Our End-All, Be-All List of the Best Mattresses, No Matter Which Type You Prefer

Reading up on Domino’s shopping guides is like having your own personal product concierge. We do the tedious part—deep-dive research, hands-on testing, and tapping experts for advice—so all you have to do is hit ‘add to cart.’ That’s why we call them Simply the Best.

It seems like every celebrity is launching a mattress collaboration these days—from tennis star Venus Williams, who teamed up with GhostBed to create a crash pad focused on muscle recovery, to designer Nate Berkus, who’s latest drop with Beautyrest provides a versatile fit for all sleepers. This is to say: There’s a lot out there between the classics, big box brands, and DTC, and always more options than time.

But, upgrading your bedding situation doesn’t have to be a pain (for you or your wallet)—and we’re giving you a head start on the search. We rounded up the best mattresses based on a number of factors—whether you flip flop to your belly or back, prefer something that offers cloud-like comfort over spring support, or simply need to outfit that spare bedroom. No matter the reasons behind your hunt for something new, we made sure to highlight our favorite brands (based on quality, eco-friendly materials, and a range of price points) below. 

Our Favorites

• Best firm: Purple Hybrid 
• Best soft: Casper Original Mattress
• Best budget-friendly: Mainstays Memory Foam Mattress
• Best for side sleepers:  Dreamcloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress 
• Best for back sleepers: Avocado Green Mattress 
• Best for stomach sleepers: Saatva Classic 
• Best for combination sleepers: Nest Bedding Signature Hybrid 

Best Firm: Purple Hybrid Mattress  

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Sleep trial: 100 nights | Mattress type: Hybrid | Warranty: 10 years | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: One of the firmest hybrid mattresses we’ve come across. 

For us, the best firm mattress shouldn’t feel like a slab of concrete (or like you’ve spent the whole night laying on the floor). The Purple mattress prioritizes support (keeping your spine in line), but also balances comfort, responding to every nook and curve for supreme pressure relief. And unlike a classic innerspring mattress, which is often touted for being a top choice if you’re on the market for something extra-firm, the Purple’s grid-like foam top layer—a special design that promotes airflow through its square perforations—manages to give just enough, but always bounce back to its original state. If you happen to move around a lot at night, you’ll be pleased to learn each of the bed’s 7.5-inch stainless steel coils are wrapped in fabric to keep noise transfer to an absolute minimum. 

Best Soft: Casper Original Mattress

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Sleep trial: 100 nights | Type: Memory foam or hybrid | Warranty: 10 years | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: It’ll hug every nook and cranny. 

Sometimes simplest is best. While Casper has released a number of variations over the years, the brand’s original offering is one of our favorite soft mattresses—it’s cushiony, but not so plush that you start to sag. The top layer of breathable foam encases another more supportive under layer that targets the spine; it’s firm in the places that matter, near your hips and lower spine, and softens in the upper section to cradle your shoulders. And while all-foam beds typically get a bad rep among hot sleepers, its perforated construction brings the air in to help you stay cool. 

Best Budget-Friendly: Mainstays Memory Foam Mattress

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Sleep trial: 100 nights | Type: Memory foam or hybrid | Warranty: 1 year | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: An affordable mattress (we’re talking less than $400 for a king). 

Mainstain’s memory foam mattress offers a range of possibilities, whether you want a low or high profile (choose from 6, 8, 10, or 12-inch heights), to fit your needs. That means you can scoop a low-profile twin for less than $200 to outfit bunk beds or splurge on the tallest option to feel like you’re staying in the  suite of a five-star hotel. While it’s a sandwich of foam layers, each features a 1.5-inch top that’s designed to minimize motion transfer, isolating any movement. It’s a great fit for combination sleepers, as it’s as supportive as it is soft. While it conveniently ships as a mattress-in-a-box, there have been some reviewers remarking it can take longer to inflate. Luckily, if things don’t work out, you have 90 days to return the item back to Walmart (and the process is almost always free). 

