Best Soft & Plush Mattress Reviews

With thousands of soft mattresses available today, choosing the one that’s perfect for you can present a challenge. There are many questions to be asked. Will it be soft enough? Will it be too soft? Will it sag excessively? Which firmness level is right for me? Can it support my body weight and have a plush feel at the same time? What’s best for my sleeping position? In this guide, we’re sharing our top picks for the best soft & plush mattresses, why we love them, and who they are best for!

Disclosure: By clicking on the product links in this article, Mattress Nerd may receive a commission fee at no cost to you, the reader. Read full disclosure statement.

The Best Soft Mattresses

• Editor’s Pick – Helix Sunset
• Best Hybrid – Amerisleep AS5
• Best Memory Foam – Nectar
• Best for Side Sleepers – Puffy Lux
• Best King-Size – Layla
• Best for Back Pain – Casper Hybrid
• Best for Pain Relief – Nolah Original
• Best Medium Soft – Brooklyn Aurora
• Best Cooling –Purple Hybrid Premier

There is a common misconception that soft mattresses lack adequate support. That you can not both sink deeply into a cloud-like bed and also have an aligned spine and pressure relief. Well, Helix set out on a mission to prove that you really can have it all, and with the Sunset, they delivered. This mattress does not take away anything sleepers love about a soft mattress and also adds zoned support technology, layers engineered specifically to relieve pressure and cooling features throughout. If you love an extra soft bed but have been wondering if it is really a good option for you long-term, we love the Helix Sunset as an option that keeps you comfortable, but also safe.

See our full Helix mattress reviews for more info. 

This ultra-soft AS5 Hybrid is the perfect solution to loving the feeling of a soft mattress, but not loving the feeling of being “stuck” in a memory foam bed, or feeling like you are lacking adequate support.  The AS5 hybrid combines pressure-relieving memory foam with supportive Active Flex to offer side sleepers, combo sleepers, and heavy sleepers a comfortable night’s sleep.

Amerisleep also uses plant-based, Bio-Pur foam so you can feel good about the surface you are sleeping on. Since it is a hybrid, you won’t have to worry about the overheating you usually think about on a memory foam mattress. Even the all-foam version (AS5) of this mattress does. great job keeping you cool, due to the breathable and cooling foams used in its construction.

See our full Amerisleep mattress reviews to learn more! 

The Nectar mattress is a memory foam mattress made with cooling gel. It provides pressure relief and comfort without causing sleepers to overheat at night as many memory foam mattresses do. If you are an average-weight side sleeper or a lightweight back sleeper, you should feel especially supported.

Nectar has a great balance of contouring to the body and supporting the body. If you sleep with a partner moves a lot during the night, the Nectar does a good job of isolating motion. You’ll likely feel a little shaking if they are tossing and turning, but the movement isn’t significant enough to wake most people up, so we still think it is a great option for couples who like memory foam. Those who like the traditional feel of memory foam but tend to sleep hot will appreciate the gel-infused memory foam, and sleepers on a budget will appreciate this quality mattress at an affordable price.

See our full Nectar mattress review to learn more. 

The Puffy Lux four-layer memory foam mattress is an upgraded version of the original Puffy. The memory foam used in this mattress is extremely soft yet more responsive than traditional memory foam, making it easier to switch sleeping positions throughout the night.

The Puffy Lux works well for lightweight and average weight sleepers who tend to switch positions throughout the night, and it also works well for committed back, side, and stomach sleepers who love the feel of an all-foam mattress but don’t want to feel stuck in a bed. It’s a bed-in-the-box mattress that’s easy to set up, and the company offers free shipping, a 101-night sleep trial period, and a lifetime warranty on the product.

Read our full Puffy Lux mattress review for more details!

Layla is a flippable mattress made with copper-infused memory foam. The mattress is double-sided, which allows sleepers to have two options within the same mattress. One side of the Layla is medium-soft, which gives sleepers some pressure-relieving, and the other side is firm which is better for support. 

The cover of the mattress will keep you cool if you tend to heat up at night, no matter which side you turn it to. If you are looking for a soft mattress, are a side sleeper and are light to average weight, the medium-soft side of the Layla will be good for you. If you are a heavier sleeper, the firm side of the mattress may still provide enough softness for your liking. The copper also kills bacteria naturally, helping extend Layla’s lifespan.

Read our full Layla Mattress review to learn more.

With the Casper Hybrid, the company essentially took the original all-foam Casper mattress and added pocketed coils. The Casper is an extremely comfortable bed, and the Casper Hybrid maintains that same feel and sensation in a hybrid construction with an airy, latex-like, open-cell top layer, two layers of memory foam, and pocketed coils.

The Casper Hybrid has a generally soft, airy feel and might be one of the most accommodating beds on the market. It provides support and bounce, as most innerspring mattresses do, but the foam layers give it a really nice, soft feel that’s hard not to like. The airflow is great in this mattress as well, as both the pocketed coils and open-cell top layer encourage cooling. While almost the same firmness as the original Casper, it falls slightly on the softer side. Casper offers free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty.

