I’m a sleep writer – these are the best places to buy a mattress

A good mattress is a home essential. We use it every night. Add lazy weekend lie-ins, breakfasts in bed, and precious seconds sipping morning coffee, and that’s a whole lot of time spent in bed.

That’s why it’s so important to sleep on the best mattress. A high-quality mattress can alleviate aches and pains, soothe your skin, and keep you cool while you sleep.

But with so many mattress types and even more stores to choose from, it can be hard to know how to choose a mattress.

I’m a sleep writer. I’ve spent hours scouring the top sleep stores to find the best mattresses money can buy. I’ve broken down what each store has to offer, from free delivery and assembly services to top-quality eco-credentials.

Best places to buy a mattress

1. Mattress Firm

The number one mattress retailer for America’s top brands, Mattress Firm is the one-stop shop for all things sleep. With 230 individual mattresses, including innerspring, memory foam, and hybrid models, there’s something for every sleeper. We routinely see some of our favorite mattresses at lower prices than you’ll see on their own websites. If you’re feeling spoiled for choice, specialist filters help to make selection easy. The MattressMatcher quiz asks eight simple questions about your sleep style to find the perfect match for you. If you prefer to shop in-store, you can meet a team of dedicated Sleep Experts at any one of Mattress Firm’s 2300 neighborhood stores.

Purple RejuvenatePlus Mattress

With a three-zone coil core and layer upon layer of comforting foam, this hybrid mattress could ease your aches and pains.

Beautyrest Pillow Top Mattress

This value mattress offers plush comfort.

Tulo Bamboo Memory Foam Mattress

This mattress is made from pressure-relieving green tea infused memory foam. It comes in a box, offering convenience for sleepers who don’t want to compromise on comfort.

2. Saatva

Saatva is the place to make a mattress purchase with a purpose. Each Saatva mattress is handcrafted in the US and delivered factory-fresh. On average, a Saatva mattress travels less than 100 miles from the factory to your home. Not only is this good for the planet, it’s good for your wallet, too. Their homegrown, made-to-order manufacturing process cuts out the middleman. There are no warehouse costs or international tariffs added to your charge: just a premium product, without the premium price tag. Best of all, Saatva makes our favorite mattress, the Saatva Classic.

Saatva Classic Mattress

This hybrid mattress is our best mattress overall in 2023, suited to every sleeper. Further details can be found in our Saatva Classic mattress review.

Saatva Zenhaven Natural Latex Mattress

Naturally hypoallergenic, this latex mattress is ideal for sleepers with sensitive skin. You can find more information in our Zenhaven Natural Latex mattress review.

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress

Eco-friendly foams and recycled steel coils offer the perfect balance of comfort and support.

3. Nectar

Nectar is one of the most affordable mattress retailers on the market. Not only do they sell low-cost memory foam and hybrid mattresses, they also routinely sell bundle deals. That means you can add sheets, pillows, and mattress protectors to your basket, and still stay below the one-thousand dollar mark. Nectar mattresses perform well at their price point. With five plush layers, from a breathable cooling cover down to a shift-resistant lower layer, these mattresses can keep you cool, minimize motion, and support your spine, all at once. Nectar ranks the comfort levels, supporting structures, and cooling properties of each mattress on a scale of 1-10, to help you see exactly what you’re shopping for. They also make our favorite memory foam bed, the Nectar Original.

Nectar Original

While memory foam mattresses tend to sleep hot, this breathable outer layer will keep you cool. There are more details in our Nectar Memory Foam mattress review.

Nectar Hybrid

A quilted cooling cover comes with in-built antimicrobial protection to soothe your skin while you sleep.

Nectar Premier

Stomach sleepers, side sleepers, and back sleepers: this high-tech mattress supports them all.

4. Plushbeds

Plush by name and plush by nature, Plushbeds has some of the best luxury mattresses on the market, and their eco-credentials are top-notch, too. Each mattress is made from certified organic and natural materials, such as organic latex, wool and cotton. You can also customize your mattress to suit your thickness and comfort preference, thanks to an unzippable cover. While Plushbeds’ premium price point is undeniable, you really do get what you pay for.

