How to Choose the Best Mattress Brand for You

Fact: When it comes to buying a new mattress, you have a lot of brands to choose from. So how can you determine which brand deserves your business and which mattress is the best mattress for you?

Guide to top mattresses

With a wide range of luxury mattresses in our suite of sleep products, we think you’ll have no problem finding your mattress match at Saatva with our easy mattress quiz. But to help you determine whether or not we’re the best mattress brand for you, we’ve put together this guide.

What you’ll find in this article

In our guide to the best mattress brands, you’ll find information on the following:

• The advantages of buying from an online mattress brand
• How to determine whether you’re really getting a quality mattress
• Why it’s important to pay attention to customer reviews
• How Saatva compares to other top mattress brands
• The highest-reviewed Saatva mattresses for different sleep styles, body types, and health conditions

Top-rated brands on the market

So you’re ready to buy a new mattress—but which brand, exactly, are you going to get the mattress from? Here’s how to determine which top-rated mattress brand is right for you.

Decide where you want to shop

As a direct-to-consumer online mattress brand, we think buying online is your best option. That’s because testing a bunch of mattresses in a store isn’t necessarily the most reliable way to know which one will help you get your best sleep—and salespeople often pressure you to buy something so they can earn a commission.

Instead of rushing into a purchase in a store, take your time to think about what you like and don’t like about your current mattress. Is your current bed too soft or too firm? Do you prefer the responsiveness of a classic innerspring mattress or the body-hugging feel of memory foam? Use your answers to these questions to guide your decision.

Plus, while doing online research on mattress brands may take more time, it’s likely to be a more transparent process than talking to a salesperson in a store. When you research mattresses online, you’ll be able to look up detailed information about how a brand designs and manufactures its products.

Bonus: You’ll also save money by buying from an online mattress brand. According to the National Sleep Foundation, you’ll typically pay 15% less online than you would in-store.

Assess a mattress brand’s quality

When researching mattress brands, there are a few questions to ask to determine whether they’re truly selling a quality product.

• What’s inside the mattress? Every mattress is made from multiple components, and you should know what’s inside each one. Top mattress brands should provide diagrams with detailed descriptions and precise specifications for each layer. (Here’s what to look for inside an innerspring mattress, memory foam mattress, and latex mattress for the best quality.)
• What kind of lumbar support does the mattress provide? Lumbar support will help keep your spine in neutral alignment while you sleep and prevent you from waking up with back pain. A quality mattress brand should add stronger, firmer material in the center third of its mattresses for proper lumbar support.
• How will the mattress keep you cool? Sleeping hot is an issue many people deal with—and it’s one that’s often associated with memory foam mattresses in particular. Look at what kind of cooling features a mattress brand uses in its products. In memory foam specifically, infusing gel or graphite into the foam can help dissipate heat. Latex and innerspring, on the other hand, are naturally cool mattress types.
• Is the mattress eco-friendly and non-toxic? Concerned about the environmental and health impacts of the products you use? Then shop from a mattress brand that is committed to making eco-friendly, nontoxic mattresses. A mattress that’s good for the environment and your health will be constructed with organic components, manufactured sustainably, and certified by third-party organizations to be free of harmful chemicals.
• How much does the mattress cost? Just because a mattress comes with a super-high price tag doesn’t mean it’s a higher quality product than something less expensive. A quality mattress made with premium materials typically costs between $1,000 and $3,500. Keep in mind that latex carries a higher price tag than innerspring and memory foam due to the expense of harvesting and processing the natural material, which comes from the sap of the rubber tree.

Look at customer reviews

Checking out what other customers say about a mattress brand can help you ascertain whether you’ll be happy with the mattress. Because comfort is subjective, reading a wide range of reviews can give you a good idea of how a mattress performs for different sleep styles. Customer reviews will also give you insight into how a mattress performs over time.

Beyond getting a feel for a mattress brand’s product quality, reviews will also give you a great glimpse into how a company interacts with customers. You can tell whether a mattress brand is courteous and respectful when dealing with customers or dismissive and inconsiderate based on their responses to reviews.

Saatva vs. other top mattress brands

Here at Saatva, we believe our mattresses are better than our competitors. Not only do we handcraft luxury mattresses and sell them at fair prices, but we also provide an easy online shopping experience and offer exceptional customer service (hello, free white glove delivery!).

