Very Best Mattresses, As Tested by Our Editors

For decades, most mattresses were filled with interlocking 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 and motion transfer, and they weren’t especially good for pressure relief. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when Tempur-Pedic first made a mattress using NASA-designed viscoelastic polyurethane foam, a.k.a. memory foam, that there were any big shifts in how mattresses are built.

Today, there is a lot more variety in the mattress landscape. All-foam mattresses abound, as do hybrid mattresses that combine foam and springs. Traditional innerspring constructions have greatly evolved, replacing interlocking springs with “pocketed” steel coils that 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. Latex and latex hybrid mattresses (which actually had a brief moment in 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.

All-foam mattresses often let you sink in a bit more and contour around your body, though foam can vary quite a bit in how soft or firm it is. 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, or pillow tops, which are basically mattress toppers sewn 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 a firmness scale from one to ten, 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 on their hips and shoulders, along with a mattress that supports the alignment of the spine, shoulders, and pelvis. Back sleepers will 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 less back pain, or never sweating through their sheets.

Sturdy back support: Because of my generally sore back, I was tasked with testing some of the firm mattresses out there. Side sleepers, Saatva told me, are said to prefer the luxury firm. So I got it, and my first impression was that it felt very sturdy. But lying down, I immediately noticed how incredibly bouncy the double layer of coils makes the luxury firm. I can certainly see why side sleepers would like the pressure relief it offers, but I decided to swap it for the firm, hoping it would focus support on my lumbar region, which it very much did. The supported feeling of this bed (which is still pretty plush) kept my lower back from collapsing in, making my spine feel more aligned overall.

Easy to change sleeping positions: I move around at night, shifting from my back to my side, but the firmness of this mattress never created a sunken, stuck feeling, which I’ve found happening with memory foam.You feel more on top of it because of the steel springs, but you still have the contoured shape of the raised pillow top.

Noticeable motion transfer: The bounciness from the coils can lead to more motion transfer than some of the other mattresses on this list.

Pillow-top gives the bed a tufted top: I personally prefer to sleep on a flatter surface.

Construction: The Saatva is basically made up of two coil layers and a Euro-top cover. The bottom coil layer is a section of interlocking 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 super-sturdy and -bouncy. Wrapped around the perimeter of both coil sections is high-density foam, which gives the mattress extremely sturdy edge support. An organic-cotton Euro top covers the coils, with a slim section of memory foam underneath the middle cross section of the bed, to serve as lumbar support. This construction — coils on coils with a touch of foam for the lower back — makes the Saatva one of our favorite mattresses for back pain, too.

Firmness and Support: Saatva offers three firmness levels for its classic mattress: plush soft, luxury firm, and firm. The luxury firm is the middle option, closest to the versatile “medium-firm” feel that most people will find comfortable. The plush soft offers a slightly more cushioned feel that may be preferable for side sleepers or lighter-weight people (who won’t sink into their mattress as much). The firm model offers the least sinkage and the most resistance, keeping you the most “on top” of the bed.

Middle-ground firmness: I’d call this mattress a “true medium” — a little softer and cushier than the mattress-industry standard of medium-firm. As someone who likes a lot of padding and pressure relief, this slightly-soft feel was really comfortable for me.

Good for back and side sleepers: I felt well supported on my back with a touch of low-back cushioning from the soft foams. I like when a mattress’s upper layers can “fill in” the gap between my lower back and the mattress, as my back has a bit of a natural arch to it — I have to actively engage my core muscles, Pilates style, to lay my back flat against a hard surface, so I appreciated how this mattress adapted to me. And on my side, I usually didn’t feel too much pressure on my shoulder.

Hybrid construction strikes a nice balance: The springs give the bed some support structure, keep it from feeling overly doughy, and add a bit of bounce. After about two weeks of sleeping on the mattress, I still found it really comfortable. I think it’s a great choice for people who want a hybrid mattress at a very affordable price.

Could use a little more cushioning: On my side, I occasionally felt my shoulder jamming up (a common issue for me on a too-firm mattress). For someone with sensitive joints, or who routinely sleeps on their side, it may not offer enough pressure relief.

Lackluster edge support: When I sit on the edge of the mattress, I easily start to slip off.

Construction: The Ultra Cooling Green Tea Hybrid is the most luxurious and expensive bed that Zinus offers, but it is still incredibly affordable compared to most other mattresses on the market. The mattress is 12 inches tall with two inches of gel-infused memory foam, a half-inch of memory foam, and a layer of individually wrapped coils that Zinus says are sorted into seven distinct zones to provide different levels of cushioning and support for different parts of your body. The coils are reinforced around the perimeter of the mattress for extra edge support, and the mattress has a polyester-knit cover.

Firmness and Support: Zinus doesn’t specify the mattress’s firmness but recommends it for combination sleepers and says it will provide “customized support” to relieve aches and pains. I’d personally rank it between five and six on a firmness scale of one to ten where one is soft and ten is firm.

Comfortably firm (for firm mattress lovers): 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 more neutrally 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. For those who like a firmer feel, this is a good bang for your buck.

Affordable price: On the topic of bang for your buck, this mattress is extremely affordable. It’s not easy to find a queen-size mattress for under $500, making this a good choice for those with a tight budget.

Too firm for some side sleepers: Prior to testing this mattress, I had been sleeping on an ultracushy memory-foam mattress, so lying down on the firmer Zinus was quite a change as it doesn’t have much give. However, it’s not as firm as some other superfirm beds I’ve tried, such as the Plank (which Kitchens has reviewed below). 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, but if you’re looking to save money, it’s a solid option.

Construction: The least expensive mattress Zinus offers, the Original Green Tea has a pretty simple construction. It’s ten inches tall and made of three layers of CertiPUR-US-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 for use as an antioxidant to “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. Compared to the brand’s Ultra Cooling Green Tea Hybrid above, I’d rank it as a 7.5 on a firmness scale of one to ten where one is soft and ten is firm.

Plush, but not sinky: I used a sleep tracker for five nights while testing this mattress, and according to the data, I fell into a deep sleep quickly and stayed there every night. The mattress felt soft and plush, but I never sank down into it.

Excellent pressure relief: My partner, who is so enamored with sleeping on hard surfaces that he sometimes naps on a yoga mat on our hardwood floor, raved about the pressure relief and comfort he felt from the foam filling in the small of his back while he slept.

Construction: Leesa is one of the OG mattress-in-a-box companies — it’s been selling an all-foam mattress since 2014. In 2018, Leesa reformulated its basic mattress for the first time, replacing its top layer of trademarked Avena foam, a latex alternative, with a layer of what’s called “LSA200 foam technology.” Beneath this so-called comfort layer is a layer of memory foam, followed by a support layer.

Firmness and Support: According to Jamie Diamonstein, one of Leesa’s co-founders, the comfort layer has improved “pushback,” meaning it better fills in the gaps around your body when you lie down. “The goal was to enhance the pressure relief of the body through this technology,” he says. “We’ve created a foam that responds to the shape and the sleeping position of your body, then it pushes back and balances your body out.”

