16 Best Mattresses You Can Buy Online (2024)
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Buying a mattress online can be a waking nightmare, and picking the wrong one can leave you tired, sore, and bickering with your bedmate. Your search for the best mattress is not helped by the explosion of bed-in-a-box brands or all those dedicated mattress review sites.
A new mattress is one of the biggest purchases most people will make online in any given year—not just because they cost a few thousand bucks, but also because they're literally large and you'll spend a third of your life on it. If you buy the wrong one, you can't just toss it out and move on. Given the stakes, WIRED takes our mattress reviews very seriously. We don't rely on random surveys, “nap tests,” or dropping a bowling ball on a mattress to make our recommendations. Instead, we bring each prospective pick into our homes for at least seven nights of real-life testing. Only after a week of testing—I have personally tested three dozen beds in the past 18 months—we issue our recommendations, which is the most thorough real-life testing you'll find anywhere online. All of the prices shown are for queen-size models.
Be sure to read our other sleep guides, including the Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Bed Sheets, and Best Sleep Trackers.
Updated November 2024: We have a new pick for the best mattress for back pain, added a new portable pick for people who move frequently, and replaced our pick for the best super cheap mattress.
How Firm or Soft Should Your Mattress Be?
The biggest decision in every mattress purchse is how firm to go. 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. It's also worth considering that if you buy a firmer mattress and want to soften it up, a mattress topper is a great option—we've got a full guide to the best—but it's much harder to make a mattress firmer.
Do You Want a Hybrid or Foam Mattress?
Traditional mattresses were mostly made of springs with thin layers of foam and cloth. Bed-in-a-box mattresses, on the other hand, are either foam or hybrids that layer foam with built-in springs. We tend to recommend hybrids because they are more stable and supportive, and they usually stay cooler because the springs leave room for airflow. Hybrids are often slightly pricier. Foam mattresses tend to be softer, lighter, and cheaper.
What Size Mattress Do You Need?
The prices in our guide are based on the queen size, which is the most popular size in the US. But everything we've included comes in various standard sizes, usually standard twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king. You'll want to buy a mattress based on the size of your bed frame.
How Easy Is It to Set Up a Bed-in-a-Box?
Take it from someone who has dealt with dozens over the past year: Bed-in-a-box mattresses delivered by FedEx are relatively easy to deal with. Most of these mattresses are delivered vacuum-sealed and rolled up. Some are pretty heavy—up to 150 pounds—and if you're ordering one of those, be sure someone is there 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.
Should You Wait for a Sale to Buy a Mattress?
Mattresses go on sale often—Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day have all somehow become mattress sale holidays. Additionally, online mattresses are often advertised as being on sale perenially. There's a strong chance you can save hundreds of dollars by waiting for the next big sale event. WIRED covers all of these sales and carefully tracks mattress prices throughout the year so we can alert you to the best actual deals as opposed to “sales” that are not much different than the normal asking price.
Are Online Mattresses Safe?
Mattresses sold in the US are subject to consumer protection rules on things like flammability and have requirements for tags that show when and where they were made (you remember the verbiage that says you can't remove tags under penalty of law, which has inspired generations of comedians). Any mattress you buy online should be safe, but it's always better to do business with reputable companies.
What If You Don't Like the Mattress You Bought Online?
Most of the mattresses we have tested and recommend have at least a 100-night testing period and a 10-year warranty. Before you buy, be sure to look at the company's policy as you may be on the hook for a nominal return fee. Set yourself a reminder a few days before the return deadline to make a final accessment.
- Photograph: Wired
Best Mattress Overall
Helix Sleep Midnight Luxe Hybrid Mattress (14-Inch)One of the most popular bed-in-a-box mattresses for good reason, 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.
Helix is almost 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. Those springs are individually wrapped and zoned so that you have firmer coils 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. There are six layers in all and the mattress is more than 13 inches high, so buy sheets with nice deep pockets. It's cozy, and Helix has a variety of other mattresses that cater to different sleeping positions and firmness preferences—part of what makes Helix our longtime pick for the best mattress is there are so many ways to customize it to suit your needs and preferences.
