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This article was updated on 03.12.24 to fact-check and remove any out of date information.
Finding the best mattress for your individual needs can be transformative, allowing you to sleep better at night and wake up feeling refreshed. But, with a dizzying amount of options available, how do you find the right mattress for your body and budget?
That’s where I come in. As Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, I’ll explain how to factor your sleep position, weight, aches and pains, and sleep temperature into your mattress choice, as well as what to look for if you share a bed with a partner. I’ll also demystify the different mattress types, explaining which might suit your body and budget best, and simplify the jargon, from ‘motion isolation’ to ‘edge support’.
A good mattress should last seven to ten years, but there are lots of reasons you might need to swap out a mattress sooner, and whilst adding one of the best mattress toppers to your existing mattress may solve some sleep issues, a topper doesn't solve everything.
To create this shortlist, I've laid on over 100 mattresses, put over 30 options through Ideal Home's mattress testing process, and narrowed that selection down to my top ten recommendations. All the mattresses in our round-up have been slept on for at least four weeks (and often years) to assess comfort, responsiveness, motion isolation, temperature regulation, and edge support. I've also examined the brand's sleep trial offer, long-term customer satisfaction, delivery process, environmental impact, and value for money.
First up in this guide, I'll introduce you to the best mattresses that I and our review team have tested. My first choice is the Simba Hybrid Original mattress because of its crowd-pleasing comfort and value for money, but my other choices all deliver their own unique USPs and come highly recommended.
I'm Amy, and I've spent the last four years testing products from all the leading mattress brands. I’ve slept on hybrid, memory foam, and sprung mattresses, researched mattress construction, and spoken to a wide range of sleep experts – from osteopaths and physiologists to sleep scientists and product developers – to determine the key factors needed for a good night’s sleep.
The quick list
Short on time? This quick list is an overview of the very best mattresses myself and the Ideal Home review team have tested. You'll find more information on each mattress and why we recommend it if you keep on scrolling.
Best mattress overall
Our reviewer Linda describes this as the 'Goldilocks' of the mattress world – a sleep surface that's not too soft or too firm. A mattress-in-a-box that employs pocket springs for support with a cushioned memory foam top layer, it's particularly comfortable for side and back sleeping, and its hybrid construction means it's a good all-rounder for sleepers of various weights. It is a crowd-pleaser that's also great value.
Best for back pain
Experts agree that a medium-firm mattress is the best option for reducing back pain at night. However, finding a mattress with medium-firm tension isn't easy as our body weight plays a huge part in how soft or firm we find a mattress. This hybrid memory foam mattress is available with four tension options, all with a 200 night sleep trial, that make it far easier to find the right firmness level to ease your aches and pains.
Best budget buy
Our reviewer Molly and her partner found this affordable all-foam mattress to be a super comfortable sleep surface, especially for side sleeping. That said, its soft foam construction and lack of pocket springs can mean it's not the best option for heavier sleepers or back and front sleepers who may need more support. Our hot sleepers also found its memory foam 'hug' a little too warm, but, its affordable price tag is hard to beat if you're looking for a budget buy.
Best memory foam mattress
Unlike most pure memory foam mattresses which take a one-size-fits-all approach to firmness, Tempur's memory foam mattresses come in four different tension options to enable you to find just the right feel for you. This mattress is everything you would expect from a first-class memory foam mattress – it cushions, cocoons, offers brilliant pressure relief for the joints, and delivers excellent motion isolation that dampens any movement from a sleep partner.
Best mattress for side sleepers
If you're a side sleeper then a hybrid memory foam mattress can be a good choice as the cushioning top layer allows shoulders and hips to sink into the mattress a little to keep the spine in natural alignment. Like the Simba Hybrid Original mattress, the Emma Luxe Cooling mattress was a hit with our side sleeping testers, and its slightly softer surface may be better suited to those of a lighter body weight.
Best pocket-sprung mattress
This is the mattress I have on my own bed, and love. As a hot sleeper, it's the most breathable mattress I've slept on, and because it combines pocket spring support with a soft pillow top layer, it's highly comfortable too. Packed full of natural materials such as wool, cotton, and kapok, it's also a mattress with a low environmental impact and Hypnos' commitment to sustainable manufacture is second to none.
