updated January 2023
Saatva vs Sleep Number Mattress Comparison
Trying to decide between the Saatva Classic mattress and the Sleep Number 360 C2? Read our guide to see which mattress has the features most important to you—and which is best suited to your type of sleeping.
Saatva and Sleep Number are two leading luxury mattress brands. Here we compare the Saatva Classic and the Sleep Number 360 C2, each brand’s entry-level model, so you can decide which mattress is right for you.
Saatva vs Sleep Number at a Glance
Customer Rating
MA Score
Summary
Firmness
Type
Trial Period
Warranty
Customer Rating
MA Score
9/10
Summary
Customizable luxury hybrid mattress
Firmness
Customizable
Type
Hybrid: coil on coil and memory foam with Euro pillow-top
Trial Period
365 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Customer Rating
MA Score
7.7/10
Summary
Sleep cool; adjustable airbed
Firmness
Customizable
Type
Airbed
Trial Period
100 days
Warranty
15-year warranty
Saatva Classic
Sleep Number C2 Bed
Customer Rating
MA Score
9/10
7.7/10
Summary
Customizable luxury hybrid mattress
Sleep cool; adjustable airbed
Firmness
Customizable
Customizable
Type
Hybrid: coil on coil and memory foam with Euro pillow-top
Airbed
Trial Period
365 days
100 days
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
15-year warranty
Key Similarities
- Effective Cooling: Both the Saatva Classic and C2 are exceptionally cool mattresses. With two layers of coils in the Saatva Classic and dual air chambers in the C2, air flows and heat dissipates easily through both beds.
- Helpful Customer Service: You might expect companies that specialize in luxury products to have exceptional customer service, and you’d be correct. Both brands include their least expensive mattresses under this excellent coverage.
- Good for Back Sleepers: The C2 is pretty firm, even at its softest setting. So it’s a solid choice for back sleepers who prefer sturdy support. The Saatva Classic can support all sleep positions, with luxury firm and firm being good choices for back sleepers.
Key Differences
- Pressure Relief: The Saatva Classic provides much more pressure relief than the C2. This makes it better for side sleepers and people with joint pain.
- Firmness Options: The C2 varies from medium-firm to extra-firm, depending on your chosen sleep number. The Saatva Classic offers three firmness levels–plush, luxury firm, and firm.
- Technology: The C2 is a smart bed that uses technology to track your sleep quality. Additionally, DualAir technology allows you and your partner to select different firmness levels, while Responsive Air technology adjusts the bed when you reposition during sleep. The Saatva Classic does not offer tech features.
- Durability: The Saatva Classic is one of the most durable beds we’ve tested. The C2, on the other hand, receives a fair number of customer complaints about durability due to parts breaking and needing repair.
- Edge Support: Good edge support is helpful for couples and those who use the edge of the bed for sitting. The Saatva Classic boasts exceptional edge support, while the C2 falls short in this category.
Saatva Mattress Review Highlights
- Good for Back-Pain Sufferers: With a perfect spine alignment score and a near-perfect pressure relief score, the Saatva Classic is fantastic for people with back pain and arthritis.
- Great for Seniors: Edge support, spine alignment, and pressure relief are all essential for seniors, and the Saatva Classic excels in all three categories, earning it a spot in our list of Best Mattresses for Seniors.
- Accommodates All Sleep Positions: The Saatva Classic can accommodate all sleep positions. Depending on your weight and sleep position, either the firm, luxury firm, or plush can provide great support and comfort.
- Healthy Materials: Saatva crafts its classic mattress with organic cotton and recycled steel coils, all while avoiding harmful chemicals.
- Other Options: Saatva offers various mattress options, including hybrid, latex, and memory foam beds. Saatva also offers its own smart bed, the Saatva Solaire.
Sleep Number C2 Mattress Review Highlights
- Cooling: The C2’s air chambers allow for air to flow and heat to dissipate, resulting in one of the coolest mattresses on the market.
- Technology: The technology built into this mattress is surprisingly complex, given how affordable the mattress is. You can select sleep numbers for each side of the bed, enjoy automatic adaptation when you reposition, and track your sleep via the SleepIQ function.
- Adjustability: This is where Sleep Number shines—the bed has 20 firmness levels available at the touch of a button.
- Responsiveness: The C2 features Responsive Air technology, which adjusts the bed’s firmness as you reposition in your sleep. This makes it a great choice for sleepers who toss and turn.
- Other Options: Sleep Number offers a variety of airbeds, including the Classic Series, Performance Series, Innovation Series, and even a memory foam smart bed.
