Best Mail Order Mattresses of 2021

One of the best things about the internet is you can order pretty much anything online and have it delivered to your door! If you can think of it, you can get it through the mail, and this even applies to mattresses.

It’s a common misconception that mail order mattresses are of low quality. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, some of the highest quality mattresses on the market today can be sent to your door without you ever having to set foot in a mattress store. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the best mattresses you can purchase through the mail.

Best Mail Order Mattress

This is one of Amerisleep’s best-selling mattresses, and for good reason. The AS3’s medium feel is versatile enough to accommodate sleepers of many different body types and sleep positions. It’s softer than the AS2 and firmer than the AS5, making it a great option for people looking for a middle-of-the-road firmness.

The open-cell, Bio-Pur® memory foam is plant-based, CertiPur-US® certified, and designed to stay cool all night long. The Bio-Pur® foam is also much more responsive than traditional memory foam, so it bounces back in seconds. Maybe best of all, the increasingly firm transition and support layers work with the comfort layer to provide lift and support as well as cushioning.

Most reviewers found the AS3 responsive, cooling, and comfortable. Many reviewers liked its ideal combination of solid support and cradling cushion, and lots of people noted the AS3’s high breathability. Others appreciated its eco-friendly and low VOC design.

Designed by and for athletes, the Zoma Mattress is constructed to offer consistent, reliable support to the hips and shoulders to promote neutral spinal alignment while still cushioning pressure points, relieving stress on your body after a long day of training or physical work.

The Zoma mattress combines a gel-memory foam support layer with a Reactiv™ foam transition layer and a sturdy poly-foam base layer to create a cool, responsive, and pain-relieving bed. The Triangulex™ foam in the comfort layer offers targeted support to the body’s different zones to further reduce pain and pressure.

Lots of reviewers said the Zoma relieved their lower back pain. Many athletes/laborers raved about this mattress’s ability to help them get a good night’s sleep after a long day of training or hard work. Other reviewers also appreciated the Zoma’s reasonable price tag and the fact that it’s made in the USA.

Designed with affordability in mind, the Vaya Mattress offers a high-quality product to shoppers on a budget. Vaya doesn’t keep costs down by sacrificing quality, but by combining one memory foam layer with one high-density foam layer to create a simple yet comfortable mattress.

The Vaya’s top layer is made with plush proprietary Vaya Comfort Foam designed to cradle your body and cushion pressure points while still keeping you cool. The bottom layer is a firm Vaya Support Foam designed to offer stable and responsive support.

Most Vaya reviewers appreciated the softness of the plush foam top layer. Some said it was more cushioning than a pillow top mattress, while others expressed surprise at how supportive it is considering its plush feel.

If you’re looking for a luxuriously soft mattress that can contour like no other, the AS5 Hybrid is for you. This mattress combines several layers of foam with a pocketed coil support core to offer the cushioning of memory foam and the lift of springs.

Like the AS3, the AS5 hybrid sports Amerisleep’s Bio-Pur® plant-based foam for cooling and responsive support. It also features high-density foam layers both above and below the pocketed coil support system to increase pressure relief and reduce motion transfer.

Reviewers appreciated this mattress’s breathability and responsiveness. Many also said it was so comfortable they looked forward to sleeping on it every night. Others enjoyed the AS5’s motion isolating abilities. Many also noted how supportive it is for such a soft mattress.

The GhostBed Luxe is a seven-layer mattress was designed to keep you cool, cozy, and comfortable all at the same time while offering tons of pressure relief and support. Its construction is as follows:

1. Ghost Ice Fabric
2. Cooling Fiber
3. Gel Memory Foam
4. Ghost Ice Layer
5. Ghost Memory Foam
6. Ghost Bounce Layer
7. High Density Support Layer

All these layers combine to provide a great mix of cushioning, lift, bounce, and temperature regulation.

Reviewers loved not just the mattress, but its optional accessories bundle as well (like sheets and pillows). Many appreciated the bed’s ability to keep them cool no matter how hot they sleep. Others liked the customer service offered by GhostBed.

The Purple Mattress features the unique Purple Grid™ made of thousands of air channels laid into a two-inch elastic polymer gel top layer that sits over the mattress’s other foam layers. If you’re a hot sleeper, you should consider this cooling technology to keep you sweat-free all night.

The Purple Mattress also boasts 7.5 inches of medium and high-density polyurethane foam. This foam combines with the Purple Grid™ to create a mattress of “universal firmness,” meaning it’s intended for every sleep position.

