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Best Mattresses for the Money

Mattress Guides
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Getting an amazing deal on a mattress is more complicated than just finding the cheapest mattress. Besides a competitive sticker price, you’ll also want to think about durability and quality.

Not to mention the fact that a piece of furniture you’re going to use for years of your life needs to be insanely comfortable. When taking all this into consideration, it’s clear to see you shouldn’t just buy the cheapest thing. You want value, not only affordability. Below, we’ve listed a few mattresses that have it all!

Best Mattresses for the Money of 2024

Best Mattress for the Money Overall
Amerisleep AS3 CHECK PRICES
Best Memory Foam Mattress for the Money
Zoma Mattress CHECK PRICES
Best Hybrid Mattress for the Money
Vaya Hybrid CHECK PRICES
Best Two-in-One Mattress for the Money
Layla Mattress CHECK PRICES

Best Mattress for the Money Overall: Amerisleep AS3

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Memory Foam

  • Thickness

    12 Inches

  • Firmness

    5 to 6 out of 10 (Medium)

  • Warranty

    20 Years

  • Sleep Trial

    100 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • Responsive foam construction
  • Cooling design limits heat retention
  • Hypoallergenic materials
Recommended For
  • Side, back, and combo sleepers
  • Sleepers with allergies
  • Couples

One of the most versatile mattresses on this list, the Amerisleep AS3 takes regular memory foam and puts an all-natural twist on it. This plant-based memory foam makes a lot of improvements to regular memory foam. It’s cooler. It’s more responsive. It’s lower in harsh chemicals. And it’s more durable.

How the Mattress Feels

Lying down on the AS3, you’ll notice right away it has an equal balance of cushioning and support. That makes it a medium mattress – perfect for couples, combo sleepers, and others who need a mattress that can accommodate a large range of sleep styles and body types.

The plant-based memory foam mattress also breathes and bounces back like latex. So hot and active sleepers alike can enjoy sleeping on the AS3.

What It’s Made Of

The AS3 starts off with Amerisleep’s proprietary Bio-Pur® memory foam. The Bio-Pur® foam is responsible for the AS3’s breathable and responsive feel. It’s also the reason for the AS3’s superior contouring power.

Next up, the HIVE® transition layer offers zoned support, so each area of your body gets exactly the combination of lift and pressure relief it needs. That means even side sleepers might enjoy this medium mattress.

Finally, the Bio-Core® memory foam support layer is responsible for keeping this mattress highly durable and highly supportive. It will fight the signs of aging for at least 20 years, thanks to this ultra-durable foam!

All this comfort is wrapped in the breathable Refresh cover. This ultra-breathable and soft cover helps keep you cool by converting your body heat into far infrared energy. This dissipates heat away from your mattress for a cool night’s sleep.

Pros

  • Plant-based memory foam is hypoallergenic, cooling, and responsive
  • Zoned transition foam offers you the ideal pressure relief for each zone of your body
  • Ultra-dense support core provides ultimate durability and comfortable support

Cons

  •  Not entirely plant-based 

AMERISLEEP AS3

  • Plant-based memory foam cushion for pressure relief
  • HIVE® technology and Affinity foam lets the surface respond as needed
  • Bio-Core® foam structures the overall design for durability

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Best Memory Foam Mattress for the Money: Zoma Mattress

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Memory Foam

  • Thickness

    12 Inches

  • Firmness

    5 to 6 out of 10 (Medium)

  • Warranty

    10 Years

  • Sleep Trial

    100 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • Latex-like Reactiv™ transition foam
  • Airy cover for quick heat release
  • High-density support foam
Recommended For
  • Athletes & those with active lifestyles
  • Hot sleepers
  • Side, back, and combination sleepers

If you’re looking for a mattress that boasts a lot of value and fits into your active lifestyle, look no further than the Zoma Mattress. This memory foam offering was designed by athletes for athletes. So it’s perfect for anyone looking to recover from a physically active day, from those with blue-collar jobs to those with athletic hobbies to professional athletes themselves.

How the Mattress Feels

Lying down on the Zoma, the thing you’ll notice first is its incredible responsiveness. The Zoma sports a proprietary layer of bouncy foam called the Reactiv™ layer. This layer is designed to ensure minimal response time so that your comfort layer springs back into shape as soon as you change positions.

The other thing you’ll notice about the Zoma is its balance of cradling and support. The Zoma hovers between a medium and a medium-firm feel. That means it’s got a lot of versatility and pain-relieving properties. It can keep your spine aligned and ensure you get a good night’s sleep free from back pain.

