Best Soft Mattresses 2024

Type: Memory foam | Firmness: Extra-soft | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 20 years

Buy if: You’re a side sleeper who enjoys a doughy, cushioned bed.

Skip if: You sleep hot or live in a warm climate.

The Amerisleep AS5 is crafted with foam that hugs you while you sleep, and is designed to be more responsive than other foam mattresses. It has a layer of pressure-relieving memory foam that cushions your body while also adapting to movement, plus a proprietary transition layer that adds more support under your head, back and legs, and extra cushion under your hips and shoulders. As a result, you get individualized support along with comfort and cooling features. It’s also ultra plush, with a rating of 2 on a firmness scale of 1 to 10, according to the company. Another added bonus is that this mattress is flexible enough to be compatible with adjustable bases.

What our experts say:  “With a prominent memory foam feel and ultra-soft profile, this is a good pick for side sleepers or petite profiles who want to sink into their bed’s marshmallowy foam layers,” says Forbes Vetted sleep and mattress editor McKenzie Dillon. “I also like its Celliant-infused cover, a feature found on a handful of foam mattresses meant to help promote more restful, reparative sleep.” For more, check out our review on the Amerisleep As5.

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Medium/luxury firm (6.5) | Trial: 365 nights | Warranty: Lifetime

Buy if: You’re a hot sleeper or share a bed with a partner with different preferences.

Skip if: You’re looking for an organic mattress.

If you prefer an ultra-plush mattress, this pillow-top mattress from DreamCloud should be on your radar. Crafted with a 1-inch cashmere pillow top and soft memory foam, your body sinks into the mattress (in all the right ways) for ultimate pressure relief and comfort. For added stability, it has a base layer of individually wrapped coils that provide support and improve breathability so it doesn’t trap heat like memory foam-only options can.

What our experts say: “Get the best of both worlds between support and gentle pressure relief with the DreamCloud Premier Rest, a plush mattress with comfortable memory foam layers that are slightly neutralized by the bed’s light, fluffy pillow top,” says Dillon. “It’s truly a luxurious pick with a very reasonable price tag.” For a more in-depth review, read our DreamCloud Premier Rest review.

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Soft (3), medium (5) or firm (7) | Trial: 120 nights | Warranty: 10 years

Buy if: You don’t want to spend more than $1,000 on a queen-size mattress.

Skip if: You prefer the contouring feel of memory foam.

The Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is one of our favorite affordable hybrid mattresses, and is a great choice for those searching for a soft bed under $1,000. (Although this mattress technically retails for $1,332, Brooklyn Bedding regularly offers sales that help bring the price down.) This mattress blends a base of nearly 1,000 individually wrapped coils with two memory foam comfort layers: one layer to help relieve pressure around the shoulders and hips, and another, more responsive foam layer so you can switch positions easily. It comes in soft, medium and firm options—though we recommend the soft model for side sleepers, lightweight sleepers and those who prefer the feeling of a plush bed.

What our experts say: “The Signature mattress is one of my personal favorites,” says Dillon. “It has a lot to offer for side sleepers who just want a comfortable, quality mattress. I’d opt for the medium if you’re an average to heavy side sleeper who wants a balance between soft and firm, but the soft if you want an ultra cushy, plush feel.”

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Soft (2 to 3) | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 15 years

Buy if: You want an extra-soft pillow-top mattress with lumbar support.

Skip if: You’re a heavyweight sleeper.

If you’re looking for a soft mattress that rivals the best hotels beds, we recommend the Helix Sunset Luxe. The mattress is made with the brand’s soft, responsive foam and is designed to relieve pressure on the hips and shoulders to help you stay comfortable all night. It comes equipped with zoned lumbar support to keep you comfortable and your back aligned, with a softer area under your shoulders and a firmer one under your hips. Plus, its breathable Tencel, bamboo-derived cover promotes airflow and wicks moisture away, keeping you cool so you can (hopefully) toss and turn a bit less. Want something even cooler? For an extra $199, you can upgrade to the GlacioTex Cooling Cover, which has fibers made to rapidly dissipate heat.

What our experts say: “I don’t recommend compromising on support when you’re living with back pain. The Helix Sunset Luxe is one of those beds that feels soft and pressure-relieving with plenty of give for your hips and shoulders, without letting your back sag into the bed. Its strong hybrid design helps promote better spinal alignment,” says Dillon.

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Ultra plush (3), plush (5) or medium (6) | Trial: 365 nights | Warranty: 10 years full, 25 years limited

Buy if: You’re looking for a plush eco-friendly mattress.

Skip if: You don’t want a tall or heavy mattress.

The Organic Luxury Mattress in the ultra-plush model is Avocado’s softest mattress. It’s constructed of 17 layers of premium materials, including organic and natural wool, hemp, cotton and latex—with no memory or polyurethane foams. While soft, it has 2,581 coils dispersed throughout the mattress, providing adequate support for your neck and back so you don’t sink into it too much. The softest version includes an added on ultra-plush box top (price reflected above), or you can purchase the standard model for $2,000 less. For reference, without the box top, the mattress firmness is rated a 6 out of 10 by Avocado; with the ultra-plush box top it drops to a 3 out of 10—a truly soft mattress. 

What the reviews say: “The plush Avocado Green Mattress is a great choice for a strict side sleeper who wants a mattress made with organic and natural materials,” says contributor Jamie Ueda in her review of the Avocado Green Mattress. “It offers a level of softness and pressure relief that many ‘soft’ mattresses from competitors don’t.”

Forbes Vetted readers get $50 off any Nolah mattress by entering code FORBES50 at checkout (can be used on top of other promo codes).