Read our full Casper Hybrid mattress review to learn more.

The Nolah Original mattress is the company’s flagship model. It is called a “true medium-firm,” but we find this mattress is a great option for sleepers who like a soft mattress but have concerns about pressure points. The Nolah mattress uses foam they claim is “better than memory foam.” Additionally, they pride themselves in making their mattresses extremely cooling for a foam bed. 

If you’re simply looking for a mattress that’s really, really comfortable, look no further. The Nolah mattress checks just about every box possible to create an incredible night’s sleep. The AirFoam contours to the body like memory foam but has the subtle bounce of a latex mattress, it stays cool throughout the night, and the cotton cover is luxuriously soft. While this is our pick for the most comfortable soft mattress, it’s especially great for the socially conscious, as Nolah donates a portion of the proceeds from each mattress to sponsor an endangered wildlife species.

See all our Nolah Mattress reviews for more info. 

The Brooklyn Aurora is a hybrid mattress with 8” pocketed coils and layers of foam. The top layer is a 1.5” layer of copper-infused phase change Energex foam, which makes the bed very soft and draws heat away from the body.

People who love softer mattresses often face a challenge when it comes to finding a mattress that sleeps cool, considering most plush mattresses are either all-foam or contain memory foam, which tends to sleep warmer. Brooklyn Bedding answered the call for a soft, luxury hybrid that sleeps cool with the Aurora. The copper-infused memory foam (TitanCool™) top layer maintains what they consider to be the optimal sleep temperature of 88 degrees throughout the night, so you can say goodbye to waking up sweaty. As with all Brooklyn Bedding products, it comes with free shipping, a 10-year warranty, and a 120-night risk-free trial.

Read our full Brooklyn Bedding Aurora mattress review to learn more!

The Purple Hybrid Premier incorporates the company’s unique Hyper-Elastic Polymer material in its construction. This material is supportive and pressure-relieving in all the beds, but the Purple Hybrid Premier is the most luxuriously designed of the pack, with a four-inch comfort layer that makes it extra soft and supportive.

Heavyweight sleepers who want a mattress with a soft feel can have a difficult time finding a match. This is because their bodies naturally sink further into the mattress and may come into contact with firmer support layers, which won’t give the soft feel desired. A deviation from the original Purple, the Purple Hybrid Premier adds a pocket coil system, which provides the supportive base heavy sleepers need and is topped with four inches of the Purple grid system, which gives enough cushioning to prevent heavy individuals from pressing too deep into the mattress. The Purple Hybrid Premier comes with a 100 night trial period, ships free with white glove delivery and comes with a 10-year limited warranty.

Read our Purple Hybrid Premier review to learn more.

Who is a Soft Mattress Best For? 

Shoppers often see the words “soft” or “comfortable” and allow this advertising to heavily influence their choice. After all, phrases like “sleeping on a cloud” are often associated with deep REM sleep. However, many buyers find that soft mattresses are actually too soft, failing to provide the support they need. Here’s who should sleep on a soft mattress:

Side Sleepers

This sleeping position creates pressure points at the hips and shoulders, and a soft mattress will alleviate pain in these areas with contour. Aim for a firmness level in the 4 to 6 range. A soft bed can also help alleviate numbness and tingling inside sleepers’ arms, which can get tucked beneath the body in this sleeping position. See: Best Mattress for Side Sleepers

Lightweight Sleepers

When it comes to lightweight sleepers, it’s helpful to think of taking the firmness scale needs of an average sleeper and knocking them down a few levels. People with a lower body weight won’t sink into a firm mattress, so soft mattresses can provide the comfort and pressure relief they desire. We recommend mattress firmnesses of 1 to 5 for lightweight sleepers.

Things To Consider When Shopping for a Soft Mattress

• Pain Level: If you are someone who suffers from back, neck, or hip pain the thought of sinking into a soft mattress may sound a dream to you. However, many times extremely soft beds can lack the support you need to remedy your aches and pains. Consider a firmer bed with a pillow-top addition if you fall into this category. 
• Motion Transfer & Edge Support: If you sleep with a partner, pet, or child, you know these are two of the most important factors when mattress shopping. Soft mattresses vary in their ability to suit couples but typically do well. If a mattress is too soft however, you may find yourself feeling stuck, making moving around more difficult, disturbing your partner on the other side of the bed.
• Sleeping Position: We typically recommend softer mattresses for side sleepers and lightweight back sleepers. Combination sleepers will do okay on a soft bed, pending the mattress does not cause you to sink too much. In many stomach sleepers, traditionally soft mattresses will cause the hips to sink and increase pressure on the lower back. 

Types of Soft Mattresses

Foam 

What is a foam mattress? They are seen as some of the most popular soft mattresses. Foam mattresses are constructed of memory foam, polyurethane foam, or sometimes a mixture of both. 