What It’s Made Of

The Zoma starts its layering off strong with its Triangulex™ gel memory foam comfort layer. The gel foam draws heat away from your body, while the targeted pressure relief zones ensure each area of your body gets the right cushioning it needs. Air channels also keep cool airflow going underneath your body to wick away heat and sweat.

The next layer is the Reactiv™ foam layer. This layer is designed to bounce back quickly to prevent you from feeling stuck. You also won’t spend any of your night waiting for the mattress to slowly bounce back into place when you move. So no more lag time!

Finally, the Support+ foam base offers lots of durability. It also ensures optimal spinal alignment to help you wake up feeling refreshed and recovered from a physically active day. This ultra-dense foam can alleviate pain from sore muscles and achy joints as well.

Pros

  • Gel memory foam draws heat away from you to keep you cool
  • Contouring and supportive mattress is designed to relieve pain and aid recovery
  • Reactiv™ transition layer ensures minimal lag time

Cons

  •  Not for those who want an all-natural mattress

ZOMA MATTRESS

  • Heat-wicking gel infusions for cool, undisturbed rest
  • Transition foam buoys the body for easy movement
  • Support+ foam creates a durable construction

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Best Hybrid Mattress for the Money: Vaya Hybrid

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Foam

  • Thickness

    12 Inches

  • Firmness

    5 to 6 out of 10 (Medium)

  • Warranty

    10 Years

  • Sleep Trial

    100 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • Affordable quality materials
  • Conforming foam with cooling cover
  • Durable pocketed coils for support
Recommended For
  • Shoppers on a budget
  • All sleeping positions
  • Sleepers with joint pain

Those looking for a mattress that offers simplicity and quality for a truly unbeatable price should check out the Vaya Hybrid. This mattress provides cool comfort and pressure relief without all the bells and whistles that drive prices through the roof. Don’t let that fool you, though. You’re still getting a quality mattress that will last a decade.

How the Mattress Feels

The Vaya’s comfort foam is highly contouring and highly breathable. It’s so contouring, in fact, that it offers enough pressure relief that some side sleepers can enjoy it despite its medium feel. And the open-cell foam keeps air flowing through the comfort layer for optimal temperature regulation.

Despite the highly contouring foam, the supportive coils ensure the mattress doesn’t lose buoyancy. So you will stay on top of the sleep surface even as the comfort foam contours to cradle your pressure points.

What It’s Made Of

The Vaya Hybrid maintains quality and affordability by keeping its design simple. It starts off with the breathable and contouring Vaya Comfort Foam. This layer is responsible for the pressure relief of the mattress.

On the bottom, the pocketed coils offer stable support that prevents you from sinking into the softer foam above. The wrappings around the coils ensure that despite their bounciness, the coils won’t carry movement across the surface. The coils also ensure the Vaya Hybrid can compete with many more expensive mattresses in terms of durability.

Both these layers are wrapped in a plush and incredibly breathable cover that keeps air moving to ensure you never overheat.

Pros

  • Simple design allows for affordability without sacrificing quality
  • Highly contouring foam ensures that you get the maximum pressure relief
  • Durable pocketed coils means this mattress will keep up with its competitors

Cons

  •  May not last as long as mattresses with more layers

VAYA HYBRID

  • Medium feel supports the body in various positions
  • CertiPUR-US® certified foams for comfort foam
  • Motion-isolating, supportive coils with individually wrapped

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Best Budget Mattress for the Money: Nolah Original 10

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Memory Foam

  • Thickness

    10 Inches

  • Firmness

    5 to 6 out of 10 (Medium)

  • Warranty

    Lifetime

  • Sleep Trial

    120 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • High-resilience foam layers
  • Cooling cover with eco-friendly fibers
  • High durability
Recommended For
  • Hot sleepers
  • Sleepers with back pain
  • Side, back, combination sleepers

Another great mattress at a great price, the Nolah Original 10 offers unbeatable quality and three foam layers for under $1,000. This mattress can help keep you cool and relieve your pressure points for many years without breaking the bank – as evidenced by its generous lifetime warranty!

How the Mattress Feels

The Original 10 is made of high-resilience foam that’s three times more durable than regular memory foam. That means the first thing you’ll notice when you lie down is the Original’s incredible buoyancy. The Original has tons of support to keep you lifted onto the bed and align your spine. That makes it perfect for back sleepers and those with back pain.

