Best Soft Mattresses of 2023

Goldilocks didn’t want the bed that felt too soft, but a lot of sleepers (and Mama Bear) would respectfully disagree. For those who prefer a softer sleep experience, we’ve chosen our list of the best soft mattresses you can buy.

Check out our reviews of the top picks, read expert tips in our buyer’s guide, and get the information you need to find the soft mattress that’s just right.

 

Best Soft Mattresses: Our Top Selections

• Best Soft Mattress for Side Sleepers – WinkBed
• Best Soft Foam Mattress – Nolah Original 10″
• Best Soft Mattress for Shoulder Pain – Layla
• Best Soft Hybrid Mattress – Saatva Classic
• Best Soft Mattress for the Money – Tuft & Needle Mint
• Best Soft Mattress for Hot Sleepers – Brooklyn Aurora Luxe
  
• Best Soft Flippable Mattress – Zenhaven Natural Latex
• Most Supportive Soft Mattress – Purple Hybrid Premier
  

Here are some of the top-rated soft mattresses based on extensive testing and customer feedback. Some of these mattresses come soft by standard, while others offer the option to customize your firmness level, allowing you to choose a softer model.

Below, we’ll share a review of each of these beds. To get a deeper look, click through to our individual mattress reviews, featured for each mattress.

---

The WinkBed

Why this is a great soft mattress for side sleepers:

If you’re a side sleeper interested in a top-rated hybrid mattress, don’t overlook the WinkBed. It’s a versatile bed with multiple firmness levels; for the purposes of side sleeping, we recommend the softer firmness (4/10). This option should provide enough pressure relief and contouring of vulnerable joints as you nestle in on your side.

We tested the luxury firm version of the mattress at our sleep lab, and it earned a respectable score in pressure relief (7.75/10). This means that the softer version we recommend for side sleepers should do even better at cradling the hips and shoulders. The mattress’s Hypersoft foam Euro-top, gel foam comfort layer, and lumbar support pad all contribute to the overall comfort of the mattress.

Pros:

• Next-level durability: Because of its hybrid construction, the WinkBed has impressive durability (it scored a perfect 10/10 on our test). While all-foam mattresses are more prone to sagging, the strong coils in the WinkBed should help it last a decade or more.
• Healthy spine alignment: The mattress supports your back in a way that discourages pain and tension from building up. We gave it an 8.75/10 after observing how straight it kept our spines.
• Near-perfect edge support: If you like to spread out and use all of the mattress, you won’t have to worry about sliding off the sides—the WinkBeds maintains its structure and support all along its edges without sagging.

Cons:

• Low motion isolation: If you sleep with a partner, you might want to make note of the mattress’s low score for motion transfer. This indicates that movement on one side of the mattress can cause a ripple effect on the opposite side.

Read our full WinkBed mattress review. You can also see our roundup of best mattresses for side sleepers.

---

Nolah Original 10″

Why this is a great soft foam mattress:

The Nolah Original 10″ is an all-foam mattress built with proprietary AirFoam. This polyfoam material is designed to help keep the mattress temperature neutral, so you don’t overheat in warm weather, and the mattress doesn’t feel too solid in the cold. Memory foam naturally expands and contracts in hot and cold temperatures, but AirFoam is engineered to resist those changes and make the mattress more durable. This mattress also has a medium level of firmness (5-6/10), which is great for those looking for something a little firmer than plush.

Pros:

• Solid back pain support: The Nolah’s near-perfect spine alignment score (9.5/10) makes it a fine choice for people who want to maintain a healthy sleep posture from their lower back to the base of the neck.
• Good motion isolation: In our testing, the Nolah did a great job at minimizing motion transfer due to its all-foam construction. This should be a green flag for light sleepers who sleep with a partner who tosses and turns.
• Very responsive: It’s easy to move around on this mattress. Despite its foam construction, there’s no quicksand feeling here—the mattress is highly responsive so it adapts quickly to your movements.

Cons:

• Not as durable: As an all-foam mattress, the Nolah doesn’t have the same durability of a hybrid or innerspring model. Heavier sleepers in particular should consider a sturdier option.

Read our full Nolah Original 10″ mattress review. If you prefer traditional memory foam, see our roundup of best memory foam mattresses.