We’re not just tooting our own horn. We’ve amassed more than 40,000 five-star customer reviews since launching our business in 2010—and we’ve been named best mattress by a variety of publications including Good Housekeeping, New York Magazine, Architectural Digest, and Men’s Health.

We put together these point-by-point comparisons to show you how our mattresses beat the competition on everything from product quality to customer service. Here’s how Saatva stacks up against other top mattress brands:

• Saatva Classic vs. Simmons
• Saatva Classic vs. Sealy
• Saatva Classic vs. Casper
• Loom & Leaf vs. Tempur-Pedic
• Loom & Leaf vs. Purple
• Loom & Leaf vs. Casper
• Loom & Leaf vs. Leesa
• Loom & Leaf vs. Puffy
• Zenhaven vs. Avocado
• Solaire vs. Sleep Number
• Solaire vs. Personal Comfort
• Saatva HD vs. Big Fig
• Saatva HD vs. Titan

What is the highest-reviewed mattress brand for back pain?

Our Saatva Classic innerspring mattress scores high marks from review sites and customers for back pain. For example, Marten Carlson of Mattress Clarity says the mattress “provides an excellent amount of lumbar support, making it a good fit for those with lower back pain and sciatica.”

Luxe Digital, meanwhile, named the Saatva Classic the best mattress for back pain in 2020 as well as the best mattress overall, noting that the mattress comes in three different firmness levels to suit a wide range of sleep styles. “As an innerspring with a soft, supportive over-layer, it’s the quick pick for most types of sleepers,” writes Luxe Digital in its review. “The Saatva team’s dedication to ongoing innovation and comprehensive customer care (including white-glove delivery) certainly doesn’t hurt!”

Here’s what customers say about the Saatva Classic and back pain

“There is minimal bounce when someone else gets on the bed. I’m very comfortable and my back does not have any pain associated with this mattress.” (Read the full review.)

“I have never written a review before but feel it’s about time. I have suffered waking up every morning with lower back and neck pain for years almost daily. It would be even worse on a new mattress until it got broken in and that could be anywhere from two weeks to two months. All that is in the past now! My first night on the Classic I woke up next day PAINLESS!!! FINALLY!!!!!” (Read the full review.)

“It’s been a week and I’m completely in love with my new bed. I went to bed at about 11:30 last night and woke up at 7:49. That’s 8+ hours of sleep. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before. AND my back doesn’t hurt. One week ago, I couldn’t walk upright if I stayed in bed for that long. My back pain that I’ve suffered with for years is gone.” (Read the full review.)

What is the highest-reviewed mattress brand for side sleepers?

Our Saatva Classic innerspring mattress is also an ideal pick for side sleepers, according to numerous reviews.

New York magazine named the Saatva Classic one of the best all-around mattresses available online, specifically citing how comfortable it is for side sleepers.

Writer Simone Kitchens tested the Luxury Firm and Firm comfort levels, explaining that she prefers the Firm as a side sleeper who moves around while she sleeps.

“You feel more on top of it, due to the steel springs, but you still have the contoured shape of the raised pillow top,” Kitchens writes. “I move around at night, shape-shifting from my back to my side to stomach, but the firmness of this mattress never created a sunken, stuck feeling, which I’ve found happening with memory foam. Instead, the supported feeling of this bed (which still manages to be pretty plush) kept my lower back from collapsing in, making my spine feel more aligned overall.”

Kitchens adds that she could also see why someone would like the Luxury Firm, a medium firmness, as a side sleeper. She notes how impressed she was by “how sturdy the bed felt” and “how incredibly bouncy the double layer of coils makes the Luxury Firm.”

Erin Kaplan of Architectural Digest also gave the Saatva Classic high marks as a side sleeper. Her preferred firmness is Luxury Firm, our bestseller. “The mattress feels soft and ‘gives’ at pressure points (e.g. at your shoulders and upper arms when you’re sleeping on your side), but without any noticeable impact or movement elsewhere on the mattress,” Kaplan writes in her review.

The Luxury Firm comfort level was firmer than the mattress she and her husband previously slept on, she notes, so it took a couple of days to get used to, “but once we did, it was terrific.” By the end of the second week of sleeping on her new Saatva, she gave it a 9 out of 10 for comfort.

What is the highest-reviewed mattress brand for back sleepers?

SleepFoundation.org named our Saatva Classic innerspring mattress its editor’s choice for back sleepers.