The Original is also a cooling mattress thanks to its Botanic Origin cover made with Tencel™. This cover helps wick away heat and sweat to ensure you never wake up overheated. That means hot sleepers can enjoy this affordable mattress.

What It’s Made Of

The Original 10 starts off with the Botanic Origin Tencel™ cover that wicks away heat and sweat to keep you cool all night.

The cooling cover works with the equally cooling Nolah AirFoam™ that breathes underneath you to ensure ideal temperature regulation. The AirFoam™ also offers superior contouring and pressure relief to keep you cushioned despite its medium-firm feel.

Next comes the deep and supportive high-resilience foam. This foam is much stronger than typical transition foam. So you can expect your body to remain lifted on top of the sleep surface despite the deeply compressive memory foam up top.

Finally, the high-density base foam fights sagging and soft-spot development to give you the ultimate durability. The base foam also helps keep your spine aligned and your body lifted to fight sinkage and spinal misalignment.

Pros

  • Cooling cover wicks away heat and sweat and keeps you cool all night
  • High-resilience and high-density foam create a mattress with a lot of buoyancy
  • Highly contouring foam offers spinal alignment and pressure relief

Cons

  •  Not for those who want a highly responsive mattress

NOLAH ORIGINAL 10

  • Tencel™ cover fabirc maintains cool-to-the-touch surface
  • Transition foam ensures compression without discomfort
  • Base foam provides a sag-resilient structure

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Best Soft Mattress for the Money: Amerisleep AS5 Hybrid

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Hybrid

  • Firmness

    3 out of 10 (Soft)

  • Warranty

    20 Years

  • Sleep Trial

    100 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • Plant-based foam for cushion
  • Transformative cover for coolness
  • Pocketed coils isolate movements
Recommended For
  • Petite sleepers
  • Side sleepers
  • Sleepers with allergies

Another Amerisleep offering, the AS5 Hybrid is perfect for those who need the softest mattress. That means side sleepers and petite sleepers can get all the benefits of Amerisleep’s plant-based memory foam as well as all the pressure relief they need!

How the Mattress Feels

The AS5 Hybrid is a truly soft mattress. That means it’s got a lot more cushioning than support. This feel is perfect for lighter-weight sleepers and side sleepers. It’s also fantastic for other sleepers who might need extra pressure relief – like those with joint pain.

This is also a hybrid mattress. That means it’s got lots of lift and bounce despite its soft feel. You won’t have to deal with slow response time or sinkage with this mattress, thanks to its pocketed coil support core.

What It’s Made Of

The AS5 Hybrid starts off with the same Refresh Cover that comes on the AS3. This cover works with the foam below to help keep you cool despite the soft foams hugging your body all night long.

Next up, you’ll find a thick, soft layer of Amerisleep’s Bio-PurⓇ memory foam. This highly contouring foam provides fantastic pressure relief to achy joints and ensures pressure points remain pain-free throughout the night.

Under the plant-based memory foam, a layer of Active Flex material minimizes sinkage without sacrificing softness. That gives the AS5 a highly buoyant feel, especially for such a soft mattress.

Finally, a layer of pocketed coils ensures adaptability and motion isolation all the way to the bottom of the mattress. The pocketed coils also help keep the sleep surface cool by circulating air throughout the mattress.

Pros

  • Highly durable foams and coils mean this mattress will last the long haul
  • Plant-based foam and a breathable cover help keep the mattress cool.
  • Buoyant transition foam and pocketed coils provide support to counter sinkage

Cons

  •  Too soft for back and stomach sleepers

AMERISLEEP AS5 HYBRID

  • Refresh cover transforms body heat for cooling cushion
  • Bio-Pur® foam creates responsive, eco-friendly plushness
  • Active Flex creates buoyancy without diminishing softness

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Best Two-in-One Mattress for the Money: Layla Mattress

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Memory Foam

  • Thickness

    10 Inches

  • Firmness

    4 or 7 out of 10 (Soft or Firm)

  • Warranty

    Lifetime

  • Sleep Trial

    120 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • Flippable firmness for different needs
  • Copper infusions maintain cleaniliness
  • Memory foam eases tension
Recommended For
  • Side sleepers (soft)
  • Back and stomach sleepers (firm)
  • Sleepers with allergies

Sleepers with allergies, those who sleep hot, and those who want firmness options should check out the Layla Mattress. The Layla offers flippable firmness and copper infusions that fight both heat buildup and microbial growth. That way, you can have a cool and clean night of sleep.