Just-right level of “sinking in”: At 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. The mattress has just the right amount of give, in that it’s comfortable for me to move around on, but I don’t feel anyone (or anything) else moving around.

Low motion transfer: For the first time ever, I didn’t wake up every time my dog flopped or fidgeted throughout the night.

Stays cool: My worries about the memory foam overheating me never came to fruition. Apparently, the mattress’s cooling gel, which honestly sounded a little dubious to me, really does work. While I still woke up with stress dreams, I never once woke up with sweat-soaked sheets.

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 Mattress is an all-foam bed with a quilted cover on top of layers of “gel-infused” memory foam, support memory foam, and high-density poly foam.

Firmness and Support: Because of all that foam, I found the Nectar to be quite firm. 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.

Balance of softness and responsiveness: Right off the bat, the mattress felt substantial. The textured-fabric cover felt plush to the touch, and when I pressed my 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.

Works for multiple sleeping positions: Sleeping on my back, I felt supported and cocooned at the same time, and when I turned to my side, the transition felt natural. The company describes its in-house Tuft & Needle Adaptive Foam as soft and comfy while still being bouncy and supportive, and I completely agree. My husband really likes it, and he’s a back and stomach sleeper whose temperature runs a little hotter than mine.

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

Construction: Tuft & Needle offers three mattresses: the Essential Original foam mattress; the Mint, an upgraded version of the original; and the Mint Hybrid, which has both foam and springs. The 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 keep sleepers cool.

Firmness and Support: The mattress’s simplicity may explain its lower price. It’s a couple hundred dollars less than other foam competitors — but its appeal is meant to be broad and is aimed at a wide range of sleeping preferences and body weights. Tuft & Needle says it has a “medium firm” feel.

Supportive and sturdy: I slept really well! At first, coming off of my experience with a mattress I will not name that was just way too soft, I wondered: Wait, is this “luxury firm” mattress too firm? But after a few nights, I got used to my new firmer mattress, and it’s been great so far. It’s quite a bit thinner than previous mattresses I’ve tried, which worried me — but it’s just as supportive, if not more.

Pain relief: After a month or so, I am sleeping very soundly and well with no aches and pains (which was a problem with my prior mattress), as does my husband, who honestly is a bit of “The Princess and the Pea.” He put it like this to me: “I don’t have a lot to say about it, because it’s very comfortable and I never wake up complaining, which is all you can ask for.” Kinda true!

Doesn’t feel especially luxe: While this mattress is perfectly comfortable, I don’t feel like I’m being bathed in the lap of luxury (the pillowy top of the mattress isn’t particularly plush or soft).

Construction: Aviya’s mattresses are made in a Cleveland factory that has been manufacturing mattresses for more than 100 years. The brand makes just one style of mattress that is 12 inches tall and layers foam over an innerspring system comprised of individually wrapped coils. In contrast to the Saatva, our pick for best mattress overall, the Aviya has two layers of foam above the coils, plus a cotton top layer, making it more of a hybrid than a true innerspring. There is also a three-inch perimeter of high-density foam surrounding the coils in the bottommost layer; these are designed to provide edge support so that you can sleep close to the edge or sit on the edge of your bed without feeling like the sides of your mattress are collapsing beneath you.

Firmness and Support: Aviya offers three options for firmness: plush/soft, luxury firm, and firm. According to the company, the luxury firm is its best seller.

Medium-firmness that works for multiple sleeping styles: I’ve been sleeping on the Birch Natural for over two years, and it’s my favorite mattress of the ones I’ve tried so far because it is firmer and feels sturdier than the Avocado and the Casper I’ve slept on in the past. It has a solidly medium-firm feel, which works well for both me (a back-to-side combination sleeper) and my stomach-sleeper husband.

Stays cool: While I don’t feel actively “cooled” on this mattress, I don’t overheat, either, even though I tend to run warm.

Easy to move on, but low motion transfer: The Birch is easy to move around on, and I’ve never felt stuck in it, but it still isolates motion well; my husband tosses and turns, but I never feel it unless he actually bumps into me.

Feels high-quality: I also spent a lot of time on this mattress postpartum, and I still enjoy sitting on it to watch TV in bed. Some days, I even work from bed and I’m still comfortable, which is impressive considering it’s not an ergonomic office chair. And even though it’s usually covered with my bedding, I do appreciate how attractive this mattress looks bare — it looks expensive.

Not much bounce: While I don’t ever feel stuck on the Birch, it’s not particularly springy.

Lacking in hip support: And while I like the medium-firmness, I also would consider a firmer mattress in the future, as I have noticed my hips feeling less supported on this mattress, particularly after having a baby.

Construction: The main selling point for Birch is that it’s a “nontoxic” mattress made from “thoughtfully sourced” materials — including Rainforest Alliance–certified latex from sustainably tapped rubber trees, organic cotton, America-manufactured steel, and all-natural birch wool from New Zealand sheep. That wool is the standout material, as it provides cushion and plushness, helps regulate temperature, and acts as a natural flame retardant. In October 2021, Birch launched a second mattress — the Luxe Natural — that has a similar construction to the original we tested. But additional, full-perimeter edge support and targeted lumbar support are part of what makes it more luxe.

Firmness and Support: Birch rates both the Birch Natural and the Birch Natural Luxe as “medium firm”; we tested the Birch Natural.

Supportive, with on-top-of-the-bed feel: Before I received the Leesa Original Hybrid, I was sleeping on an Allswell namesake hybrid mattress I’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: And 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 out a bit and become somewhat loose. Occasionally, it will bunch up underneath my sheets, which isn’t a deal-breaker for me but can be slightly annoying.

Construction: Launched in May 2022, the Leesa Original Hybrid is a more budget-friendly alternative to Leesa’s Sapira Hybrid mattress that sandwiches 789 “active response” springs between a high-density-foam base layer and two CertiPUR-US-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 five and eight on a scale of one to ten. The innerspring core is more supportive than the all-foam Leesa Original reviewed above; the brand recommends it for all body types and sleeping positions and describes it as the Leesa Original “with bounce.”

Cushioning without sinking: When I first laid down on the Saatva, I was worried it was too soft, because the quilted top and memory-foam layers are very forward. But when I actually slept on the mattress, the top layers contoured around my body while the coils and extra lumbar support prevented the sinking feeling that can come with memory foam.

Good motion isolation: The coils are designed to absorb motion which, for me, is essential. My husband moves around more and wakes up earlier than I do and the Saatva has more noticeable motion isolation than our previous mattress — I don’t even feel him getting out of bed to start his pre-dawn morning routine. I realized that within a few nights of sleeping on the mattress, my husband, who is often restless and snores very loudly, seemed to be sleeping more peacefully (and more quietly, too). He told me he feels like he’s getting the best sleep of his life, and is waking up less often during the night.

