The 8 Best Twin Mattresses of 2021

We’ve tested and reviewed dozens of mattresses to determine the best twin mattresses on the market. In this guide, we’ll share the  top 8 best twin mattresses of 2021, and then we’ll teach you what to look out for when shopping in our buyer’s guide. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, be sure to check out our top picks for the best mattresses of 2021.

Best Twin Mattresses

Saatva Casper Essential BKB Nectar Tuft & Needle
• Best Budget Mattress – Zinus Green Tea
Bear Saatva Youth

At Mattress Advisor, we know how important a good mattress is to getting great sleep. We’ve tested each mattress on our list in our mattress lab using a comprehensive assessment. We use a combination of customer reviews and a proprietary testing methodology to conduct our reviews. 

We test and rate factors including pressure relief, spinal alignment, edge support, responsiveness, and motion transfer. Our final Mattress Advisor score is a weighted score out of 10, taking into account the mattress’ ratings in each of these factors.

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Saatva

After careful evaluation, we chose the Saatva mattress as the best twin-size innerspring mattress. The Saatva is made of a dual coil layer which makes it a super durable choice. Thanks to its luxury materials, including a coil on coil construction, memory foam and a euro pillow-top, the Saatva is made to last you a long time.

During purchase, the Saatva also offers three firmness options: plush soft, luxury firm, and firm. That way, you can choose the firmness level that best suits your sleep preferences. The Saatva also has been named one of our best mattresses for heavy people. 

The Saatva is also a great option for people with back pain. Its luxury design earned a near-perfect score in spinal alignment, meaning it allows for the natural curve of your spine to be maintained as you sleep, and it does so without sacrificing comfort. The Saatva is also an ideal mattress for hot sleepers, and it scored highly on cooling thanks to its excellent breathability.

Read our full Saatva mattress review.

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Casper Essential

When buying a mattress for your child, you want to know you’re making the right choice. The Casper Essential is a great starter mattress for growing children. It was rated highly on our list of best mattresses for kids. 

The Casper Essential offers comfort, breathability, and affordability.. It’s made with 3 different foam layers and its medium-firm feel hits the right balance between plushness and back support. 

The Casper Essential offers great edge support, an important factor to consider for small children who sleep near the edge of the bed. Once you receive your mattress, Casper offers a 100-day trial period while you decide if it’s the right choice for you. 

Read our full Casper Essential mattress review.

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Big Kid Bed (BKB)

Perfect for children of all ages, the BKB mattress made by Nest Bedding is a high-quality memory foam at a budget-friendly price. This BKB is composed of two nontoxic foam layers: a 2” supportive Energex foam and a 5” foam base layer for edge support. Edge support is especially important to consider for young children at risk of falling off the side of the bed. 

The BKB works on any base, including bunk beds. It’s been named one of best mattresses for kids overall. This memory foam twin mattress offers excellent plushness to guarantee your child a restful night’s sleep. The BKB guarantees comfort without breaking the bank. 

Read our full BKB mattress review.

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Nectar

The Nectar Mattress is the perfect choice for any type of sleeper who prefers a memory foam mattress on a budget.

Nectar is compatible with most mattress foundations including solid and slatted platforms, adjustable bases, box springs and bunkie boards.  The Nectar mattress is a medium-firm mattress, making it ideal for most sleeping positions, whether you prefer a firmer or softer bed. 

The Nectar’s medium feel  coupled with a responsive surface, breathable gel memory foam, and pressure relieving properties make it a great option for all types of sleepers and most body types. 

The Nectar also offers a generous lifetime warranty for as long as you own the mattress. Nectar ships their mattresses for free and delivers within 2-5 business days. Nectar’s return policy offers free returns and a full-year trial period, giving you time to decide if it’s the best bed for you.

Read our full Nectar mattress review.

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Tuft & Needle

The Tuft & Needle  mattress is one of the best budget mattresses made for all types of sleepers. Whether you sleep on your back, stomach, or side, or have back or neck pain, the Tuft & Needle is made for you. 

The Tuft & Needle mattress is budget-friendly option made for the “average” sleeper, meaning that it’s made to suit most sleep positions and preferences.

