The Best Soft Mattresses of 2024 (Compared & Reviewed)
Finding the Perfect Balance Between Softness and Support
February 8, 2022
It’s a well-known fact that we spend one-third of our lives sleeping. So finding the best soft mattress is essential for your overall wellness, sleep quality, and health.
To help, we’ve compiled a list of the best mattresses for people who prefer a softer feel based on the following:
- Quality and construction
- Material and lifespan
- Overall comfort and spine support
- Edge support
- Temperature neutrality
- Value
Keep scrolling to discover the best one for you!
The 10 Best Soft Mattresses
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Multiple height levels
Organic and vegan
Eases aches and pains
Chiropractor-recommended orthopedic mattress
Hypoallergenic fabrics
Breathable and moisture-wicking
Excellent edge support
100% satisfaction guarantee
Zoned pressure point relief
Excellent motion isolation
Good for restless sleepers
Doesn’t trap heat
Suits a range of sleepers
Eases different types of pain
A great alternative to memory foam
Cooling organic cotton cover
Targeted back pain relief
Excellent edge support
Great motion isolation
Lifetime warranty
Sleeps very cool
Responsive coils
Good pressure relief
Excellent edge support
Two firmness options
Cooling copper materials
Eases joint pain
Lifetime warranty
Excellent comfort
Superior motion isolation
Cool Ice Yarn cover
365-day sleep trial
Chiropractor-approved
Handmade with eco-foams
Designed for pain relief
Two height options
Swap layers to change the feel
Customize firmness of split models
HIgh-quality materials
Lifetime warranty
Soft Mattress Reviews
These concise reviews will help you learn more about each of the mattresses from our top list. You’ll find all the information you need to pick the best soft mattress in a box.
PlushBeds Natural Bliss Review
- Best Soft Mattress of 2022
- Type: Latex
- 100-night trial
- 25-year warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Price: $2,199.00–$3,998.00
- Recommended by orthopedic specialists and chiropractors
- All-natural, organic, and vegan
- Nine sizes, three heights, and four firmness levels
- Not suitable for people with latex allergies
The Natural Bliss may not be a cheap, soft top mattress, but that’s because it offers so much to sleepers. This is one of a very few all-natural, vegan mattresses. Numerous certifications testify to its quality, with GOLS, GOTS, and USDA being the most important ones.
The Natural Bliss is made from organic latex and wrapped in an organic cotton cover. It’s naturally resistant to dust mites, mold, mildew, and microbes. On top of that, organic cotton doesn’t trap heat and has moisture-wicking properties, delivering a cool, dry sleep.
With nine sizes available, split models included for queen and king mattresses, this model may just be the best soft queen-size mattress on the market. Moreover, you can choose between 6″, 8″, and 10″, customizing the height of your mattress depending on your body size and preferences.
Orthopedic specialists and chiropractors recommend it for enhancing deep sleep and relieving aches and pains.
Joybed LXP Review
- Best Soft Hybrid Mattress
- Type: Hybrid
- 120-night trial
- 10-year warranty
- Free delivery
- Price: $990.00–$1,990.00
- Excellent for combo sleepers
- Works with an adjustable base
- Active edge support
- The cover has buttons that are uncomfortable for some sleepers
The LXP is a top–rated plush mattress, the thickest and plushest of all Joybed’s mattresses. It’s made of five all-natural layers, individually wrapped coils, and a hand-tufted organic cotton cover.
The two layers of coils provide excellent edge support and good motion isolation, making this model the right choice for couples.
You can choose between two comfort levels: medium plush and medium firm. Both are great for all types of sleepers, but the plush one is the best for side sleepers. It offers excellent cushioning and alleviates pressure in the sleeper’s hips and shoulders, and it aligns the spine properly.
LXP is the best soft-to-medium mattress, being a little less soft than most mattresses on our list. The plush top layer will hug your body, but you won’t sink in too much or feel like you’re trapped in the mattress.
Since the cover is hand-tufted, there are buttons that some users might find annoying or uncomfortable.
