Best Soft Mattresses

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! 

The Best Soft & Plush Mattresses of 2020 

• Editor’s Pick – Nolah Signature 12
• Best Soft Memory Foam Mattress – Puffy Lux
• Best Cooling Plush Mattress – Brooklyn Aurora
• Best Soft Hybrid Mattress – Casper Hybrid
• Best Luxury Plush Mattress – TEMPUR-Pro Adapt
• Best Soft Mattress for Heavy Sleepers – Purple Mattress
• Best Soft Dual-Firmness – Layla
• Best Soft Mattress for Side Sleepers – WinkBeds

The Nolah Signature 12 is the company’s luxury mattress and features a double-sided comfort system that delivers a soft feel on one side and a firmer feel on the opposite side. The soft side of this 12” mattress wins our award for the most comfortable soft mattress, with a breathable cotton cover, 2.5” of Nolah AirFoam™, the company’s extra-deep, cooling, pressure-relieving foam, a transition layer, and a high-density core foundation. 

We love the soft side of this bed because it gives you the feeling you’re sleeping “in” the bed rather than “on” it, while the thick foam core provides the spinal support and ergonomic stability all sleepers need. If you’re simply looking for a mattress that’s really, really comfortable, look no further. The Nolah Signature 12 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 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!

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!

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 Adapt from Tempur-Pedic is an all-foam mattress with a base layer of high-density polyfoam covered by two plush, thick layers of memory foam. It comes in two different firmness levels, but the Soft it what most sleepers prefer.

This bed is one of the top-of-the-line mattresses available today, especially for those who love a medium or medium-soft feel. The comfort materials used are top-notch and include the company’s new APR+ (advanced pressure relief) foam, which is the best material for pressure-relief they’ve ever created. In the Soft version of the mattress, APR+ is the top material, making the sleep surface extra cozy while simultaneously providing outstanding contouring and pressure relief. This bed absolutely feels like a luxury product, but keep in mind that its price tag will indicate that too, with a queen coming in at about $3,000.

Read our full TEMPUR-Adapt Mattress Review for more details.

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.

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.

The WinkBed is one of the most luxurious hybrid mattresses that can be purchased online. It comes in four firmness levels, with the softest option designed “specifically for those wanting to feel like they’re sleeping on a cloud,” according to the company’s website. 

The comfort of this mattress comes primarily from the extra plush, three-layer, euro-pillow top. This fluffy top contours to the body and rests on micro springs, temperature neutral foam, and zoned, pocketed coils. If you like the idea of purchasing a soft bed that you might encounter in a luxury hotel, this is an excellent choice. While a mattress from WinkBeds isn’t cheap, the company’s policies make it worth the investment. They offer a free 120-night trial, free shipping, free returns, a lifetime comfort replacement option, and a lifetime warranty, which is almost unheard of in the mattress industry.

Read our entire WinkBed Mattress Review to learn more.

Soft Mattress Buyers Guide 

Types of Soft Mattresses 

Foam 

Foam mattresses 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. 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

When compared to other types of mattresses, 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. Some manufacturers include a pillowtop on their latex beds for those who like a more plush feeling. 

See: Best Pillow Top Mattresses 

Innerspring

Similarly to latex mattresses, an Innerspring bed is not the first thing most people think of when looking for a soft mattress. Innerspring mattresses have coils at the base of the bed that gives a mattress that traditional bounce so many of us are familiar with. Many mattress companies are adding thick, comfort layers to give these traditionally more firm and supportive beds a softer, plush feeling. These mattresses also often have better edge support, making them an excellent choice for couples. 

Hybrid 

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. 

Mattress Support vs. Firmness

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 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.
• 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.

Who Should Avoid a Soft Mattress?

• Heavyweight 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. 
• 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 

Benefits of 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 Our Top Mattress Picks for Best Soft Mattress