Tuft & Needle combines a medium-firm feel with the pressure relief and support of memory foam plus the breathability of latex. This makes it a great option for teenagers who are still figuring out what kind of mattress or firmness level they prefer.

Read More: Best Mattress for Teenagers

The Tuft & Needle mattress is made of 3 layers: a top layer of cooling foam, a bottom layer of support foam, and an airy fabric to keep you cool. Combining the best of memory comfort foam and durability, the Tuft & Needle rated highly on measures of pressure relief, spinal alignment, and edge support.

And with a 10-year warranty and CertiPUR-US certified foam, Tuft & Needle guarantees you will sleep both safe and happy for the mattress’s lifespan.

Read our full Tuft & Needle mattress review.

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Zinus Green Tea

Zinus Green Tea is one of the most affordable memory foam mattresses on the market. It’s made of four layers of foam, including a top memory foam layer , a pressure relief comfort layer, a high-density foam layer, and supportive base foam. Infused with green tea extract, the Zinus will help you wake up smelling fresh. 

Zinus Green Tea offers that plush, sought-after memory foam feel at an unbeatable price. Choose between a 6, 8, 12, or 14 inch mattress. The Zinus memory foam mattress is great for sleepers who prefer a softer, sinking feeling in their mattress. After you purchase your Zinus Green Tea mattress, your bed will be shipped to you compressed and rolled in-a-box and delivered to your door.

Read our full Zinus Green Tea mattress review.

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Bear

The Bear Mattress is a uniquely-designed memory foam made with graphite gel. The Bear is specifically designed for adults with active lifestyles, made with foam layers that target your pressure points and relieve tense muscles. 

The Bear is a great choice for athletes because of its pressure relieving properties that relieve muscle and joint pain. The mattress cover is made with Celliant® fibers, which reflect infrared light back to the body to promote blood circulation and improved muscle recovery.

In our mattress lab test, the Bear scored an impressive 9/10 on cooling. Bear claims that their mattress is made with open cell response foam that increases cooling and conductivity up to 7x more than traditional foam mattresses.

The Bear’s excellent pressure relief makes it a great choice for sleepers who suffer from back pain, muscle tension, or joint pain. Bear offers a 10-year limited warranty and a 100-day trial period.

Read our full Bear mattress review.

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Saatva Youth

The Saatva Youth is a luxury innerspring mattress specially made for younger children. It sleeps children 3 years of age and older, so your child can grow with this mattress as they go through grade school.

The mattress is composed of all eco-friendly materials, including an 100% organic cotton cover, a 5-zone support layer, a dual-side coil unit, and a high density support foam. 

The Saatva Youth comes with dual-sided comfort and firmness levels, ideal for growing children whose sleep preferences are bound to change over time. The Saatva Youth is constructed with kid-safe, eco-friendly materials, including a quilted organic, water-resistant and accident-resistant cotton cover that also keeps out dust mites.

Read our full Saatva Youth mattress review.

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Twin Size Mattress Buying Guide

Here at Mattress Advisor, we know that shopping for a new mattress can be confusing. With so many options on the market these days, it’s hard to know which is the best mattress to suit your needs.

In this guide, we’ll go over

• Benefits of a Twin Mattress
• Twin vs. Twin XL
• What to Consider When Shopping
• FAQs

Benefits of a Twin Mattress

One of the first decisions you have to make upon buying a new mattress is which size bed you want. A twin mattress is the smallest size you’ll find on the market. A twin is a great option for kids who are growing and don’t need much space. 

Twin mattresses can be great options for smaller adults or for people who want to save space in a room. Twin-size beds are also a popular option for furnishing guest rooms. A twin’s small dimensions can save you a lot of money compared to a full, queen, or king. They are also ideal for shoppers furnishing small rooms or studio apartments as they allow for more space.

Twin vs. Twin XL

If you’re considering purchasing a twin mattress, make sure you ask yourself: Do I want a twin or a twin XL? Before you buy any mattress, you should understand the difference between these two sizes. 

