Best queen mattress: our picks by budget and feel
Hi, we’re John and Mimi. The queen is the size most people buy, so it’s also where we get the most “which one should I get?” texts. Here’s every queen we’d actually point you to, grouped by budget and by how it feels, with today’s prices pulled live from our catalog. Every one ships brand new and factory-sealed, compressed in a box, with free FedEx shipping and a 10-year limited warranty.
The short answer
- Best value queen: the 10" Rose Medium, a medium everyday gel memory foam bed that suits most adults and couples.
- Lowest price: the 6" Essentials Firm or the 8" Essentials Comfort Reactive Medium Firm, good for a guest room, a daybed or a tight budget.
- Best for warm sleepers: the 12" Copper Gel, our best-known copper model, or the 10" EcoCore Hybrid Premium if you like pocket coils.
- Best if you two can’t agree on firmness: the 12" iSwitch Flippable, with a medium firm side and a medium soft side.
- Best firm queen: the 12" Lavender Firm. Best plush queen: the 12" Essentials Plush & Soft or the 14" Ananda Pearl & Gel Plush.
Is a queen the right size?
| Size | Inches | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Full | 54" × 75" | One adult, a teen, or a small guest room |
| Queen | 60" × 80" | Most couples, and solo sleepers who like room to spread out |
| King | 76" × 80" | Couples who want more space, or share with a kid or dog |
A queen gives two people about 30" of width each, and it’s 5" longer than a full, which matters once you’re over about 5'10". For the same model, going from full to queen costs $30 more on the 10" Rose today, and going from queen to king costs $70 more. Still deciding? See full vs queen mattress, queen vs king mattress and the what size bed fits my room table.
Best queen mattresses by budget
Today’s queen prices, lowest first, with the full and king price of the same model so you can compare.
| Pick | Best for | Model code | Queen | Full | King |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6" Essentials Firm | Lowest-price queen; firm and low profile | 6ESS-Q |
$309 | $299 | — |
| 8" Essentials Comfort Reactive | Budget medium firm for guest rooms and daybeds | 8ESSCA-Q |
$319 | $269 | $399 |
| 8" Daisy Firm | Budget firm queen | 8BNV-Q |
$349 | $309 | $399 |
| 10" Rose Medium | Best everyday value for most adults | 10BNV-Q |
$399 | $369 | $469 |
| 12" Copper Gel | Our best-known copper model, medium | 12BNCOPPER-Q |
$519 | $479 | $659 |
| 12" Essentials Plush & Soft | Plush top for side sleepers | 12ESS-Q |
$549 | $519 | $669 |
| 12" Lavender Firm | Firm top over an Air Grid base foam | 12BNF-Q |
$579 | Sold out today | $629 |
| 10" EcoCore Hybrid Premium | Pocket coils under soy-based foam, medium firm | 10HSOY-Q |
$619 | $499 | $719 |
| 12" iSwitch Flippable | Two sides: medium firm and medium soft | 12ISWITCH-Q |
$639 | $629 | $769 |
| 14" ActiveAlign Zoned Hybrid | Our thickest zoned hybrid, medium soft | 14REACTIVE-Q |
$759 | $739 | $909 |
Prices are today’s prices, read live from our catalog, with free FedEx shipping included. A dash means that model isn’t made in that size.
More price ranges are in best affordable mattress and how much does a mattress cost.
Pick your queen by feel
| You want | Start with | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Medium, works for most people | 10" Rose or 12" Copper Gel | best medium firm mattress |
| Firm, for back or stomach sleepers | 12" Lavender Firm or 8" Daisy Firm | firm mattress guide |
| Soft, for side sleepers | 12" Essentials Plush & Soft or 14" ActiveAlign Zoned Hybrid | best mattress for side sleepers |
| Bounce and airflow of coils | 10" EcoCore Hybrid Premium | best hybrid mattress |
| Two different feels on one bed | 12" iSwitch Flippable | best mattress for couples |
| Not sure | The 60-second quiz | mattress firmness guide |
What a queen needs underneath
- A proper base. Our mattress listings call for a continuously solid surface, an adjustable base, or slats no more than 2 inches apart that can support the mattress and the people on it. A queen frame should also have a center support rail with a leg to the floor. See what to put under a memory foam mattress.