Type: Foam | Firmness: Plush (4 to 5) | Trial: 120 nights | Warranty: Lifetime

Buy if: You’re a side or back sleeper who likes to feel hugged by your mattress.

Skip if: You’re a stomach sleeper or heavier sleeper needing more support.

If you want to feel hugged by your mattress instead of swallowed, the Nolah Signature could be the right pick. It’s made with the company’s proprietary AirFoam, a durable, high-resilience foam that contours gently and offers exceptional pressure relief and quick response. Plus, according to Nolah, it doesn’t trap body heat like memory foam tends to. It’s one of the best mattresses for side sleepers because of its soft cushioning around the hips and shoulders, and the mattress doesn’t skimp on stable support that’s necessary to keep your spine in a comfortable, neutral position.

What our experts say: “The Nolah Signature offers an amount of sinkage that feels like a gentle hug. The foams contour to the shoulder and hip, offering relief while side sleeping,” says senior sleep and mattress editor Bridget Chapman. “The Signature did a great job isolating motion in my tests and I found it to have good edge support (especially for an all-foam bed)—so couples could like it, too.”

Leesa Legend (Queen)

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Lux plush (4 to 6) | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years

Buy if: You’re a back sleeper or you share a bed with a partner.

Skip if: You weigh over 250 pounds or are a strict stomach sleeper.

The Leesa Legend is a soft-to-medium mattress for back sleepers, coming in at a 4 to 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale, according to Leesa. The mattress has two types of foam above a zoned layer that combines foam and micro-pocket springs and is designed to isolate motion. Beneath is a transition layer followed by a “quick response” layer of springs, and finally a supportive base (also springs). The combination makes for the softest mattress in Leesa’s lineup, which can help with back pain, according to the company.

Leesa also has sound ethical practices, such as donating one mattress for every 10 sold. The cover is made from a blend of materials, including organic cotton, wool and recycled bottles.

What the reviews say: “I have been amazed and thrilled with the quality and comfort of my Leesa Legend. We have two Legends now—one in the guest room (queen size) and one in our bedroom (king size). Both mattresses are equally comfortable.”

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Plush soft (3), luxury firm (5 to 7) or firm (8) | Trial: 365 nights | Warranty: Lifetime

Buy if: You like to feel more on top of your bed when you sleep or you sleep hot.

Skip if: You prefer the sink-in feel of a memory foam bed.

Saatva has garnered a reputation for superior support, and the Saatva Classic is no exception. In fact, the Classic gets a nod in our list of the best mattresses for back pain. This hybrid is sold in three firmnesses, and Saatva says its plush soft version is a 3 on its firmness scale out of 10. That translates to a plush, body-hugging feel that’s particularly well-suited to side sleepers.

The Classic has the same spring base, regardless of which firmness you choose, which ensures edge support. What differs among the firmness levels is the foam layer directly beneath the cover. On the plush soft version, the company uses a lower density (aka softer) foam, which is what lends the mattress a soft feel, according to a customer service representative. Additional support strategically placed in the center third of the mattress helps maintain spinal alignment in any position.

What our experts say: “The Saatva Classic Mattress is a blend between a supportive innerspring mattress and luxurious hotel mattress,” says Dillon. “By that, I mean its dual-coil design makes it ultra supportive like reliable innerspring beds, but it has additional foam layers for cushion and a plush Euro top to make it feel extra cuddly. Pro tip: Side sleepers should opt for the plush soft model, which I rate around a medium on the firmness scale.” For more on the Classic, read our in-depth Saatva Classic review.

Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Soft (4.5), luxury firm (6.5) or firm (7.5) | Trial: 120 nights | Warranty: Lifetime

Buy if: You share a bed with someone who tosses and turns.

Skip if: You’re a heavyweight sleeper who prefers an extra-supportive feel. (Check out the WinkBed Plus instead).

Couples who love the plush and cradling sensation of a soft mattress should appreciate the standout features of the softest version of the WinkBed, which the company rates as a 4 out of 10 on its firmness scale. The soft, pressure-relieving foam in the comfort layer isolates motion well, so partners who toss and turn or get up in the night won’t risk disturbing one another. The WinkBed also has a reinforced support system around the mattress’s perimeter, which maximizes the sleep surface. This is an important consideration for couples who sleep on a queen but still like to stretch out at night and need the extra space to do it.

What our experts say: “Its bright white cover, airy Euro top and inviting polkadot trim is just as comfortable to jump into as it looks. It’s built to be ultra supportive with ample pressure relief and give, making it appealing to a wide audience of sleepers,” says Dillon. “Cushy mattress lovers should especially enjoy the softer WinkBed model.”

Type: Memory foam | Firmness: Medium-firm (6.5) | Trial: 365 nights | Warranty: Lifetime

Buy if: You like the signature hugged sensation of memory foam.

Skip if: You’re a very hot sleeper who would benefit from more airflow.

The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is an affordable pick with cradling memory foam. It delivers pressure relief, close contouring and excellent motion isolation—three hallmarks of the material. While memory foam also traditionally retains heat, there are a few cooling upgrades in the Nectar, including a breathable cover and a gel infusion in the foam. That should suffice if you run a little warm, but very hot sleepers might want to consider upgrading to the hybrid version for better airflow. While the brand rates the Nectar as a medium-firm mattress, it has the sink-in softness many people crave.

What our editors and the reviews say: “I think the Nectar Mattress skews softer than medium-firm and offers cushiony sinkage, but the foams also quickly rise up after you move so you don’t feel trapped in the bed,” says Chapman. “When I first slept on it, it seemed very soft and that concerned me,” writes one reviewer. “Little did I realize that it was excellent support. I don’t know the science behind it, but combining softness and support is amazing. [I’m] so glad I chose Nectar.”