Amerisleep AS5 Review
- Best Soft Memory Foam Mattress
- Type: Memory foam
- 100-night risk-free trial
- 20-year warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Price: $1,849.00–$3,798.00
- Zoned pressure relief
- Great cushioning
- Good for couples
- Not bouncy enough
The softest of all Amerisleep mattresses, the AS5 is made with four layers of memory foam. Designed to enhance sleep and promote breathability, the AS5 is thicker than other soft mattresses.
The highest–rated soft mattress in the memory foam category, the AS5 is made using an eco-friendly production process. The open-cell design prevents heat from building up and allows a cooler sleep, making the AS5 more breathable than other memory foam mattresses.
The mattress responds quickly and relieves painful pressure points. It’s an excellent choice for couples and co-sleepers since it isolates motion nicely. When it comes to edge support, the AS5 shows a bit more compression, but the support is still solid so you won’t feel unstable near the edge.
When it comes to finding the best online mattress that’s plush, reviews don’t like that the AS5 isn’t bouncy enough. However, a great plus is that the mattress is resistant to dust mites, mold, and mildew.
Nolah Signature 12 Review
- Best Soft Mattress for Side Sleepers
- Type: Foam
- 120-night sleep trial
- Lifetime warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Price: $1,099.00–$1,799.00
- Dual-sided mattress
- Eases aches and pains
- More durable than memory foam
- Some customers report a “factory smell”
For people who want an alternative to the best medium-soft memory foam mattress, Nolah offers its Signature mattress. It’s made from the company’s proprietary AirFoam, which is 300% more durable than memory foam.
As mentioned in our Nolah mattress reviews, the Signature is made to provide comfort and pressure relief to a wide range of sleepers. The mattress is flippable and comes in two firmness levels—soft and firm—while its base is reinforced for better edge support.
The AirFoam is very responsive, doesn’t retain heat, and isolates motion while maintaining its bounciness. Meanwhile, the organic cotton cover gives the Signature the best plush mattress feel. Users praise this model for easing different types of pain, including joint, hip, shoulder, and back pain.
The Winkbed Review
- Best for Back Pain
- Type: Hybrid
- 120-night risk-free trial
- Lifetime warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Price: $1,149.00–$2,049.00
- 5-zoned coil support
- Excellent edge support
- Aligns the spine properly
- Some users report off-gassing
The Winkbed is a top–rated soft mattress with a medium firmness Euro pillow top that will ease backaches. Made with eco-friendly materials that include Tencel and individually wrapped coils, the Winkbed provides a cool sleep throughout the night.
The layers of polyfoam, mini and regular coils, and additional cotton pad enhance back support and ease back pain. Moreover, the coils also prevent sagging and strengthen the edge support. The top layer is also infused with gel foam to keep you cool during the night.
On top of everything, medium-soft mattress reviews laud the Winkbed for its excellent motion isolation and edge support, making it a good choice for couples.
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Review
- Best Cooling Soft Mattress
- Type: Hybrid
- 120-night trial
- Full 10-year warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Price: $999.00–$2,199.00
- Perfect for hot sleepers
- Strong edge support
- Great value
- The cover is too slick, so some sheets slide off easily
As you might have seen in our Brooklyn Bedding review, this company makes some of the best high-quality mattresses. The Aurora is a great-value mattress made of a combination of individually wrapped coils and foam layers, with a plush top.
This soft mattress in a box also comes with a layer of cooling gel beads that will keep your skin temperature at 88º throughout the night, making Aurora an excellent option for hot sleepers.
Over 1,000 individually wrapped coils deliver excellent pressure relief, strong edge support, and a nice bounce. They also minimize motion transfer, making this the best soft mattress, reviews show, for couples, as well.
The brand’s high-density Titan Flex foam adds to the overall durability, so you can expect the Aurora to last you for some 10 years. Keeping the quality and durability of the materials in mind, we can safely say that the Aurora offers comfortable luxury at a great price.
Layla Memory Foam Mattress Review
- Best Soft Mattress for Couples
- Type: Memory foam
- 120-night trial
- Lifetime warranty
- Free shipping
- Price: $749.00–$1,249.00
- Dual-sided mattress
- Copper keeps you cool
- Eases joint pain
- Lacks edge support
Layla offers the best soft foam mattress. It’s a two-in-one flippable mattress. It offers two firmness levels—soft and firm—so you can change sides to choose the one you like. Just be warned that the mattress is pretty heavy, so you’ll need help flipping it.
