Helix vs. Leesa Mattress Comparison

The Leesa Original mattress is an all-foam bed that offers a responsive feel. Helix offers six different mattresses in its standard line, each also available in a “Luxe” version. This collection of mattresses has a few things in common: All are hybrid mattresses with breathable covers and a solid base of individually wrapped coils. Both the Leesa Original and the Helix line can be good mattresses for budget shoppers. 

Generally, the Leesa is supportive enough for lightweight and average-weight sleepers, while the Helix mattresses tend to offer enough support for sleepers of all weight ranges. When it comes to sleep position, the Leesa Original offers excellent spinal alignment and pressure relief for side sleepers and back sleepers. The firmer Helix models (for instance, the Dusk, Twilight and Dawn) may work better for stomach sleepers. If you prefer the balanced feeling of foam, then the Leesa could be a better fit. Sleepers who crave the bounce of innersprings will probably prefer a Helix mattress.

Comparing Helix Mattress & Leesa Mattress

With a medium-firm feel, the Leesa Original  strikes a great balance between support and contouring comfort. The Helix standard line of mattresses, on the other hand, ranges in firmness from a soft 3/10 firmness level to a firm 8/10 rating. Combination sleepers, or those who shift position often throughout the night, should appreciate the responsive foam in the Leesa Original Mattress. Heavyweight sleepers looking for extra support should love the bouncy coils in the Helix line of mattresses. 

Differences

• The Leesa Original is an all-foam mattress with the balanced feel of responsive foam, while the Helix models are made with a combination of foam and coils for an even bouncier feel.
• All Helix models come with the Soft Touch cover, which allows for more breathability and cooling. The Helix line also includes breathable coils, which are typically better for hot sleepers than memory foam. 
• The Leesa Original comes in one firmness level (a medium-firm feel), while the Helix line of mattresses is available in a wide selection of firmness levels.

Similarities

• Both types of beds provide a solid level of responsiveness, which means that sleepers should feel as if they’re sleeping “on” the mattresses instead of “in” them.
• Both mattresses are budget-friendly, starting as low as $600 for a Helix mattress and as low as $699 for the Leesa Original.
• The Leesa Original and standard Helix mattresses each come with a 10 year warranty and a 100-day sleep trial, during which customers can return the mattress for a full refund.

Who the Helix Mattress is Best For 

Best For…

• Heavyweight Sleepers: Although each Helix mattress is different, Helix is generally a good brand for heavyweight sleepers because the combination of foam and coils allows for good weight distribution and pressure relief. 
• Hot Sleepers: Each Helix mattress comes with the Helix Soft Touch cover, which is breathable enough to help with body temperature regulation throughout the night.
• Stomach Sleepers: Several Helix mattresses are firm and supportive enough to work for stomach sleepers, who need extra firmness to support their hips in the stomach sleeping position.

May Not be Best For…

• Memory Foam Enthusiasts: If you love the feeling of memory foam, then Helix mattresses may not be right for you. The beds each use a combination of individually wrapped coils and foam layers, which feels very different from a traditional memory foam mattress.
• Couples Who Wake Up Easily: If you sleep with a partner who wakes easily from feeling movement, the Helix line’s bouncy coils may not provide enough motion isolation to keep them happy. For ultimate motion isolation, take a look at all-foam beds.

Read our full Helix Midnight Mattress Review to learn more! 

Who the Leesa Mattress is Best For 

Best For…

• Side Sleepers: The Leesa Original mattress offers incredible pressure relief and spinal alignment on a medium-firm surface, which is exactly what average-weight side sleepers need. See best mattresses for side sleepers for more of the top pressure-relieving mattresses.
• Combination Sleepers: If you tend to toss and turn throughout the night and you want a mattress that allows you to move around easily, then the Leesa Original is a great choice.
• Couples: The Leesa Original is a good pick for couples because it is responsive and bouncy, which can be nice for sex. It also offers great motion isolation, so movement from one partner is less likely to wake the other partner as they sleep.

