The Best Innerspring Mattresses

We've tested hundreds of mattresses, but the market leans more hybrid than innerspring nowadays. Still, here are a few popular options you may be curious about:

Parachute Eco Organic Mattress: This is one of the few boxed and foam-free innerspring mattresses on the market. It uses wool instead of foam for temperature regulation and has a layer of zoned micro coils for contouring comfort (micro coils will adapt more precisely to your body to cradle it and zoned means certain areas are firmer or softer for ergonomic support). The caveat is that it only comes in one firmness level (medium firm) and the edge support isn't the best.

Beautyrest World Class: We’re currently in the process of testing this new release, which is the equivalent of a discontinued model we’ve been hands-on with (the Harmony Lux), so we expect similar results. The previous model received great feedback from side sleepers on our panel for its cushiony comfort, though it ran on the taller side, so some testers had issues finding well-fitting sheets. This latest model comes in a slew of firmness options, including pillow-top variations.

Beautyrest Silver: While we prefer the Harmony Lux/World Class, the Beautyrest Silver Line is still a great option if you’re looking for a softer bed and a less expensive mattress.

The Winkbed: This mattress has risen in popularity, but its most recent iteration falls more into the hybrid category than the innerspring, as the brand swapped the micro coils for foam layers. It has a uniform feel similar to other innerspring mattresses we've tried, but our tester found it ran notably hot (even during the winter) and firm.

Allswell Luxe Hybrid: While it’s technically a hybrid and not an innerspring mattress, this is a great budget-friendly option that still proves comfortable and supportive. Our panelists liked how it felt like they were sleeping “on top of” the mattress and have compared it to a hotel bed. But it’s only available in medium and does have more foam than traditional.

Bear Elite Hybrid: This is one of our favorite hybrid mattresses, and it’s performed very well in our tests among users who prefer firm innerspring mattresses but are curious about hybrids. It has an ergonomic design with extra give or support in key areas like the lower back or shoulders. The con is that Bear makes claims about how the celliant fiber in the cover promotes recovery that we can’t verify.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab evaluates all sorts of mattresses by researching offerings from top brands, working with consumer testers to provide firsthand feedback on setup and sleep testing, surveying long-term users for in-depth feedback and analyzing data.

During this process, our analysts scrutinize each aspect of a mattress, from the materials and specifications to specific features and claims from the brand. To find the best mattresses, we analyzed more than 170,000 data points from over 10,000 responses to our recent surveys alone.

Here are some of the factors we considered when narrowing down the best options:

Choosing a new mattress can be an extremely mind-boggling decision, especially if you're buying it online without first trying it out in person. Here are some factors to consider when shopping for your next mattress:

✔️ Sleep position: If you're looking for a mattress to help promote proper spinal alignment, how you sleep can help determine your optimal firmness level.

• Stomach sleepers are best suited to firmer mattresses.
• Mattresses for side sleepers are often softer to avoid any additional stress on your shoulders, hips or knees.
• Back sleepers and combination sleepers fall somewhere in between and are best off with a medium firmness mattress.

✔️ Body type: Mattresses for heavier people are often firmer for long-lasting support, while softer mattresses are ideal for those with lightweight body types. When deciding on what firmness level to choose for your next mattress, remember to consider both your weight and sleep position, as well as any personal preferences.

✔️ Back pain: The best mattresses for back pain will offer pressure relief, often with an all-foam or hybrid mattress design. Medical experts have told us that those with a medium firmness are often ideal, as they offer a good balance of both cushioning and support.

✔️ Temperature: Cooling mattresses can help provide relief to anyone who tends to overheat at night or suffers from night sweats. Memory foam typically retains heat while an innerspring mattress with coils provides more breathability.

✔️ Motion isolation & noise: Innerspring mattresses don't have the best motion isolation, especially compared to foam beds. Still, those with individually pocketed coils tend to be less disruptive (or noisy) in our tests.