How the Mattress Feels

The Layla features copper memory foam. The copper infusions are highly thermoconductive. That means they draw heat away from you. So you won’t just notice the cool-touch surface of the Layla when you lie down on it. You’ll also notice that it stays cool throughout the night.

Another thing you’ll notice is that the Layla has two firmness levels. It comes with a soft side that’s around a four on the firmness scale and a firm side that’s around a seven. That means everyone, from side sleepers to stomach sleepers, can enjoy this mattress.

What It’s Made Of

If you lay the Layla with the soft side up, it starts off with a soft, thick layer of copper-gel memory foam. This copper-infused foam draws heat away from you and creates a hostile environment for microbes. That makes it perfect for sleepers with allergies to things like mold, mildew, and dust mites.

Next, you’ll find the Max Airflow support foam. This supportive transition layer doesn’t just provide buoyancy. It also keeps air flowing underneath the comfort layer to prevent moisture buildup and make the bed even more hostile to microbes.

Sitting in the middle is the ultra-firm support core foam. This foam provides minimal bounce and motion transfer control.

Finally, the firm side sports a thinner and firmer layer of the same copper-gel foam that fights microbes and overheating all at once.

All this versatile comfort is wrapped in a reactive cooling cover that activates in response to your body heat. The zipper also allows for easy removal, so you can wash the cover anytime. Remember, the light side is the soft side and the dark side is the firm one!

Pros

  • Motion transfer control technology makes this a fantastic mattress for couples
  • Flippable firmness means you can decide how soft or firm you want your mattress
  • Copper infusions fight microbes that can trigger allergies and overheating

Cons

  • Not the most responsive mattress on this list

LAYLA MATTRESS

  • Copper infusions ensure reactive, antimicrobial cushion that stays cool
  • Targeted support underneath the softer side
  • Base foam provides support underneath both sides

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Best Firm Mattress for the Money: GhostBed Classic

  • Price Range

    See Price

  • Mattress Type

    Memory Foam and Latex

  • Thickness

    11 Inches

  • Firmness

    7 to 8 out of 10 (Medium-Firm)

  • Warranty

    20 Years

  • Sleep Trial

    101 Nights

Mattress Highlights
  • Aerated latex foam for comfort
  • Gel foam for deep, cool compression
  • Durable base foam for back support
Recommended For
  • Hot sleepers
  • Back and stomach sleepers
  • Heavier sleepers

The GhostBed Classic offers lots of lift in the form of high-density support foam. It also boasts layers of gel memory foam and aerated non-allergenic latex to keep you cool and dry all night. Best of all, the ultra-dense foam makes this a mattress built to last.

How the Mattress Feels

The gel memory foam and latex layers combine to make this mattress’s surface cool to the touch. So you’ll feel the coolness right away, and you won’t have to worry about that cool-touch feeling dissipating during the night.

The combination of memory foam and latex also makes for a highly contouring and highly responsive mattress. Don’t let that fool you, though. The Classic is still a firmer mattress. So it’s a perfect fit for stomach sleepers and heavier back sleepers.

What It’s Made Of

The Classic starts off with a plush and stretchy cover made of viscose and polyester. The blend of viscose and polyester helps the Classic stay cool even when you get hot.

The aerated latex below works with the plush cover to amplify breathability. It also provides lots of bounce to ensure active sleepers remain comfortable. The sleep surface will bounce right back underneath your body as soon as you move.

Next up, the gel memory foam layer draws heat away from your body to keep you even cooler than the breathable latex alone. And the memory foam adds tons of contouring to offer pressure relief despite the firmer feel.

Finally, the high-density base foam fights sagging and aging for a full 20-years. That means even though the Classic costs a little more than a few of the other mattresses on this list, its cost over time will still be quite affordable.

Pros

  • Gel memory foam and aerated latex keeps you cool and dry
  • Durable base foam ensures this mattress will last for the long haul
  • Non-allergenic latex adds lots of responsiveness to the sleep surface

Cons

  •  Too firm for side sleepers

GHOSTBED CLASSIC

  • Hypoallergenic latex foam contours to the body
  • Gel memory foam provides coolness and extra cushion
  • Density of the base foam ensures a long-lasting mattress

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How to Choose the Best Mattress for the Money

A lot of people think about the price of their mattress when looking for the best deal. While sticker price is an important factor when buying a mattress, it isn’t the only thing that decides how much your mattress ultimately costs. You’ll also need to take other factors into consideration.