As we mentioned in our Layla mattress review, the entire mattress is made from memory foam layers infused with copper. Copper is fantastic at drawing heat away from the body, so this mattress is an excellent option for hot sleepers, but it also has antimicrobial properties.
This best cheap soft mattress provides a luxurious plush feel and keeps motion to a minimum. As such, Layla’s Memory Foam Mattress is an excellent choice for couples. Furthermore, reviews are amazed at the support the mattress provides, with numerous people confirming it eases pressure and joint pain.
Besides offering one of the best plush mattresses on the market at a great price, the company also gives you two of Layla’s iconic memory foam pillows and a welcome gift with each mattress purchase.
OkiSoft Review
- Top Pick Under $500
- Type: Memory foam
- 365-day trial
- 10-year warranty
- Free shipping and returns
- Price: $400.00–$850.00
- Excellent value for money
- Hypoallergenic
- Sleeps cool
- Weak edge support
With over 20 years of experience in the furniture industry, OkiOki offers some of the best cheap soft mattresses. It offers both foam and hybrid mattresses, but the OkiSoft is the company’s best-selling memory foam mattress.
Made with two thick layers of high-density memory foam and a hypoallergenic cooling cover, this model is best suited for side sleepers or people who like to change their sleeping position during the night.
The OkiSoft will cradle you and let you sink in just enough to make you comfortable and ease your pressure points while allowing you to move freely. Unfortunately, this model’s edge support isn’t its strongest feature, so you’ll experience some sinkage near the edges.
But when it comes to this soft memory foam mattress, reviews praise it for its exceptional motion isolation. If you intend to share your bed, this might be the mattress for you, as you won’t feel your partner’s movement or fidgeting.
Saatva Classic Mattress Review
- Best Luxury Soft Mattress
- Type: Hybrid
- 180-night trial
- 15-year warranty
- Free White Glove delivery and setup
- Price: $887.00–$2,174.00
- Handmade with durable coils
- Suitable for multiple sleeping positions
- Luxury look and feel
- Average motion isolation
The Saatva Classic is the company’s first mattress and one of the top–rated plush mattresses on the market. Made from eco-foams and springs, topped with a super-soft Euro-top pillow, this mattress is designed to provide optimal spine support and reduce back and joint pain.
The quality and effectiveness of this plush Euro-top mattress have earned it the Chiropractors’ State Association Congress’ seal of approval. You can choose between two heights: 11.5″ and 14.5″.
It’s essentially the best plush pillow-top mattress thanks to its two sets of innersprings and the breathable foam, which keep you cool during the night while providing bounciness and support.
Nest Bedding Alexander Signature Hybrid Review
- Best Soft King-Size Mattress
- Type: Hybrid
- 100-night trial
- Lifetime warranty
- Free shipping, exchanges, and returns
- Price: $949.00–$1,799.00
- Minimized off-gassing
- For all types of sleepers
- Customizable firmness
- Some customers complain it sleeps hot
Nest Bedding has another great contender for the best soft pillow-top mattress, this time in the category of hybrids. The company’s staple, the Alexander Hybrid, is a favorite among sleepers of all body types and sleep positions.
The mattress is made from highly adaptive Energex™ Temperature Responsive foam and individually pocketed coils. The structure of the mattress ensures extra edge support. However, the motion isolation is average, so you’ll probably feel your partner’s fidgeting.
Moreover, the layers of luxury memory foam, endurance foam, support foam, and pocketed coils ensure that this ultra-plush pillow-top mattress provides you with excellent pressure relief and support.
The Thermic Phase Change temperature-regulating fabrics are meant to keep you cool, though some customers complain that the mattress still sleeps hot.
On top of everything else, you can unzip the mattress and exchange a layer for a different feel. Additionally, the company’s patented TitanChill Endurance Foam minimizes off-gassing.
What makes this a top–rated soft hybrid mattress is the option to customize the firmness in split king and Cal king sizes. The company will insert an internal split at your request, so you can customize the firmness levels on each side.
