Best memory foam mattress 2024 − for pressure relief and softer sleep

I used to sleep on an old innerspring, and I dreamed of a memory foam mattress. Memory foam is made to contour to the curves of your body, bearing your weight and cushioning your neck and shoulders to relieve aches and pains from your pressure points. One of the best memory foam mattresses would be a great fit for a back or side sleeper or anyone who appreciates a bit of plush comfort.

You'll find memory foam mattresses across all the specialist sleep stores, though you could probably pick one up from your local home retailer, too. Some memory foam mattresses incorporate cooling technologies to suit hot sleepers, while others are flippable for adjustable firmness, but from the outside, they all look the same. To the untrained eye, it can be difficult to spot the difference between the products.

That's where I come in. As H&G's resident sleep writer, I lead a team of expert testers. Together. we've tested some of the world's best mattresses, so I know what I'm looking for in a memory foam model: plush comfort; breathable fabrics; and a reasonable price point. 

To save you time and money, I've rounded up six of the best memory foam mattresses and identified what sort of sleeper would suit each mattress. In the interests of a fair fight, each mattress is scored against the same criteria: comfort; quality of construction; cooling properties; and the all-important price.

The quick list

If you already have a memory foam mattress in mind, you could skip straight to that section using the jump menu. If you'd rather take stock of your options, browse the best memory foam mattresses below.

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The best memory foam mattress 2024

The best memory foam mattress overall

This isn't just any old memory foam mattress. The Emma Original is filled with no fewer than five thick layers of foam. There's the soft and springy memory foam in the middle, grounded by a thin strip of transition foam and topped off with an inch of cooling gel foam.

Like a lot of memory foam mattresses, the Emma Original features excellent motion isolation. That's because the foam is designed to bear weight and hold it: something you'll appreciate if you share a bed with a pet or a partner who struggles to stick to their side of the bed. 

If you'd rather try before you buy, then I'd encourage you to take advantage of Emma's mattress sleep trials. You get 365 nights to test your Emma mattress, during warm and cold spells through all four seasons, before you commit to your purchase. That's a lot longer than some of Emma's competitors, who offer curtailed week-long trials that result in insufficient testing.

Of course, the Emma Original Mattress isn't perfect. You'll notice an unpleasant off-gassing smell for the first few days, though that's part of the course with memory foam, and you'd get that from even the best box mattress.

You can find more detail in our Emma Original Mattress review.

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The best cooling memory foam mattress

Forget everything you think you know about memory foam. The Zinus Cooling Gel Mattress is infused with green tea and charcoal extract to dissipate heat, wick moisture, and block odors for sweat-free sleep.

The Zinus Cooling Gel Mattress is available in four different thicknesses, including 8-, 10-, 12-, and 14-inch options. The thicker the mattress, the plusher the feel, though each iteration of the Zinus Cooling Gel Mattress comprises the same three layers: a high-density foam base for structure and support; a comfort foam middle section that lets you sink in; and a layer of cooling gel on top for thermoregulation.

I'd recommend the Zinus Cooling Gel Mattress for back and side sleepers, in particular. It's got just enough give to cushion your neck and shoulders and maintain the natural alignment of your spine. If you sleep on your stomach, or you prefer a softer surface, you might want to pair this memory foam model with one of the best mattress toppers.

There isn't much I don't like about the Zinus Cooling Gel Mattress. In fact, it comes down to just two things: size and support. This memory foam mattress only comes in Twin, Full, Queen, and King sizes, so you'll need to shop elsewhere for a Twin XL or California King mattress. If you sleep on the side of the bed, you'd be better off with the Emma Original Mattress and its superior edge support.

You can find more detail in our Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress review.

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The best memory foam mattress for side sleepers

The Leesa Original Memory Foam Mattress divides opinion. One of our expert testers loved it, but the other spotted a few design flaws. I've combed through each review to give you a balanced perspective on the pros and cons of this memory foam model.

Our first tester, Lucy, is a side sleeper. She prefers a plush mattress that can cushion her hips and shoulders and absorb pressure from the joints. Since she's a light sleeper, Lucy needs a mattress with excellent motion isolation, so that she isn't disturbed as her husband tosses and turns. On the whole, she was very impressed with the Leesa Original Mattress, though she acknowledged that the motion isolation wasn't perfect. 

Our second tester, Alex, sleeps on her stomach. She found that the Leesa Original Mattress was too soft for comfort. She sank right through the top layer of memory foam, which made an arch in her spine that ached in the morning. Like Lucy, she found that the motion isolation of the Leesa Original was a little lacking, though Alex put the mattress under much more pressure. With her young son jumping around the mattress, it's no surprise that a cup of water spilled.

In short, I'd recommend the Leesa Original Memory Foam Mattress for side sleepers and anyone who sleeps alone. If you sleep on your front or back, or you share a bed, I'd encourage you to try the mattress before you buy it.

You can find more detail in our Leesa Original Memory Foam Mattress review.

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Best memory foam mattress for back pain

No mattress is ever going to cure chronic pain. If you suffer from back pain, that's the sort of thing you should take up with your doctor, rather than your mattress manufacturer. With that said, the right mattress can make a world of difference. Our expert tester found that the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress significantly soothed the pain from her fibromyalgia. 

The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress comes in every size, from Twin to California King, as well as a Split King option for couples who share a bed, but not a sleep style. This mattress offers medium-firm support to suit almost every kind of sleeper, though it might not be plush enough for those who prefer a soft surface.

Like a lot of memory foam mattresses, the Nectar boasts excellent motion isolation and sub-standard edge support. If you sleep on the side of the bed, you might be better off with a hybrid mattress: all those steel coils provide far greater support. If you're set on a memory foam mattress, I'd suggest the Emma Original, instead.