---

Layla

Why this is a great soft mattress for shoulder pain:

The Layla is a flippable mattress, but if you’re looking for relief from shoulder pain, you can just put it on your foundation soft-side up and never worry about flipping. The soft side is a 4-5/10 on the firmness scale, a comfortable spot between plush and medium.

We picked the Layla as one of the best mattresses for shoulder pain because of its pressure-relieving qualities. In our testing, the mattress earns a 9/10 score for pressure relief due to the ability of its soft top layers to cradle your body’s curves. A copper infusion in the mattress’s memory foam makes the Layla more breathable and cooling, and helps to relieve inflammation.

Pros:

• Flippable: If you ultimately decide you want a firmer bed, you can just flip the mattress to its medium-firm side.
• Good for back health: Due to the mattress’s high scores for pressure relief (9/10) and spine alignment (8/10), we often recommend it for people with not just shoulder pain but back and joint pain, as well.
• Responsive: Memory foam mattresses aren’t always known for their responsiveness, given that sinking feeling you can occasionally get while lying on an all-foam mattress. But when you move around the Layla, it bounces back and quickly adjusts to your sleeping position. This makes it a great pick for combination sleepers who change positions throughout the night.

Cons:

• Hot sleepers beware: The Layla earns a below-average score (7.5/10) for cooling, despite its copper layers. If you’re prioritizing cooling in your mattress hunt, consider a hybrid or innerspring mattress.

Read our full Layla mattress review. If you’re in need of pain relief, see our roundup of the best mattresses for shoulder pain.

---

Saatva Classic

Why this is a great soft hybrid mattress:

The Saatva Classic is a top-rated hybrid mattress built with a coil-on-coil design, memory foam layers, and a Euro pillow top to cushion its plush top layer. The mattress comes in multiple firmness options—if softness is what you’re after, you’ll want to choose the softest of the range, the plush soft (3/10).

Despite the plush soft’s softness, the bed earns a flawless 10/10 Mattress Advisor score for edge support, which means it maintains its structure and support all the way from one side of the mattress to the other. The mattress’s innerspring layer not only improves its edge support but also helps keep the Saatva Classic feeling cool and breathable (9/10 cooling score). Saatva also gives you high-end terms in keeping with its luxury reputation: The Classic comes with a 365-night trial period and a lifetime warranty—as well as free white glove-delivery that includes removal of your old mattress, so set-up is a breeze.

Pros:

• Supports back and joint health: The mattress earns a high score in pressure relief and spine alignment due to the comfort and support of its memory foam support layers. We gave it a 9/10 for pressure relief and a 10/10 for spine alignment. The mattress even has an endorsement from the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations.
• Helps prevent night sweats: Thanks to the Saatva’s innerspring layer, air travels easily through the mattress and helps you sleep cooler.
• Good responsiveness: It’s easy to change positions or move around the Saatva Classic. The mattress adapts quickly to your movements, which makes it a great option for combination sleepers or those who change positions frequently throughout the night.

Cons:

• Below-average motion transfer: If you sleep with a partner, you’ll have to be careful not to wake them while moving around or getting in and out of the bed. The mattress earned below-average marks (7.5/10) in our test of motion transfer, which means it doesn’t do the best job isolating the effects of movement to one side of the mattress.

Read our full Saatva Classic mattress review. Also, check out our roundup of best hybrid mattresses.

---

Tuft & Needle Mint

Why this is a great soft mattress for the money:

The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress, an upgraded version of Tuft & Needle’s original model, is a great combination of quality and value. This all-foam foam mattress is a 5/10 on the firmness scale, giving it a soft-to-medium feel.

Although it’s not the cheapest mattress featured on this page, the Tuft & Needle Mint (9/10 overall score) gives you a lot of quality for your dollar. Our review process finds that it performs well across the board, with scores higher than 8/10 across all 14 of our test categories. That mattress stands out for its spine alignment (9.5/10) in particular, which suggests that it will help prevent tension from building up in your spine by helping your back maintain its natural curve. The Mint comes with a 100-night sleep trial period, along with a 10-year limited warranty.