How to Choose the Best Soft Mattress
– Buyer’s Guide –
Good sleep is essential for your quality of life, and a comfortable mattress plays the most vital role here. But how to choose the best mattress? Follow our detailed guide, and you’ll pick the perfect one in no time!
Important Considerations
Before you type in your credit card number, consider the following factors:
Mattress Type
The type of mattress and the materials it’s made from can significantly affect the feel and comfort level it provides. Choosing a plush pillow-top mattress over a soft pillow-top mattress can make a massive difference in motion isolation, pressure relief, cooling, and edge support.
Material and Lifespan
Even though sleep specialists recommend changing your mattress every 7–10 years, its lifespan depends mostly on the materials used for its construction.
- Latex mattresses are the most durable and last about 12 years.
- Hybrid and memory foam mattresses last 10 years on average.
- Innerspring mattresses have a lifespan of some 8 years.
- Pillow-top mattresses last 6 years on average.
Naturally, the lifespan of the most comfortable soft mattress also depends on the quality of its materials. The higher quality they are, the longer the mattress will last.
Motion Transfer
If you share your bed with a partner or co-sleeper, motion isolation will be important for a peaceful sleep. Motion transfer can disturb your rest if you’re a very sensitive or light sleeper.
Be sure to choose a mattress that absorbs motion and prevents you from feeling every movement.
Edge Support
If you enjoy the feel and comfort of the softest mattress, but you like sleeping near the edge, choose a model with strong edge support. A reinforced edge will allow you to use the entire mattress surface. You can sit and sleep near the edge without feeling like you’ll roll off the bed, and it helps you get out of bed more easily.
Spine Support
Proper spinal alignment and support don’t automatically translate into a super-firm mattress. A good soft mattress can provide you with adequate support, too.
Good support means your back will be properly aligned without pressure points between your body and the bed. Proper support can even alleviate hip, shoulder, and back pain.
Temperature Regulation
Are you a hot or cold sleeper? Think hard about this before you choose a mattress. Some materials trap heat and will keep you warm during the night, while others have heat wicking properties, allow airflow, and will keep you cool.
Price
Cheap soft mattresses can be just as good as expensive, luxury mattresses. Consider your budget, the overall mattress quality, and the construction, as well as the buying perks, warranty, and trial period. Then, choose the one that will give you the best value for your money.
Types of Soft Mattresses
The most common soft mattress types include the following:
Foam
Foam mattresses are made from polyurethane, memory foam, or a blend of both. They’re synthetic, created through chemical processes—so they can never be organic or all-natural.
They come in different firmness levels, tend to sleep hot, and will make a solid cheap soft mattress.
Innerspring
Innerspring mattresses are the oldest type of mattress. They’re firmer than other types of soft mattresses, and their comfort and responsiveness depend on the number of coils. The softness depends on the thickness of the top comfort layer.
The coils allow air to flow through the mattress, so this type tends to sleep cool.
Latex
A soft latex mattress can be made from natural latex (usually Dunlop or Talalay), synthetic latex, or both.
They’re heavy, dense, and durable. Latex mattresses also sleep cool and are more responsive than foam mattresses. On top of everything else, natural latex mattresses are hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites, mold, and mildew.
Hybrid
As the name suggests, a hybrid mattress is a combination of the former three types. Since innerspring mattresses are quite bouncy, they transfer lots of motion. However, pairing them with latex and/or foam layers isolates motion. Hybrids also sleep cool due to the coils that allow airflow.
A Plush Mattress vs. a Pillow Top
People often confuse these two terms thinking that “plush” means the mattress is super soft. Plush and pillow top are similar, but there’s still a slight difference.
A plush mattress has a soft surface, but it still provides a good amount of support. Plush mattresses are best suited for side sleepers as they provide sinkage and they contour to a sleeper’s body. This level of comfort also alleviates painful pressure points in the hip and shoulder areas.
Furthermore, plush mattresses isolate motion better, making them a better choice for couples.
On the other hand, a soft pillow-top mattress has an additional soft layer. This layer is usually about an inch thick (rarely thicker) and is specially designed to provide extra comfort without the additional support.
Pillow tops are most often added to hybrid and innerspring mattresses, but they can also come separately. You can buy pillow-top mattress covers that you can put on any bed to enhance its comfort.