Sturdy edges: The extra-firm edge support around the perimeter also adds a lot of stability.

Free white glove delivery: All that, plus the fact that Saatva delivers its mattresses unfurled and sleep-ready, while offering free disposal of your old mattress, has made us converts.

Construction: Saatva’s Memory Foam Hybrid is 11.5 inches tall, layering an organic cotton cover and 1.5 inches of memory foam over coils made from recycled steel. The mattress has a half-inch layer of cooling, gel-infused memory foam through the middle third of the mattress to disperse your body heat and provide enhanced lumbar support. (On the cooling front, the memory-foam layer features a “wave” design with rolling cutouts to promote airflow.) The eight-inch innerspring layer is made of pocketed steel coils that are individually wrapped to help with motion isolation, and sits on a one-inch layer of support foam. The perimeter of the mattress is wrapped in high-density foam rails to provide extra-strong edge support. All of the foam in the mattress is CertiPUR-US certified foam, and no chemical flame retardants are used.

Firmness and Support: The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid comes in one firmness level that the company rates as medium firm and says is best suited for side sleepers. It has zoned support through the center third of the mattress to provide lower-back-pressure relief.

Responsive feel: The Layla Hybrid is bouncy, and never gives that sinking feeling.

Good for couples: My partner and I have had no problems sleeping through the night on it — we never overheat, nor do we feel each other moving around.

Two (good) firmness options: We’ve slept on both sides, firm and soft, and each proved supportive. I prefer the softer side because I like my mattresses to be a bit plusher, but the firm side isn’t too firm for my taste — perhaps a smidge firmer than the Allswell Luxe Hybrid, which I slept on happily for years. While there are cheaper hybrid mattresses (like my beloved Allswell), the ability to simply flip this one should you want a softer or firmer feel makes it worth the investment, especially if you’re sharing a mattress with someone who prefers a different feel. It’s almost like you’re getting two mattresses for the price of one.

Nothing yet: I’ve been sleeping on this mattress for three years, and I still love it.

Construction: Layla, founded in 2016, offers two styles of mattress: an all-foam model and a coil-foam hybrid. The hybrid mattress consists of seven layers (the all-foam one has six); at its center is a six-inch layer of springy coils that offer increased airflow and more support, especially for larger bodies. Those foam layers are made of a copper-gel memory foam that the brand says has cooling ability.

Firmness and Support: Both the all-foam and hybrid mattresses are flippable, with one side featuring a layer of softer memory foam and the other a layer of firmer foam. Layla rates firmness on a scale of one to ten; the soft side ranks at a four and the firm side at a seven, regardless of construction.

Comfortably firm (after breaking it in): When it arrived, the delivery guys set it up and instructed me to let it rest for a few hours. I don’t remember there being any noticeable off-gassing. For the first month, it felt too firm — not at all like it did in the showroom. So initially it wasn’t very comfortable, and I had a few aches and pains in my shoulder and back. But because I had tried the same model in the showroom, I suspected the mattress would eventually give, and I toughed it out. I’m really glad I did. Now, after breaking it in and acclimating to it over four months, the Purple RestorePremier Firm feels very comfortable.

Support and pressure relief: I have the support I need as a combination sleeper. And the earlier shoulder pain I felt from side sleeping is gone too.

“Suspended” feeling on grid: The gel grid in the mattress has an interesting feel that I’ve grown to really appreciate. I get a slight suspension from the grid, which is really comfortable. It also gives a little shock absorption when I’m flipping back and forth at night. The feeling is subtle but meaningful, like wearing an excellent running shoe compared to a just-okay running shoe. Or even a bit like floating.

Initially too firm: While I was ultimately happy with this mattress, it did take a while to break in.

Heaviness makes it difficult to move: Additionally, it’s very heavy. I’ve had about six different mattresses in my life, and this is easily the heaviest, which can make it challenging to move.

Construction: One of Purple’s more high-end models, this hybrid mattress features a three-inch layer of the brand’s signature flexible gel grid, a hyperelastic polymer that flexes under pressure but keeps you “floating” on top of the mattress, rather than sinking too deeply into it. Beneath the GelFlex grid, there’s a middle section of foam, and then a base of pocketed coils, to provide extra-responsive support and pressure relief. The mattress also has a band of high-density foam wrapped around its perimeter to bolster the edges and prevent them from collapsing under weight.

Firmness and Support: Purple describes this mattress as medium-firm and good for all sleeping positions. It originally came in two firmness levels (soft or firm), but the brand has since reduced it to one option that’s more of a middle ground. We tested the Purple RestorePremier Hybrid firm model, which should be very similar to the new medium-firm one.

Highly plush feel: The Natural Bliss mattress I tested was ten inches thick, with the softest firmness level available. When I first sat down on it, I was immediately taken by how plush it was — something I appreciated even more when I lay down. The mattress had a pleasingly old-fashioned feel to it; it’s hard to describe, but it felt like the sort of mattress you’d find in a spare room at your grandmother’s house — something well made that she held onto for that reason (which kind of makes sense when you consider the company’s use of old-world-style manufacturing techniques).

Works for multiple sleeping positions: Lying on my side and my stomach was incredibly comfortable: I felt both supported and like I was sinking into the bed a bit, which had a pleasantly coddling effect that I think helped me sleep more deeply.

No synthetic materials: While I don’t have any allergies or chemical sensitivities, I can imagine the latex mattress making a lot of sense for someone who does.

Hard to move: This mattress is extremely heavy and difficult to move. When the mattress was delivered to the lobby of my building, I ended up having to enlist a neighbor (whom I didn’t know well) to help me carry it into my apartment. I would definitely recommend that anyone who buys it make a plan in advance for how they’ll get it into their home and onto their bed frame, as it is significantly heavier than any other mattress I’ve moved.

Construction: PlushBeds makes all of its mattresses in a California factory using naturally derived, sustainable materials — an operation, it notes, that has received both Global Organic Textile Standard and Global Organic Latex Standard certifications. According to the brand, all of its mattresses are made following centuries-old methods of European mattress-makers; according to a representative, “hand side stitching, hand-compression tufting, and hand-stitching covers” are three such techniques used. But PlushBeds mattresses’ materials — latex and gel memory foam — are more modern. The Natural Bliss mattress contains two layers of Arpico latex (a natural latex made from tapping rubber trees that the brand says have been grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides), a so-called Eco Fire Barrier layer (made of a chemical-free fire-retardant material), and a hand-stitched organic-cotton cover. It comes in three thicknesses — eight, ten, or 12 inches — with the thicker mattresses made of heftier latex layers.

Firmness and Support: No matter the thickness you choose, you can choose either a medium or medium-firm mattress. (We tested the medium.)

Breathable construction: In the age of the foam mattress, it’s easy to forget how breezy springs feel. (At least I did.) Parachute’s mattress is very firm, so my initial impression was one of sleeping on a very sturdy topper floating on nothing — I immediately noticed that my body heat was no longer trapped beneath me.