Price

There’s no denying your mattress’s sticker price is a huge factor in how much you’ll pay for it over the course of its life. Mattress prices vary wildly based on quality, manufacturer, material, and sometimes even the location where they’re sold. You can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $7,000 or $8,000 for a mattress, depending on its materials, thickness, and mattress size.

Keep in mind that there is an acceptable price range. If you’re paying less than $500 for a queen size mattress, you should really be questioning why that is. It’s possible to get a great deal on a mattress every once in a while and find excellent mattresses under $500, but you should be careful to ensure that lower-cost mattresses have not skimped on quality.

On the flip side, if you’re paying more than $2,500 for a queen size mattress, you’re getting into luxury mattress territory. These expensive mattresses might have the bells and whistles you want, but there’s no need to pay this much for a simplequeen size mattress. You can get a quality product for much less than this.

Durability

Your mattress’s durability has a huge impact on how much you pay for it over time. Aside from price, durability is the greatest factor that decides how much you pay per year to sleep on your mattress. Or in other words, how long until you have to replace your mattress.

For instance, if you pay $1,000 for a mattress that lasts 10 years vs. $1,500 for a mattress that lasts 20, the $1,500 mattress is actually the cheaper of the two over the course of its life because its cost per year is $75. Whereas the $1,000 mattress has an annual cost of $100. That isn’t to say a mattress under $1000 is bad, however.

For this reason, it’s vital to look at your mattress’s life expectancy in comparison to its upfront cost. If you want to save, replacing your mattress less often is a better way to do it. Especially when you consider that you might have to pay fees to have your new mattress delivered or recycle the old mattress.

Durability can be partly determined by how thick a mattress is, as more material can often withstand more use. Plus, too-thin mattresses are generally uncomfortable and unsupportive.

We recommend mattresses at least 10 inches thick, although for many sleepers the ideal is a 12 inch mattress.

Quality

Quality and durability go hand in hand when it comes to the most comfortable mattresses, so a mattress’s quality can definitely have an impact on both its sticker price and its cost over time.

However, you also need to think about a mattress’s quality in terms that are divorced from its cost. You’ll be spending three of the next 10 years on your mattress. And its construction and quality have a direct impact on your sleep and your overall health.

A bad mattress can cause everything from interrupted sleep to back pain to worsened sleep apnea. For that reason alone, you should invest in the best mattress you can afford, even if it costs a little more than you would like to pay.

Deals and Discounts

Deals and discount days are some of the best ways to get a quality mattress for an amazing price. Of course, major sales fall on days like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday. Butwhile these are some of the best times to buy a mattress, there are other ways to snag a steal on a great mattress.

For instance, shopping in the spring can help you land a fantastic price on a new mattress because stores are trying to get rid of inventory to make room for new models. Avoiding brick-and-mortar stores in favor of shopping online mattresses can also help you get a great deal because you’re not paying a big box store’s overhead and sales staff. You’re buying directly from the warehouse.

Finally, you could also look online to find less conventional sales. Closeout sales are an excellent way to get steep discounts on all kinds of furniture, including beds. And some furniture stores and mattress companies also celebrate their big anniversaries with blowout sales.

As a refresher, here are the big mattress sales to keep an eye out for:

Warranty and Sleep Trial

A mattress’s warranty and sleep trial can have an impact on how much you spend in a couple of different ways.

First off, a sleep trial ensures you don’t wind up paying for a mattress you hate. A sleep trial period of at least 90 days ensures you have enough time to break in your mattress and know how it’s going to work for you without risking the purchase price. If you don’t like it, send it back for a refund.

Second, a mattress warranty doesn’t just insulate you from manufacturer defects. It also indicates to you how durable your mattress is. For instance, a 10-year warranty indicates the manufacturer has built your mattress to last at least a decade.

Other Considerations

Aside from price, there are several other factors you should consider when choosing a mattress. All these factors can impact price and durability, but they also impact the feel of the mattress. This includes factors like responsiveness and temperature regulation.

Mattress Material

The material that goes into your mattress is one of the key determinants of its feel as well as its life expectancy and sticker price. Some types of mattresses are more durable and more expensive, while others are more affordable but also break down quicker.

Memory Foam

Flexible polyurethane foam is the most affordable mattress material over time. It’s slightly more expensive than the cheapest mattress construction (innerspring), but it’s much more durable. That means you’ll pay the lowest price per year of use if you stick with a memory foam mattress. Expect to pay around $1150 for a queen memory foam mattress. And expect it to last between 10 and 20 years.