Pros:

• Near-perfect spine alignment: The Mint earns a 9.5/10 for spine alignment, which is an important metric for all sleepers—particularly those who suffer from back pain.
• Good responsiveness: It’s easy to move around on the Mint due to its high responsiveness. You’ll never feel stuck on this mattress.
• Relatively good cooling: For an all-foam mattress, the Mint keeps you sleeping relatively cool with the help of heat-wicking graphite in its Adaptive foam.

Cons:

• Not the best for plus-sized sleepers: The Mint might not provide enough support for heavier people. If you fall into this category, check out the options on our best mattresses for heavy people.

Read our full Tuft & Needle Mint mattress review. To see more great value picks, see our roundup of best mattresses for the money.

---

Brooklyn Aurora Luxe

Why this is a great soft mattress for hot sleepers:

The Brooklyn Aurora Luxe is a luxury hybrid mattress by Brooklyn Bedding built with patented foam and pocket coils on the inside layers. The firmness options include soft (3/10) and medium (5/10), so you can choose between an extra-plush feel or something closer to the middle of the road.

The Aurora Luxe’s hybrid design provides a comfortable, supportive, and cool sleep surface, as its innerspring layer allows for good airflow. It also incorporates multiple cooling technologies throughout, such as phase-change gel beads in its top layers that helps regulate body temperature. The mattress scores a 9.5/10 for cooling in our review, which makes it an excellent choice for hot sleepers.

Pros:

• High responsiveness: Responsiveness is a highlight of this mattress. We gave it a 9.25/10 in this category, which is an encouraging sign for restless sleepers and combination sleepers.
• Good motion isolation: The Aurora Luxe is good at isolating motion, so you shouldn’t be awakened by your partner’s tossing and turning on the other side of the bed. Its multiple foam layers work together to prevent motion transfer.
• Solid spine alignment: The mattress keeps your spine in a nice neutral position so that it doesn’t exacerbate any existing back or neck pain.

Cons:

• Below-average pressure relief: Those who want the hugging, pressure-relieving feel of memory foam might find that this mattress doesn’t supply the feel or cushion that they expect.

Read our full Brooklyn Aurora Luxe mattress review. You can compare other cooling beds in our roundup of best mattresses for hot sleepers.

---

Zenhaven Natural Latex

Why this is a great soft flippable mattress:

Made by renowned luxury brand Saatva, the Zenhaven Natural Latex is a flippable mattress with a softer side (4-5/10) and a firmer side (7-8/10). Given these options, the mattress is a great pick for side sleepers, back sleepers, stomach sleepers, and combination sleepers.

A flippable mattress can come in handy even if you normally prefer the soft side. You might temporarily need something firmer in the event of a back injury or weight gain, to name just two examples. Regardless of which side you choose, the Zenhaven Natural Latex will provide solid cooling (8.5/10 score) along with responsiveness (9/10) and edge support (9/10).

Pros:

• Great edge support: Zenhaven earned high marks for edge support, which is not only a good overall sign of durability but also suggests the bed won’t sag if you sit or sleep at the edges of it.
• Very responsive: We also found the Natural Latex to be quite responsive and highly adaptable. Its latex core has a natural bounce to it that springs back into place when you change positions.
• Above-average pressure relief and spine alignment: The mattress supports good back health by helping you maintain your spine’s natural curve, and providing enough cushion to relieve tension at pressure points.

Cons:

• Sub-optimal motion isolation: Couples who sleep together might need to use caution when moving around on the mattress—it doesn’t do the best job at limiting the effects of movement to one side of the mattress.

Read our full Zenhaven Natural Latex mattress review. To check out other dual-sided beds, see our roundup of best flippable mattresses.

Purple Hybrid Premier

Why this is a great supportive soft mattress:

The Purple Hybrid Premier is Purple’s latest model and probably its most supportive mattress yet. The hybrid is made with a combination of hyper-elastic polymer and foam, which gives it a unique feeling of springiness, support, and pressure relief.

The Purple Hybrid Premier Mattress is a very soft mattress with a firmness level of 4/10, which is rare for a hybrid mattress. Typically hybrid mattresses are built with innerspring coils as the support layer which adds extra firmness, but the Purple Hybrid Premier’s unique combination of materials allows it to stay super soft.