Firm feel with lots of support: Because Parachute deliberately made a firm mattress, it recommends that lovers of soft ones add Parachute’s mattress topper, which we’ve actually, separately, deemed the best of its kind. I tried that, and the pillowy layer on top of such a supportive mattress works well.

All natural materials: One more thing: Ever since Wendi McLendon-Covey told the Strategist about looking for “an organic mattress that wouldn’t leach chemicals,” I’ve had a back-of-my-mind paranoia about sleeping nestled into carcinogenic brain-cell-killing fumes. Paranoid, yes, but the fact that Parachute’s mattress uses 100 percent organic cotton and New Zealand wool brings me some welcome peace of mind. It doesn’t smell like anything, meaning it has none of the plastic aroma that issues from a lot of other vacuum-packed mattresses. (That effect is called “off-gassing,” and it’s not harmful, just unpleasant.)

May be too firm for some: Sans topper, this mattress is very firm. And considering the Parachute topper is an added cost of $260 to $390, depending whether you choose the down or down-alternative option, it’s not the most budget-friendly solution for those seeking a softer option. (Although you could, of course, buy a more budget-friendly topper from another brand.)

Construction: This mattress is spiritually modeled after a Hästens model that, years ago, Parachute founder Ariel Kaye saved up to buy. “I’m not saying we use horsehair or the same construction, but the idea was always to have a heritage mattress,” Kaye says. That’s why Parachute uses only springs — there are 6,000 coils in the queen size — and zero foam, which is more prone to losing its shape and breaking down. There are two levels of coils sandwiched between wool and covered in quilted, organic cotton.

Firmness and Support: This is a firm mattress, one that Parachute says is firmer than most hybrid mattresses but softer than traditional innerspring mattresses.

Substantial feel: Before I got the Mint, I slept on Zinus’s affordable Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress. Out of the box, I could immediately tell the Mint is 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.

Supportive but not too firm: Over time, I had started to sink into my Zinus so much that I couldn’t tell how flat my pillows had become. This quickly became apparent when I started sleeping on the Mint, which felt way more supportive — so much so that I needed to replace my pillows. Without my body sinking into the mattress, my flat ones weren’t supportive enough of my neck. While supportive, the Mint never felt too firm on my hips or shoulders whenever I rolled to my side. Instead, I’d describe the feeling as being cradled, something I felt when sleeping on my 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. My boyfriend, who shares the mattress and prefers a firmer feel, slept well on it — he claimed he woke up more refreshed than ever.

Doesn’t overheat: As for the mattress’s cooling abilities, I’ll just say 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: I don’t have many complaints — I’ve been sleeping on this bed for a little over three years, and I still love it. However, my partner and I have noticed it losing some support over the years. He prefers a firm mattress, so he has particularly noticed it getting softer over time.

Construction: The Mint Mattress is a premium version of the Tuft & 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, a representative for the brand says the Mint actually feels softer — but overall, it still is a medium firmness.

Keeps a hot sleeper cool: The mattress arrived just in time for summer, so I was really able to put its cooling abilities to the test. I was initially a little skeptical that a mattress with so much foam, notorious for trapping body heat, could keep me cool. Before getting the Casper Wave Hybrid Snow, I was using the Eight Sleep pod cover — which literally cools the mattress using a water pump — and while the Casper can’t really compare to that type of tech, I was impressed with how well it regulated my temperature during the night. I didn’t wake up in sweaty sheets once, even during the hottest nights of the year.

Supportive structure and middle-ground firmness: The brand describes the mattress as being “medium-firm,” and while I generally prefer a soft mattress, I actually found myself sleeping better with the additional support.

Too firm for a soft mattress aficionado: As someone who likes a softer mattress, the medium-firmness of this mattress is actually a bit too firm for my taste. I did appreciate the extra support the firm structure offers a few months ago, when I was dealing with some hip pain and needed the extra support. But after sleeping on this mattress for about 18 months, I can confidently say I’d prefer a softer mattress.

Construction: The Casper Wave Hybrid Snow is a hybrid cooling mattress that stacks multiple layers of cooling gel, foam, and latex over a base of pocketed coils, with an array of temperature-regulating elements throughout. The cover is infused with phase-change material to help you maintain a consistent temperature; the foam and latex are perforated to encourage airflow; and six graphite “HeatDelete” thermal bands are sandwiched between the foam and the latex to keep heat moving away from your body.

Firmness and Support: Medium-firm and, like Casper’s Original Hybrid mattress, it has “zoned support,” with softer foam around the shoulders and more support under the hips and lower back. There are also gel pods under the waist and lower back to encourage proper spine alignment. According to the brand, this is its “most supportive” model.

Unique-feeling, supportive grid layer: Lying down on the mattress was a brand-new sensation: You’re very aware of the gel surface, which has almost the rubbery give of a kids’ party bouncy house. I didn’t mind the texture of the square grid, though, because the mattress has such supportive structure.

Pressure relief for side sleeping: When I lay on my side, it was like being cradled rather than smothered, the way I felt on my old foam mattress. My pressure points in my shoulders and hips never ached — I used to have to move around to avoid spots that had dipped and retained heat, but the gel layer never held divots. After a week, I was fully converted and found myself wanting to spend time in bed during the day: reading magazines, using my laptop, playing with the dog.

Construction: The standout feature of the Purple’s original mattress is a two-inch layer of the brand’s proprietary hyper-elastic 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 by the brothers Tony and Terry Pearce (both engineers), and it’s a strong but moldable gel-like material that was then used in medical beds, Dr. Scholl’s soles, and toy balls. The construction of the original mattress layers the GelFlex Grid over multiple layers of foam. There’s also the Purple Plus (which upgrades the original with even more foam for extra comfort, and offers a choice between a “soft” and “firm” feel) as well well as a hybrid model that still contains foam for comfort but replaces the foam base layer of the mattress with coils for more responsive support and additional breathability. We tested the original.

Firmness and Support: Purple describes its original mattress as medium-firm, with a “very stable feel.”

For some context: 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 the Casper Original 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. It also has this sewn-on lip that goes around the edges that keeps fitted sheets in place and gives me a subconscious warning if I roll too close to one side in the middle of the night. (I usually don’t toss and turn, but I do like to feel secure near the edge of the bed.) When we were shopping for mattresses for our apartment and the Philly guest room, we thought we would branch out and try a different brand. We started off sleeping in the apartment on a Tuft & Needle Essential mattress, and it just didn’t work for us. It was a shade too soft; I felt like I was getting lower back pain that I had never had before, and the edges were so curved that every night I felt like I was about to fall off the bed and kept waking up startled. We ditched the Tuft & Needle for the new Casper One, which we also bought for the Philly guest room. It’s perfect.

Well-constructed: I think I like it 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 lip the Original had, and the edges are curved (but not as curved as the Tuft & Needle), 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.

