Sleep Like Royalty on the Best King Mattress

Jillian Mueller
·18 min read
mattresses
mattresses

Bear

Best Overall

people - 887 Available at Saatva

Best Affordable Luxury

people - 1499 Available at WinkBeds

Best Cooling

people - 999 Available at Helix

Best Pillow Top

people - 1399 Available at DreamCloud

Best for Couples

people - 1312 Available at Brooklyn Bedding

Best for Side Sleepers

people - 895 Available at Casper

Best for Combination Sleepers

people - 977 Available at GhostBed

Best Value

people - 716 Available at Tuft & Needle

Best Memory Foam

people - 899 Available at Nectar

Best for Back Pain

people - 749 Available at Bear

What's better than coming home after a long day and sprawling out on a hotel-style king mattress? The best king mattress for your sleep style could upgrade your bedroom and improve your sleep — the extra roominess gives you plenty of space to starfish. Plus, a king mattress isn't as expensive as you'd think. By shopping from online mattress companies that cut out middleman markups — and with year-round sales and discounts — you can easily find an affordable, high-quality king bed from the comfort of your couch.

The expert review team at Mattress Advisor found the best king mattresses for PEOPLE based on their trusted 14-point testing methodology. Each of the beds on this list earned a spot for its affordability, durability, and award-winning comfort. To find the best bed for you, keep your budget, sleep position, and comfort preferences in mind when browsing this guide.

Recommendations for the best king mattresses:

Whom Is a King Mattress Best For?

Best For:

  • Couples: Tired of your beau elbowing you night after night? By switching to a spacious king-size mattress, couples can spread out like never before.

  • Single adults: Sleeping alone? Couples aren't the only ones who benefit from the extra space of a king-size bed. Single adults who are combination sleepers (or those looking to treat themselves to a hotel-style feel) may enjoy the ample space a king bed allows, giving them plenty of room to change positions comfortably.

  • Families: If you have pets or little ones who like to crawl into bed, a king mattress is the ideal size to accommodate the entire family.

Not Best For:

  • Those who don't want the set-up of a king mattress: It's no secret that king beds are heavy. Most range between 130 and 180 pounds, so if you don't have an extra set of hands to help you install your new mattress, a smaller, more lightweight size may be the way to go. But be sure to examine a brand's policies — some come with white glove delivery, meaning a team will set up your new bed and remove your old one for you.

  • People with limited space: King mattresses take up more room than any other mattress size. Unless you like feeling claustrophobic, it may be best to opt for a full- or queen-size bed instead if you don't have the extra bedroom space to accommodate a king. You'll want room to move comfortably throughout your bedroom without having to inch past your mattress every time you get in and out of bed.

  • Those on a tight budget: While a king mattress isn't quite as expensive as you might think, it still requires you to upgrade your bedding and accessories if you don't already own a king. King-size accessories are slightly pricier and trickier to find than more standard sizes.

King vs. California King

When you're shopping for a king mattress, you have a couple of options — you can go big, or you can go really big. While a standard king-size bed is plenty big for some, California king beds are a little longer, making them a better pick for taller sleepers. But they have less surface area overall: They are 72 inches wide by 84 inches long with a total surface area of 6,048 square inches.

King-size beds, on the other hand, are slightly shorter but a little wider — 76 inches wide by 80 inches long and 6,080 square inches — giving you (and whomever you're sharing the bed with) more space to stretch out. A king mattress's dimensions also give it more of that aesthetically pleasing 'square' appearance, so if you're upgrading to a king to complete your bedroom look, this size may be the way to go.

How to Shop the Best King Mattress

Once you've decided to shop for a new king-size mattress, you'll need to consider a few features to figure out which king bed is the best mattress for you. First, make an inventory of your sleep preferences and needs. For example, think about whether you prefer a firm or soft feel, a bouncy innerspring or plush foam surface, or a bed with pressure-relieving features that will help alleviate back pain.