Pros:

• Winning spine alignment: The Hybrid Premier earned a near-perfect score in our test of spine alignment, which suggests it’s an excellent option for those who suffer from back or neck aches.
• Above-average cooling: This is one of the coolest mattresses we’ve tested thanks to a grid and coil construction that helps it maintain good thermo regulation and airflow. Hot sleepers should appreciate its ability to transfer body heat instead of allowing it to build up.
• Good edge support: The Hybrid Premier does a solid job of maintaining its structure and support all the way to the sides of the mattress. If you sit or sleep at the edge, you shouldn’t feel like you’re about to sag or slide off.

Cons:

• Not for stomach sleepers: While the Hybrid Premier’s hyperelastic polymer does a better-than-average job of supporting back sleepers, it doesn’t provide enough alignment and support for the hips to be a good choice for those who sleep on their stomachs.

Read our full Purple Hybrid Premier mattress review. 

---

How to Find the Best Soft Mattress

Finding a soft mattress that’s right for you is a bit of a balancing act. If you sleep on a mattress that’s too firm, a lack of adequate pressure relief could cause soreness on your pressure points (shoulders, hips, heels, depending on your sleep position). If your mattress is too soft, you’ll suffer from back and neck pain due to improper spine alignment. Either way, the wrong mattress firmness can rob you of the sleep you need for health and wellness.

Mattress firmness may be the most important characteristic of your new bed. But it can be difficult to find the right firmness level without some guidance and a good at-home trial period. While personal preference plays a significant role in finding a mattress that you love, there are some objective guidelines that can help narrow your search.

In this buyer’s guide, we’ll explain how you understand the mattress firmness scale and other factors to consider in your decision when looking for a soft mattress including your sleeping position, body type, and several other mattress performance factors so you can find the best mattress for you.

Understanding the Firmness Scale

The traditional way to buy a mattress used to be visiting a mattress store (or two or three) and flopping down on mattress after mattress searching for the most comfortable one. The problems with that method are:

1. After traipsing around to several stores, any mattress is going to feel comfortable.
2. The situation, complete with the full-on assault of fluorescent lights and Muzak, hardly replicates normal sleeping conditions.
3. Most mattress sales reps earn a commission, rendering any advice they give suspicious.

These days you have the convenient option of ordering a bed-in-a-box mattress online from the comfort of your home, finding it delivered to your front door, and testing it out in your own bedroom for a generous trial period.

But with the hundreds of mattresses available online, you need a way to zero in on the soft mattresses of your dreams. That’s where the mattress firmness scale (and reviews from Mattress Advisor) comes in.

The mattress firmness scale includes ratings from 1 to 10 indicating the relative softness or firmness of any mattress.

Most average weight sleepers tend to prefer mattresses in the medium firm range with ratings of 6/10 to 7/10, but if you’re looking for a soft mattress, you want to choose something no higher than 5/10 on the firmness scale.

And while you may think a super soft mattress will be great for your sleep, sleep experts recommend steering away from mattresses rated 1/10 or 2/10 because of the risk of spinal misalignment.

So that puts your focus on mattresses that rate 3/10, 4/10, or 5/10 on the mattress firmness scale. A soft mattress with a firmness rating of 3/10 or 4/10 feels very plush and body-hugging. Sleepers would most accurately describe themselves sleeping “in” the soft mattress rather than “on” it.

Related: Best Medium-Firm Mattresses

Pros and Cons of a Soft Mattress

Like a lot of things in life, many of the best things about a soft mattress are also some of the worst things about them, depending who’s sleeping on them. But there are some benefits of sleeping on a softer mattress no matter who you are.

Pros of a soft mattress	Cons of a soft mattress
Better motion isolation	Sleeping hot
Better pressure relief	Feeling “stuck” in the mattress
Body-contouring	Poor edge support

The Pros

Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of sleeping on a soft mattress.

Better motion isolation

All sleepers benefit when motion transfer is minimized. Motion transfer occurs when movements on one side of the bed disturb the other side of the mattress and, more importantly, the person sleeping on it.

That means, every time your partner rolls over, flips their pillow, or gets up for a drink of water, you’ll be jostled by their movement. Because many softer mattresses are made of at least some kind of memory foam, they usually do an excellent job of isolating motion so you can sleep through whatever is going on over there.