“The Saatva is a hybrid mattress with a dual coil system, foam comfort layers, and a plush-pillow top,” writes the SleepFoundation.org staff in their review. “The bed comes in three firmness options, which can accommodate back sleepers of different weights. While back sleepers usually favor a medium or medium firm feel, this varies between weight groups.” They recommend Plush Soft or Luxury Firm for people under 130 pounds and Firm for people over 130 pounds.

SleepFoundation.org adds that the Saatva Classic’s hybrid design “balances support and pressure relief,” while the “thin layer of memory foam near the midsection of the bed cradles and supports the sleeper’s hips.”

Sleep Advisor, meanwhile, lists our Zenhaven latex mattress as one of the best mattresses for back sleepers. “Zenhaven uses graduated firmness in the layers, getting more dense and firm as your body settles deeper into the bed,” writes Sleep Advisor in its review. “This makes it an exceptional option for back support, especially with a zoned comfort layer to allow pinpoint pressure relief and support in all the right areas.”

Mattress Clarity says the Gentle Firm side of Zenhaven is great for back sleepers. “On the Gentle Firm side, there’s felt very good support for back sleeping,” writes Joe Auer or Mattress Clarity. “The hips don’t sink in too far, and there is comfortable support.”

What is the highest-reviewed mattress brand for stomach sleepers?

Our Zenhaven latex mattress was named a top mattress for stomach sleepers by Wirecutter. “The Zenhaven is a good, two-sided choice for stomach sleepers of any weight who prefer a mattress with a no-poof surface,” writes Joanne Chen in her review. She goes on to say that the Luxury Plush side of the mattress is ideal for stomach and side sleepers, while the Gentle Firm side is ideal for stomach and back sleepers or people who sleep solely on their stomachs.

Men’s Health, meanwhile, gave our Loom & Leaf memory foam mattress a glowing review in its Sleep Awards, naming it the best mattress for stomach sleepers. “You probably require something a little firmer if you sleep on your stomach,” the Men’s Health writeup notes. “The Loom & Leaf Mattress strikes the perfect balance with a plush top layer of cotton to keep your skin soft and cool.”

What is the highest-reviewed mattress brand for heavy people?

Our Saatva HD hybrid innerspring is the first luxury mattress designed for bigger bodies—and its rave reviews highlight its standout comfort for heavy people.

In a review featured in Essence, writer Danielle Pointdujour says the Saatva HD makes her feel like she’s “sleeping on a cloud.” She adds that she used to suffer from sleepless nights caused by uncomfortable innerspring mattresses, but that all changed when she found the Saatva HD.

“From the first night I slept on it I noticed the change,” writes Pointdujour. “Not only did I feel fully supported (yay to waking up without a stiff neck), but bae and I never noticed each others’ tossing and turning because the Saatva HD also doesn’t transfer motion.”

In its review of the Saatva HD, SleepFoundation.org gives the mattress 5/5 stars for temperature control. According to the review, “The Saatva HD excels in preventing sleeping hot. Its effective temperature regulation starts with the top two layers of cotton and latex. Cotton is naturally breathable, helping to wick moisture away from the body for comfort cooling. Latex retains minimal heat, combining with the cotton to keep the surface cool.”

Chubstr, a style website for plus-size people, calls out the Saatva HD’s perfect blend of comfort and support. “We’ve covered a number of mattresses for heavy people and the Saatva HD feels like a great fit for people who want support and luxury comfort,” writes Chubstr founder Bruce Sturgell in his review. “It offers the sturdiness and durability of the Big Fig, while the organic cotton pillow top gives it the plushness of the Helix Nightfall.”

What is the highest-reviewed mattress brand for mobility issues?

Our Saatva Adjustable Base Plus (formerly called the Lineal) is a winner for people who must remain in bed, whether due to an injury, mobility issue, or health condition. That’s because it allows you to raise your head and feet so you can do other activities, like watch TV and read, from bed. This also makes it easier to get in and out of bed.

Runner’s World also notes the Lineal is a nice option for athletes who have sore muscles. “Runners are familiar with the need to Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate sore feet,” writes Joe Auer of Mattress Clarity in his Runner’s World review. “Saatva makes that easier for runners with its adjustable base.”

Auer especially likes Lineal’s “zero gravity” function, which allows sleepers to raise their legs and torso at the same time, promoting circulation and relieving pressure on the low back and hips.

Still need help choosing your next bed? Our ultimate mattress-buying guide will arm you with all the info you need to make a smart purchase.