How to choose a mattress: a 10-step buying checklist

Hi, we’re John and Mimi. Most people don’t buy a mattress often, so it’s easy to get lost in feel labels, layer names and sizes. This is the order we walk customers through by text: ten short questions, each with a quick rule of thumb and a link to our deeper guide when you want the details. At the end there’s a short list of where we’d start, at today’s prices.

The short answer: your checklist

1. Size: who sleeps in the bed, how tall you are, and how big the room is.
2. Sleeping position: side, back, stomach or all three decides the firmness range.
3. Body weight: lighter sleepers go a step softer, heavier sleepers a step firmer and thicker.
4. Type: all-foam memory foam or a hybrid with pocket coils.
5. Temperature: if you sleep warm, look at what’s in the top layers.
6. Thickness: 6" to 14", and how high the bed ends up.
7. What it sits on: a solid platform, close-set slats, a foundation or an adjustable base.
8. Sharing the bed: motion, edges, and what to do when you want different feels.
9. Budget: set a number for the whole bed, not just the mattress.
10. Delivery, setup and care: how it arrives, how long it takes to expand, and protecting it.

Not sure your current mattress is done? Start with our signs it’s time to replace a mattress. Shopping for an adjustable base too? Our how to choose an adjustable base checklist does the same for bases.

Step 1: Pick the size

• One adult, smaller room: a full (54" × 75") or a Twin XL (38" × 80"). The Twin XL is the same length as a queen, which matters if you’re tall.
• Two people: a queen (60" × 80") at the least; a king (76" × 80") if the room takes it.
• Tall, or a long, narrow room: a California king (72" × 84") is narrower than a king but 4" longer.
• Two people who want different feels or positions: a split king, which is two Twin XL mattresses side by side in a king footprint.
• Measure first. Leave room to walk around the bed and open drawers and doors.

Every measurement is in our mattress size chart, and the head-to-heads go deeper: twin vs Twin XL, full vs queen, queen vs king and king vs California king.

Step 2: Match the firmness to how you sleep

The goal in every position is a fairly straight spine, and firmness labels aren’t standard from brand to brand, so use these as ranges:

• Side: medium soft to medium, so your shoulder and hip can sink in a little. See best mattress for side sleepers.
• Back: medium to medium firm, so your hips stay level with your shoulders.
• Stomach: firm, so your lower back doesn’t sag into the bed. See best firm mattress for back and stomach sleepers.
• All of the above: medium, or a two-sided flippable mattress. See best mattress for combination sleepers.

Our mattress firmness guide explains the scale and groups every mattress we sell by feel.

Step 3: Factor in your body weight

The same mattress feels firmer to a lighter person and softer to a heavier one, because more weight presses deeper into the comfort layers. As a rough rule of thumb: under about 130 lbs, go one step softer than the position advice above; over about 230 lbs, go one step firmer and look at 12" to 14" mattresses, often a hybrid. Our petite and lightweight sleepers and heavy and plus-size sleepers guides have picks for each.

Step 4: Memory foam or hybrid?

We sell 18 all-foam mattresses and 8 hybrids today. The difference is what’s under the comfort layers:

• All foam: layers of memory foam and support foam, no coils. You sink in a little and the bed shapes around you; a partner turning over is less likely to jostle you. Our foam bases are mostly cut with an Air Grid or air channels.
• Hybrid: foam comfort layers over pocketed coils. More bounce, an easier time changing position, and a steadier edge; most of our hybrids list a patented edge support system.

Neither is better for everyone. Our memory foam vs hybrid guide compares them, and the best memory foam mattress and best hybrid mattress guides list every model layer by layer.

Step 5: Do you sleep warm?

If you kick the covers off, look at the top few inches. In our lineup that means gel-infused or gel air memory foam, copper-gel memory foam, soy-based air foam, graphite Lumi Bands with bamboo charcoal memory foam on the Allureluxe hybrids, and coils for airflow on any hybrid. Our gel memory foam vs hybrid for hot sleepers guide walks through each option.

Step 6: Choose a thickness

• 6" and 8": guest rooms, kids’ rooms, bunks, trundles and daybeds, and tight budgets. See kids and bunk beds and trundles.
• 10": the everyday middle, and an easy fit for standard sheets.
• 12": room for thicker comfort layers, zoning or a two-sided build. Most of our mattresses are here.
• 14": our plushest and thickest. Check your sheets’ pocket depth and how high the bed will sit.

More in how thick should a mattress be.