Better relief on pressure points

Firm mattresses can be really hard on the parts of your body that exert the most pressure on the mattress. Shoulders, hips, knees, and heels can take a beating on a firm mattress. Soft mattresses give under pressure to relieve strain on your pressure points.

Body-contouring

If you’re looking for a good hug at the end of a long day, you can count on your soft mattress to always deliver. Because a soft mattress will yield easily under your weight, you will feel like you’re sinking into a soft cloud rather than skimming the surface of your mattress.

The Cons

Unfortunately, there’s a downside to everything. Soft mattresses are no different.

Sleeping hot

Because a soft mattress will conform to your body, there is less space for air to circulate and dissipate your body heat. If you tend to sleep hot, be sure to look for a soft, cooling mattress with advanced technology such as gel-infused or open-celled memory foam or naturally cooler latex foam construction.

Feeling ‘stuck’ in the mattress

The increased cradling of a soft mattress can make it hard to get out of bed and even change positions. If you move around a lot while you sleep or have mobility issues, a soft mattress may require more strength and energy than you can exert at night.

You can avoid this problem by looking for a soft mattress that incorporates bouncier foam than most memory foams (like latex mattresses) to give you the push back you need to move with less effort.

Poor edge support

Some soft mattresses may collapse at the edge when you sleep or sit on them. Not only can that make you feel like you’re rolling off the bed if you sleep too close to the edge but can also lead to premature wear on your mattress. Be sure to find a soft mattress that has specific edge reinforcements to provide sufficient edge support.

Is a Soft Mattress Right for You?

While mattress firmness is partially a matter of personal preference, there are some body types and sleep styles that are better suited for a soft mattress.

Based on sleeping position

Side sleepers: People who sleep on their sides need a mattress for side sleepers that will yield substantially to relieve pressure on shoulders and hips. A soft mattress may be the right choice to cushion and relieve pressure on your shoulders, hips, knees and other parts of the body that make contact with a mattress when you lie on your side.

Back sleepers: A soft mattress is generally not a great choice for most back sleepers. It can cause your hips and back to sink too far into the mattress and often provides insufficient lumbar support, which will result in back pain.

Stomach sleepers: Stomach sleepers need a firmer-than-average mattress that keeps their hips in good alignment with their shoulders. A soft mattress is a bad choice in this respect—it causes your lower body to sink too far into the mattress’s cushioning for optimal comfort and support.

Combination sleepers: A soft mattress can be a good option for some combination sleepers, particularly those who spend a lot of time sleeping on their sides. This is because the mattress provides enough give for hips and shoulders to comfortably sink in so tension doesn’t build up in these pressure-prone areas.

Based on body weight

Lightweight sleepers: Lightweight people (less than 130 lbs) are best suited for a soft mattress—no matter their sleep position—because it will yield more easily to their lighter weight. The firmer the mattress, the less it will give under pressure. A mattress that is too firm will leave a lightweight sleeper perched on top of the mattress with too much pressure on their shoulders, hips, and heels.

Average-weight sleepers: Sleepers between 130 and 230 lbs could potentially be well suited for a soft mattress, depending on their sleep position and personal preferences. Average-weight side sleepers will be more likely to get good support from a soft mattress, while stomach sleepers should opt for something firmer.

Heavier sleepers: Soft mattresses are not ideal for people with a heavier body weight—they tend to yield too much to provide proper, long-term support. Heavy people (230 lbs or more) need a firmer mattress to provide more resistance to support their weight.

Related: Best Mattresses for Heavy People

By temperature regulation

A soft mattress allows you to sink into the mattress rather than rest on it. Cradled by the mattress, you will be surrounded by your own body heat, making you feel warm and cozy in bed.

If you keep your bedroom cool and often wake up looking for more covers, a softer mattress will help keep you warm at night.

But if you’re a naturally hot sleeper who often wakes up sweating anyways, soft mattress is not ideal for you, especially plush mattresses that are extra contouring.

Related: What is Thermoregulation?

By who is sleeping in the bed

Motion transfer can turn your partner’s restless night into your restless night. Softer mattresses do a better job of isolating motion than firmer mattresses, so soft mattresses are great for couples.

How to Adjust Your Mattress Firmness

So maybe you overestimated how soft your soft mattress should be. Or your mattress has become too soft over time. Now what?

Don’t panic. There are several steps you can take to add a bit of firmness to your mattress.