The two types of twin mattresses are the regular Twin and the Twin XL. A twin XL is essentially a longer version of a twin mattress. A regular Twin is 38” x 75” whereas a twin XL is 38” x 80”. The Twin XL provides an additional 5 inches in length, perfect for those who need more leg room.

A twin XL is ideal for taller individuals who require more leg room. Twin XL mattresses are also common for college student dorm beds.

Related: Twin vs Twin XL

Regular twin beds, on the other hand, will work perfectly for shorter individuals, children, and small spaces. Your child can grow and sleep on a twin mattress for many years.

What to Consider When Shopping

Sleeping Position

• Side sleepers: Side sleepers will want a mattress that offers good pressure relief. If you sleep on your side, you may be prone to experiencing heightened tension in your hips and shoulders. In addition to pressure relief, side sleepers will want a mattress that offers good spinal alignment. Otherwise, you may sink too far into the mattress, causing you back pain. 
• Back sleepers: Back sleeping is said to be the best sleeping position for your spine, neck, and back and is known to promote good posture. However, if you sleep on your back, it’s also important that you pick the right mattress. Back sleepers tend to be most comfortable on medium-firm mattresses. Also, you will want a bed with a contouring ability to support your body. 
• Stomach sleepers: If you prefer to sleep on your stomach, you are unfortunately more prone to experiencing lower back pain. To counter this, you should look for a medium-firm mattress with a soft top layer and excellent pain-relieving properties.

Age

• Toddlers: When buying a bed for your toddler, safety and support should be the priority. Consider buying a softer, plush mattress for maximum comfort. Also, be sure the bed is a comfortable height from the ground so your child can climb in and out without the risk of injury. 
• Kids: A kid-friendly mattress should be comfortable, safe, and affordable. While mattresses can get expensive, it’s not necessary to spend more than $500 on a child’s mattress that they’ll eventually grow out of. If your child has allergies, consider a hypoallergenic mattress such as one made with organic latex materials. 
• Teenagers: Teenegers need a mattress that accomodates their growth spurts and active lifestyles. Athletes, especially, will benefit from a bed that comes with cooling and pressure relieving properties.
• Adults: Consider the mattress’ materials (latex, coils, memory foam, or hybrid), its firmness level (soft, medium-firm, or firm), and other additional properties it offers such as pressure point relief, cooling, motion isolation, and more.

Bed Frame

There are many kinds of frames compatible with twin mattresses, including box springs, bunk beds, trundle beds, and day beds. Box springs are the most common and easy to find. Bunk beds are popular among children, while trundle beds and daybeds provide more sleeping space and storage.

Trial and Warranty

When you purchase an online mattress, make sure you read the fine print before placing your order. 100-day trial periods are the most common, but some brands offer full-year trial periods. 10-year limited warranties are the most common, but some companies like Nectar offer lifetime warranties. 

FAQs

How much should a good twin mattress cost?

While mattresses can get very expensive, you don’t need to pay a high sticker price for a quality twin bed. A good twin mattress should cost you roughly $200-$600.

Is a twin mattress good for adults?

Twin mattresses are fine for average-sized, and especially petite, adults. Taller individuals will likely prefer a twin XL over a regular twin as it offers more leg room. Twin mattresses are not ideal for couples who share a bed.

Should I get a twin or a full bed?

Deciding whether to buy a twin or a full bed depends on your needs and sleeping arrangement. Do you sleep with a partner? If so, you’ll be more comfortable in a full size bed. Are you trying to save space in a small room? Then go for a twin or twin XL. 

Buying a bed for your kid? A twin should do the trick. A regular Twin bed’s small dimensions are perfect for shorter individuals, children, and for maximizing space in smaller rooms. 

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Recap: Our Top Picks for the Best Twin Mattresses

SaatvaCasper EssentialBKBNectarTuft & NeedleBearSaatva Youth

Mattress	Award	MA Score
Best Innerspring Mattress	8.7/10
Best for Kids	8.4/10
Best for Bunk Beds	Coming soon
Best Memory Foam Mattress	8.7/10
Best for Teenagers	8.7/10
Zinus Green Tea	Best Budget Mattress	7.8/10
Best for Adults	8.6/10
Best for Toddlers	Coming soon