Memory foam mattresses aren’t just durable and affordable. It’s also extremely comfortable and supportive. This is why it’s quickly catching up to innerspring construction in popularity. Memory foam can contour like no other mattress material. It can follow the curve of your body to ensure you get custom support. This keeps your spine aligned and your pressure points alleviated.

Even better, the problems with traditional memory foam have been largely solved thanks to new technology. Traditional memory foam could be sweltering. But thanks to improvements like gel or mineral infusions, microbeads, and open-cell construction, memory foam is much better at temperature regulation.

Memory foam is also much more responsive now, thanks to infusions that help reduce lag time. Bouncy transition foam can also help your bed’s memory foam comfort layer spring back into place quickly. However, memory foam mattresses will not be as responsive as other mattress materials. So active sleepers who like to toss and turn may be better off looking elsewhere.

Natural Latex

Natural latex foam comes from the processed sap of the rubber tree. Latex is, without doubt, the most durable of all the mattress materials, able to last 20 years at a minimum. It’s also the most expensive material.

You can expect to pay an average of $2,100 for a queen size latex mattress – likely more than that for organic latex. Combined with its unbeatable durability, latex is an affordable material year over year, but you’ll be paying a steep price upfront.

Latex mattresses aren’t just extremely durable. It is also highly breathable and incredibly responsive. That makes it perfect for hot sleepers and active sleepers who don’t like to lie still when they sleep. Latex is also a wonderful material for eco-conscious sleepers because it’s recyclable and biodegradable. It’s virtually the only material for sleepers who want all-natural foam as well.

Despite all these positive attributes, latex does have a couple of problems. Its initial cost puts it out of reach for many shoppers. Latex can also trigger severe allergic reactions in some individuals. So those who know they’re allergic should stick with memory foam.

You might have sheets and a mattress protector between your body and the actual latex of your mattress, but there’s still ample potential for contact.

Innerspring

Innerspring mattresses combine an open coil support core and a comfort layer made of a number of plush materials ranging from foam to cotton to fiberfill. Innerspring mattresses have the lowest upfront cost, coming in at $950 for an average queen. But they’re also the least durable.

You can expect to replace the average innerspring within a decade of purchasing it. This means that innerspring beds are actually more costly over time than some more durable mattresses.

Innerspring mattresses offer a feel that’s more traditional. So those who’ve gotten used to the bouncy feel of an innerspring mattress can find a quality one that meets their needs. Innerspring mattresses are also highly breathable, so they can keep hot sleepers cool all night long.

Innerspring mattresses do have their issues, though. Networked coils magnify and transfer motion all over the bed. So innerspring mattresses may not be the best choice for couples.

Open coil mattresses also cannot contour all that well. This means innerspring mattresses offer the least customizable support of any mattress type. The lack of support can leave you with back pain.

Due to their lack of durability and decreased comfort, we typically don’t recommend innerspring mattresses. Those who love the feel of an innerspring bed might do better to consider the next mattress type on our list: a hybrid.

Hybrid

Hybrid mattresses combine a pocketed coil support core with at least two inches of foam up top. This foam can be natural latex or memory foam. Hybrids are the second most expensive mattress type at $1750 for an average queen. They’re also less durable than all-foam mattresses because their pocketed coils break down over time.

Pocketed coils are more durable than open coils but less durable than support foam. Expect your hybrid mattress to last around 15 years. All this means hybrids are the most expensive mattresses over the course of their lives.

However, you might think hybrid mattresses are worth it. Being expensive is just about their only downside. These mattresses combine the bounce and breathability of coils with the contouring of foam.

Individually wrapped coils can also contour all the way through. That means your mattress can adapt to your shape better than even all-foam mattresses. This offers superior spinal support and pressure relief alike.

Pocketed coils add responsiveness and breathability to memory foam. They can also help shave some of the initial cost off of latex mattresses. A latex hybrid will likely be more affordable than an all-foam mattress with a natural latex support layer. For all these reasons, innerspring lovers who want to keep their coils should consider a hybrid.

Firmness Level

A mattress’s firmness level is measured on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the firmest. Most of the time, you won’t find mattresses softer than about a three or firmer than about an eight. This is because there’s not much of a market for mattresses with absolutely no support or absolutely no give.

Unlike material, your mattress’s firmness shouldn’t have a big impact on its price. You might occasionally run across mattresses with slight price variations between firmness level options, but this is not the norm.

