7 of the Best Soft Mattresses of 2024

Written by 

KJ Callihan,

McKenzie Dillon

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.

KJ Callihan

KJ Callihan is a freelance writer with a background in mental health and education. Her writing often covers product reviews and lists, animals and pet care, food and hospitality, health, wellness, and culture. When she isn't crafting the perfect sentence, you may find her bingeing true crime documentaries, browsing mid-Michigan farmer's markets, and tasting her son's latest homemade cuisine

McKenzie Dillon Writer

McKenzie, a Certified Sleep Science Coach and proclaimed mattress expert, has been writing sleep content in the wellness space for over four years. After earning her certification from the Spencer Institute and dedicating hundreds of hours to sleep research, she has extensive knowledge on the topic and how to improve your quality of rest. Having more experience with lying on mattresses than most, McKenzie has reviewed over 150 beds and a variety of different sleep products including pillows, mattress toppers and sheets. McKenzie has also been a guest on multiple radio shows including WGN Chicago as a sleep expert and contributed sleep advice to over 50 different websites.

Expertise Certified Sleep Science Coach, Certified Stress Management Coach, Bachelor of English.

How we sort our mattresses

$2,374 at Helix

View details

Type

memory foam pillow top mattress

Firmness

soft to medium-soft or 2 to 3

Warranty

15-year limited warranty

Warranty

lifetime warranty

In addition to the soft mattresses listed above, our CNET Sleep editors have tested over 100 other beds. The ones chosen for our best soft mattress list are among the best, but several other beds deserve an honorable mention. 

Brooklyn Bedding Signature: Brooklyn Bedding is one of the only online mattress brands that makes and manufactures its own beds, so the prices are extremely fair and reasonable. I'd argue the Signature mattress is one of the best values. It has three firmness levels, but the soft model is rated around a three or medium-soft. It also has a bouncy, neutral-foam feel that most people will find comfortable. 

WinkBed mattress: The WinkBed is a luxury-hotel-worthy bed with a solid hybrid construction. It's made with memory foam but has a more neutral, innerspring mattress feel. Its pillow top gives it a plush feel, while the inner springs make it feel supportive and springy. It also has three different firmness levels. 

Leesa Legend mattress: The Leesa Legend is quality-built and perfectly plush bed. It has two different layers of springs, a design only a handful of beds use. This makes it a bit more bouncy than a memory foam mattress, which takes a few moments to react to pressure. It's rated around a 5 out of 10 on the scale or a medium, but its light and airy foam feel makes it feel soft and inviting.

Over our years of testing mattresses, we've established tests we use to assess mattresses on key factors. 

Firmness and feel

You can think of firmness as how hard or soft a mattress is when you are lie on it. We've tested hundreds of mattresses and have an extensive catalog to compare against each new bed we test. 

When assessing for feel, we get handsy with the bed. As we press on the bed, we watch what the material does. Does it take a second to bounce back like traditional memory foam, or is it quick and bouncy like latex foam?

Durability

Mattresses don't last forever, and you want to buy one that lasts. Based on its construction, we hypothesize how well a mattress will stand up to nightly use. Beds that have steel coils as a base will generally last longer than all-foam mattresses.

Motion isolation

Motion isolation is how well a mattress dampens movement across the surface. It's a big deal for people who sleep with a partner or pet who moves around at night. We jump and bounce around on the mattress for motion isolation and see how much movement is detected. We also place a glass of water on the edge of the bed and roll around and bounce near it. If it doesn't topple over, a mattress has good motion isolation. 

Edge support

A mattress's edge support is how strong the bed's perimeter is. We lay and sit on the edge of the mattress and assess how sturdy it feels. If we feel like we will fall off, then a bed doesn't have good edge support. 

Temperature 

Hot sleepers need to look for mattresses with cooling technology. Many mattresses claim to have it, but we know the difference between marketing and cooling construction that will actually keep you cool. 

Our CNET Sleep editors picked the beds and other products we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Find out more about how we test mattresses. 

Buying a soft mattress is a big decision. There are a lot of options out there, and not every bed out there will be the best choice for you. There are four key factors to remember when browsing: sleeping position, body type, health conditions and your budget. 

• Sleeping position: Side sleepers need soft to medium mattresses with plenty of pressure relief to ensure pressure points don't develop on the shoulders, hips or knees. Think soft memory foam or plush pillow tops that conform to the curves of your body. Back and stomach sleepers need a medium to firm mattress to keep the spine aligned throughout the night. Combination sleepers have the most flexibility in firmness. You should decide based on the position you spend the most time in. 
• Body type: Your weight will determine how much pressure you put on a mattress, which influences how firm you experience it. Plus-size body types will experience mattresses softer than a petite body type who puts less pressure on the bed. People over 230 pounds require a mattress with lots of support from coils, like hybrid mattresses. People under 230 pounds can choose between foam and hybrid mattresses, although the less you weigh, the more firm it will seem. 
• Health conditions: Your needs are another crucial factor to remember when shopping for a bed. You should choose a firmer mattress if you're someone with back pain. If you suffer from joint pain, choose a softer bed that will cradle you at night. If you sleep hot, look for a mattress with cooling technology in the foam or cover, or you can opt for a naturally breathable bed with latex foam. 
• Budget: Mattresses aren't a small purchase; even the most affordable bed will cost a few hundred dollars. The average cost of an online mattress is $850 to $1,200. Establishing your budget will help you filter out mattresses and narrow down your pool of options. There are mattresses for every budget, from under $300 to luxury hotel mattresses that cost over $2,000.

Besides being ultra comfortable to snuggle up in, the best soft mattresses are ideal for side sleepers and petite individuals who seek more pressure relief.

• Soft mattresses allow the hips and shoulders to press into the bed's comfort layers, providing pressure relief to those joints. 
• For side sleepers, a soft mattress will help promote proper spinal alignment because it is more contouring around the shoulders and hips and has more give. 
• The lighter you are, the firmer a bed feels. Petite sleepers under around 150 pounds may want a softer mattress because the average "medium" firmness mattress will feel more like a medium-firm.

Most soft mattresses are made with memory foam, polyurethane foam, or a blend of the two. These two materials are great for pressure relief and they can be manufactured to be ultra-plush and soft. Latex hybrid mattresses, on the other hand, tend to be the firmest. 

If you strictly sleep on your side, a soft mattress will cradle your curves and give under your hips and shoulders to promote a neutral spinal alignment. When you're sleeping on your back or stomach, a soft mattress allows your spine to sag into the bed. Beds that offer more support have proven to be more beneficial for people with back pain. If you want a bed that offers plushness and support, go for a medium firmness level. 

Side sleepers tend to benefit from soft mattresses the most because they need a firmness profile that cradles the joints around your hips and shoulders. A firm mattress offers little to no give around the shoulders and joints, which can throw off your spinal alignment and cause back pain. People under 150 pounds also like mattresses on the soft side because they exert less pressure onto a bed, making it feel firmer than what your average-weighted sleeper feels.