Best mattresses 2024 – tried and tested
Why you can trust Ideal Home Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Best mattress overall
The Simba Hybrid Original mattress ticks all the boxes to deliver a good night's sleep and all for a reasonable price point, which is why, after testing numerous other contenders, we still rate it as the best value mattress you can buy.
This is a hybrid mattress with memory foam cushioning and spring support, and, for most of us, its medium-firm tension should prove 'just right' comfort-wise. Our testing team describe it as 'the Goldilocks of the mattress world – not too soft or too firm'. When sleeping on their sides our testers appreciated the cradling of the memory foam top layer around their hips and shoulders, and when laying on their backs they found the mattress offered plenty of support.
Simba's graphite-infused open-cell memory foam also offers better breathability and temperature regulation than most memory foam mattresses, so our usually warm sleepers didn't overheat. Our testers found the Hybrid Original's edge support, motion isolation, and responsiveness decent, welcoming the extra bit of bounce the hybrid design provided.
This mattress in a box makes is easy to negotiate tricky access or narrow staircases on delivery day, plus you can opt for delivery to your room of choice or 'white glove' delivery where the mattress is unboxed and packaging removed. Add to that a sleep trial that allows you to test out the mattress for 200 nights in your own home, great customer reviews, good value for money, and Simba's ongoing commitment to lowering its environmental impact, and we think this mattress rightly deserves its 5-star Ideal Home rating.
The only caveat is that if you sleep on your front, or are heavier or lighter than average you may need a mattress with a firmer or softer tension. In this case, it could be worth paying more for Brook + Wilde's Ultima mattress or opt for the firmer feel Sealy Newton Posturepedic mattress.
Our full Simba Hybrid Original mattress review has more detail.
Best mattress for back pain
The Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology found that the best mattress for back pain is a medium-firm mattress. If you're looking for a medium-firm mattress to ease back pain then the Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress is for you.
This type of mattress can be tricky to find, because your body weight plays a big part in how a mattress's tension feels. Heavier sleepers usually need a firmer tension to nail that 'medium-firm' feel, whereas lighter-weight sleepers require a softer mattress. Thankfully, this is exactly what the Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress delivers.
A hybrid memory foam and pocket spring mattress, the Ultima is available in four tension options – soft, medium, medium-firm, and firm. Add to this a 200 night sleep trial that allows you to test out the mattress in your own home, and it's far easier to find exactly the right tension for your body, which can help to alleviate back pain. It certainly worked for our tester who rated this mattress 5-stars for comfort, saying 'I often suffer from lower back pain but after sleeping on the Ultima I woke up with no pain whatsoever'.
The open-cell memory foam also offers decent breathability, and our tester rated it highly for motion isolation, even when her partner tossed and turned dramatically by her side, as well as for responsiveness and edge support. The rolled delivery is also useful for homes with awkward access, and Brook + Wilde offers both delivery to your room of choice and 'white glove' delivery where the mattress is unpacked and installed for you.
The only potential downside is that this mattress is made to order, so it may take a few weeks to arrive, and, its luxurious design is matched by a luxury price tag. However, if you want to tailor your mattress' comfort to your exact specifications, the Ultima is well worth the investment.
Our full Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress review has more detail.
Best budget mattress
The Emma Original is an affordable mattress that does away with any springs and instead uses a mix of memory foam and foam in its construction. It's one of the brand's bestselling mattresses, no doubt thanks to its budget-friendly price (often made even more attractive in Emma's regular sales) and its superb cushioning.
Our tester loved its malleable sleep surface, especially when she was laid on her side as the memory foam layer moulded perfectly around her shoulder and hips to cushion any pressure points. She also found it offered brilliant motion isolation that substantially dampened movements of her restless partner.
However, this mattress doesn't feature open-cell memory foam or offer much by way of temperature-regulating technology, so our tester (usually a cold sleeper) found she was prone to overheating on its foam surface, and her hot-blooded partner often woke up sweating. She also found it lacked edge support and the cushioning made it a bit harder to change position in the night.