Also, unlike mattress material, firmness level should be determined more by your sleep position than your preferences. Personal preference has some impact, but each sleep position has a corresponding firmness level that you should keep in mind when purchasing your new mattress.

Side Sleepers

Side sleepers need the softest mattresses of all sleep positions. When you sleep on your side, one of your hip and shoulder joints makes contact with the bed. Your bodyweight then presses down on those joints, exerting lots of pressure that can lead to pain in an overly firm mattress.

Soft mattresses absorb the pressure exerted by your body’s weight rather than adding to it. They compress underneath the pressure points in your hips and shoulders to cradle them rather than push against them.

For this reason, most side sleepers will want to stick to a medium-soft mattress (four on the firmness scale). These mattresses for side sleeping offer plenty of cushioning and compression while maintaining sufficient support to keep the spine in natural alignment.

Combo Sleepers

Combination sleepers got their name because they like to switch things up night after night or even multiple times in the same night. Some combo sleepers might prefer one or two specific positions, while others don’t have a strong preference for any one sleep style.

Most of the time, combo sleepers need a medium mattress (five). A mattress for combination sleepers that falls right in the middle in terms of cradling and support offers the most versatility to combo sleepers. It can handle most sleep positions at least some of the time without exerting too much pressure or failing to provide enough support.

If you’re a combo sleeper, you’ll want to keep your preferred positions in mind. For instance, if you like to flip from your stomach to your back and rarely sleep on your side, you might consider a medium-firm mattress rather than a true medium. It all depends on which positions you adopt the most when you sleep.

Back Sleepers

Back sleepers need a mattress that can contour enough to fill in the gap in the lumbar region while still maintaining sufficient support to keep the spine aligned and the body lifted onto the sleep surface. Typically, a medium-firm mattress (six) fits this bill.

Medium-firm mattresses offer lots of support without losing all their cradling and compression. That means they won’t allow you to sink when you sleep on your back.

Mattresses for back sleeping also shape themselves to fit the curve of your spine and compress under the buttocks to prevent the lumbar region from collapsing onto the bed. This helps you avoid sleeping in a hunched position that can give you lower back pain.

Stomach Sleepers

Stomach sleepers need the firmest mattresses of all sleep styles. This is because sleeping on your stomach allows your pelvis to sink into the bed. This sinking causes your spine to overextend and can cause lower back pain.

Firm mattresses (seven) help counter this effect. Firm mattresses have a little give and a lot of lift. So they can support your pelvis and keep your spine aligned even when you sleep on your stomach. It’s also best to sleep with a flat pillow to avoid twisting your neck as much as possible.

Even with a firm mattress and a flat pillow, sleeping on your stomach is still the most unhealthy position to adopt in slumber. It’s impossible to keep your spine aligned when your neck has to be twisted to one side in order to allow you to breathe, even with a mattress for stomach sleeping. For this reason, we recommend trying to train yourself to sleep on your side or back instead.

Body Type

Your sleep position determines your baseline firmness level. But your body weight plays a role as well. It can determine whether you need more or less support than the average sleeper who shares your sleep style.

Sleepers of average weight (between 130 and 230 pounds), can generally stick to the firmness level that corresponds to their sleep style without thinking about their body weight. But if you fall outside of this range, you’ll need to take that into consideration.

Plus-size sleepers are over 230 pounds. When you’re heavier, you need to account for the fact that your body needs more support to stay on top of the sleep surface. So you’ll want to consider going up a firmness level from the one that matches your sleep style when looking at mattresses for heavy sleepers.

For instance, if an average-weight stomach sleeper needs a firm mattress (seven), that means a heavier stomach sleeper needs an extra-firm mattress (eight).

Conversely, petite sleepers, who are less than 130 pounds, may need to go down a firmness level. This is because your body exerts less pressure on the bed when you’re lightweight. That means you might not get sufficient compression to cradle your pressure points. So mattress for lightweight sleepers needs a touch more softness than the one that corresponds to your sleep position preference.

To use stomach sleepers as an example again, stomach sleepers of average weight need firm mattresses. So petite stomach sleepers would need to consider going down to a medium-firm feel.

FAQs

What is the most affordable mattress type?

That depends on what you mean by the word “affordable.” In terms of just straight sticker price, innerspring mattresses are the most affordable because their average price comes in at less than $1,000. However, innerspring mattresses are not the most affordable mattresses over the course of their lives because they have to be replaced so often. That distinction goes to memory foam.

Memory foam is not the most durable material. Latex has that distinction. But latex is so expensive that its enhanced durability typically doesn’t make up for its high price tag.