Best for Side Sleepers: Dreamcloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress 

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Sleep trial: 365 nights | Type: Hybrid | Warranty: Lifetime | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: A 14-inch tall hybrid that still manages to deliver supportive softness. 

Side sleepers tend to prefer a softer firmness level, but they still need support. Dreamcloud’s five layers of foam and individually wrapped coils promise to cradle achy pressure points so you’re more likely to wake up feeling refreshed. And all that foam shouldn’t scare away hot sleepers, since the high-density gel not only cushions, but wicks away moisture. The secret to its coveted, cloud-like comfort? A cashmere topper (yes, as soft as a delicate sweater, but far more durable). Still, our favorite feature comes from the company itself—you can try this mattress out risk-free up to an entire year, and it also comes with a lifetime warranty (something of a rarity in the industry). And bonus: It’s not even a huge splurge—you can bring home a queen for less than $1,000. 

Best for Back Sleepers: Avocado Green Mattress 

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Sleep trial: 365 nights | Type: Hybrid | Warranty: Lifetime | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: Supreme spine support, yet a soft, cushiony feel—with free delivery, to boot. 

Avocado’s Green Mattress has earned a reputation at Domino—it’s one of the best king mattresses, kids mattresses, and of course, best mattresses for back sleepers. The medium-firm option offers that just right amount of firmness that’s made it a favorite of chiropractor Justin Lewis of Get Adjusted in New York, too. Its hybrid construction, consisting of three inches of organic latex atop of nearly 1,500 pocket coils, also provides supreme edge support (no slipping off the side of the bed) and cradles every pressure point, hips included, so your spine is supported all night long. But really, Avocado always earns points with us for somehow collecting every sustainable certification you can think of. In fact, you can trace its materials, including the wool, back to the company’s own herding collective. That means sound and eco-friendly sleep. 

Best for Stomach Sleepers: Saatva Classic 

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Sleep trial: 365 nights | Type: Innerspring hybrid | Warranty: Lifetime | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: This is not a mattress-in-a-box; it’s a luxurious, supportive sanctuary. 

With its two depths and three firmness levels,  the Saatva Classic can suit sleepers of all persuasions thanks to quasi-customizable offerings.  But it’s the firm option that offers hard-to-find resistance and targeted lumbar support that makes it a huge win for stomach sleepers. This position is probably the most inclined to aches and pains, especially in the back (it’s more likely to arch throughout the night) and there’s a good chance daybreak will come with a stiffness in tow. The whole shebang comes with a patented layer of contouring memory foam that’s not only an ideal firmness (what you’d expect of an innerspring construction) but is denser in the lower third right where your lower back and hips are; Saatva offers that this adds elevated support. 

Best for Combination Sleepers: Nest Bedding Signature Hybrid 

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Sleep trial: 365 nights | Type: Innerspring hybrid | Warranty: 1 year (pay extra for 3, 5, or 10) | Free delivery: Yes 

Why we chose it: Not sure what you need? Nest allows you to experiment. 

If you don’t fall into one category of sleeper—or aren’t even sure what you like—Nest simplifies what can be a complicated process. Over the stretch of an entire year (during which you can also return your mattress back for free if it doesn’t suit you) take advantage of a lifetime renewal exchange program. There’s a layer at the top of the Sparrow hybrid that can be unzipped (not unlike Brooklinen’s Marlow pillow), which offers adjustability in its responsive foam that can be switched out to something softer or firmer. Pro tip: If you and your partner can’t ever agree on the same comfort level, opt for the dual split, which allows you to change up the firmness levels for each side of the bed between a medium and firm, firm and plush, and plush and medium combo. 