I recently spent a month testing a version of the Helix Midnight Luxe with a super dense layer of contouring foam called ErgoAlign which targets lower back pain, and a proprietary cooling cover called GlacioTex. The cooling layer has been only moderately effective, but the contouring foam makes a big difference. The denser foam runs along your torso and offers side sleepers lots of support while also leaving plenty of give for your hips and shoulders. Each feature adds $200 to the final cost.
- Photograph: Wired
Best for Problem Sleepers
Leesa Sapira ChillLet’s face it: No one goes looking to buy a new mattress because they’re sleeping too well on their old one. Depending on what issues are disturbing your rest, the Leesa Sapira Chill may be the tonic for what ails you. That’s especially true if you struggle with a few interrelated problems—like getting too hot so you kick your covers off and roll over in the process, twisting your spine.
The Leesa Sapira hybrid was our longtime runner-up to the Helix, and it’s still a mattress we endorse. But after two weeks of testing, the Sapira Chill won me over. Not only does it provide a nice dose of cooling thanks to a fabric cover that pulls heat away from the body, but it also delivers deep comfort via four foam layers and three different types of coil, which are artfully arranged in zones that gracefully align your hips. The Sapira's structure eliminated my periodic lower back pain in testing. (The next mattress I tested, the Magnistretch in the avoid section below, brought that pain back with a vengeance!)
The Leesa Sapira Chill is an affordable luxury mattress, with a plush quilted pillowtop and three available firmness levels. It has a little more springiness than other hybrids thanks to a bouncy, responsive foam layer that takes the place of memory foam in many other hybrid mattresses. You also get premium touches like an outer ring of extra-firm springs for excellent edge support and a chemical-free and fiberglass-free barrier against fires. There’s a 100-night at-home trial with free shipping and free returns.
- Photograph: Wired
Best for Side Sleepers
Bear Elite Hybrid MattressMost 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. 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's 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).
The Bear Elite was my daily driver for nearly a year—I slept on this mattress any time I was not testing another mattress or traveling—and it's the pick I suggest to anyone who tells me they're a side sleeper unless they have other sleeping problems they're looking to address. Read our Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers guide for other picks.
- Photograph: Wired
Best Organic Mattress
Birch Luxe Natural MattressAfter a new round of testing, Birch's Luxe organic mattress is WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson's new favorite organic model. The Birch Luxe is an all-around comfortable mattress that can help just about anyone get a good night's sleep since it strikes the best balance between firm and soft. (Birch calls it medium-firm.) It's a great choice for side sleepers while also working for people who sleep on their stomach or back. It's also great for people like Scott who sleep every which way.
The medium-firm feel comes from individually wrapped steel coils, which are topped with layers of natural latex, wool, and a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton cover. The coils offer full lumbar support and are arranged to cradle your spine but are also stiff around the perimeter to offer solid edge support. There's no sag in the Birch Luxe, and Scott had none of the lower-back pain he associates with softer mattresses. The wool and latex top layers provide truly exceptional temperature regulation, and the pillowy top provides a nice bit of softness on the top. (The pillow top is the main thing that separates this from the cheaper, not-Luxe model.)
Birch offers free shipping and a 100-night trial period, and all its mattresses have a 25-year warranty. Birch also offers in-home setup and removal of your old mattress through LoadUp—details can be found on Birch's website. The Luxe arrived completely compressed, and while it was small, it was definitely heavy. If your mattress is headed upstairs, or you're not comfortable lifting bulky, heavy objects, we recommend the in-home setup option.
- Photograph: Melissa Krused/Avocado Mattress
Another Great 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. During Scott's two years of use when not testing another model, there was zero sagging or other issues.
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 say it operates as a carbon-negative business. Read our Best Organic Mattresses guide for more sustainable options.
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
Best All-Foam Bed-in-a-Box
Casper The OneCasper put the American bed-in-a-box market on the map when it debuted in 2014. Its innovative marketing led to the complete corporate ride: multiple rounds of venture capital funding, an eventual IPO, then a private equity acquisition, and subsequent de-listing. If all this finance talk didn’t cause you to drift off to sleep, the newly launched The One probably will.