Middle-ground firmness: The One is firm enough to be supportive, but still soft enough to relieve pressure on my joints. It’s a Goldilocks sort of just-right for me and my fellow-side-sleeper husband. I sleep like a rock for eight hours straight with no sleep aids (other than the dog). When Coconut walks around us in circles during the night, I don’t feel any movement. 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.

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

Construction: The Casper One is an all-foam mattress, launched in 2024 and designed as the brand’s new flagship product to replace the Casper Original that first came out 2014 (and which you can still buy on Amazon, for now). 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 stand at 11 inches tall and are wrapped in a knit cover. 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 like Casper are moving away from the material due to health concerns that 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 perfectly for side sleeping (more on that below).

Firm feel and sturdy back support: The strangest thing happened the first time I slept on the Allswell: I lay down on my back to assess the mattress, noting how buoyant I felt. Then I stayed that way and passed out. (It’s almost physiologically impossible for me to do this.) Perhaps I was feeling emotionally spent — I had just crawled into bed after seeing A Star Is Born — but more accurately, there was something comfortably paralyzing about letting this very firm mattress straighten out my skeleton. If I were writing taglines, I’d call the Luxe Hybrid “sumptuously Spartan.”

“On top” of the bed feel: You float firmly atop the mattress instead of nestling in. I slept like a rock for eight hours, several nights in a row. In the mornings, while my alarm clock snoozed, I’d return to my back from a fetal position and could practically feel my spine unfurling again, realigning for the day.

Construction: Allswell is Walmart’s mattress-in-a-box brand. It offers four models: the 12-inch-tall, medium-firm Luxe Hybrid, a firmer 12-inch-tall hybrid cheekily named the Brick (which we’ve reviewed below), a cheaper hybrid mattress simply called the Allswell, and the Supreme, a 14-inch-tall hybrid with a temperature-regulating foam layer and so-called Euro top. All of them have the same basic construction: A layer of individually wrapped coils is topped with high-density foam and copper-gel-infused memory foam.

Firmness and Support: According to Allswell’s own ratings, the Allswell Luxe Hybrid is in the middle of the brand’s firmness scale, with a “medium” feel. (Unsurprisingly, the firmest is the Brick.) The coils are meant to help minimize motion transfer and provide edge support on all sides.

Generous hip support: The Cocoon Chill is every bit as firm as the innerspring-coil mattress I slept on for years, but the memory foam hugs me in a way that makes my lower back feel particularly supported. Weird visual for you: Imagine two open palms gently lifting up your sacrum area. There was no hip-sinking feeling; 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. The first night, I don’t remember moving around all that much. The following morning, the usual roll-out-of-bed lower-back creakiness was gone.

Relieves back and neck pain: I have very specific sleeping issues. I’ve had acupuncture and done physical therapy over the years to alleviate chronic back and neck soreness. Right before trying the Cocoon Chill, I had a new, specific bit of spinal pain. But much of that immediately subsided after that first night and hasn’t returned. 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.

Gets a little warm: Memory foam can cause you to heat up, and though it wasn’t a major issue on this mattress, I found myself 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. There are two models available, the ten-inch-tall memory-foam Chill and the bouncier 12-inch-tall Chill Hybrid. We tested the memory-foam option, which has a pretty straightforward construction: layers conforming memory foam and “comfort foam” atop six inches of high-density foam for support.

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. (The hybrid version of this mattress has the sam firmness rating, but will feel a bit more like a classic innerspring mattress due to a support layer of coils instead of high-density foam.)

Truly firm (with two options to choose between): I wanted to test the firmest mattress out there — or one of the many that claim to hold the title. In the first few minutes after I opened the Plank Firm and let it expand, it didn’t feel all that firm when I pressed my hand down. I sunk an elbow into it: pretty squishy. I let it breathe in the guest room for a few weeks. By the time it was hauled onto my platform bed and I splayed myself out on top of the ultrafirm side (to be honest, I wasn’t even interested in trying the less-firm side), I could confirm it was the firmest memory-foam mattresses I’d ever laid down on.

Not too rigid: But not in the way that every firm-mattress-averse person might think: This is not a rigid futon with no give. That initial squishiness I felt is actually part of the design, and makes it appealing for people like me who might roll from side to side — no compressed shoulders in the morning.

Excellent for back sleeping: But where this impressively firm mattress really shines is when you’re lying on your back. 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. The best way to describe it is “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: I found that this mattress, like the Cocoon Chill above, slept warmer than other beds I’ve tested owing to the all-foam construction.

Construction: The Plank comes in three versions: Plank Firm, their signature memory-foam option; a hybrid Plank Firm Luxe version with features a six-inch core of individually encased coils; and the Plank Firm Natural with GOTS-certified organic cotton and Talalay latex. Each mattress incorporates 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 I tested, is its firmest option. The Plank Firm, which is nine and a half inches tall, includes six inches of high-density base foam core.

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

Firm feel with some cushioning: Having spent months sleeping on Brooklyn Bedding’s Plank mattress, I kept it in mind when reviewing the Brick. The two are technically different mattresses: The Plank is a pure memory-foam option, where the Brick is a hybrid memory-foam innerspring type. Neither feels firm in a “slab of concrete” way, but there is some nuance in comparing these two. The more cushioned top layers of the Brick make it feel like a firm mattress in disguise — and also do a great job tampering motion transfer from a partner. But because of its coils, the Brick has a lot more bounce and a bit more give than the Plank. You’re going to feel your knee sink in deeper when climbing onto the Brick, but once you’ve settled into your sleep position, the two start to feel more comparable.

Contouring without sinking in: Since both mattresses incorporate memory foam, there is a slight contouring but never a sinking feeling. Though each slightly softened after a few months, both maintain a very supportive quality.

Affordable and versatile: While the Brick is categorized as firm because of its coils and support, the memory foam adds a universal appeal that I think many different types of sleepers would appreciate. This explains my last note regarding price: You should also consider this mattress for your guest rooms and Airbnb beds instead of some other inexpensive soft memory foam, which ultimately get too soft. Your guests will thank you.

Lower quality construction: You’ll notice the low price in some of the materials — the quilted top panel felt a little cheap, and the edge support is not super-structured-feeling. However, they still don’t feel like too much of an issue when your bed is made and you’re lying in it (quite comfortably).

No trial period: This mattress also doesn’t have a trial period, so once you open the box, you can’t return it, which may be a sticking point for those who need the reassurance of being able to test at home.

Construction: At 12 inches, the Brick is tall. Eight inches of that is fabric-encased coils, topped with two inches of high-density medium-support memory foam and then one inch of copper-infused memory foam for cooling purposes. The final layer is 1.25 inches of quilted top panel. The mattress is made with CertiPUR-US-certified memory foam.

Firmness and Support: I tested the Allswell Hybrid in extra firm. The company also offers a medium version.