• Make sure you have the proper mattress foundation. Depending on the type of mattress you have, possible options include box springs, slatted platforms, or a slotted platform. Make sure it’s on the manufacturer’s list of recommended foundations for your mattress. The easiest way to add some support to your soft bed is to slip a bunkie board between your mattress and your foundation.
• Add a mattress topper. Yes, there are some mattress toppers that can actually add firmness to your soft mattress. Look for a relatively thick topper made of high-density memory foam or latex.
• Adjust your room temperature. If your mattress is made from memory foam, it will be slightly softer in a warmer bedroom. Try turning down the thermostat to a cooler temperature. Not only will your memory foam mattress stay a little firmer, but you’ll sleep better, too. The Cleveland Clinic recommends you keep the temperature in your bedroom between 60 and 67 degrees for optimal sleep.
• Flip or rotate. If your mattress has gotten softer over time, but you’re not ready to buy a new one, flip it over, if it is a two-sided mattress. If it is a one-sided mattress, simply rotating will allow you to sleep on a less worn area while the mattress recovers its shape.

Related: Best Flippable Mattresses

Conversely, in spite of your best efforts to find a soft mattress, the one you chose is still too firm for your liking. Again, don’t panic. You can make your mattress softer a couple of different ways.

If you want to make your mattress even softer, you can:

• Add a mattress topper. Many mattress toppers can turn any mattress from firm to soft in a matter of minutes. But since there are some toppers that add firmness, be sure to check the description carefully.
• Adjust your room temperature. A memory foam mattress will become more supple in a warmer room. Just don’t exceed the recommendation of 72 degrees.

If all else fails, and you’re still not happy with your mattress you can return or exchange it. Make sure any mattress you buy comes with a generous trial period of at least 90 nights, and be sure to use it to the full duration of the trial. It can take as much as 30 days or more to break in your new mattress and even longer for your body to adjust to the change.

If you still are unsatisfied after sleeping on your mattress for 30 days or so and you’ve tried the above recommendations, you can ask to return your mattress or exchange it for a softer model. Be sure to only buy a mattress with a reasonable exchange policy.

Related: How to Make a Firm Mattress Softer

FAQs

What is the softest mattress?

Foam combo and memory foam mattress with multiple layers of foam are the softest mattresses. Some mattresses even have specific comfort layers in the bed.

Can an innerspring mattress be soft?

Typically innerspring mattresses are medium to medium-firm. Some innerspring mattresses are topped with a plush comfort layer or pillow top, but generally innersprings are more firm since their base layer is coils. See the best pillow top mattresses to find innerspring mattresses topped with a plush layer.

Can you make a mattress softer?

Yes! By adding a mattress topper or turning up the temperature in your room (heat makes foam softer) you can make your mattress feel softer.

What if the mattress I choose is too soft? Can I make it firmer?

You can add a topper to make it more firm (look for a high-density topper) or make your room colder. Some mattresses can be flipped to a more firm side (like the Layla). Depending on which mattress company you purchased from, they may even help you exchange your mattress if you don’t like the firmness.

Recap: Our Picks for Best Soft Mattress

Here’s a summary of our top selections. For dual-sided mattresses and mattresses with multiple firmness options, we’ve listed the softest one.

Mattress	Firmness	Award
WinkBed	Softer (4/10)	Best for Side Sleepers
Nolah Original 10″	5.5/10	Best Foam Mattress
Layla	Soft (4/10)	Best for Shoulder Pain
Saatva Classic	Plush Soft (3/10)	Best Hybrid Mattress
Tuft & Needle Mint	5/10	Best Mattress for the Money
Brooklyn Aurora Luxe	Soft (3/10)	Best Mattress for Hot Sleepers
Zenhaven Natural Latex	Luxury Plush (4.5/10)	Best Flippable Mattress
Purple Hybrid Premier	4/10	Most Supportive Mattress

---

Sources

• VeryWell Health: verywellhealth.com/top-health-benefits-of-a-good-nights-sleep-2223766
• PR Newswire: prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-sleep-survey-pulls-back-the-covers-on-how-we-doze-and-dream-184798691.html
• Cleveland Clinic: health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-the-ideal-sleeping-temperature-for-my-bedroom/