Botanical Bliss Organic Mattress

Breathable and bouncy, this organic mattress is our best luxury mattress in 2023. Further details can be found in our Plushbeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex mattress review.

Cool Bliss Luxury Mattress

Handcrafted in California, this cooling gel mattress optimizes cool comfort.

Organic Bliss Pillowtop Mattress

This mattress comes highly recommended by orthopedic specialists for its pressure-relieving properties.

5. Tempur-Pedic

Tempur-Pedic’s dedicated delivery team makes it easy to replace your mattress. After delivering your mattress to your door, Tempur-Pedic offers an in-room setup. They’ll also remove your existing mattress and box spring and ensure its safe disposal. Each mattress is made from TEMPUR materials which work to relieve pressure and minimize motion, helping you to sleep easy. You can even personalize your mattress to your comfort level, with soft, medium, firm, and medium-hybrid options for every model. They make incredibly good beds, but a problem we’ve found with Tempur over the years is that they’re expensive. Unlike lots of other mattress companies, they rarely have sales, and their return policies can leave a little to be desired.

TEMPUR-Adapt

This hybrid mattress combines contouring form and supporting coils for optimum mobility and breathability. Our TEMPUR-Adapt mattress review goes into more detail.

TEMPUR-Cloud

The memory foam in this mattress provides top-quality comfort.

TEMPUR-Breeze

This mattress is packed from cover to core with cooling properties.

6. Emma

Emma is staffed by a team of sleep experts, from neuroscientists to sleep psychologists. We've chatted to them a few times and it's not just a gimmick. Their data-driven designs promote restorative rest. Emma encourages you to test your mattress, too, offering a 200-night sleep trial. If you aren’t satisfied with your sleep by the end of the trial period, you can return your mattress and get your money back. Emma has plenty of tips for improving your personal sleep. The Emma Up sleep app even provides a personalized step-by-step program to better rest.

Emma Original Mattress

This classic mattress is affordable, dependable, and optimized for back support. Further details can be found in our Emma Mattress review.

Emma Shift Mattress

High-tech Smart Valves allow you to adjust the internal pressure of your mattress, whenever you like.

Emma Hybrid Comfort

This hybrid mattress has seven ergonomic zones, designed to optimize spinal alignment.

7. Leesa

Leesa mattresses are expertly designed and assembled in Arizona, made-to-order approximately one week after purchase. Each mattress is delivered for free, direct to your door. Their high-quality foam stays dense and springy for the duration of their 10-year warranty. Leesa recognizes that each sleeper wants something slightly different from their mattress. That’s why they sell no fewer than 10 unique mattresses, each providing a carefully calibrated balance of comfort and support. However, a word of warning - we’ve only tested the Original. We loved it, but it’s incredibly soft, so you won’t like it if you prefer a firm bed.

Leesa Original Mattress

Perfect for side sleepers, this mattress has a high ‘sink in’ factor that will keep your spine aligned and your knees from overlapping. Our Leesa Original Memory Foam Mattress review has more details.

Leesa Deluxe Chill Hybrid

This hybrid mattress contains up to 6,000 supportive steel coils, each working to relieve pressure from your joints.

Leesa Studio Mattress

This is one of the most affordable mattresses on the market, stuffed with supportive secondary foam.

8. Helix

Helix supports the search for the perfect mattress with their 30-second sleep quiz, My Mattress Match. Handy comparison tools set their products side by side, helping you to evaluate mattresses based on their price, supporting structures, and cooling properties. Each Helix mattress comes with free US shipping and two complimentary Dream Pillows. Choose from our top picks, or shop for yourself at one of their nationwide mattress showrooms.

Helix Midnight Hybrid Mattress

The Helix Midnight Mattress is ideal for couples who share a bed, but not their sleep preferences.

Helix Moonlight Elite

Advanced GlacioTex™ technology banishes heat, keeping you cool all night long.

Helix Sunset

Lightweight layers provide plush comfort, offering that memory foam feeling for less.

