The 9 Best Memory Foam Mattresses for a Cozy Night's Sleep
Saatva
Best Overall
people - 1249 Available at Puffy
Best Luxury
people - 1799 Available at WinkBeds
Best Memory Foam Hybrid
people - 1099 Available at Helix
Best Cooling
people - 1350 Available at GhostBed
Best for Side Sleepers
people - 1095 Available at Casper
Best Value
people - 1298 Available at Nectar
Best Pressure Relief
people - 1199 Available at Leesa
Best for Back Pain
people - 995 Available at Bear
Best Firm
people - 2099 Available at Saatva
If your current bed leaves you feeling achy or more exhausted in the morning, it may be time to invest in a new mattress. But don't settle for any old bed. Memory foam mattresses provide exceptional pressure relief, gently cushion your curves, and isolate motion so your sleep partner's movements don't disturb you during the night. And contrary to popular belief, memory foam beds come in a wide variety of firmness levels to suit all sleep positions. Plus, by shopping for a mattress online, you're cutting out middleman markups, allowing you to get a high-quality product at an affordable price.
The expert review team at Mattress Advisor rounded up the nine best memory foam mattresses for PEOPLE readers to save you time (and money). Each bed on this list scored high in key areas like pressure relief, motion isolation, and spine alignment.
Recommendations for the best memory foam mattress:
Best Overall: Puffy
Best Luxury: WinkBeds GravityLux
Best Memory Foam Hybrid: Helix Midnight
Best Cooling: GhostBed Classic
Best for Side Sleepers: Casper Original All-Foam
Best Value: Nectar
Best Pressure Relief: Leesa
Best for Back Pain: Bear Original
Best Firm: Loom & Leaf
Who Should Sleep on a Memory Foam Mattress?
Best for:
Side sleepers: Side sleeping tends to press your hips, shoulders, and knees into the mattress, which can cause you to wake up sore if your bed doesn't have enough give. Pressure-relieving memory foam cradles these points to keep you comfy throughout the night, a feature that's especially beneficial for people who suffer from aches and pains.
Couples and families: If you sleep with a partner or a pet, or have little ones that like to crawl into bed with you, a memory foam mattress provides excellent motion isolation. The material muffles the vibrations that occur when others move around so you can rest undisturbed.
Sleepers who like to sink into their mattresses: Whether you choose a soft or firm mattress, a bed made with layers of memory foam will hug your frame and provide a contouring surface that you can cuddle up in as you drift to sleep.
Budget shoppers: This mattress type is one of the most affordable—and most accessible—in the online mattress market.
Not for:
Those who sleep hot: Although some memory foam beds are made with temperature-regulating materials, memory foam layers tend to trap in body heat.
Combination sleepers: Memory foam isn't the most responsive material, and your body may create an indentation in the bed that can make it more difficult to switch positions during the night.
People who prefer a firmer feel: If you aren't fond of the cozy, sinking feel of a memory foam mattress, you should consider a latex or innerspring bed instead. Those mattress types bounce back against your movements instead of conforming to them.
Tips for Finding the Best Memory Foam Mattress
Shop Online
Online mattress retailers are debunking the myth that memory foam beds are outrageously expensive. Many high-quality queen-size memory foam mattresses cost around $1,000. Purchasing a bed online is not only much more convenient than going to a store, but it also gives you the chance to test a product for a significant period of time before committing to it. Most online mattress brands offer generous sleep trials, at least 100 nights, to try out their beds. If you decide it isn't the right one for you during that time period, you can return it for a refund.
Take Stock of a Mattress's Materials
Memory foam was originally developed by NASA in the 1970s to help cushion astronauts during space shuttle landings. In the 1990s, mattress companies started using memory foam in beds to provide greater pressure relief for customers who needed it. Traditional memory foam allows sleepers to sink deeply into the mattress and holds body impressions for a longer period of time.