You can find more detail in our Nectar Memory Foam Mattress review.

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Best budget memory foam mattress

To get that memory foam feeling for less, I recommend shopping at Siena. Your money goes a long way: each Siena Mattress is filled with five layers of thick foam, including two inches of gel memory foam to relieve pressure and dissipate heat. 

The Siena Mattress offers medium support to suit back and stomach sleepers. It's soft enough to let your chest sink in, and sufficiently supportive to lift your lumbar region and lengthen your spine.

A queen-sized Siena is listed for $799, but it's almost never selling at full price. You could bag this memory foam mattress for under $400 when you shop the sales. My advice: don't spend any less than this. Much lower than $400, and you're paying a great price for a poor product.

When it comes to mattresses, you get what you pay for. The Siena Mattress doesn't have the best motion isolation and its edge support leaves a lot to be desired, but it's still the best memory foam mattress for buyers on a budget.

You can find more detail in our Siena Mattress review.

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The best plush memory foam mattress

This flippable mattress features four zones of firmness. To move from medium-firm support to plush comfort, all you need to do is roll from one side of the bed to the other, or flip your mattress to access more options. That's what makes the SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress the ideal solution for couples who share a bed, but not a sleep style.

As time goes by, your sleep needs shift. You might fall pregnant and look for a softer mattress to cushion your bump or you could develop back pain and seek a firmer surface for pressure relief. When you invest in the SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress, you get one bed to suit every situation.

For a memory foam mattress, the SweetNight Prime has excellent edge support. I'd recommend this mattress for anyone who sleeps on the side of the bed. It's also suitable for hot sleepers, thanks to a cooling gel infusion. 

There are only two things I don't like about the SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress: the size and the price. This mattress only comes in Twin, Full, Queen, and King sizes: for anything else, you'll need to shop elsewhere. A queen-sized SweetNight Prime is listed for more than $1,000, though there always seems to be a sale on.

You can find more detail in our SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress review.

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How we test memory foam mattresses

We put a lot of thought into how we test mattresses. It's more than a matter of sleeping on the job. 

Each mattress on this list is tried and tested by one of H&G's sleep experts. We sleep on mattresses for several weeks, if not months, to monitor their performance over time. Ideally, we would sleep on the same mattress across several seasons, through heatwaves and cold snaps, to assess its breathability and any cooling properties. Comfort is harder to quantify: we just lay on the bed, consider how we feel, and try to judge the support of the mattress, from soft to medium to firm.

Our motion isolation test might be the strangest. We fill a cup with water, set it in the center of the mattress, then toss and turn beside it. The less the cup moves and the less water spills, the better the motion isolation of the mattress: you'll appreciate this if you share a bed with a pet or a partner. The edge support test is simpler: we sit on the side of the bed and make note of how far we sink. 

When it comes to memory foam mattresses, one of the most important tests has to do with weight bearing. Memory foam is made to contour to the curves of your body and spring back into shape when the weight is removed. To see the spring in action, we tend to set a dumbbell in the middle of the mattress, the sort you'd find in any home gym. We make note of how far the weight sinks into the mattress and measure the time it takes for the mattress to spring back into shape. The quicker the mattress returns to normal, the more responsive the memory foam. 

Meet the team

Emilia Hitching

Emilia is our resident sleep writer at H&G. She spends her days tracking down the lowest prices on the hottest products and spends her nights testing out the best bedding from the comfort of her own bed.

Alex Frost

Alex is a mom, wife, and journalist in Cincinnati with four sons under 7, an old, achy, back, and a passion for product reviewing. She tested the Leesa Original Memory Foam Mattress for more than a month as part of her test and still uses it to this day. 

Camryn Rabideau

Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. In her five years as a product tester, she's tested hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as Forbes, USA Today, The Spruce, Food52, and more. Camryn does her product testing from her small homestead in beautiful Rhode Island.

Casey Clark

Casey Clark is a freelance writer who covers beauty and lifestyle – and has reviewed the Nectar mattress for Homes & Gardens. She has been a writer for nearly three years and has been featured in Tom's Guide, Real Simple, Taste of Home, Forbes, and Insider. 

Chiana Dickson

Chiana is our Junior Writer, and spends most of her time producing content for the Solved section of the website. She helps readers get the most out of their homes through clever decluttering, cleaning, and tidying tips. She reviewed the Emma Original mattress for this guide.

Best memory foam mattress FAQs

Does sleeping on memory foam feel better than springs?

It depends on your sleep style: the position in which you sleep, and how warm you tend to get while doing it. If you sleep on your back or side, then you'll probably appreciate the sinking feeling of memory foam, which cushions your neck and shoulders. If you sleep on your stomach, you'll probably prefer the support of an innerspring: memory foam might just swallow you up. 

I'd hesitate to recommend a memory foam mattress to anyone who suffers from night sweats or hot flashes, or simply tends to run a little warm. That's because memory foam tends to trap heat: all those thick layers of foam don't leave much room for air to flow. You might find that an innerspring mattress is more breathable, or you could opt for a hybrid mattress to get the memory foam feel with increased airflow from steel springs. If you know you sleep hot, but you're set on a memory foam mattress, you should keep an eye out for models with cooling gels or aerated foam.

How many years does memory foam last?

Memory foam mattresses tend to last 8 to 10 years, which is a lot longer than your average innerspring. When you invest in a memory foam mattress, you won't face the same issues of fabric sagging and springs snapping. Nevertheless, it's worth learning how to clean a mattress to keep yours in good condition. 

Final thoughts

You might have made it all the way to the end of this article and still not know which mattress material best meets your needs. To help you decide, we've laid out all the pros and cons of hybrid vs memory foam mattresses, as well as memory foam vs innerspring mattresses, so that you can compare and contrast.