- No old box spring needed. A worn box spring can make a new mattress feel bad. If you need something new, see how to choose a bed frame.
- Want it to move? A queen adjustable base lets you raise the head to read or watch TV and the feet to rest your legs. See how to choose an adjustable base and best mattress for an adjustable base.
Getting it set up
Our queens arrive compressed and rolled in a box that goes through a normal doorway, so you unroll the mattress in the room where it will live. Use scissors, not a razor blade, to open the plastic. The listings say it can take up to 72 hours to fully expand to its full shape, and you can sleep on it right away. See how long a mattress in a box takes to expand for more.
10" Rose - Medium Firmness - 10BNV
Our best everyday value in a queen: a medium feel most adults like, at one of our lowest queen prices.
- 2" Gel Air Memory Foam over support foam
- Medium feel
- Machine-washable zip-off cover
- Non-skid bottom fabric; 10-year limited warranty
From $279 (Twin) · Queen $399 · See sizes & details
12" Copper Gel Infused Cooling Memory Foam Mattress - Medium Firm, Back & Side Sleepers
Our best-known copper model, and a good pick if you want a thicker queen with edge support.
- 2" Copper Memory Foam on top
- 1" memory foam to cut motion transfer
- Edge support over a 7" Air Grid base foam
- Twin XL through cal king sizes
From $369 (Twin XL) · Queen $519 · See sizes & details
12" iSwitch Flippable Two Sided Mattress - Medium Firm/Medium Soft - 12ISWITCH
Can’t agree on firmness? Sleep on one side, and if it isn’t right, flip it to the other.
- Medium firm side and medium soft side
- Gel memory foam on both sleep surfaces
- Patented edge support system
- Zip-off machine-washable cover
From $529 (Twin XL) · Queen $639 · See sizes & details
Shop this guide
Ready for a queen? These are where most people start.
- 10" Rose - Medium Firmness - 10BNV, from $279. Best-value everyday queen.
- 12" Copper Gel Infused Cooling Memory Foam Mattress - Medium Firm, Back & Side Sleepers, from $369. Our best-known copper model.
- 12" iSwitch Flippable Two Sided Mattress - Medium Firm/Medium Soft - 12ISWITCH, from $529. Two feels in one queen; flip to switch.
- 8" Gel Infused Comfort Reactive Memory Foam Mattress - Firm, Back & Stomach Sleepers, from $259. Budget queen for a guest room.
Questions we hear a lot
What is the best queen mattress for most people?
For most people we start with a medium feel: the 10-inch Rose for the best value, or the 12-inch Copper Gel if you want a thicker bed with edge support. If you like the bounce of coils, the 10-inch EcoCore Hybrid Premium is our pocket-coil pick. Prices are on this page and update live.
How big is a queen size mattress?
A standard queen is 60 inches wide and 80 inches long. That is 6 inches wider and 5 inches longer than a full (54 by 75 inches), and 16 inches narrower than a king (76 by 80 inches).
Is a queen big enough for two people?
For most couples, yes. A queen gives each person about 30 inches of width. If one of you tosses and turns, or a child or pet often joins you, a king gives each of you about 38 inches.
What is the cheapest queen mattress you sell?
Our lowest-priced queens are the 6-inch Essentials Firm and the 8-inch Essentials Comfort Reactive Medium Firm, followed by the 8-inch Daisy Firm. The table on this page lists today’s prices, which update automatically.
Do I need a box spring for a queen mattress?
No. Our mattresses go on a continuously solid surface, an adjustable base, or slats no more than 2 inches apart. A queen frame should also have a center support rail with a leg to the floor.
Want a second opinion on your queen?
Text John how you sleep (side, back or stomach), roughly how tall you are, whether you share the bed, what you sleep on now and your budget. He’ll tell you honestly which queen fits, or whether a full or king makes more sense. Text or call 818-924-3744, 6 AM to 9 PM Pacific, or take the 60-second mattress quiz.
Written by John & Mimi Venti, MimiJohn. Layer, setup and care details are from our product listings; sizes are standard US dimensions. Firmness picks are general comfort guidance, not medical advice. Prices are read live from our catalog and update automatically.