9. Essentia

Essentia prioritizes sustainable sleep. Each of their mattresses is made from organic, vegan materials. They’re hypoallergenic, so they’re ideal for sleepers with sensitive skin. Essentia’s bespoke Beyond Latex organic foam contains molding technology to support your body as you sleep. When you move, your mattress moves with you, minimizing disturbance and helping you stay sound asleep. However, the big issue with Essentia is that these remarkable beds are very expensive. This is a premium product at a premium price point.

Classic REM5 Organic Mattress

Made from organic latex and cotton, this mattress offers an eco-friendly alternative to memory foam. Further details can be found in our Essentia Classic REM5 Organic mattress review.

Tatami Organic Mattress

This mattress is natural, non-toxic, and 100% vegan.

Stratami Organic Mattress

Packed full of organic latex foam, this sleep surface is so soft that you won’t need a mattress topper.

10. DreamCloud

Each DreamCloud Mattress is made from seven layers of top-quality cushioning. A cozy cashmere blend cover works with a shift-resistant lower layer to provide body-cradling comfort. With a lifetime warranty and 365-night home trial, not to mention free shipping and returns, DreamCloud makes it easy to find your best mattress. For added support during the selection process, you can chat with DreamCloud’s sleep specialists through their online messaging service, by phone or email, or in person at one of their 1000 outlets nationwide.

The DreamCloud Mattress

Made from pressure-relieving memory foam and supportive innerspring coils, the DreamCloud Mattress is one of the most affordable hybrid mattresses on the market.

DreamCloud Premier

Additional layers of soft foam and cashmere quilting provide even more cushioning comfort.

DreamCloud Premier Rest

With this 16” hybrid mattress, you get the best of both worlds, as well as a great night’s sleep.

11. Casper

Casper specializes in hybrid and cooling mattresses, which work to boost airflow and promote restorative rest. A team of researchers, engineers, and sleep scientists test each Casper mattress over 100 times to ensure you get the best possible night’s sleep. Although these are some of the most expensive mattresses on our list, Casper’s 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty are on the shorter side. Most sleepers can find a better-value mattress that will last longer for less. But if you tend to sleep hot, or crave that memory foam feeling with innerspring support, it’s worth looking at Casper.

Casper Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress

Of all the best cooling mattresses in 2023, Casper’s was the best on test.

The Casper Mattress

AirScape technology increases airflow, so that heat is swept away and kept away.

Casper Original Hybrid Mattress

This model comes with increased edge support, so that your mattress stays firmer for longer.

Best mattress retailer FAQs

Which type of mattress is best?

There are four main mattress types – memory foam, innerspring, hybrid, and latex – and each type tackles a different sleep need.

Memory foam mattresses tend to be made from supportive polyurethane, which helps to alleviate aches and pains.

Innerspring mattresses are filled with steel coils, which promote airflow and keep you cool.

Hybrid mattresses combine memory foam and innerspring technology, so they’re best for couples with different sleep needs.

Latex mattresses are the most sustainable option, and they’re hypoallergenic, too.

How do I choose the best mattress for me?

There’s no one-size-fits-all guide to how to choose a mattress.

Which type of mattress is best all depends on what sort of sleeper you are. As a rule, front sleepers need a firm surface, such as an innerspring mattress, while back and side sleepers will appreciate the cradling comfort of memory foam.

Word to the wise: avoid a memory foam mattress if you tend to sleep hot. The materials in these beds are so soft that they don’t just trap heat – they totally envelop you in it. That can be cozy in winter but unbearable in summer, so it’s worth researching the best cooling mattresses instead.

What is the most common type of mattress?

The innerspring mattress is the original, and still the most common mattress. If you’ve had your mattress for over 10 years, it’s most likely an innerspring model. However, the best memory foam mattresses are becoming more affordable and are rapidly rising in popularity.

Which mattresses last the longest?

Latex mattresses tend to last the longest, followed by high-density memory foam. Hybrid mattresses have a slightly shorter shelf-life, and an old-fashioned innerspring shorter still, at approximately five-and-a-half to six-and-a-half years.

Experts estimate that you should change your mattress once every seven to 10 years. If yours is nearing the threshold, or if you’re simply unsatisfied with your current mattress, the time to buy is now.

If you don’t have the budget to buy a brand new mattress, but you want to sample a new fit and feel, consider the pros of buying a mattress topper versus a new mattress.