Brands We Also Like 

• Tuft & Needle
• Tempurpedic 
• Nectar
• Beautyrest 
• IKEA 
• Ghostbed

How We Chose These Products

In addition to testing bedding for numerous guides, everything from the best sheets to the best pillows, we’ve also conducted extensive research and expert interviews on nearly every type of mattress available to find the top-performing ones. Our list aims to provide the best mattresses for every favored sleep position, whether you can’t help but run hot no matter the time of year, or don’t quite have the budget to splurge on a split king just yet. Overall, we strive to prioritize products that balance style, high-quality manufacturing, and eco-conscious attributes. The tricky thing, is, comfort is relative—there’s really no shortcut to finding your ideal mattress—so although we’ve rounded up our favorite bands, having even tested several, the only way to find your right fit is to try them out at home (which is why we love to call out sleep trials). 

Our Shopping Checklist

Mattress Types and Materials

There are a number of mattress types out there, but there are three we find to be most common. Innerspring mattresses are the most traditional and affordable, and known for their bounce factor (great for stomach sleepers who need a firm level of support). Today’s modern memory foam mattresses also offer a host of benefits, including the ability to be shipped in a box. Some designs are infused with gel (helping to regulate body temperature while offering ergonomic support, a boon for hot sleepers) or offer open-cell structures for added breathability, and usually include multiple layers in different densities that help avoid that quicksand feel. And last but not least, hybrid mattresses are a sandwich of springs and foam, offering the best of both worlds, including coils for breathability. We almost always prefer natural materials, so if you want to avoid memory foam, there’s latex—it can outlast all of these materials in terms of durability—which is derived from rubber trees. It’s supportive and cushy, but also the best cooling mattress material you can get.  

Firmness Levels 

More often than not, you can attribute the level of comfort of your mattress to its firmness level, typically defined as either soft, medium, or firm. Honestly, it’s all a bit subjective. In general, if you’re a side sleeper, you’ll likely prefer a softer, cushiony feel. Back sleepers and stomach sleepers tend to skew firmer; a back sleeper often enjoys a more neutral, medium-firm mattress, and stomach sleepers are often instructed to go for the firm.  

Warranties and Sleep Trials 

Most brands today boast generous trial periods to help ensure you are happy with your purchase. One hundred nights risk-free has become the norm, with some companies going above and beyond; Saatva, Avocado, and Nectar all offer sleep trials that last for 365 nights.

A long warranty period also indicates that a mattress is of superior quality. A 10-year warranty has become a great benchmark, with Nectar offering a whopping lifetime warranty that covers most physical flaws and defects, as long as it has been used and maintained properly. 

Ask Domino

Q: How much should a good mattress cost?

“Having the right mattress makes a big difference in the quality of sleep one gets,” argues Christian Alexander, president and CEO of Nest Bedding. “Shoppers shouldn’t choose the cheapest mattress on the market. Instead, they should look for a durable, well-constructed mattress that will help achieve the sleep needed night after night. They should look for a mattress that supports the body and doesn’t sink at the hip, allows the muscles to relax, especially the neck and back, and provides comfort at pressure points, including the head, shoulders, hips, and knees.”

Q: When is the best time to buy a mattress?

The best time to buy a mattress is usually around the holidays (President’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and of course, Black Friday and Cyber Monday), though it isn’t the only time you can snag a good deal: March, April, and May are a great time to nail discounts.   

Q: How do I know if I need to replace my old mattress?

Most mattresses last anywhere between five and 10 years, experts have told us, though there are a few warning signs when yours is starting to go within that time frame. If you’re  waking up with aches and pains or there are spots in your mattress that are sagging and not bouncing back, start searching for something new.  

The Last Word

The best mattresses, according to Alexander, should be “comfortable and durable enough to last many years.” But what works for you likely won’t work for your partner or friend, so it’s imperative to conduct extensive research on your own. Our favorite way? Bring a mattress home and try it out for yourself. 

Domino’s editors independently curate every product on our site, because we’re just as obsessed with a great deal and an under-the-radar discovery as you are. Items you purchase may earn us an affiliate commission.

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