While memory foam won’t last as long as latex, it will last longer than mattresses with coils. And its comparatively affordable average price tag of $1,150 combines with its durability to make memory foam the most affordable mattress over time. You’ll only pay a little more for it than you will for an innerspring mattress, and it will last much longer.

How do I get the best deal on a mattress?

You can get a fantastic deal on a mattress using several methods. An excellent way to get a stellar discount is to shop exclusively with online retailers. Online stores don’t have nearly as much overhead as physical stores. So they don’t pass the extra costs of things like rent and electricity and sales staff to you.

You can also shop annual sales like the kind that happen on Black Friday, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc. Stores often mark these sales with steep discounts on most or all of their mattresses.

Finally, you might also consider waiting until spring to shop. Late winter through spring is the best season to look for a mattress because retailers are looking to unload inventory to make room for the new models coming out in the summer.

What is the most durable type of mattress?

The most durable mattress is natural latex. Natural latex can outlast all other mattress types – sometimes by many, many years. However, not all latex is created equal.

For instance, latex hybrids are not as durable as pure latex mattresses because their coils break down and lose tension over time. So the latex foam up top might last for decades, but the coils below might not.

Durability can also depend on the type of latex you’ve got, whether it’s Dunlop or Talalay latex. As a general rule, Dunlop latex is more durable than Talalay latex because Dunlop is denser and can stand up to more wear and tear. So even though they’re both natural latex, Dunlop will almost always outlast its counterpart.

Can a mattress protector make my mattress last longer?

A waterproof mattress protector can absolutely make your mattress last longer. Mattress protectors can defend your mattress against everything from spills to odors to bed bugs. Impermeable protectors don’t allow liquid through to your mattress.

That does a lot more than prevent a spilled glass of water from getting into your mattress foam. It also keeps out sweat, body fluids, and even urine if you have a child who still wets the bed. Keeping liquid out of the mattress helps to prevent odors from ruining it and requiring you to replace it. Controlling for liquids also keeps out another mattress ruiner: microbes.

Mattress protectors don’t just protect your mattress from moisture buildup that can lead to mold and mildew. They can also provide a physical barrier from pests like dust mites and bed bugs that can cause allergy symptoms and other issues.

What can I do to keep my mattress from aging too quickly?

Maintaining and cleaning your mattress can go a long way toward ensuring you don’t have to replace it too quickly. Of course, keeping a protector on it and washing that protector frequently are the first steps to keeping a clean and pest-free mattress. But there’s more to be done.

You also need to flip and rotate your mattress on a regular basis. If your mattress is flippable, turn it from one side to the other once every six months. You’ll also need to rotate it when you flip it to ensure it gets even pressure on all sides. If your mattress has a top and a bottom, you still need to rotate it from head to foot twice per year.

You can also ensure you’re laying your mattress on the correct base. Swapping out your box springs for a platform bed or a mattress foundation can offer sturdier support to your mattress. This can keep it from sagging and add years to its life expectancy.

Bottom Line

You don’t have to go on a pilgrimage to find one of the best mattresses for a great price. Just remember that initial cost is not the only factor you have to consider. You’ll also need to think about durability, quality, and comfort. Getting a cheap mattress that leaves you waking up in pain and falls apart after a few years isn’t exactly a fantastic deal.

Dorothy Chambers is our in-house sleep expert and a firm believer in the benefits of a daytime nap. With a background in psychology, Dorothy is fully aware of the impact sleep has on our brain, mood, and overall well-being. In an effort to help readers lead happier, more productive, and healthier lives, Dorothy spends her time researching the best sleep habits to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling rested.

Dorothy Chambers spent years studying clinical psychology before joining us to promote a deeper understanding of sleep, along with some cursory research into biology and physiology. She’s particularly interested in the effects that different sleep positions have on the body. Later on in her career, she plans on pursuing a doctorate degree in behavioral sleep medicine.

Dorothy wakes up at 7 a.m. every day after a full night’s rest to better tackle a full day of work. After a session of morning exercise, she catches up on the latest sleep news and research before writing. She’s a fan of watching academic lectures, listening to scientific podcasts, and testing new sleep theories firsthand. Dorothy Chambers has written dozens of articles in her tenure with Sleep Junkie.

Her work has been featured on Home & Gardens, House Beautiful, Real Simple, Apartment Therapy, CNBC, Bustle, Yahoo! Finance, Fox 17, and even AARP.org.

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