Firm option for side sleeper: Even though this is a mattress designed for back and stomach sleepers, it was the one that was recommended to me when I took the brand’s sleep quiz; I told representatives from Helix that I am a side sleeper who prefers something firm, and they promised it would work for me, too. Sleeping on the Dawn, I drifted off as quickly as I ever have, regularly slept through the night, and never woke up feeling hot, sweaty, or achy in the morning.

Supportive (including on the edges): Presumably because of its coils, I never once felt like I was sinking into the mattress — even on days I worked for hours in bed. When my girlfriend spent the night on it with me, we never rolled inward toward each other, as we would on the all-foam mattress we had been sleeping on. This support revealed itself in other ways, too: When sitting on the edge of the Dawn to, say, put my socks on or scroll through my inbox in the morning, I never slipped off.

Construction: Helix doesn’t offer just one style of mattress-in-a-box. It has more than a dozen, ranging from plush to firm, including six “Luxe” editions that upgrade the “Core” designs with additional layers of foam and a pillow top and come with a longer warranty. (Beyond that, there is also a further-upgraded “Elite” collection that adds layers of micro-coils between the uppermost layers of foam, for even more support and a finished mattress that stands a towering 16 inches tall.) Most of Helix’s core mattresses, including the Dawn, are made of four layers — one layer has springs, and the rest are various foams. Warm sleepers have the option to upgrade to a cooling cover for an additional $199 or a cooling cover plus a pillow top for an additional $299.

Firmness and Support: Of Helix’s available mattresses, the Dawn is its firmest. The main differences between it and Helix’s less firm options, according to the brand, is that the Dawn’s second foam “comfort layer” has a firmer feel than other models’ comfort layers. The company rates the Dawn’s firmness level as eight or nine on a scale of one to ten and suggests it for back and stomach sleepers.

Firm but contouring: Though I bristled at the word “firm,” I quickly converted from “will only sleep on pillows” to “I think I’m a firm-mattress person.” Because the memory-foam layer is thin, it still felt soft without enveloping my body.

Good for back pain: The mattress seems to have saved my boyfriend’s back — he claims he hasn’t woken up with pain since we started sleeping on it — and its springs seem to absorb our movement. My boyfriend often comes to bed much later than I do, and I found that I noticed him flopping down a whole lot less on the WinkBed than I did on my old bed.

Works for multiple sleeping positions: I find that I’m comfortable on the WinkBed on my back, side, or stomach.

Construction: WinkBeds’ mattresses are handmade to order in Wisconsin, and many of the people working at its factory have been building beds by hand for most of their careers. Wink CEO Dan Adler says certain techniques — like hand-sewing the mattress quilt and tape edge, and laying the inner springs by hand — ensure the quality of construction on every mattress the company makes. From top to bottom, these mattresses have a thin layer of foam (for comfiness), air springs (to keep things cool), a support pad (to keep your lumbar area well-supported), and tempered steel coils (for pushback, and to keep the mattress from losing shape).

Firmness and Support: The WinkBed is available in three firmnesses: softer, luxury firm, and firm. There is also the Plus, specifically designed for heavier people.

Recovery-promoting cover: The Celliant cover doesn’t feel noticeably different to the touch from any other mattress cover. But — and it may be totally psychological — my legs did feel fresher and less fatigued than they normally would on days after doing sprints and thigh-punishing barre workouts. (I tested the Molecule 1, another mattress that claims to be designed for athletes, and though I slept soundly, I didn’t necessarily feel more restored on my morning runs.)

Lacking pressure relief: As a side sleeper, I felt significant pressure buildup along my hips and shoulders (similar to this pressure-map test of the Bear on Sleepopolis). But my husband, who sleeps on his stomach, didn’t experience any pain, so the Bear seems more compatible with back and stomach sleepers.

Construction: Bear used to market its all-foam Original mattress as engineered for athletes, promoting temperature regulation and quicker muscle recovery after workouts. These benefits purportedly come from a mattress cover made from a licensed technology called Celliant, a synthetic fiber designed to direct body heat back into the muscles as restorative infrared heat. It sounds like science fiction, but there have been some clinical studies with promising initial results, including one conducted at the University of California Irvine Medical Center showing that Celliant-infused socks helped relieve chronic foot pain. Though the brand now bills its products as well-suited for anyone who wants to sleep better, those interested in Celliant technology can add it to the cover of their Original mattress for an additional charge. Bear also makes a variety of other mattresses without the Celliant option.

Firmness and Support: Bear describes its mattress as medium-firm, with enough sinkage to feel “contouring and cradling.”

Double-sided (with two firmnesses): My daughters each tried a Helix Kids mattress in the bunk bed they share, with my now-6-year-old sleeping on the firmer side and my now-9-year-old sleeping on the softer side. Both girls have slept on their respective mattresses nightly for two years, and I have spent countless hours lying beside them — in no small part because I am prone to falling asleep next to them in the evenings and “napping” for a bit before eventually making it to my own bed. Though my achier grown-up spine doesn’t notice a huge difference between the two firmness levels of the mattress, my older daughter was able to identify the softer side, princess-and-the-pea style, and has been sleeping soundly on it ever since. I’m just happy to have the choice, as it makes the mattress feel like one of the best values on the kid mattress market; not only might it last an entire childhood, but thanks to its hybrid construction, it’s tolerable for an adult to sleep on occasionally (something I couldn’t say for many other kids’ mattresses after testing a couple all-foam models that were far too soft).

Kid-friendly design: It also expanded quickly when it first arrived, it didn’t off-gas at all, and though we thankfully haven’t pushed any limits of its water-repellent and stain-resistant claims, I have no complaints about the comfort or temperature regulation of the cover (which I did top with a mattress protector anyway).

Good support for kids: All around, it’s comfortable and supportive and a good choice for growing kids whose preferences can be fickle.

Hard to move: I don’t have many complaints about the experience of sleeping on this mattress, but I have noticed it can be difficult to move as it is fairly floppy. Still, while the floppiness makes it challenging to maneuver, it does make it easier to squish the mattress into the trunk of a car to transport it or to pull up a whole corner when changing sheets in a bunk bed.

Construction: The Helix Kids mattress aims to serve children from the moment they get their first “big kid” bed, around age 2 or 3, all the way to age 12 or so (presuming a twin size or full size will meet your family’s needs, as it doesn’t come in queen or king sizes). It has a flippable hybrid construction, with a firmer side rated for ages 3 to 7 and a softer side rated for kids 8 to 12; both are supported by a middle layer of six-inch steel coils. The firmer side has a one-inch layer of high-density foam to provide more spinal support to smaller kids. The softer side has a one-inch layer of gel memory foam for a more plush feel. Both foams are Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified. At eight inches tall, the Helix Kids mattress can work with traditional bed frames as well as many bunk beds. And the breathable TENCEL cover, though it isn’t removable for cleaning, is naturally hypoallergenic and treated with both an odor-resistant “microbe shield” and a plant-based stain- and water-resistant finish.

Firmness and Support: On Helix’s ten-point firmness scale, one side is rated as medium soft (4 to 5), and the other is rated as medium firm (6 to 7).