Though a few reviewers complained the Purple Mattress increased their back pain, the majority consensus was that it helps relieve both back and joint pain. Reviewers also appreciated the coolness offered by the Purple Grid. Many reviewers note improved sleep quality and quantity since purchasing this mattress.

How to Pick a Mattress: A Quick Guide

Picking a mattress doesn’t have to be a confusing and stressful hassle. You just need to keep a few things in mind. The biggest factors that impact your sleep are your mattress’s firmness and its materials. Let’s talk about both of these factors and some of the other indicators of quality you should be on the lookout for.

Material

The materials your mattress is made of can impact the feel more than anything else. They affect everything from its responsiveness to its temperature regulating ability to its durability. There are four basic mattress types, each with its own advantages and drawbacks, and the one you purchase depends mostly on what your preferences are.

Memory Foam

Invented by NASA as a method for cushioning pilots during high speed flights, this special type of polyurethane foam is the perfect material if you prioritize contouring. Memory foam mattresses can conform to your unique body shape, offering customized cushioning and support. They’re a great option for sleepers who need extra cradling under their pressure points.

On the flip side, memory foam beds may not be for you if you like a lot of bounce or you sleep hot. While cooling gels, open-cell technology, and other developments have improved memory foam’s temperature-regulating ability, it still sleeps too hot for some people. Other sleepers may not like memory foam’s slowness to regain its shape after they shift their body weight.

Latex Foam

Natural latex is made from the sap of the rubber tree and can be a great alternative to memory foam if you want a cooler, more responsive bed. Latex is much bouncier than memory foam, and it’s naturally cooling without any additives. Latex mattresses are a great choice for those only looking for plant-based foams. It’s also the most durable mattress material, able to last well over a decade.

On the other hand, latex mattresses are heavy and tough to move, meaning if you switch apartments all the time, relocating your mattress can be a real hassle. Latex is also not as budget-friendly as memory foam, nor is it as flexible. That means it won’t conform to your body quite as well as its polyurethane counterpart.

Innerspring

One of the oldest sleep technologies still in widespread use today, innerspring mattresses use a network of coils to create a highly responsive, moderately flexible support layer. This layer is typically topped with a thin comfort layer made of wool, cotton, fiberfill, or foam.

If you love the feel of a bouncy bed, traditional innerspring mattresses will be right up your alley. Innersprings also may help hot sleepers feel cooler at night, as the increased air circulation in the coil system helps the mattress stay cool.

However, many people don’t like how bouncy innersprings are, saying they feel more like a trampoline than a bed. Innersprings also don’t offer contoured support, meaning they can allow your spine to slip out of alignment. The pressure from the spring system may also cause pain in some people’s shoulder and hip joints.

Hybrid

Hybrids combine the best of both foam and innerspring mattresses by using a pocketed coil support layer and a foam comfort layer of at least two inches. Hybrid mattresses offer the contoured cushioning of foam and the firm support and airflow of coils, and they’re great for both sleepers who love foam and sleepers who love innersprings.

The biggest downside of hybrids is their cost. Since it’s expensive to manufacture and assemble all the different components of a hybrid mattress, they’re typically costlier than any other mattress type. Latex foam hybrids can cost even more than memory foam hybrids. This is something to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a new mattress.

Firmness Level

The mattress firmness scale rates beds 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest. Typically, you cannot find mattresses softer than a 3 or harder than an 8 because there’s no demand for mattresses at the extreme ends of the scale.

The mattress firmness you need is going to be dictated by two things: your sleep style and your body type. Your preferred sleep position is the most important factor in deciding what firmness you need, though your body weight does have an impact.

Firm

Firm mattresses are around a 7 on the firmness scale. They offer a lot of resistance and little cushioning. Firm mattresses are a good option for plus-size sleepers (over 230 pounds) because they offer enough lift to keep their bodies from sinking into the mattress.

Firm feel beds are also good for stomach sleepers, who need extra lift under their pelvises to prevent their hips from sinking and overarching their spines, which leads to lower back pain.

Medium-Firm

Medium-firm mattresses (6) still put up a lot of resistance, but they do have more give than firm mattresses. These beds are a good choice for back sleepers because they’ll offer sufficient support underneath the lumbar region while still compressing underneath the buttocks.

Mattresses with a medium-firm feel may also be a good option for petite stomach sleepers (under 130 pounds) who may not get enough compression from a firm mattress.

Medium

Medium feel mattresses (5) are a great compromise between compression and resistance. They’re perfect for heavier side sleepers who don’t get enough support from softer mattresses. They’re also a good choice for lighter weight back sleepers who feel like they’re sleeping on a dinner table on a firmer mattress.