A decade later, Casper retired its core products and relaunched with The One as its base model in its five-deep lineup. I was a little skeptical, but The One impressed me after a week of sleep testing. This is an all-foam mattress that stands 11 inches tall. Because it's all foam, it’s on the light side, with a queen weighing an easily movable 66 pounds. One of the main issues with all-foam mattresses is that they get too hot, but Casper’s The One uses an open-cell foam layer called Breathe Flex Foam on the top, which makes it both pleasantly squishy and breathable. Two more layers of foam add up to a medium-firm feel, with the middle layer designed to cradle your hips, and the base layer designed to provide support. It's all wrapped in a knit cover so soft it’s a shame to cover it in sheets. As with any all-foam mattress, you sacrifice edge support, though these are decently stiff. The One feels like a classic Casper, but upgraded in ways that help it keep pace with the increasingly competitive mattress market. It's our favorite all-foam mattress at the moment.
- Photograph: Nectar
Best for Pressure Relief
Nectar Sleep Nectar PremierFor years, Nectar mattresses have been our go-to picks for people who want a softer sleep surface. The company was sold earlier this year, and its line has been refreshed. The new Nectar Premier is even more Nectar-y than the other two Nectars I've tested. For anyone dealing with joint pain or hip pain caused by pressure points, this is a plush bed you slowly sink into—it feels like you're drifting in a cloud. This mattress is 13 inches thick with a satisfying squishiness and a cooling layer that’s a must for anyone who sleeps hot. All this foam also gives the Nectar Premier unmatched motion isolation—your partner could tap dance next to you and you're unlikely to notice.
I would not recommend the Nectar Premier to a combo sleeper who rolls over to their stomach or back, as it may be too soft for comfort. The company 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: Wired
Best Firm Mattress
Plank Firm MattressWIRED reviewer 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 for her).
If this is too much for you, you can 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, meaning kids can hop in and out of the parental bed with minimal shaking. Her one complaint is that the edges could use more support; she has slipped off the sides a few times while putting on her socks.
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
Best Mattress for Moving (So Long as You Like It Firm)
Airweave Airweave Advanced (Queen)The Airweave Advanced (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of the most unique mattresses I've ever encountered and a great pick for anyone who wants something they can easily move and wash and who likes a firm mattress.
Designed by a Japanese engineer and inspired by a tangled fishing line, the Airweave is filled with blocks made from a unique ultra-fine woven polyethylene. It looks exactly like uncooked glass noodles and provides a rather stiff sleeping surface that also offers unmatched airflow—the company says its mattress is “90 percent air.”
For my king-size tester, there were three slabs of filler to be combined inside the cover, each weighing less than 40 pounds. That means you can load all the pieces into a sedan in a pinch. Those big pieces can be hosed down and are zipped into an outer shell made of polyester, which can be put through a front-loader washing machine.
I am a large-bodied side sleeper and prefer a slightly softer bed, but I slept very well on the Airweave during my week of testing and would heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a firmer bed, especially if they're a hot sleeper or regularly moving homes.
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
Best for Back Pain
Helix Twilight Luxe with ErgoAlignThe Helix Twilight Luxe is similar in design to our favorite mattress ever, the Midnight Luxe, but with a firmer feel that’s great for back pain and spine support. It’s not so firm that side sleepers can’t enjoy it—I myself am a dedicated side sleeper, and the Twilight Luxe did a fantastic job supporting me on my side without being too firm to sleep comfortably. I added the ErgoAlign layer for extra support, which adds zoned foam for lower back pain relief. My back pain is central to my lower back, and this mattress both relieved that pain and any pressure pain I usually get from sleeping on worse mattresses.