Medium-firm feel with universal appeal: I’m an average, unfussy sleeper in every respect: I can conk out in any position, I don’t toss or turn too much, I don’t really run hot or cold, and I don’t have any back pain or muscle aches to contend with (yet …). I do prefer a slightly firm mattress with more support rather than one I sink into, but I don’t want to feel like I’m sleeping on a granite countertop, either. Though Avocado puts the Eco Organic at a five out of ten on the firmness scale, I’d personally say it’s a little firmer than that, maybe a 6.5 or so — which is the ideal level of firmness for me.

Mid-range height: At ten inches tall, the mattress’s height is fairly standard, and I didn’t feel like I had to stoop down or clamber up to get in bed. (For comparison’s sake, Avocado’s lower-profile kids’ mattress is seven inches tall, and most of its other models are 11 inches tall or taller.) I was previously sleeping on a cheap Ikea mattress bequeathed by the former tenant whose lease I took over, and the difference once I switched to the Eco Organic was palpable — I always felt like the Ikea one was a bit too low and saggy, but with the Eco Organic, I felt like Goldilocks testing out Baby Bear’s bed: just right.

Good support for lightweight sleepers: Since the Eco Organic contains fewer coils than other Avocado models, its level of support is more suited to those with smaller, lighter builds. (It’s a solid option for back and stomach sleepers, who typically don’t require as much zoned pressure relief as side sleepers.) That, combined with its price range and all-organic construction, makes it a great pick for growing tweens and teens who have yet to experience the sleep concerns that often come with age and aren’t particularly picky about the feel of their mattress.

Could be too firm: While I loved the firm feel of this mattress, I can recognize it’s not for everyone; those needing additional pressure relief (such as side sleepers or people with extra-sensitive, achy joints) might opt for something a little softer.

Construction: Avocado has built its entire brand around constructing mattresses with natural, nontoxic materials and manufacturing them using a sustainable production process. The Eco Organic is the brand’s most budget-conscious offering: In a king size, it costs $1,000 less than Avocado’s most popular mattress model, the Green, but still features the same foam-coil hybrid construction and certified-organic materials. It has a base of recycled steel coils that are pocketed to encourage airflow, topped by a two-inch comfort layer made of organic and naturally antimicrobial Dunlop latex, as well as organic wool (a natural flame retardant) and organic cotton. It does not contain any polyurethane foams, polyester fibers, chemical adhesives, or chemical flame retardants. The Eco Organic does have fewer coils than the brand’s other models (975 coils in the king-size Eco Organic mattress versus 1,414 coils in the Green and Vegan models), which gives it a slightly softer feeling.

Firmness and Support: The Eco Organic comes in one firmness level, which Avocado describes as “gentle-firm”; according to the brand’s own firmness scale, it ranks right in the middle at a five out of ten, with ten being the firmest. The Eco Organic provides uniform support across the entire surface of the mattress (in contrast to the zoned support of many of Avocado’s other mattress models), and there is no option to purchase it with an attached pillow top (though you can always add a mattress topper from Avocado or any other brand).

Positive reviews from multiple parents: Though we couldn’t get reliable feedback from our tiny test subjects, all of the Strategist writers and editors who’ve used the Newton crib mattress for their own kids or other family members have given it rave reviews.

Easy to move: The mattress is lightweight enough to easily pick up and move around, which comes in handy when you are trying to change the sheets or remove the covers to wash them. “It took less than two minutes for me to unzip, remove, and then put the covers back on,” says former Strategist writer Latifah Miles, who is a mom of two, including an infant.

Allows airflow: She adds that the mattress also delivers quite well on its breathability claims: “I put my face against the mattress myself to see if I can actually breathe through it, and I can, without hot air kicking back into my face.” Though it’s important to always follow safe-sleep guidelines for babies no matter how breathable their mattress is, both Miles and senior writer Liza Corsillo noted that the Newton’s airiness gives them extra peace of mind.

Right comfort level for babies: Corsillo transitioned her son to sleeping on the Newton when he was about 6 months old and reports that the mattress is “very cushy and thick,” yet just as supportive as the “super-firm, super-thin mattresses for the Snoo bassinet and the Guava pack-and-play he slept in at night for a while,” adding that the “first time I put him down to nap on the Newton mattress, he slept for an hour and 20 minutes without stirring.”

Durable, with simple care: Multiple parents praised how easy it is to clean, and senior editor Jen Trolio emphasized its durability, explaining that she gifted the Original to her sister about seven years ago, before her eldest niece was born; her sister has since had two more children, with the youngest now sleeping on it at age 2, and “it’s in perfect shape.”

Construction: Newton sells four different models of its popular crib mattress, and all of them align with the brand’s appealing marketing refrain of “completely washable from cover to core” because they don’t contain any foam, glue, or springs. The core in question is made from the brand’s proprietary “Wovenaire” material — essentially a molded web of plastic that provides a flexible yet sturdy structure while allowing for a lot of airflow. (Picture a brick of flexible plastic spaghetti with air pockets in between the noodles, and you’ll have a fairly accurate mental image of what it looks like; because of the air pockets, you can even see through it.) Newton says this technology allows babies to “breathe right through” the mattress, reducing the risk of suffocation; it also allows for the core to be literally rinsed or hosed off, if need be. All of Newton’s mattress models use the same Greenguard Gold-certified materials, with slight variations in mattress thickness, dimensions, and cover. We tested the best-selling “Original,” which is 5.5 inches thick and fits all standard-size cribs. It layers two machine-washable covers over the molded core: an inner viscose one and a quilted, plush outer one. The outer cover for the “Original”comes in four colors and is also available to purchase separately, in case you need to replace it or you’d like to have an extra on hand. Newton also sells a waterproof cover.

Firmness and Support: Newton’s crib mattress is on the firmer side, to ensure safe sleep for babies while still feeling comfortable for toddlers.

Brooklyn Bedding’s Aurora Luxe mattress is the brand’s best seller. It’s a hybrid mattress that comes in three different firmness levels — soft, medium, and firm — with the option to add a two-inch foam pillow top for an additional $400. (Strategist writer Latifah Miles tried out the pillow-top version of this mattress in a Brooklyn Bedding showroom and found it especially cozy, with a “hotel-quality” level of cushioning that fans of plusher mattresses will appreciate.) The mattress has an 8-inch zoned core of pocketed steel coils topped with three layers of foam; the density of the middle layer of foam will vary according to the firmness level you select. New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff has tested this mattress in her home and advises that while the mattress feels luxurious and very substantial, the medium firmness level “errs on the softer side” and is “squishier” than expected — so she suggests “going in a firmer direction than you might normally.” Both Swerdloff and her husband run hot, however, and found that the mattress’s cooling features — including Brooklyn Bedding’s GlacioTex cover, which uses a specific weave to promote airflow — helped them sleep a little cooler than usual.

