Layla mattress
Best flippable soft mattress
A comfortable sleep is important. Nothing compares to that feeling of drifting off soundly asleep, which is mostly supported by a comfortable mattress. We’ve ranked the best soft mattresses to support your body and help you decompress for that perfect slumber, so instead of trying to rest on a brick, you’ll be relaxing among the clouds.
If you sleep on your side, soft mattresses are one of the best options. Petite sleepers love them too, as the best soft mattress can cradle lighter sleepers with gentle contouring. However, larger folks will probably need something firmer since they tend to sink too far into softer beds.
But how can you tell if a mattress is soft or firm just by looking at a picture of it online? Manufacturers typically use a firmness scale of 1 to 10 to give you a general sense of a mattress’ feel, 1 being the softest and 10 being a very firm mattress.
We’ve scoured the corners of the sleep realm for comfortable mattress options, and we’ll help you find the right mattress for your needs. Our picks are listed below, each with an explanation of why it’s a top-level soft mattress. And if you’re looking to upgrade your whole sleeping arrangement, we also have suggestions for the best pillows and the best sheets to suit your sleep position. Read on to learn about the best soft mattress for side sleepers, the best soft memory foam mattress, and more.
The prices listed are for queen size and may vary with sales.
Best soft mattresses video review
Watch CNET video producer Owen Poole review the best soft mattresses for 2023.
Our picks
Mattress price scale:
$ = Budget: $799 and below
$$ = Average: $800 to $1,699
$$$ = Premium: $1,700 and up
These reflect MSRP or list prices. Sales might make a mattress less expensive, but are always changing.
Type Memory foam hybridFirmness 4 or medium to medium-softTrial 101 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price $$$
The best soft mattresses offer sufficient support for the sleeper — mattresses that are too soft can cause problems with spinal alignment and joint pressure over time. Ideally, you can have the best of both worlds: just enough decadent softness with a spritz of mattress firmness for pressure relief sprinkled in.
Puffy Lux
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness 3 firmness levels | Soft: 3 or Medium-soft | Medium: 5 or Medium | Firm: Medium-firm or 7Trial 120 nightsWarranty 10-year limited warranty Price $$$
The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Hybrid comes in three firmness levels: firm, medium and soft. The soft version is a pillowy-soft bed with innovative cooling features that bring the body’s skin temperature down to the ideal 88 degrees recommended for a full peaceful night’s sleep.
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe
Type Latex pillow top mattressFirmness Medium or 5Trial 120-night trialWarranty 10-year warranty Price $$$
Made in the USA, the Helix Sunset Mattress Luxe has a plush feel with a 1-2 rating on the firmness scale, the softest bed possible. It’s the best soft mattress for side sleepers or those who move around a lot during their sleep, as this mattress comprises six distinct layers, starting off with a premium pillow top with a Tencel material for airflow.
Helix Sunset Luxe
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness Medium-soft or 3Trial 100 nightsWarranty 10-year warranty Price $$$
Casper’s goal in designing the Nova Hybrid was to combine the sumptuous experience of a super soft mattress with proper support, and it appears it achieved just that. Its cutting-edge ergonomic support system consists of seven zones strategically placed to keep the spine aligned, topped with the softest foam the company uses.
Casper Nova
Type Memory foam hybrid mattressFirmness 1-2 or softTrial 100 nightsWarranty 20-year limited warranty Price
The perfect mattress for strict side sleepers, this bed is a plush gem. It’s about as pressure-relieving as a mattress can get.
Amerisleep AS5 Hybrid
Type Memory foam mattressFirmness 3 firmness levels | Medium-soft or 3 | Medium or 5 | Medium-firm or 7Trial 120 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price
The Winkbeds GravityLux mattress is targeted toward a range of sleepers no matter what their sleeping position: side sleepers, stomach sleepers, back and combination sleepers, as well as couples in search of motion isolation, and folks looking for relief from back pain. With Winkbeds, you choose your own firmness level when you choose your mattress size so if you prefer, you can be sure to get the softest most comfortable mattress variety available (they offer soft, medium and firm).
WinkBeds GravityLux
Type Flippable hybrid mattressFirmness Firm: 5 or medium | Soft: 3 or medium-softTrial 120 nightsWarranty 10-year limited warranty Price $$
The Layla mattress is unique in that it has two firmness levels in one. It’s possible because it’s actually flippable — it’s designed so both sides of the bed are comfy and able to sleep on. One side is around a medium to medium firm, while the other is a medium-soft. Soft bed lovers are going to, obviously, love the plush side of the Layla mattress. It’s a light and airy memory foam with copper-infused material to help draw heat away from your body.
Layla Hybrid
Other mattresses we’ve tested
Aside from the soft mattresses listed above, there are over 100 other beds our CNET Sleep editors have tested. The ones chosen here for our best soft mattress list are among the best of the best, but there are several other beds that deserve an honorable mention.
Brooklyn Bedding Signature: Brooklyn Bedding is one of the only online mattress brands who make and manufacture their own beds, so the prices are extremely fair and reasonable. I’d argue the Signature mattress is one of the best values you can get because it offers great quality and the price of an average foam mattress. However, the Signature bed is a durable hybrid bed made with steel coils, so it’s a surprise it’s not more expensive. It comes in three firmness levels, but the soft model is rated around a 3 or medium-soft. It also has a bouncy, neutral-foam feel that I predict most people will find comfortable.
WinkBed mattress: The WinkBed is just as comfortable as it is pretty. It’s a luxury-hotel-worthy bed with a strong hybrid construction. It’s made with memory foam, but it has more of a neutral, innerspring mattress feel. Its pillow top gives it a plush feel, while the innersprings make it feel supportive and springy. Like Brooklyn Bedding Signature, this mattress is also made in three different firmness levels. This makes it suitable for all sleeper types, but side sleepers and those looking for a soft bed will like the Plush model.
Leesa Legend mattress: If you’re willing to invest more money into your mattress, the Leesa Legend is quality-built and perfectly plush. It has two different layers of springs, a design only a handful of beds use. However, it makes it extremely durable, supportive and responsive. 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 five out of 10 on the scale or a medium, but its light and airy foam feel makes it feel soft and inviting. It’s also more supportive than the other soft beds on this mattress, which some people may see value in.
How we test
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 on how we test mattresses.
Benefits of a soft mattress
Soft beds are best for side sleepers. If you sleep on your back or stomach, a firm bed helps prevent your back from sagging.
Besides being ultracomfortable to snuggle up in, 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 they are more contouring around the shoulders and hips and have 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.
Mattress FAQs
What kind of mattress is the softest?
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 ultraplush and soft. Latex hybrid mattresses, on the other hand, tend to be the firmest.
Are soft mattresses bad for your back?
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. However, 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. So, if you want a bed that offers plushness and support, go for a medium firmness level.
Who are soft mattresses good for?
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.
Source: CNET