Other types of foam include polyfoam, which provides deep contouring and pressure relief and is often used as a transition layer, whereas open cell foam is aerated to facilitate airflow throughout the mattress. Gel-infused and copper-infused memory foam are filled with temperature-regulating gel beads or copper to add a cooling element. However, hot sleepers should keep in mind that these layers typically sleep warmer than ones made of naturally breathable materials like coils and latex.
The 9 Best Memory Foam Mattresses
Best Overall: Puffy
Puffy's OG mattress has a little something for everyone. The bed's medium-firm firmness level is designed to appeal to back, side, and stomach sleepers, and its simple three-layer all-foam construction excels at isolating motion, which is great news for people who sleep with a partner or a pet (it scored a 9.25 out of 10 in this category). While it provides the contouring comfort that memory foam purists love, the Puffy still responds to movement — testers gave it a 9 out of 10, saying they felt well-supported even as they changed sleep positions. The mattress is also made with climate adaptive foam that won't contract or expand as the temperature changes, and each purchase comes with a lifetime warranty.
Mattress Type: Memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 9/10
Firmness: Firm (7/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 101 nights
Buy It! Puffy Mattress, $1,249 for a queen; puffy.com
Best Luxury: WinkBeds GravityLux
Made with a combination of ultra-breathable open cell memory foam and a temperature regulating gel memory foam, the WinkBeds GravityLux is committed to keeping you cool. A targeted support layer maintains proper spine alignment and provides pressure relief to sore joints. A high-density foam core adds durability to help prevent back pain. And an extra perk: The GravityLux comes with a Tencel and eucalyptus-infused mattress topper that wicks away sweat and moisture. If you're still not sold on this bed's deluxe features, the brand has a 120-night trial period for you to test it out.
Mattress Type: Memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: N/A
Firmness: Soft (4/10), medium (5.5/10), or firm (7/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 120 nights
Buy It! WinkBeds GravityLux Mattress, $1,799 for a queen; winkbeds.com
Best Memory Foam Hybrid: Helix Midnight
Want the contouring feel of memory foam without the sinking sensation? Try the Helix Midnight. This hybrid mattress combines the best qualities of two mattress types (memory foam and innerspring) into a single bed, layering memory foam over a tier of individually wrapped coils. Sleepers still get plenty of cushioning (it earned an 8.5 out of 10 in the pressure relief test) as well as a bit of a bounce. Mattress Advisor testers noted that the springiness of the coils makes it easier for combination sleepers to change positions — they gave it an 8.25 out of 10 for responsiveness. The coils also promote airflow through the center of the mattress, breaking up heat trapped by the foam layers.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (memory foam and coils)
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.9/10
Firmness: Medium (5.5/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights
Buy It! Helix Midnight Mattress, $1,099 for a queen; helixsleep.com
Best Cooling: GhostBed Classic
Even if you sleep hot, you can still get in a restful snooze on a memory foam bed. The GhostBed Classic is designed to keep you cool and comfy in every season. This unique mattress is built with temperature neutral latex as well as gel-infused memory foam to leave you feeling refreshed. Latex is naturally aerated and does an excellent job repelling heat. Hot sleepers will also appreciate the viscose mattress cover that's extra breathable. All these features helped earn the GhostBed a 9 out of 10 on Mattress Advisor's temperature regulation test, confirming that it's one of the coolest foam beds on the market. However, this mattress does lack motion isolation, so if your sleep partner tosses and turns, this might not be the best pick for you.
Mattress Type: Hybrid (memory foam and latex)
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10
Firmness: Firm (7.5/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 101 nights
Buy It! GhostBed Classic Mattress, $1,350 for a queen; ghostbed.com
Best for Side Sleepers: Casper Original All-Foam
The Casper Original's medium-firm firmness level offers a balance of pressure relief and ergonomic support that's ideal for side sleepers. The innovative "Zoned Support" layer is one of the reasons why the bed scored a 9.5 out of 10 on Mattress Advisor's spine alignment test. The other reason is the memory foam layer, which provides softer support under the shoulders and firmer support under the hips and lower back. If you're a combination sleeper, it's important to note that the Casper was awarded a perfect 10 out of 10 for responsiveness, meaning it'll adapt to your frequent movements.