Compare Dimensions/Sizes
Saatva and Sleep Number offer their mattresses in standard sizes. Sleep Number also offers versions of the king and California king known as “FlexTop,” which allows each sleeper to adjust their side’s head height independently.
| Saatva Classic | Sleep Number | |
| Thickness | 11.5” or 14.5” | 8″ |
| Twin | 38” x 75” | 38″ x 75″ |
| Twin XL | 38” x 80” | 38″ x 80″ |
| Full | 54” x 75” | 54″ x 75″ |
| Queen | 60” x 80” | 60″ x 80″ |
| King | 76” x 80” | 76″ x 80″ |
| Split King | 38″ x 80″ (X2) | 38″ x 80″ (X2) |
| Cal King | 72” x 84” | 72″ x 84″ |
| Split California King | 36″ x 84″ (X2) | N/A |
Learn more about mattress sizes.
Compare Prices
The Saatva Classic is more expensive than the Sleep Number C2. Of course, this is Sleep Number’s lowest-tier bed, so you can easily find a Sleep Number mattress that equals or exceeds the cost of the Saatva Classic, depending on your desired features. The C2 is surprisingly affordable, given the technology it uses.
The prices listed below do not include any promotions, discounts, or exclusive Mattress Advisor deals. For more information on current promotions, visit our mattress deals page.
| Saatva | Sleep Number C2 | |
| Twin | $995 | $699 |
| Twin XL | $1,355 | $799 |
| Full | $1,895 | $899 |
| Queen | $1,995 | $1,099 |
| King | $2,445 | $1,599 |
| Split King | $2,710 | $1,999 |
| California King | $2,445 | $1,599 |
| Split California King | $2,710 | N/A |
| FlexTop California King | N/A | $1,999 |
Compare the Construction
As you might expect, these two beds don’t share much in common in their construction. Read on to learn more about what that means for your sleep.
Inside the Saatva Classic Mattress
The Saatva Classic consists of five layers, designed especially for comfort and lumbar support. Because it’s available in plush, luxury firm, and firm, the mattress is a great fit for many sleepers.
An organic cotton cover and Euro pillow top bring a luxurious and comfortable feel to the Saatva Classic. This layer differentiates the three firmness levels, as the density of the foam varies between plush, luxury firm, and firm.
Next, the back support layer is crafted especially for lumbar support. Saatva uses copper wire to reinforce a layer of high-density memory foam across the lumbar region, delivering support and contouring.
The first coil layer’s individually pocketed coils react to your movement, keeping you comfortable while changing sleep positions. The coils are sturdier in the center of the bed, further enhancing lumbar support.
The Saatva Classic’s edge support is great, thanks to the next layer of high-density foam rails. This layer exists solely for edge support, extending your sleep surface and providing exceptional stability along the bed’s edges.
Lastly, tempered steel coils comprise the bottom layer of the mattress. This heavy-duty layer enhances durability, as it minimizes potential sagging. It also allows for increased airflow.
- Euro Pillow Top: A fluffy 3” built-in Euro pillow top provides pressure relief, keeping you cozy and comfortable.
- Back Support Layer: Saatva gets serious about lumbar support with this layer, which contains high-density foam and supportive copper wiring.
- Pocketed Coils: This first coil layer contains individually pocketed recycled steel coils that respond to your body’s movements.
- Edge Support Layer: High-density polyfoam railing extends your sleep surface and provides support for getting in and out of bed and sitting on the edge of the bed.
- Steel Coil Base: Tempered steel coils provide support, allow airflow, and enhance the Saatva Classic’s durability.
Inside the Sleep Number Mattress
The Sleep Number C2 is an airbed with a gel-infused polyfoam comfort layer on top.
A zippered mattress cover fits snugly around the C2 mattress, regardless of the inflation level of the air chambers. Next, 2” of polyfoam create the comfort layer of the C2. This cooling material gives a little bit of bounce while contouring to pressure points.
The DualAir chambers comprise most of the bed and make the C2 adjustable. By using a phone app or a remote (which is no longer included but is an optional purchase), you select your sleep number and the chambers inflate or deflate to the appropriate fill level. Full-size beds and larger have two air chambers, while smaller beds have one air chamber.
The inner workings of this airbed include an air pump and a 4-foot hose. Thankfully, Sleep Number keeps your bed looking classy by hiding this hardware inside the mattress.
- Cover: A thin, breathable cover surrounds the C2. You should only unzip this cover when airing out the mattress and for repairs; it’s not designed to be removed.
- Comfort Layer (2”): Gel-infused polyfoam comprises this 2” comfort layer. This layer provides pressure relief while helping you sleep cool.