Heavier sleepers may also find the all-foam design doesn't offer quite enough support, and the memory foam top layer could be too enveloping for those who sleep on their front or back. Plus, Emma only offers doorstep delivery, which won't be suitable for anyone less able-bodied. And, compared to the brand's main competitor, Simba, we couldn't find a lot of evidence that Emma is making efforts to incorporate recycled materials or lower the environmental impact of this mattress.
But, it's hard to beat this mattress in terms of affordability, and that, paired with a 200 night sleep trial that offers the opportunity to test the mattress out in your own home before you commit, means we think it's one of the best budget mattresses to consider. An alternative would be the hybrid memory foam REM-Fit Hybrid Pocket 1000 Mattress which adds springs to the mix for not that much more money.
Our full Emma Original mattress review has more detail.
Best memory foam mattress
The Emma Original mattress might be one of the bestselling memory foam mattresses if you're on a budget, but we think the Tempur Pro Plus SmartCool mattress is the best memory foam mattress overall.
That's because unlike most all-foam mattresses which take a one-size-fits-all approach to tension, this mattress comes in four tension options – soft, medium, medium-firm and firm – making it much easier to find the right tension option for you, no matter your body weight.
Our tester found this mattress elicited a sigh of contentment from every tester who laid down on its surface, with the memory foam rapidly cocooning around the body to cushion all joints and support every inch of the spine. It was a particular favourite amongst our side sleeping testers because the deep memory foam allowed enough space for their shoulder and hip to sink in, but in the firmer options, our back sleeping testers also found they benefitted from enough support. The mattress also scored brilliantly for motion isolation, eliminating virtually any motion transfer even when we got a co-tester to toss and turn close by.
Unlike its predecessor, the Tempur Sensation memory foam mattress, and the more affordable Emma Original memory foam mattress, which caused many of our testers to overheat, the SmartCool also lived up to its name and delivered in the breathability stakes. Never once did our testers overheat whilst sleeping on this mattress that employs Tempur's latest temperature-regulating technology.
However, our tester did encounter some downsides, namely that the edge support was lacking – so if you need a firm surface to push up from in the mornings or you tend to sleep close to the edge of the mattress, this could be a problem. If you're an active sleeper who changes position a lot in the night this can also be a little tricky, as the memory foam cradles you so fully that it can be difficult to climb out of the depression that's formed around you.
Plus, that thick layer of memory foam makes this mattress heavy. Very heavy. So it's tough work to rotate, and our tester Jullia found it a struggle to lift the corner of the mattress to change the sheets. Its flat (rather than rolled or boxed) delivery may also be unsuitable for homes with awkward access, although the 'white-glove' delivery options are first-rate, as is the 100-night manufacturer sleep trial.
Would we forgive these niggles for the comfort it offers? The majority of our testers voted, yes.
Our full Tempur Pro Plus SmartCool mattress review has more detail.
Best mattress for side sleepers
Research shows that the majority of us sleep on our sides. As a result, there are many mattresses designed with side sleepers in mind, such as the Simba Hybrid Original and Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress higher up this list.
However, we found the Emma Luxe Cooling mattress to be the best mattress for side sleepers. It is best suited to lightweight side sleepers, the Luxe Cooling's softer surface tension allows shoulders and hips to sink down a little deeper for good spinal alignment. Heavier side sleepers will sink into any mattress a little deeper, so a slightly firmer surface like the Simba Hybrid Original might be a better choice comfort-wise.
Our reviewers also found the Luxe Cooling does exactly what its name promises, with its extra graphite-infused foam layer offering a far more breathable sleep surface than the brand's Emma Original mattress, making it on a par with the Simba and Brook +Wilde options in this regard. It also offers decent motion isolation, responsiveness and edge support, plus a 200-night sleep trial.
The downside is that although the Luxe Cooling is delivered vacuum-packed and rolled into a box, Emma only offers doorstep delivery, which won't be suitable for everyone. Plus, the brand is less vocal about any efforts to lower its environmental impact than many of its competitors, which means it lost a few marks in our scoring criteria.