Step 7: Check what it will sit on

The setup instructions on our mattresses call for a proper surface: a continuously solid surface, an adjustable base, or slats no more than 2" apart that can support the mattress and the people on it. That usually means a platform bed, a slatted frame with close slats, or a foundation. A box spring isn’t needed; see what to put under a memory foam mattress and do you need a box spring.

Putting it on an adjustable base? Memory foam and hybrids with pocketed coils bend with the base, and several of our listings say outright that the mattress is compatible with an adjustable base. Our best mattress for an adjustable bed guide covers it, and our packages pair the two.

Step 8: Sharing the bed?

• Motion: memory foam or a pocket-coil hybrid, rather than an old-style innerspring, so you feel less of your partner moving.
• Edges: if you sit on the side of the bed or use the whole surface, look for listed edge support.
• Different feels: medium to medium firm is the usual middle ground. If you truly want different feels, a split king lets each of you pick your own Twin XL mattress.

Our best mattress for couples and split king guides go deeper.

Step 9: Set a budget for the whole bed

Today our queen mattresses run from $309 (6" Essentials Firm Memory Foam Mattress) to $1,049 (14" Allureluxe Classic Cooling Hybrid Mattress with Lumi Bands), with free shipping included. Our lowest-priced hybrid queen is the 10" EcoCore Hybrid Premium Soy Foam & Pocket Coil Mattress at $699.

Budget for the whole bed, not just the mattress: a frame or foundation if your current one doesn’t meet the proper-surface rule, a protector that fits the mattress height, and sheets deep enough for it. A higher price buys thicker comfort layers, coils, zoning or cooling materials; it doesn’t change how firm a mattress feels. Our best affordable mattress guide sorts every mattress we sell by today’s price, with our picks at each budget.

Step 10: Delivery, setup and care

• It arrives in a box. Our mattresses ship compressed and rolled, with free shipping; many of the listings say delivery within 3 to 5 business days.
• Set it on the proper surface before you open it, cut the plastic carefully with scissors, and unroll it. The listings say it may take up to 72 hours to fully recover its shape. See how long a mattress in a box takes to expand.
• Give it a few weeks. Foam usually softens slightly as it breaks in, and your body needs time to adjust after an old bed.
• Protect it from day one. Our mattress listings carry a 10-year limited warranty, and they say liquid spills don’t qualify for warranty claims. Match the protector to the height; see do you need a mattress protector and how to clean a mattress.

Mistakes we see most

• Buying by the firmness label alone. One brand’s medium is another’s firm. Read what’s in the top layers and match it to how you sleep and your weight.
• Forgetting what’s underneath. A sagging box spring or wide-gapped slats can make a new mattress feel wrong.
• Picking a size before measuring the room, or a 75"-long bed for someone who’s 6 feet tall.
• Skipping the protector and deep-pocket sheets on a 12" or 14" mattress.
• Judging it the first night. Let it fully expand and give yourself a few weeks.

Where we’d start: a quick shortlist

One starting point for each common situation, with today’s queen price. Details come from each mattress’s listing.

Prices read live from our catalog, free shipping included. Other sizes are on each product page and in our mattress comparison chart.

10" Rose - Medium Firmness - 10BNV

If you’re still undecided after the checklist, this is where most people land: a medium all-foam mattress with a washable cover at a friendly price.

• Medium feel
• 2" gel air memory foam top layer
• Machine-washable zip-off cover
• Non-skid bottom fabric
• CertiPUR-US certified foam; 10-year limited warranty

From $279 (Twin) · Queen $399 · See sizes & details

12" iSwitch Flippable Two Sided Mattress - Medium Firm/Medium Soft - 12ISWITCH

Can’t settle on a feel? Sleep on one side, and if it isn’t right, flip it over.

• Two sides: medium firm and medium soft
• Gel memory foam on both sides
• 6" Air Grid core
• Zip-off machine-washable cooling cover

From $659 (Twin XL) · Queen $769 · See sizes & details

Questions we hear a lot

Want a second opinion? Just ask us

Send John your answers to the checklist (size, how you sleep, roughly how much you weigh, whether you sleep warm, what it’ll sit on and your budget) and he’ll tell you honestly which mattress he’d pick. Text or call 818-924-3744, 6 AM to 9 PM Pacific, take the 60-second mattress quiz, or use Help me choose. See our Purchase Policy & Warranty for the details.

Written by John & Mimi Venti, MimiJohn. Layers, setup, delivery and warranty wording from the product listings on this site; prices update automatically. General shopping guidance, not medical advice.