- Air Chambers (6”): This layer features one to two air chambers that expand and contract based on your chosen settings.
- Air Pump and Hose: The 4-foot hose and air pump sleekly hide inside the mattress.
Compare the Scores
At Mattress Advisor, our sleep lab experts personally test every mattress and rate it across 14 categories. To learn more about how we test and rank mattresses, check out our review process.
| Saatva | Sleep Number C2 | |
| Shipping | 7.5 | 6 |
| Trial Period | 10 | 8.5 |
| Return Policy | 7 | 5 |
| Warranty | 10 | 9 |
| Set-Up Test | 10 | 9 |
| Motion Transfer Test | 7.5 | 8 |
| Edge Support Test | 10 | 7 |
| Pressure Relief Test | 9 | 7.5 |
| Spine Alignment Test | 10 | 8 |
| Responsiveness Test | 8.5 | 8 |
| Cooling Evaluation | 9 | 8.5 |
| Durability Evaluation | 10 | 7 |
| Customer Service Score | 9 | 9 |
| Social Impact Score | 8 | 5 |
| TOTAL SCORE | 9/10 | 7.7/10 |
Pressure Relief
The Saatva Classic performs significantly better than the Sleep Number C2 in pressure relief. Pressure relief is especially important for side sleepers and people with joint pain, as a mattress with good pressure relief conforms to your hips, shoulders, and other joints.
Earning a score of 9/10 in this category, the Saatva Classic is the clear choice for sleepers looking for pressure relief, over Sleep Number’s 7.5/10. The degree of pressure relief for the Saatva Classic varies based on the bed’s firmness, so plush and luxury firm are better choices than firm for side sleepers.
Edge Support
Edge support refers to the ability of the edge of the bed to withstand weight, rather than drooping when you sit or lie on it. This is important for people who use the edge of the bed for sitting, couples who sleep near the bed’s edges, and older people who require additional stability getting into and out of bed.
It’s no surprise that the Saatva Classic performs well in this category with a 10/10, given the brand’s use of a high-density foam rail explicitly designed for this purpose. The C2, on the other hand, earned 7/10, so it’s not the best bed for sleepers who require solid edge support.
Motion Transfer
Motion transfer refers to how much disturbance you feel due to motion occurring elsewhere on your bed. The Saatva Classic and the C2 are not superstars in this category but have acceptably low motion transfer for most sleepers. The C2 scored slightly better than the Saatva Classic in motion transfer.
However, if you are extremely sensitive to your partner’s movements in bed, you may want to consider other mattresses.
Customer Service
One area in which both Saatva and Sleep Number shine is customer service, with both earning 9/10. Sleep Number has customer service agents available to talk on the phone or chat online 24/7, which is a major perk. Both companies receive outstanding customer reviews and have knowledgeable employees to assist you with anything you need.
Which Is the Best Mattress for You
The Saatva Classic and Sleep Number C2 are great beds offering wildly different features. Let’s go through what makes these mattresses perfect for different sleepers.
We recommend the Saatva Classic for people with back pain and older adults, thanks to its exceptional spine alignment, pressure relief, and edge support. It’s also great for all sleep positions but has the edge over C2 for side sleepers needing additional contouring.
The C2 is our recommendation for sleepers who prefer firm beds, fans of tech, and couples who have different firmness preferences. The tech used in this bed is impressive for the price, so if you want to hack your sleep experience, the C2 might be for you.
Saatva offers a longer sleep trial than Sleep Number, at 365 nights vs 100 nights. Additionally, while both companies charge for returns, Sleep Number charges $100 more than Saatva, in addition to their non-refundable $249 delivery and setup fee. So for less costly returns available for a longer period, Saatva is the winner.
More Saatva Comparisons
- Saatva vs Leesa Mattress
- Saatva vs DreamCloud Mattress
- Saatva vs Loom & Leaf Mattress
- Saatva vs Casper Mattress
- Saatva vs. Brooklyn Bedding
- Saatva vs Helix
- Saatva vs Purple
More Sleep Number Comparisons
RELATED CONTENT
Mattress Guides
Best Luxury Mattress
A luxury mattress will give you the most comfortable sleep yet! Maybe it’s time for a mattress upgrade. Check out our top picks for 2023.
Mattress Guides
Best Smart Beds
Check out our top picks for beds that can monitor your sleep health and adjust your comfort levels with the click of a button.
Saatva Solaire Mattress Review
Saatva Solaire gives a luxurious sleep experience with its superior technology and customizable firmness. Read our Saatva Solaire mattress review to see how it held up.