How soft are they? A traditional foam bed will give sleepers a more “sinking” feeling, often associated with a soft feeling. They are not necessarily plush, but usually have very responsive profiles and most often range from soft to medium-firm. 

Latex

What is a Latex Mattress? Latex is a rubbery substance that is combined with foam to create a bouncy, supportive surface on a mattress. They are popular for using “all-natural” materials. 

Are they soft? Latex beds are typically the least likely to be thought of as “soft” or “plush.” If you are looking for a soft mattress, opt for Talalay latex over Dunlop, as Dunlop is much denser and Talalay has a softer feel. The softness of a latex mattress will usually depend on the top comfort layer. See: Best Latex Mattresses 

Innerspring

What are Innerspings? Innerspring mattresses have coils at the base of the bed that gives a mattress that traditional bounce so many of us are familiar with. These mattresses often have better edge support, making them an excellent choice for couples. See: Best Innerspring Mattresses

Are they soft? Similarly to latex mattresses, an Innerspring bed is not the first thing most people think of when looking for a soft mattress. Many mattress companies are adding thick, comfort layers to give these traditionally more firm and supportive beds a softer, plush feeling.

Hybrid 

What is a Hybrid Mattress? A hybrid mattress combines the support and bounce of coils with the comfort and contouring of memory foam. This makes them more desirable for people with aches and pains who like a close contour, but need increased support to keep their spines aligned. See: Best Hybrid Mattresses

Are Hybrids Soft?  They can be! Hybrid mattresses have a comfort layer on top of their coil base. Depending on how thick that comfort layer is, and what it is made of will dictate how firm, or soft, they are. 

Is a Soft Mattress Still Supportive? 

Firmness and support are two of the most important aspects to consider when mattress shopping, but they can be easily confused. While interrelated, they should be thought of separately. Most people assume that a mattress must be firm to provide support, but it’s possible to find a supportive mattress that meets your pressure relief needs while still feeling soft to the touch. 

Firmness refers to the feel of a mattress with regard to comfort. While every individual has a subjective definition of what soft and firm mean, the industry uses a scale of 1 to 10 in an attempt to objectify this quality, with one being extremely soft and 10 being extremely firm. To put it simply, firmness is the feeling you get when you first lie on the mattress. See: Best Firm Mattresses

Support refers to how well a mattress will support spinal alignment and is not a subjective quality. In other worse, when you’re lying in your preferred sleeping position, is your spine straight? Mattresses that feel hard to the touch can offer just as much pressure point relief and spinal support as a mattress that feels soft to the touch.

Who Should Avoid a Soft Mattress?

Big & Tall Sleepers

The opposite of lightweight sleepers, heavyweight, and naturally larger-bodied individuals may feel swallowed and unsupported by a mattress that’s too soft. We recommend knocking up the firmness scale for this body type, with better firmnesses found in the 7 to 10 range. The larger you are, the thicker and more firm your mattress will need to be in order to provide deep compression support. See: Best Mattresses for Heavy People

Individuals with Lower Back Pain

On a very soft mattress, the spine can become misaligned and cause parts of the body, especially the low back and neck, to sink down. This is why we generally don’t recommend mattresses on the very soft side of the firmness scale to individuals struggling with low back pain. Medium-firm or firm mattresses will better suit these sleepers. See: Best Mattresses for Back Pain 

Accessories for Soft Mattresses 

Mattress Toppers 

Typically, if you are shopping specifically for a soft mattress you may not need a mattress topper. However, a topper could be useful if you like a softer mattress but need a firmer base for spinal support. Mattress toppers are available as pillow-top additions, filled with down feathers, constructed with memory foam, and various other versions. 

Pillows 

If you are looking for a lofty, fluffy pillow to compliment your new soft mattress you may want to reconsider. Since you will already be deeper into your mattress, you will likely want a lower soft, soft pillow. Avoid anything too firm or overly fluffy. 

Benefits of Sleeping On A Soft Mattresses 

They’re soft, comfortable, and luxurious to the touch, which makes you look forward to curling up in bed every evening. When made with high-quality materials, they provide an almost hotel-like feel, and what’s not to love about that?

Like we’ve mentioned, soft mattresses are helpful for aligning the spine of side sleepers, especially average and lightweight individuals. The give of the top layers in these mattresses allows the shoulders and hips adequate relief to be able to relax in this position without sinking down too much. Most people sleeping on their sides, which is a rather large percentage of the population, will find relief in a soft or medium-soft bed, depending on their weight.

Soft mattresses can help with general back pain, especially for aging individuals who experience joint problems. The sweet spot here will be finding a mattress that’s adequately supportive, keeping your spine in a neutral position, with a softness that feels good to you. Those with back pain who want a mattress on the soft side should ensure the materials used are durable, as some soft mattresses break down more quickly over time, causing uncomfortable sinkage and improper spinal alignment.

Recap of the Top Rated Soft Mattresses of 2020