The Twilight Luxe has six layers total, with one layer of coils, three layers of foam, plus base support and a pillowtop. You can choose between two pillowtop options, a breathable Tencel or Helix’s cooling topper. I tested the Tencel option and found it to be plenty cool during summer heat waves. It is a little taller compared to other mattresses to hold all those layers, reaching almost 14 inches tall. Overall, it’s a fantastic mattress for anyone with back pain. —Nena Farrell
- Photograph: Saatva
A Traditional Side Sleeper Mattress
Saatva Contour5The Contour5 is a new mattress from Saatva, replacing the popular Loom & Leaf in the company's lineup. As with other Saatva mattresses, it is not roll-packed and comes delivered on a moving truck.
The Contour5 has two firmness options and updated cooling tech that uses airflow channels in its gel foam layer which is thinner than its predecessor, meaning it retains less heat. In my two weeks of testing, I found the Countour 5 was very good at remaining cool through summer nights, which is extra impressive given that it uses very dense 5-pound-weight memory foam.
The Contour5 is soft enough for side sleeping without feeling like a saggy hammock and has excellent build quality, which is impressive for an all-foam mattress without springs. I prefer a hybrid with microcoils, but Saatva is popular for a reason, and as all-foam mattresses go, it has a true luxury feel—which it should given it's triple the price of the all-foam Casper above.
- Photograph: WinkBeds
Best Mattress for Stomach and Back Sleepers
WinkBeds The WinkBedWIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu slept on the WinkBed for almost two years and he was quite happy in that time. His favorite perk? The edge support is fantastic, so his partner never wakes when he slips into bed late at night. The plush pillowtop 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.
- Photograph: Purple
Best Cooling Mattress
Purple Restore Cool TouchWIRED contributor Nicole Kinning has slept on a half-dozen cooling mattresses in the past few months and says the Purple Restore Cool Touch mattress is the best on the market right now, providing effective cooling while being extremely comfortable.
Derived from the flagship Purple Restore, this cool version features the company's distinctive GelFlex layer, a rubbery grid beneath the mattress surface that provides just the right amount of bounce. That layer is supportive and not so bouncy that it’ll wake a sleeping partner. We’d also assert that this springy gel layer enhances the overall coolness of the bed, offering a refreshing sleep environment, especially when compared to foam-top mattresses that are more likely to trap heat. Beneath the GelFlex grid lies a dense and supportive polyfoam and pocketed cooling coils. This structure is enclosed by the signature eggplant-colored fabric bottom. The true star of the show covers the mattress’s interior: a lightweight yarn-woven surface, which remains noticeably chilly to the touch.
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Cheap Cooling Mattress
Bedgear Bedgear Sport Performance MattressThe S Performance mattress from Bedgear is literally cool to the touch, and WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins found it felt way more luxe than its price point suggests. At $800, this medium-firm cooling mattress far exceeded her expectations, with most “cooling” mattresses only claiming so because of the gel infusion. The mattress has a top layer called Ver-Tex that’s silky smooth and designed to reduce overheating. The second layer is an inch and a half of ventilated foam with vertically drilled holes to increase airflow. This has a high-density, durable base for foundational support and it uses ventilated foam and Bedgear’s Air-X mesh with open ventilation design to promote airflow and help regulate body temperature. This 10-inch bed ships free to the lower 48, has a 10-year manufacturer's warranty, and can be returned if opened within 30 days, or if unopened returned within 100 days of purchase.
Molly generally likes a more plush bed, but was happy with the feel of the medium. This mattress popped up to size almost immediately, and Molly loved this bed so much she replaced her original mattress with this one based on the effectiveness of the cooling feature.
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Cheap Mattress
Wolf 12-Inch Memory Foam Hybrid Medium Firm MattressOur new pick for the best cheap mattress replaces the bargain-bin Linenspa, which seems to be fading in availability.
This 12-inch, American-made memory foam hybrid has seven layers starting with a breathable, textured stretch knit cover that aids in cooling, followed by a thin “safeguard” fiber layer before getting to the good stuff—a textured cooling gel foam with another layer of gel memory foam beneath. The bottom half starts with a 1-inch layer of high-density plush support foam followed by 8 inches of individually wrapped coils to help with structure, support, and low-motion transfer. The very bottom has a thin 1-inch layer to ensure more bottom support, and this US-made bed has a 101-night trial and a lifetime warranty.
