Best California King Mattresses for 2024

Why we chose the Brooklyn Bedding Signature mattress: When deciding the best California king mattress overall, I wanted to pick a mattress that was suitable for singles, couples, all body types, most sleeping positions and most budgets. The Brooklyn Bedding Signature fits that bill to a tee, and it’s more affordable than most of its competitors. Brooklyn Bedding manufactures its own mattresses, eliminating the need for a middleman. This allows them to sell you a mattress for less than the other big brands. When you catch this mattress during a promo, you can get a quality California king bed for under $1,200.

It’s a comfortable, accommodating hybrid mattress that feels soft and springy. I’d compare it to the foam in your favorite comfy couch, or like memory foam without that dense, “stuck” feel. It’s available in three firmness levels, making the soft and medium models perfect for side and combination sleepers, while the firm model is ideal for back and stomach sleepers.  

Pros:

• It has three firmness levels, making it good for all sleeping positions
• Its hybrid construction is supportive of all body types
• It has a great bang for your buck

Cons:

• There is no true medium or 5 firmness level offered

Why we chose the Saatva Classic mattress: The Saatva Classic is a supportive mattress with a combination of contouring latex foam, supportive innerspring coils and special lumbar technology that makes it great for back and stomach sleepers. The Luxury Firm model of this mattress is a solid medium-firm and its dual-coil construction is a unique feature that makes the Saatva bed incredibly supportive. As such, it’s one of the best California king mattress models you can buy. 

The Saatva Classic hybrid mattress is unique in the direct-to-consumer realm in that it doesn’t arrive in a box (so make sure your doorways and stairs can fit a California king’s dimensions). That means it can be made to order after you select your preference of firmness level as well as your choice of height: 11.5 inches or 14.5 inches. 

Based on my own testing, I found the beds range from medium to firm, depending on the firmness level you choose. Finally, the California king bed mattress reaches new levels of coziness with a three-inch Euro pillow top. All of this also works well for larger mattresses like the Cal king. Read more for our full Saatva mattress review. 

Pros:

• Sleepers can choose between three firmness options
• Dual-coil construction makes it extra durable and supportive
• Suits all body types

Cons:

• Might be too firm for strict side sleepers
• It’s an expensive online mattress

Why we chose the Nectar Hybrid mattress: Nectar is a reputable bed-in-a-box brand that helped popularize the movement along with mattress bigwigs like Casper and Purple. The brand recently came out with its hybrid models, taking what people loved about the original Nectar memory foam mattress and making it more durable and supportive.

The Nectar Hybrid mattress is 12 inches thick and will suit a range of body types, from petite to plus-size. It’s made with memory foam but feels different from the flagship Nectar model. It’s more of a neutralized memory foam feel in that it doesn’t have that dense, contouring profile that’s slow to respond to pressure. I chalk that up to the pocketed coils in the bottom layer that give it more bounce. It’s still great at isolating motion if you’re looking for the best California king mattress for couples.

I’d rate the Nectar Hybrid around a medium to medium-firm, so it’s a little softer than the original Nectar and better suited for people who like to sleep on their side. Nectar is known for its good prices and big bundles. If you wait until this mattress goes on sale, (which is pretty often, not just big holidays) you can snag a California king bed for around $1,000.

Pros:

• Great for back, stomach and combination sleepers
• It’s a good pick for all body types
• It offers a good value

Cons:

• It’s a little too firm for strict side sleepers
• Provides resistance to combination sleepers who switch positions

Why we chose the Avocado Green mattress: Having enjoyed a hands-on test of the Avocado Green mattress, I can say from experience that it’s a joy to sleep on. On top of being highly comfy, especially for back, stomach and heavy sleepers, this Cal king mattress is also eco-friendly — Avocado’s mattresses are made of organic wool, cotton and latex.

In addition to using organic materials, Avocado sources its wool from its own co-owned Indian wool farm, where more than 200,000 sheep roam freely across 40 organic hectares. If you’d prefer a vegan mattress without wool of any kind, Avocado also makes the same mattress in a vegan variety, which also comes in a California king. The company also grows and processes its own organic Dunlop latex. Each mattress is handcrafted in its California factory, where the company bypasses the use of toxic glues by implementing a traditional hand-tufting technique. If that’s not enough, their mattresses are all tested to ensure low emissions, guaranteeing that they meet air quality standards.

If you need a firm mattress to support a larger or taller body, the Avocado Green in California king size is a great choice. You can also buy the pillow-topper for $500 which softens up the feel to a medium-firm. It’s an ideal firmer mattress for back and stomach sleepers, as well as those with back pain. A little extra space lengthwise gives the healing body plenty of room to do its thing. Read more at our full Avocado mattress review.

Pros:

• It’s backed by a significant number of certifications
• Made with eco-friendly and sustainable materials
• Good for back, stomach and combination sleepers

Cons:

• It’s a bit too firm for side sleepers
• Like other organic products, it’s on the expensive side

Why we chose the Helix Plus mattress: The Helix Plus is designed to offer a firmer mattress with extra support and comfort for those with larger- or taller-than-average bodies, making it an ideal plus-size mattress in the California king size. It also makes a great fit for just about all sleepers, regardless of size or sleep position preference. As long as the 7-to-8 firmness level rating doesn’t bother you (it’s a medium to firm feel), this mattress is likely to be a superb match.

Providing excellent pressure relief, the Helix Plus Cal king mattress offers just enough give to maintain support while letting the sleeper get cozy in the contours of the memory foam. This mattress also offers fantastic motion transfer, so you may not even notice your sleeping partner getting in and out of bed.

The California king size of the Helix Plus contains all the extra support, higher density foam and conveniently low motion transfer of the smaller versions, providing a longer mattress and the width of a spacious king. For any bigger or taller folks who may sleep better with a little more space between them, this size is ideal. Read more in our full Helix mattress review.

Pros:

• Good option for back, stomach and combination sleepers
• It has a strong hybrid construction ergonomically designed for support
• It has a good value

Cons:

• Not worth the money for people who weigh under 150 pounds
• Heavier side sleepers may want a softer bed

Why we chose the Allswell mattress: The bigger the mattress size, the more you have to pay when it comes to buying a new bed. If you’re in search of the best California king mattress that fits a more wallet-friendly budget, Allswell is a hybrid bed that offers a good bed for your buck. It’s made by Walmart, which is known for its price-friendly products, and you can get a California king-size mattress for under $500.

The Allswell mattress is 10 inches thick and more on the firm side, rated around a six to seven on the firmness scale. I’d say it’s best for back and stomach sleepers, and it’ll be pressure-relieving enough for side sleepers over 230 pounds. Still, it’s a little too firm for strict side sleepers under that weight range. It feels like a neutral foam mattress with added bounce, and you sleep more on top of the bed than you do inside it. This makes it really easy to switch positions, and it doesn’t give that “stuck in the mud” feel that traditional memory foam beds do. Read more about this bed in our full Allswell mattress review. 

Pros:

• It’s one of the most affordable hybrid beds on the market
• Durable and supportive for all body types
• Ideal for back, stomach and combination sleepers

Cons:

• Side sleepers will probably find it too firm