Our full Emma Luxe Cooling mattress review has more detail.
Best pocket sprung mattress
Thanks to a pillow top comfort layer that's packed with breathable natural fibres, the Hypnos Select Pillow Top is the best pocket sprung mattress we've tested.
The sewn-on pillow top layer means this pocket spring mattress feels far more luxurious than most pocket sprung designs, and whilst that pillowed comfort layer doesn't offer quite the same sink-in cushioning as memory foam, many of our testers preferred the less enveloping feel, finding it made for a more responsive sleep surface that was easier to change position on.
Because this mattress doesn't feature foam or memory foam, it's also extremely highly rated by our hot sleeping testers. Our tester usually most prone to waking up hot and sticky on a synthetic mattress found it offered fantastic breathability, meaning she didn't overheat, even during summer heatwaves.
The Pillow Top Select also scores highly for edge support, only losing a few marks in our motion isolation tests. When our tester's partner tossed and turned there was a little more motion transfer through the matttress than they encountered whilst sleeping on the all-foam or hybrid mattresses in our round up. As a mattress that's made from predominantly natural, renewable, and biodegradable materials – that pillow top layer is packed with wool, kapok, and cotton – this is also one of the most environmentally friendly mattresses we've tested.
It may not be the most affordable option available, but in our tests this Hypnos mattress proved itself worthy of the investment.
Our full Hypnos Pillow Top mattress review has more detail.
Best hybrid mattress
There are a lot of hybrid mattresses on the market, so crowning the best-in-class can be a tricky business. However, our reviewer loved the Simba Hybrid Pro mattress. Comfort-wise she found this mattress gave her all the right support in all the right places, easing the back and neck pain she had been suffering from after sleeping on an all-foam mattress without any spring support. And, as a hot sleeper, it also kept her cool at night.
That improved temperature regulation is the main reason why you might consider investing some more cash and upgrading from the Simba Hybrid Original mattress (which still takes the top spot in our round-up thanks to its lower price point) to the Simba Hybrid Pro. If you don't have a problem with sleeping warm, then the lower-priced Hybrid Original could still be the best hybrid mattress for you.
The Hybrid Pro also offers slightly better edge support than many of its competitors (important if you tend to gravitate towards sleeping on the edge of the mattress, or if sleeping space is at a premium), along with decent responsiveness and motion isolation.
And, as with the Simba Hybrid Original, this mattress benefits from Simba's market-leading customer care, with several delivery options including a 'white glove' service, a 200 night sleep trial, and the option to have your old mattress taken away and recycled when your new one is delivered. Plus, alongside naturalmat, Simba is one of the few UK mattress manufacturers to attain B Corp status, with its Environmental Impact Report showing the brand's ongoing commitment to more sustainable manufacture.
Our Simba Hybrid Pro mattress review has the full lowdown.
Best firm mattress
The Sealy Newton Posturepedic mattress is our top recommendation for the best firm mattress you can buy. This hybrid mattress mixes a latex comfort layer with open coil support to create a sleep surface with a higher tension than most.
Initially it took our tester a few days to get used to the firmer feel, especially compared to the memory foam mattress she'd previously been sleeping on, but she was soon sold, saying that whilst sleeping on the Newton Posturepedic she didn’t wake up with lower backache like she previously had been. That firmness makes it a great choice for front and back sleepers, although lighter weight side sleepers may just find it a little too firm.
In our tests, this mattress also offered excellent edge support and our reviewers found the latex comfort layer to offer better temperature regulation than memory foam. They also found the latex was a little more responsive when changing postition, with less of the 'lag' that can sometimes come as memory foam adapts and readapts to your contours in a new posture.
The downsides were that our reviewer noted that motion isolation could have been a little better, which is perhaps due to that continuous coil spring unit. However, she said this wasn't enough to negatively impact hers or her husband's sleep. In addition, this mattress is one of the few in our round-up not to offer a sleep trial, although it is available to test in store in various locations. It's also worth mentioning its flat delivery, as our tester initially struggled to get it up her narrow and winding staircase.
Find the full details in our Sealy Newton Posturepedic mattress review.