Mattress Type: Memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.1/10
Firmness: Medium-firm (6/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights
Buy It! Casper Original All-Foam Mattress, $1,095 for a queen; casper.com
Best Value: Nectar
It may not be the cheapest option on this list, but the Nectar mattress has perks that suit a wide variety of sleepers, which is why it earns the "best value" title. Featuring a sturdy 7-inch base, a bounce-back support pad, a layer of gel memory foam, and a quilted cushioning cover, this mattress offers a super luxe feel. Mattress Advisor testers gave it an 8.5 out of 10 for both pressure relief and motion isolation and tell PEOPLE that it's a good fit for side sleepers and couples. Plus, the bed received a 9 out of 10 on the edge support test, which is almost unheard of for memory foam mattresses. If you're on the fence about whether this bed is right for you, take advantage of Nectar's year-long sleep trial before you commit.
Mattress Type: Gel memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.7/10
Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 365 nights
Buy It! Nectar Mattress, $1,298 for a queen; nectarsleep.com
Best Pressure Relief: Leesa
If you frequently wake up with aches and pains, the Leesa mattress is here to help. The bed's memory foam recovery layer contours to your body while the responsive comfort layer provides cushioning and a little bit of bounce. The experts at Mattress Advisor awarded this blend an 8.5 out of 10 in the pressure relief category, and it also performed well on the motion transfer test (9/10), meaning you're more likely to have a disruption-free sleep on the Leesa than some of the other beds on this list.
Mattress Type: Memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 9.3/10
Firmness: Medium-firm (6/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights
Buy It! Leesa Mattress, $1,199 for a queen; leesa.com
Best for Back Pain: Bear Original
Made up of three comfort layers and a high-density foam base, the Bear Original mattress is designed to both cushion and support your back in an effort to help mitigate and prevent pain. The bed is on the firmer side (it sits at a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale), which may appeal more to back and stomach sleepers who often struggle to keep their spine in alignment during the night. The Bear is also a good pick for hot sleepers — the top layer is infused with graphite and it kept the Mattress Advisor review team cool and comfortable (because of this, they gave the bed a 9 out of 10 in the cooling category).
Mattress Type: Memory foam with graphite gel
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10
Firmness: Firm (7/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights
Buy It! Bear Original Mattress, $995 for a queen; bearmattress.com
Best Firm: Loom & Leaf
The Loom & Leaf mattress is an organic bed made by luxury mattress brand Saatva, and its firm option sits at an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale. The bed's materials include an organic cotton cover and CertiPUR-US certified memory foam. It earned top marks in spine alignment and durability (9 out of 10 in both categories), so you're still getting incredible support even though it's an all-foam mattress. Saatva also offers white glove delivery, meaning movers will deliver and set up your new mattress and discard your old one at no extra cost.
Mattress Type: Gel memory foam
Mattress Advisor Score: 8.2/10
Firmness: Relaxed-firm (6/10) or firm (8/10)
Trial Period for Returns: 180 nights
Buy It! Loom & Leaf Mattress, $2,099; saatva.com
Mattress Advisor's Review Process
Each mattress on this list was put to the test (literally) in Mattress Advisor's lab, which is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bedding experts spent over 1,200 hours evaluating and comparing mattresses using a 14-point testing methodology to find the best memory foam mattresses.
While some of the factors tested are tied directly to performance, like responsiveness, edge support, and pressure relief, others are based around brand operations, such as customer service, shipping policies, and trial period. The Mattress Advisor team combines this proprietary methodology with in-depth interviews and customer experience to arrive at a weighted score out of 10.
Jillian Mueller is a health and lifestyle writer for Mattress Advisor.
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