Mattress Type

King sizes mattresses can be made of virtually any mattress material on the market, but because of their size, certain mattress types and structures work better than others. Since king-size mattresses are larger and often support more than one sleeper, the structure needs to be sturdy enough to hold up over time and handle the extra weight.

If you are a memory foam lover, consider looking for a mattress made with high-density foams that provide a bit more durability than your standard all-foam bed. Traditional memory foam mattresses can be on the flimsy side and may not be the best choice for a king-size bed.

For those who still want that contouring feel, a hybrid mattress combines innerspring coils with foam layers to add extra structure and durability. Innerspring mattresses made entirely from coils are less likely to sag over time, but they also lack in comfort due to the absence of multiple foam layers.

Latex is the most durable mattress material but also the most expensive. Since you'll already be spending a bit more on a king size, this mattress type may be a bit too pricey. But some hybrid beds incorporate latex layers into their designs, so you can still reap the benefits of latex without the extra cost.

Budget

With the emergence of online mattress brands came lower prices, making king-size mattresses more affordable than ever. But they're still at the upper end of the price scale as far as mattress sizes go, so it's crucial to consider your budget before browsing beds.

You can expect to shell out more cash for beds with a complex construction or higher-end features, such as a hybrid mattress, a pillow top bed, or an organic mattress. But there are high quality king-size beds at a variety of price points for virtually any sleep position or preference.

Be sure to take advantage of sleep trials, which allow you to test out a mattress for at least 100 nights. If you don't like it, you can return the bed for a full refund in most cases. Just be sure to read the fine print. Also, pay attention to a brand's warranty to make sure it's a quality bed and that you're getting your money's worth — you won't want to repeat this purchase in just a few years because your mattress wore down prematurely.

Sleep Position

Since a king-size bed gives you plenty of room to sprawl out — especially if you sleep with a partner — it's important to take your sleep position into account. One benefit of a king-size bed is that you're able to maintain proper sleeping positions, meaning your limbs won't hang off the side and you don't have to contort your body into odd positions to fit onto the mattress comfortably.

Side sleepers typically do best with a medium or medium-firm bed that offers enough support to keep the spine in a healthy neutral position yet enough give to gently cradle pressure points in your hips and shoulders. Back and stomach sleepers need a firmer mattress to support a healthy spinal alignment, but stomach sleepers can benefit from a little extra contouring to provide comfort to the shoulders and chest as they press into the mattress.

The 10 Best King Mattresses

Best Overall: Saatva Classic

While there are several tempting king-size mattress options available online, the Saatva Classic mattress has many noteworthy features that help it stand out from the crowd. This hybrid mattress is made with high-quality, eco-friendly materials, such as recycled steel coils and chemical-free memory foam layers, as well as an organic cotton pillow top that earned this mattress a perfect 10 in spinal alignment and durability testing, meaning this bed will keep your back feeling comfy and healthy for years to come. Available in three firmness levels — plush, luxury firm (which feels medium-firm), and firm — the Saatva Classic works well for a variety of sleep positions. For side sleepers, or anyone who craves a little extra contouring, the plush option is best, while the luxury firm and firm models are ideal for back and stomach sleepers.

And if you're worried about hauling your king-size mattress up the stairs, have no fear: Thanks to Saatva's white glove delivery service, Saatva representatives will install your new mattress and remove your old one so you don't have to lift a finger.

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid (coils and foam)

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 9.3/10

  • Firmness: Plush (3/10), luxury-firm (6/10), and firm (8/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 180 nights

Buy It! Saatva Classic, $887 (orig. $1,695); saatva.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best Affordable Luxury: WinkBed

Want a luxe bed without the sky-high price tag? Check out the WinkBed mattress. The WinkBed combines CertiPUR-US certified foam layers with innerspring coils and tops the bed with a plush pillow top for a premier sleeping experience. Pillow top mattresses create the feeling of being 'raised' on your mattress, similar to a hotel-style bed, while still cradling your body in cozy comfort. Plus, Mattress Advisor told PEOPLE that the WinkBed excelled at keeping testers' spines in neutral alignment, helping it earn an impressive 8.75 out of 10 in this category. And thanks to a sturdy base of individually-wrapped coils, this hybrid mattress earned perfect scores in both edge support and durability, ensuring this king bed will hold its shape and structure for years to come. How's that for affordable luxury?