Medium mattresses also make a good choice for guest room beds and couples, since they’re versatile enough to accommodate a wider range of sleepers.

Medium-Soft

Medium-soft mattresses are a 4 on the firmness scale, and they offer a lot of plushness and less resistance. This firmness level makes a good bed for side sleepers (who need extra cushioning under their hips and shoulders to avoid pain).

Medium-soft feel beds may also be a good option for more petite sleepers who need more padding and less resistance.

Soft

Soft mattresses (3) don’t provide a lot of support, but they offer a ton of cushioning. This means they’re really too plush for everyone but petite side sleepers. If this describes you, you’ll probably enjoy the cradling of a soft feel mattress, as it will relieve your pressure points and help prevent pain.

Certifications

Depending on what they’re made of, mattresses can apply for any number of certifications demonstrating their quality and/or purity.

While you don’t necessarily need a mattress with certifications, a label from one or more of the following standards demonstrates that a component of the mattress or the mattress itself has passed rigorous manufacturing standards.

For people worried about toxic chemical emissions or environmental impact, certain certifications can go a long way to helping them sleep well on their new mattress.

CertiPUR-US®

The CertiPUR-US® certification assures the consumer that a mattress’s memory foam is made to the highest standards of purity, meaning it is free of toxic chemicals and has low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions.

GOLS

The Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certificate demonstrates that a mattress has only the purest organic latex. GOLS latex must be free of toxic processing chemicals, eco-friendly, and socially ethical—meaning the workers involved in its harvesting, manufacture, and shipping were not exploited.

GOTS

Like GOLS, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) also focuses on consumer protection, environmental friendliness, and social ethicality. However, it applies to organic textile products rather than latex. That means mattresses containing things like cotton, wool, bamboo, flax, or any other natural fiber can apply for this certificate.

GREENGUARD Gold

The GREENGUARD Gold certification focuses on a final product’s VOC emissions. Mattresses with this certification have demonstrated that they have extremely low levels of chemical emissions and will not contribute to indoor air pollution that threatens human and pet health.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100

This OEKO-TEX certification also demonstrates that every component of a textile product is free of toxic chemicals and poses no health threat. This standard can apply to natural and synthetic fibers, so you might see mattresses containing fiberfill or polyester sporting this certificate.

FAQs

What should I look for in a sleep trial?

Sleep trials exist to ensure you’ll be happy with your product for the long haul. You’ll want the sleep trial to be no less than 90 days, as your mattress will soften slightly during the first few weeks you use it.

Perhaps the most important part of the sleep trial is the money-back guarantee. You want to make sure that your sleep trial comes with a satisfaction guarantee that allows you to return the undamaged mattress for a full refund for any reason. Some manufacturers may place restrictions on their return policies, so it’s vital to read the fine print.

What is a mail order mattress?

Mail order mattresses are just mattresses you order online or through other mail order services like catalogues. Some mail order mattresses may only be available online, while others might be available both through the mail and in brick-and-mortar stores. It’s also common for online mattress companies to offer free shipping, though this may not always be the case.

What is a “lifetime warranty?”

The term “lifetime warranty” can be confusing. Does it mean your lifetime? The average human lifespan? The product’s expected lifetime?

Typically, the answer is the third option, and the product’s expected lifetime is usually whatever the manufacturer says it is. That’s why you need to be vigilant when it comes to products that say they have a lifetime warranty. If you care at all about being able to call in the warranty, you need to know exactly how the manufacturer defines “lifetime” before buying the product.

What’s the difference between a bed in a box and a mail order mattress?

A bed in a box mattress can be compressed, rolled up, or otherwise stuffed into a conveniently sized container for shipping. Mail order mattresses, meanwhile, are mattresses that come in the mail, but they don’t necessarily come compressed into a box or bag. Just about every bed in a box is also a mail order mattress, but not every mail order mattress will be a bed in a box.

Am I able to return a mail order mattress?

As we said above, you’ll want to be well-aware of your mattress’s return policy before you purchase it. While most mail order mattresses will have some type of return policy, each policy will be different, and they all may have hidden restrictions you need to know about.

Another thing to watch out for is damage. Pretty much all mattresses cannot be returned if you rip them or stain them, so you’ll need to make sure you’re using a mattress protector during your mattress’s trial period. It’s important to have a mattress protector all the time, but it’s especially vital to have one while your bed’s return policy and/or warranty is still in effect.

Bottom Line

There are tons of amazing mail-order mattresses on the market today. From plant-based memory foams to cooling hybrids to organic latex, the latest and greatest sleep technology is all online, proving once and for all you don’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience—or vice versa!