The Casper Wave Hybrid is a souped-up, premium version of the original Casper that’s designed to provide targeted support for your back, neck, and shoulders along 33 points in the mattress through contoured foam and dome-shaped gel pods that are said to work for all shapes and sizes. At more than $2,500 for a queen, it is very much Casper’s “luxury” option that’s best suited for sleep obsessives and mattress-heads, and there are other firm hybrid mattresses available for much less. Former Strategist writer Lori Keong found that the mattress ran hot, as well.

[Editor’s note: The Casper Wave Hybrid is being discontinued as part of the brand launching its new mattress lineup. If you buy on casper.com, the Wave Hybrid mattress is final sale only and cannot be returned. On casper.com, the queen and king sizes are sold out. On Amazon, all sizes except twin XL are sold out.]

Launched in September 2023, Emma’s newest hybrid model has seven different support zones designed to ensure optimal spinal alignment for all types of sleepers. It’s made with an open-celled foam and springs designed to work together to isolate motion. When former Strategist senior editor (and light sleeper) Chelsea Peng tested the Hybrid Comfort, she says she didn’t wake up at all when an “unspecified companion” got up in the middle of the night. However, she does add that while she can confirm the zero-motion-transfer claim, she could feel the combination of a squishier outer layer over a firmer core instead of a more homogenous experience. And though the mattress boasts of cooling features and a temperature-regulating UltraDry Cover for breathability, Peng says she still ran hot. Aesthetically, the sides bow out, and Peng says the dark bottom layer of the mattress shows through her pale yellow Buffy sheets, which could be a turnoff for those who mind such things. However, when her dad — who used to work for Sealy — visited for Thanksgiving and tried the mattress himself, he had no complaints and was pleased to report that “It supports body weight in a well-distributed curve.”

Former Strategist editor Maxine Builder tested the Helix Dusk in 2018, and though it was labeled as the brand’s middle-of-the-road option — neither firm nor plush — both she and her partner found it to be extremely soft and felt it ran very hot. It turns out that Builder was not the only reviewer to describe even Helix’s medium-feel mattress as too soft, because in 2020, Helix swapped out its regular mattresses’ memory-foam layer — one of four layers of foam — for a firmer memory foam, which promises to give this particular model that much more support. We have not tested this new version of the Dusk (though folks on Reddit seem to say that Helix still runs on the soft side).

The Molecule is a soft, very sink-in-able mattress — and Strategist senior writer Karen Iorio Adelson found that it “felt like a marshmallow” in comparison to the Casper Original. It’s designed for athletes, but it’s not better than the Bear Original. And though it’s cooling and has good airflow for an all-foam mattress, you’ll get more support with the Nolah.

[Editor’s note: The Molecule 1 mattress is sold out in twin, queen, king, and and California king sizes. Twin XL and full sizes are still available.]

Naturepedic’s Serenade mattress is a straightforward organic-latex hybrid that doesn’t use polyurethane foam or flame retardants. (All of the brand’s mattresses are certified organic as well as EWG verified, a first for a mattress company.) The Serenade’s hybrid construction provides a balanced level of bounce and spring, while the organic-wool batting and cotton quilt on top offer comfort and breathability. It’s available in three firmness levels: firm; “cushion-firm,” which has more support deeper down but a cushier top; and plush, which offers extra softness and sink. Strategist writer Kitty Guo, who considers herself an unfussy, middle-of-the-road sleeper, has been using the cushion-firm Serenade for about six months and finds it “perfectly balanced” and fully supportive of her body weight whether she’s sleeping on her back or her side. Guo has also tested the Avocado Eco Organic, another organic hybrid mattress, and found the two fairly similar support-wise, though she does think the Naturepedic feels a bit firmer and more well constructed — she noticed an ever-so-slight dip in the Avocado after sleeping on it for a year. (The Naturepedic hasn’t shown any sinking, but it has only been six months.) At $2,000 for a queen size, it’s slightly pricier than the Avocado, but it lives up to its price point in durability and construction.

Nest’s king-size and California King mattresses are available with dual firmness levels — a potential selling point for partners who have different sleep preferences and enough space for a big bed. Previously called the Alexander Hybrid, the Sparrow has a flippable and replaceable top foam layer, making it a decent alternative to the Birch Natural, our pick for Best Ecofriendly Hybrid Mattress. Strategist kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman, a combination sleeper “who moves around a lot during the night,” purchased this mattress in March 2022 to replace a worn-out innerspring and reported that after just a few weeks, the “back and neck pain that I was waking up with every morning is literally gone.”

The Lark is Nest’s higher-end kids’ mattress, constructed of organic cotton, New Zealand wool, natural latex, and ecofriendly foam. Because it doesn’t have any springs like the otherwise similar Avocado Eco Organic kids’ mattress that we reviewed, above, Trolio found when she tested it with her kids that it was a lot less bouncy than the Eco Organic — and a lot more comfortable. Nest describes the seven-inch-tall mattress’s feel as luxury firm, because it’s built “with a gentle pillow top over a firm latex comfort layer.” Trolio thought it felt softer, but that’s likely because she’s above the mattress’s 110-pound weight limit. All in all, the Lark is a great mattress that her 5-year-old slept on comfortably for months. The only issue is that at over $1,000 even for a twin size, it’s an exceptionally expensive choice for a lower-profile mattress with a low weight limit, and we think you’d be better off purchasing an organic mattress marketed to adults that can serve more sleepers for a longer period of time.

The Puffin is Nest’s budget-friendly memory-foam mattress designed for kids. Bunk-bed-ready at seven inches thick and made of 100 percent CertiPUR-US–certified foam with a cooling outer cover, it’s a great first mattress for the smallest, youngest kids graduating to their first big-kid bed (bunk or otherwise), as the brand lists the mattress’s maximum weight capacity as 110 pounds. Yet that limit makes it a little tricky to recommend: While it will easily accommodate average-size kids through their tween years, parents whose kids regularly require extra grown-up-size snuggles (or who fall asleep in their child’s bed more often than they would like to admit) may have valid reservations about buying it. Trolio tested this mattress with her daughters when they were 4 and 7 years old, and while all three found it very comfortable, Trolio thinks it feels much softer than the “luxury firm” that Nest bills it to be. Trolio is a 140-pound adult, so take this with a grain of salt, but definitely consider the weight limit and your family’s sleep habits before you add it to your cart.

Saatva bills its Latex Hybrid Mattress as its most environmentally friendly, in part because one of its layers is made from a naturally derived latex instead of memory foam. But unlike Saatva’s Classic Mattress, our best overall pick, there are no firmness levels to choose between. Strategist editorial coordinator Kelsie Schrader tested this mattress and found it to be “soft and bouncy yet supportive the first — and every subsequent — time I sat down to read on it. I never felt like I was sinking nor did I have to shift my weight to a new spot, even after an hour of reading.” It’s supportive enough for all kinds of sleepers, but unless you’re actively looking for ecofriendly materials, it’s not necessarily too different from the Saatva Classic.