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid (foam and coils)

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10

  • Firmness: Softer (4.5/10), luxury-firm (6.5/10), firmer (7.5/10), and plus (8/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 120 nights

Buy It! The WinkBed, $1,499 (orig. $1,799); winkbeds.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best Cooling: Helix Midnight

If you tend to wake up hot and sticky at night, you'll need a bed that works overtime to cool you off so you can get a restful night's sleep. A king mattress is a good option for hot sleepers since it gives you plenty of room to spread out — no more overheating if you sleep with a partner or pet. And as far as cooling mattresses go, the Helix Midnight is a bed designed with temperature regulation in mind. This mattress provides a contouring memory foam feel without sleeping hot. How? Innerspring coils and a breathable mattress cover help circulate air through the center of the bed and wick away sweat as you sleep. The expert reviewers at Mattress Advisor were so impressed with how well this mattress kept them cool that they awarded it an 8 out of 10 in this category. Plus, a king size is available for less than $1,500.

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid (coils and foam)

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.9/10

  • Firmness: Medium (6/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights

Buy It! Helix Midnight, $999 (orig. $1,099); helixsleep.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best Pillow Top: DreamCloud Premier

If you need a little extra contouring or just want a decadent touch to your bed, the DreamCloud Premier pillow top mattress might be the perfect pick for you. This bed comes with a built-in cashmere Euro top that will make your bedroom feel like a five-star hotel. Embedded with a cooling gel memory foam that both gently cushions your curves and promotes cooler rest, this bed also earned a 9 out of 10 in a motion isolation test from the Mattress Advisor review team, making it a good pick for those who sleep with a partner or a pet. Because of some of its luxe features, this mattress does come at a higher price point, so it may not be good for those on a budget. But a year-long sleep trial period and lifetime warranty make this bed worth the investment.

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid (coils and foam)

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 9/10

  • Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 365 nights

Buy It! DreamCloud Premier, $1,399 (orig. $1,998); dreamcloudsleep.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best for Couples: Brooklyn Aurora

A king-size mattress is typically the perfect size for couples: It's roomy enough for two people to sleep comfortably, and if you have a pet or kids, little ones can crawl in without crowding your space. But other mattress features can also help couples get an even better night of rest, like motion isolation, edge support, and cooling. The Brooklyn Aurora excels at all three. Made from multiple layers of memory foam stacked atop a durable base of over 1,000 coils, this hybrid bed earned high marks in motion transfer (8.5 out of 10) for its ability to keep movement to one side of the bed. So if your partner has a penchant for early morning workouts (5:00 a.m. comes quick), you won't feel them getting out of bed.

And with its 8 out of 10 score in edge support, you won't have to worry about this bed losing its structure or shape over time. Lastly, as if you weren't already benefiting from the extra breathing room of a king-size mattress, this hybrid bed earned a 9.5 out of 10 in cooling, meaning you can rest sweat-free — a win-win for the both of you!

  • Mattress Type: Hybrid (coils and foam)

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.9/10

  • Firmness: Soft (3/10), medium (6/10), and firm (8/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 120 nights

Buy It! Brooklyn Bedding Aurora, $1,312 (orig. $1,749); brooklynbedding.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best for Side Sleepers: Casper Original

Side sleepers need a balance of support and comfort to get a good night's sleep without waking up with aches and pains. The Casper Original mattress is a memory foam mattress that has a contouring, plush surface to cradle pressure points, while a zoned support layer helps keep your spine in a neutral alignment in any position. In fact, the Casper Original earned a near-perfect 9.5 out of 10 spine alignment score in Mattress Advisor's lab for its excellent lumbar support.