I absolutely love this medium-firm bed, and it feels much more expensive than it is. The individually wrapped coils give great structural support, while the top gel foams help with the cooling effect and pressure relief. For firmness, this bed feels like a true medium and had enough give to be comfortable for a side sleeper like me. This inexpensive mattress feels luxe and far exceeded my expectations. —Molly Higgins
★ An even cheaper option: The Wayfair Sleep 12-Inch Medium Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress ($337) has four layers of hypoallergenic gel memory foam infused with green tea and a breathable cover design to aid in the cooling effect. The top layers are gel-infused memory and comfort foams to help with pressure relief and cooling, followed by super soft Zinus comfort and a bottom high-density base foam for durable support. All of those layers of memory foam help dampen motion transfer, and this bed-in-a-box bed sprung up almost immediately after unboxing. The gel layers’ and breathable knitted cover help with air circulation and the overall cooling effect, while the memory foam provides contouring support for potential pressure points. Wayfair offers a 100-night trial. —Molly Higgins
Honorable Mentions
There are a few mattresses we tested that don't stand out as much but are decent and worth mentioning, in case you're thinking about them.
Helix Sunset Elite for $2,811: Our top pick, Helix, also has an Elite collection that consists of seven mattresses along a spectrum of softness. At 16 inches high, this is "the tallest mattress on the internet," and comes shipped in two separate boxes, each heavy enough to max out FedEx requirements. The firmness is dictated by the foam density of the upper layer, which zips into a larger support system. This makes the mattress adjustable if you end up regretting your order. The bottom section has two separate layers of microcoils. I spent a month sleeping on the softest model from the Elite line, dubbed the Sunset, and appreciated the deep cradling effect. Helix offers a 100-day trial period on all of its mattresses.
Wayfair Sleep 14-Inch Plush Cooling Gel Hybrid Mattress for $400: This plush mattress has a top layer of cooling gel that conforms to your body for comfort and has classic pocket coils below for structure and support, with layers of memory foams with varying thickness surrounding the coils for extra support (the coils and memory foam mixture helps with low motion transfer, too). The top knit cover and sides help with breathability and the overall cooling effect. The mattress is also compatible with an adjustable bed base, has solid edge support, is CertiPUR-US and Oeko-Tex Certified (ensuring no harmful toxins are in your mattress), and has a 10-year warranty. This bed is super comfy if you like a more plush mattress.
Naturepedic EOS for $3,499: Think of this as an organic cousin to the Helix Elite above, as it's also a big and sturdy mattress that comes disassembled in three boxes. If you're looking for an organic hybrid mattress that allows customization, Naturepedic's EOS is a solid (if expensive) choice. I ordered this in firm to see how I slept after months of medium mattresses, and it was indeed firm, with springs that only started to soften after three weeks of on-and-off sleeping and a lot of jumping by my 9-year-old daughter. You can swap out layers for free for 100 nights, which means finding just the right firmness. Note that it's a heavy mattress thanks to the natural latex layer, but it's sturdy enough that the company offers a 25-year limited warranty.
Mattresses to Avoid
There 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 Magniflex Magnistretch 12 is Italian-made and advertises itself as stretching the spine. It’s endorsed by retired Italian soccer player Giorgio Chiellini and current pro basketballer Stefano Tonut, who plays for the Italian equivalent of the Boston Celtics. Well, the Magniflex definitely does something to the spine, though I found it very unwelcome. (It's worth noting that I am not the same Martin Cizmar who played a little pro soccer in Slovakia.) I lasted only two nights on the Magnistretch before crying uncle and limping over to my next mattress tester. The morning-after sensation was as if I'd slept on a hammock made of chainlink fence, and my lower back was left feeling weak and creaky—very possibly it was stretched, and if so, it turns out I don't like having my back stretched.
- 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 mattresses are made of cheap foam that isn't dense enough, causing too much sinkage.
- The Parachute Eco Comfort Mattress just doesn't live up to its extravagant price. The model we tested didn't have enough proper padding above its coils.
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