✔️ Certifications: When shopping for mattresses, chances are you'll encounter many different emblems. Here's some of the most common certifications you'll see and what they mean:

• CertiPUR-US: This certifies whether the foam used in the mattress was made without certain harmful chemicals and whether it has been tested for low VOC emissions.
• OEKO-TEX: The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex certifies that any fabric in the product has been tested to ensure there are no unsafe levels of any known harmful chemicals.
• GOTS: The Global Organic Textile Standard certifies that the entire production process of any textile-based product follows strict standards. This is the gold standard for any organic mattress or bedding. Just be aware that GOTS only certifies entire products, not single components. This certification is often misused by brands who claim that their mattresses use organic components (e.g., an organic cotton outer cover). You can always check the GOTS public database to be sure.
• GOLS: The Global Organic Latex Standard is similar to GOTS, but for latex. These two organic certifications are often used together in organic pillows, mattress toppers and mattresses.
• GREENGUARD: GREENGUARD is an indoor air quality certification and indicates that the mattress meets chemical emission standards. The GREENGUARD Gold certification is stricter, requiring products to have even lower volatile organic compound (VOC) emission levels.

Innerspring mattresses are known for their firm support and breathable nature. I'd specifically recommend them for the following people:

✔️ Those who prefer a more responsive bed: This is especially true if you prefer to feel like you're lying "on top of" the mattress. This is the more traditional feel of a mattress.

✔️ Users with mobility issues: Innerspring beds also have better edge support, so they provide extra support when getting in and out of bed.

✔️ Hot sleepers: Many other popular mattress types tend to overheat (like memory foam) and rely on pricey cooling technology, while innerspring mattresses have a breathable design with minimal foam.

✔️ Back and stomach sleepers: Medical professionals typically recommend a medium level of firmness for back sleepers and a firmer bed for stomach sleepers.

✔️ Those who prefer a firmer bed: Personal preferences will impact your comfort, even if science says you're meant to sleep on a plush mattress as a side sleeper.

✔️ Budget-conscious shoppers: While not all innerspring beds are cheap, the lower-priced models tend to be more affordable than latex or hybrid mattresses.

Innerspring mattresses are typically made up of coils with little-to-no extra layers. Oftentimes, they can be more durable and breathable and have a trademark bouncy feel that's unique to this type of mattress.

Hybrid mattresses combine the coils in innerspring mattresses with several layers of memory foam or latex for added comfort and pressure relief to the more supportive coils. While innerspring mattresses are considered more traditional, they're less common in today's market while hybrids are growing in popularity.

Traditionally, innerspring mattresses were made with a system of interconnected metal coils, but nowadays you'll find many of these mattresses instead use individually pocketed coils. Pocketed coils are kept separate from one another as each is encased or covered by fabric, forming a "pocket" that differentiates these coils from an interconnected system. In this setup, each coil can have a different firmness, allowing for targeted comfort and support.

Both options provide durable support, but innersprings tend to provide a more even feel across the entire bed because of the interconnected coil system, while pocketed coils allow for more customization through ergonomic layouts or extra edge support because you can alter the firmness of each coil.

If you're looking for an innerspring mattress that's compatible with an adjustable bed, make sure to check that it has individually pocketed coils.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab has been testing all kinds of bedding and home products for over a century. Since the start of the online mattress industry's rapid expansion in 2014, our expert scientists and engineers have:

✔️ Researched hundreds of new models online, including deep dives into materials, design, customer service and online reviews.

✔️ Leveraged our backgrounds in fiber science, materials engineering and consumer science.

✔️ Interviewed medical professionals and kept up with relevant literature and sleep studies.

✔️ Surveyed more than 10,000 GH panelists for answers to a total of over 170,000 questions on mattresses they own.

✔️ Worked with hundreds of at-home consumer testers to evaluate hundreds of mattresses long-term, including 156 in the past year alone.

✔️ Visited mattress factories and showrooms and met with various brands.

Grace Wu is a textiles product review analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute and has overseen recent consumer testing of hundreds of mattresses. She's slept on every type of mattress, but the innerspring mattress remains her all-time favorite. Prior to joining GH, Wu earned a Masters of Engineering in Materials Science & Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Fiber Science from Cornell University.

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