While an all-foam mattress may not seem like the best option for a king-size bed since it's not quite as sturdy as a hybrid or innerspring bed, the Casper Original earned equally high marks in edge support (9.5 out of 10) for its superb ability to maintain a solid perimeter thanks to its high-density foam base. Plus, you get all of this for less than $1,300 for a king, including a 10-year warranty and 100-night sleep trial.

  • 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, $895 (orig. $1,295); casper.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best for Combination Sleepers: GhostBed Classic

For combination sleepers, a king-size mattress gives you plenty of room to switch positions without the fear of falling off the side of the bed — even if you sleep with a partner or pet. Because you change sleeping positions throughout the night, you'll want a bed that responds to your movements by quickly popping back into place so you don't feel stuck in the indentations left by your body. The GhostBed Classic has a comfort layer made of one of the most responsive materials around — latex. This latex foam layer is buoyant and springs back as you shift positions during the night, while gel memory foam provides extra pressure relief and support for your hips and shoulders.

Plus, thanks to the natural breathability of latex combined with the cooling ability of gel memory foam, the GhostBed Classic earned an impressive 8.5 out of 10 in Mattress Advisor's cooling test, making this a good choice for hot sleepers, too. While latex is typically an expensive mattress material, the GhostBed Classic is priced at just $1,575 for a king.

  • Mattress Type: Latex with memory foam

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10

  • Firmness: Medium-firm (7/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 101 nights

Buy It! GhostBed Classic, $977 (orig. $1,395); ghostbed.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best Value: Tuft & Needle Original

Online mattress companies offer many budget-friendly beds, but the Tuft & Needle Original is one of the best king-size mattresses for both your wallet and your back. This all-foam bed is made with an adaptive foam layer that mimics the buoyancy and breathability of latex but at a much lower price. The Tuft & Needle Original mattress pairs this adaptive foam with a supportive foam layer for a balance of comfort and support that earned it an impressive 8.5 out of 10 for spine alignment in Mattress Advisor's testing lab. Plus, you'll sleep even better knowing the price tag is just under $1,100 for this king-size bed.

  • Mattress Type: Memory foam

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.7/10

  • Firmness: Medium-firm (6/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights

Buy It! Tuft & Needle Original, $716 (orig. $895); tuftandneedle.com

White quilted adaptive foam mattress
White quilted adaptive foam mattress

Best Memory Foam: Nectar

Those who prefer cozying up in a bed that makes them feel hugged and snug will love the Nectar mattress. Made of five layers of premium memory foam, the Nectar provides medium-firm support and responds to your movements so you won't feel like you're sinking into the bed as you sleep. Memory foam beds typically aren't known for their edge support, but the Nectar mattress scored an impressive 9 out of 10 in the mattress review team's edge support testing, meaning that this bed will hold up over time. Another benefit to solid edge support? You can sprawl across the surface of your king-size mattress without worrying about slipping off the side — some memory foam beds with less sturdy sides have flimsier edges, making it easier to drift to the perimeter of the bed.

  • Mattress Type: Memory foam

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.7/10

  • Firmness: Medium-firm (6/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 365 nights

Buy It! Nectar, $899 (orig. $1,298); nectarsleep.com

mattresses
mattresses

Best for Back Pain: Bear Original

If you wake up with a stiff back, a new mattress might be your ticket to a better night's sleep and less painful mornings. The Bear Original mattress provides firm support to keep your spine aligned in a neutral position, while the memory foam surface cradles the natural shape of your back and relieves pressure from problem areas. For this, it earned an 8.5 out of 10 in Mattress Advisor's spine alignment test, meaning nearly all pressure will be kept off of your back so you can enjoy a night of pain-free sleep. Plus, high marks in edge support (8.5 out of 10) and durability (8 out of 10) ensure this king bed will maintain its structure over time.

  • Mattress Type: Memory foam

  • Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10

  • Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5/10)

  • Trial Period for Returns: 100 nights

Buy It! Bear Original, $749 (orig. $998); bearmattress.com

mattresses
mattresses

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 king 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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