May Not be Best For…

• Hot Sleepers: The Leesa Original is an all-foam mattress, which means it retains heat and may be uncomfortable for people who tend to get hot at night.
• Plush Mattress Lovers: If you love a nice, soft mattress, the Leesa Original may not be right for you because it has a medium-firm feel rather than a soft or medium-soft feel.
• Heavyweight Sleepers: Although the Leesa is designed to support sleepers who weigh up to 300 lbs., heavyweight sleepers would likely be more comfortable on a hybrid mattress with the extra support of innerspring coils.

Read our full Leesa Mattress Review to learn more! 

Deciding Between Helix & Leesa

Firmness / Feel

Here at Mattress Nerd, all mattresses are rated on a firmness scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 the most firm. Side sleepers prefer softer sleep surfaces that cradle their shoulders and hips, while back and stomach sleepers tend to like firmer mattresses that offer more support for their neck, back, shoulders, hips and legs. Lightweight sleepers may find that a plush mattress works better for them, since they have less weight to sink into the mattress, while heavyweight sleepers may need a firmer mattress to provide better support. The Leesa Original Mattress is 6/10 on the firmness scale, which allows it to accommodate side and back sleepers of most body types. Still, we wouldn’t recommend it for lightweight side sleepers and anyone looking for an ultra-soft bed. The Helix standard line of mattresses comes in a variety of firmness levels, listed below: 

• Helix Sunset: 3/10
• Helix Moonlight: 4/10 
• Helix Midnight: 6/10
• Helix Dusk: 6/10
• Helix Twilight: 7.5/10
• Helix Dawn: 8/10 

Motion Isolation

When you toss and turn at night, or when you get in or out of bed, that motion can travel across the sleep surface and potentially disturb a partner’s rest. A mattress that reduces motion transfer will help stifle motion at the source and allow both sleep partners to sleep undisturbed all night long. While both the Leesa and the Helix mattresses offer decent motion isolation, the Leesa generally does a better job at preventing motion transfer because of its all-foam construction, making it a better mattress choice for couples.

Edge Support

A mattress with good edge support will allow a sleeper to lie or sit along the edge of their mattress without feeling as if they’re about to slide off the bed and onto the bed frame. The Leesa Original has adequate edge support when a sleeper rests right along the edge of the bed, but sitting on the edge might cause someone to feel a bit unstable. Because all Helix mattresses come with a tall layer of reinforced steel coils in the support layer, these beds will provide better edge support than the Leesa Original.

Pressure Relief 

If someone chooses the correct mattress for their body type, a mattress can help deliver pressure relief to make a refreshing and pain-free morning much more likely. Both the Leesa Original and the Helix line of mattresses offer great pressure relief, but deciding which one is better depends on your sleep position. If you’re a side sleeper or a combination sleeper, we recommend the Leesa Original. If you’re a stomach sleeper or a back sleeper, there’s definitely a firm and supportive Helix mattress for you.

Spine Alignment 

The human body needs proper spinal alignment to prevent significant back or neck problems later down the road. Mattress firmness can play a significant role in comfort largely because firmness can affect spine alignment. For instance, stomach sleepers with a too-soft mattress could experience uncomfortable bowing in the hips, which could lead to back pain. Most side sleepers will appreciate the Leesa Original for the spinal alignment it is able to offer, but stomach sleepers who need more hip support will likely prefer a Helix mattress.

Durability 

Well-made, high quality mattresses should last for years without losing their shape or succumbing to sagging. That is why you should choose a mattress with a strongly built base layer that includes a lot of support. Both of these mattresses have a high-density polyfoam layer at the base and are designed to last for a long time.