Advantages of Soft Mattresses
Top–rated soft mattresses offer multiple benefits:
- Less stress on pressure points: The plush layer takes pressure off of the body parts that push into the mattress (shoulders, hips, and back) and lessen pain.
- Solid motion isolation: Latex, foam, and hybrid mattresses isolate motion pretty well and will provide you with a night of undisturbed sleep.
- Warmer sleep: Soft mattresses allow you to sink in, insulating your body and keeping you warm.
- Cradling your body: That same sense of sinking in is the mattress hugging and cradling your body while you sleep.
Disadvantages of Soft Mattresses
Even the best soft mattresses might have a couple of flaws:
- Possible off-gassing: Foam mattresses tend to emit off-gassing when first unpacked. This odor usually dissipates after a couple of hours or days.
- Not responsive enough: Very soft mattresses have a slow response because they conform to your body so closely.
- Less durable: Soft mattresses have more cushioning layers that can sag or form indentations more quickly than medium or firm mattresses, resulting in a shorter lifespan.
Who Should Get a Soft Mattress
According to numerous soft mattresses’ reviews and our own experience, soft mattresses are the best for these groups:
- Side sleepers: Sleeping on your side puts lots of pressure on your hips and shoulders, often resulting in pain. A soft mattress hugs your body and prevents the tingling and numbness that firmer mattresses cause.
- Lightweight sleepers: Lightweight people won’t sink enough into firmer mattresses, which can be very uncomfortable. A plush-top mattress allows their bodies to sink in and provides enough contouring and support.
- Couples: Soft mattresses made from foam or latex offer excellent motion isolation, so couples won’t feel their partner’s movement and fidgeting during the night.
- Sleepers who like to sink into the mattress: If you prefer to feel like you’re in the mattress instead of on top of it, soft memory foam mattress reviews confirm this type might be the right choice for you.
- Sleep apnea sufferers: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by obesity, neck size, and improper sleep posture. That’s why OSA sufferers should sleep on their side, and soft mattresses are best for this position.
Who Shouldn’t Use a Soft Mattress
No matter the quality, comfort, and price, even the softest mattress on the market won’t be a good fit for certain people:
- Tall and big sleepers: A too-soft mattress will swallow heavyweight and naturally big sleepers. The bigger you are, the firmer your mattress should be.
- Sleepers with lower back pain: The spine can sink too low into a soft mattress and become misaligned, which will cause or worsen back pain.
- Strict stomach sleepers: Sleeping on your stomach on a soft mattress may cause your belly to sink in too much, throwing off the natural S shape of your spine and causing pain.
- Children: Not even the best soft mattress is suitable for children. They need firmer mattresses that will provide adequate support for their spine, shoulders, and hips and allow them to develop properly.
- People living with arthritis: Even though soft mattresses may seem like the right choice for this type of pain, people with arthritis need a firmer mattress with a softer top that will allow them to sink in a bit but prevent their joints from locking in.
Wrapping Up
As you’ve seen from our Buyer’s Guide and soft mattress reviews, these mattresses aren’t for everyone. However, there are numerous benefits to choosing a soft mattress—they’re plush and comfortable, and they relieve pressure, cradle and hug your body, and keep you warm.
If this sounds like something you need, then some of the mattresses from our reviews list might be the right choice for you.
FAQs
What is the best soft mattress?
The answer depends solely on your preferences and needs. Think about what you find comfortable, what you want your mattress to offer in terms of firmness, bounciness, responsiveness, and support. Go through our mattress reviews, and you’ll find what suits you best.
Is a soft mattress good for your back?
It depends on your weight and sleeping position. Soft mattresses provide adequate support and spine alignment for most side sleepers and lightweight sleepers.
However, if you’re heavyweight or have a naturally bigger body, a soft mattress probably won’t offer your back enough support.
Is it better to sleep on a hard or soft mattress?
Both types are great, but the answer depends on your body alone. Take into account your weight, sleeping position, any aches you may be suffering from, the mattress firmness most suitable for aligning your spine, etc. Go through our Buyers Guide to confirm that you need a soft mattress before beginning your search for the best soft mattress on the market today.