Temperature 

Sleeping hot can be very uncomfortable, which is why so many mattresses incorporate cooling technology into their construction. The Leesa Original’s all-foam construction means that it can tend to hug the body while you sleep, which can trap heat next to the body instead of dissipating it. Because the Helix mattresses include individually wrapped coils, hot sleepers should feel relatively cool on a Helix mattress. Still, neither the Helix Soft Touch Design cover nor the Leesa Original’s cover feel cool to the touch.

Helix Mattress Construction

Each Helix mattress is built differently, but they each share three identical construction elements: a support layer of wrapped coils, a breathable Helix Soft Touch cover and a DuraDense polyfoam base layer on which the coils rest. A variety of foams make up the comfort and transitional layer in Helix mattresses, including Memory Plus Foam and Helix Dynamic Foam. Each mattress combines these materials in different orders and IFD levels (a measure of density) in order to create a different feel. The Helix Luxe models also come with a pillow top, lumbar support and a gel comfort layer, all of which are great additions for people with chronic back pain and those who need extra cushioning. Check out our Helix Sleep mattress comparison and Helix luxe mattress comparison for more on the various Helix models.

Leesa Mattress Construction

The Leesa Original Mattress starts with a soft and cooling organic cotton cover with enhanced breathability. The top layer is made of LSA200 foam, which feels similar to traditional latex mattresses, and offers some cooling capability and excellent responsiveness for most sleep positions. The transitional layer is made of contouring memory foam that cradles your body and delivers pressure relief. The final base layer is made of dense polyfoam that supports the overall structure of the mattress and allows it to retain its shape and structure for years to come.

Sizing & Price Comparisons 

Check out our Helix Mattress Coupons and Leesa Mattress Coupons for the best deal on a new mattress.

Shipping and Returns for Helix & Leesa

Helix Mattress

Helix ships its mattresses all over the U.S. and several Canadian provinces at no charge to the consumer. After placing your order, customers can expect their new mattress to arrive within 3 to 15 business days. 

The Helix mattress also comes with a 100-night sleep trial period, during which shoppers can test it out and see if it works for their body type. After 30 days from date of delivery, a Helix mattress can be returned for a full refund. All Helix standard mattresses also come protected with a 10 year warranty, while the Helix Luxe models come with a 15-year warranty.

 Leesa Mattress

Leesa delivers its mattresses to customers in the U.S. for free. Once the order is placed, the mattress can take up to 3 to 6 business days to arrive compressed and rolled into a box. For an additional fee, customers can select the brand’s white glove delivery service, which includes setup of your new mattress and removal of all packaging. For an extra $50, you can ask the company to remove an old mattress as well.

The Leesa Original mattress comes with a 100 day trial period. After 30 days from the date of delivery, if you’re unhappy with your sleep experience, you can return the mattress for a full refund. Keep in mind that folks in Alaska and Hawaii must pay a $100 return fee. The Leesa Original mattress is also covered under warranty for 10 years.

More Helix Mattresses

See Helix Dawn Mattress Review to learn more.

Read our Helix Birch Mattress Review to learn more.

Read our Helix Plus Mattress Review to learn more.

More Leesa Mattresses

See our Leesa Hybrid Mattress Review to learn more.

See our Leesa Legend Mattress Review to learn more.

Haven’t made a decision yet? Check out these other comparisons:

• Helix vs. Casper
• Helix vs. Purple
• Leesa vs. Tuft & Needle
• Leesa vs. Layla
• Leesa vs. GhostBed
• Leesa vs. Amerisleep
• Leesa vs. Purple
• Leesa vs. Puffy
• Leesa vs. Saatva
• Leesa vs. Bear
• Leesa vs. Tempurpedic
• Leesa vs. Casper

Our Final Take

Both the Leesa Original and the suite of Helix mattresses are great beds, but they each have their own unique strengths. The Leesa Original Mattress is a great mattress for back and side sleepers and for people who like a medium-firm sleep surface. If you’re a very hot sleeper, or if you prefer a firm sleep surface, we recommend checking out the Helix line.